This past Spring, with great anticipation, I read the Legacy
of the YOSEMITE MAFIA – The Ranger Image and Noble Cause Corruption in the
National Park Service by Paul D. Berkowitz with Foreword by J.T.
Reynolds (published by Trine Day LLC,
2017). I’ve known the author for over
30-years, and know of his capacity for research and scholarship pertaining to
law enforcement issues related to the National Park Service (NPS). I also have
great respect for J.T. Reynolds, who wrote the foreword.
I remember when the FBI’s Resident Agent-in-Charge of the
Santa Fe Office told me when he worked at the Flagstaff Office that Berkowitz
had convinced him (and the FBI) to pursue the Robert Spangler investigation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Spangler
) regarding a homicide at Grand Canyon. It became a semi-famous case amongst investigators ("A Grand Canyon Divorce"). After reading Paul’s The Case of the
Indian Trader, which was very well documented and presented, I was expecting
an in-depth & well-rounded coverage of the entire “Legacy” that came out of
Yosemite. Which was, in my view, extremely positive. However, this work centers
on further expounding the shortcomings of Yosemite National Park’s (YOSE) Law Enforcement Office during and
around the mid-1980’s, a decade after what I perceived to be the primary
Yosemite Mafia’s tenure. However, that is just my perspective.
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| Stoneman Meadows riot (04 July 1970) |
One of the reasons I was hoping for
an all encompassing treatment of the subject: my career was spent in-the-wake
of some of the NPS’ leaders and Rangers associated with that nickname:
“Yosemite Mafia.” To me it meant the elite cadre of Park Rangers that came to
work in Yosemite after the Stoneman Meadows riots (4th of July
1970): Jim Brady, Dan Sholly, Tim Setnicka, Roger Rudolph, Jack Morehead, Walt Dabney Mike Finley, Rick Smith & Butch Farabee being the core of the Corp. I know exactly where I was that Saturday (04 July 70): this recently discharged
Vietnam Veteran was working as a Lineman for Pacific Bell Telephone and camped
for the weekend nearby in a tent site, with several friends. I actually watched
the “riots” begin from above, perched at Glacier Point at the beginning of the
evening. The incident is sometimes referred to as the “Hippie” riots, but as an
observer with a historian & anthropologist’s eye I don’t think that term
captured or accurately described the diversity of young people present. I know there
were many high school and college students, young professionals, and at least one
musician with a gold record in his portfolio (Lee Freeman, from the Strawberry
Alarm Clock, and my compadre & “roomie” at the time).
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| John E. Cook, self & USPP Capt. Jim Radney |
Years later I recall Southwest Regional
Director John E. Cook telling me that I’d never be part of that circle
(Yosemite Mafia). I knew that, even before hearing it: due to time, place,
experiences and worldviews. My career had included some brief “seasonal” stints at large National Park areas
(Death Valley & Denali), but mostly I’d worked at smaller and medium sized
parks (Little Bighorn, Tonto, Jean Lafitte, Fort Laramie, & Santa Monica
Mountains). Areas like these make up the vast majority of the 400+ NPS units. Many
of us that worked at these type of NPS areas looked up to many of the “Yosemite
Mafia” cadre: counting some as friends, including a mentor. However, change
does not usually come easy – especially to a bureaucracy mandated and dedicated
to conserving things. Talk about heritage…
 |
| Paul Berkowitz |
Anyway, I digress: back to
Berkowitz’ book: In the mid-80’s there was a major undercover operation
investigating drug distribution and use. Paul chronicles some law enforcement
and employee issues that took place during that timeframe. As noted above, when
I think “Yosemite Mafia” I default to early & mid-1970’s (a decade before
the investigation being chronicled in this book). There were certainly some
Renaissance-like Rangers working in YOSE during both those decades (and now). The individuals that I knew affiliated with
the title group were top-notch. Some were certainly leaders in “resource
protection” with a great love of parks & open spaces. Paul Berkowitz
professes his love for parks as well, and I believe that is necessary to pull
yourself through a 30-plus year career. From my perspective, both of us also shared
our admiration for parks and the absolute need for integrity in what we did as
representatives of the NPS. Paul was an outstanding investigator that put his
best efforts into his work. Remembering back to when I first met him I recall
thinking “he sees a lot of black & white, while I’m overwhelmed with ‘green
& gray’” (the color of
our uniform shirt).
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| Half Dome |
I first met Paul in 1985, and
almost immediately heard he had was a serious Ranger working to professionalize
law enforcement in the NPS. He had his critics, including some that were close
to me personally & professionally, but I didn’t pay much attention to the
NPS grapevine about him over the next decade. I was usually trying to learn new
positions and skills as a District Ranger at Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area (plus park’s L.E. Specialist & Fire Management Officer as
collateral duties [as if I didn’t have enough to do]), the Southwest Region
Ranger Activities Specialist, or Regional Special Agent with the ARPA Task
Force.
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| Nixon Birthplace |
When Paul mentions investigator
positions at YOSE being eliminated (page 185), including his, I flashed back to
a time when I was the designated driver for the park superintendent (Santa
Monica Mountains) and Director William Penn Mott: we were going to visit
Richard M. Nixon’s birthplace & boyhood home (Yorba Linda, CA- now the site of Nixon’s
Presidential Library). Director Mott had
flown down from northern California, and he was vocal about his misgivings
regarding the NPS having Criminal Investigator (CI)/Special Agent positions at
YOSE; he mentioned that “spreading around” the investigative duties could potentially
have positive effects. Instead of three full-time investigators, have twelve
Rangers spending 25% of their time working in-depth . It made sense to me at
the time, thinking it’d be good to be one of that dozen. It seems somewhat
ironic that Paul & I would later both be fulltime 1811 Special Agents for
the NPS. He was good, very good; excellent really using sound criminalistics
practices (remember the high praise about him from the FBI RAC). I, on the
other hand, often utilized the “Colombo” method: what doesn’t add up and “wait
a minute, I almost forgot, one last thing…oh, that explains that then [not
really]…”
