Park Paleontologist, Coastal National Park Leader Celebrated with National Conservation Awards

WASHINGTON, D.C.– The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is proud to announce this year’s recipients of the esteemed Stephen T. Mather Awards: Dave Hallac, Superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Outer Banks Group, and Vincent Santucci, Senior National Park Service Paleontologist. These awards recognize Santucci and Hallac for their unparalleled dedication to protecting unique national park resources at all odds.

The Stephen T. Mather Award, first presented in 1984, is named after the first director of the National Park Service (NPS) and is given to individuals in the National Park Service who have shown steadfast leadership and persistent dedication to our national parks.

Since 2015, Superintendent Dave Hallac has overseen the Outer Banks Group, a collection of North Carolina coastal national parks that includes Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial, and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Hallac has directed climate mitigation efforts around the Ocracoke Lighthouse and Oregon Inlet Marina, maintenance and restoration of iconic structures like the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and 60-foot Wright Brothers Monument, the establishment and interpretation of the Lost Colony’s Freedom Trail, and much more.

In recent years, climate change impacts along Cape Hatteras National Seashore have made national headlines. Amid rising seas and raging tides, houses in the park-adjacent community of Rodanthe have collapsed, spreading debris in the park. Hallac has emerged as a leader in this crisis, leading cleanup efforts and protecting delicate park resources.

“Superintendent Dave Hallac’s dedication to Cape Hatteras and deep knowledge of preservation have been a saving grace for this iconic national seashore. Pummeled by powerful storms and strewn with wreckage, Cape Hatteras serves as an ominous reminder that climate change remains the greatest threat facing our national parks. But Dave’s leadership and fortitude remind us that when our parks are staffed with the best and brightest, no challenge is insurmountable. His deft community engagement skills and resilient spirit are an example for national park advocates across the country to follow. We are proud to name him as a recipient of this year’s Mather award.” said Theresa Pierno, National Parks Conservation Association President and CEO.

“I am honored to receive this year’s Stephen T. Mather Award,“ said Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Outer Banks Group Superintendent Dave Hallac. "It is a privilege to lead so many dedicated professionals at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial. Their hard work and ability to rise to a number of significant challenges have helped to adaptively manage parks and work with communities in a very dynamic coastal environment,” Hallac added.

The National Park System has nearly 300 units that include fossils, but only employs ten paleontologists. Vincent Santucci, Senior Paleontologist for the National Park Service, has fought for more funding and recognition for his vital program. He has gone above and beyond to establish, test and maintain paleontological inventorying and monitoring processes throughout national parks—systems that were totally new to the agency when he began working on them almost 40 years ago.

His quest to preserve these irreplaceable pieces of history have led him and his staff to uncover exciting new scientific discoveries year after year, from 30,000-year-old bats at the Grand Canyon to prehistoric sharks at Mammoth Cave to unprecedented trackways at White Sands that have shown human life coexisting with Ice Age sloths tens of thousands of years ago.

Santucci has raised the profile of the National Park Service’s annual Fossil Day celebrations each October, and he regularly engages the public on his work, presenting his findings to cutting-edge scientists and wide-eyed schoolchildren alike.

Pierno continued: “For decades, Vincent Santucci has led a small but mighty team of expert paleontologists, working to expand the National Park Service’s knowledge of ancient life and teach national park visitors from around the world about age-old wonders beyond their wildest imaginations. Vince has dedicated his life’s work to preserving the extensive fossils in our parks, representing more than a billion years of life on our planet.

“Though many of the fossils Vince studies are older than time itself, his visionary work is as much about the future as it is the past. Thanks to Vince’s leadership, future generations of scientists will be equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to continue to seek fascinating new truths about our world. Vince’s efforts to advocate and educate on paleontology issues at the National Park Service have earned him well-deserved recognition as a recipient of the coveted Stephen T. Mather Award,” Pierno concluded.

Senior National Park Service Paleontologist Vincent Santucci said: “I am continuously reminded of how lucky I have been in my career to wear the ‘green and gray’ NPS ranger uniform, to lend a hand in the management and protection of park fossils, and to celebrate with children on National Fossil Day! To receive the Stephen T. Mather award in South Dakota, not far from where I began my NPS career at Badlands National Park nearly 40 years ago, adds a layer of magic and meaning to this moment. Receiving this honor has additional significance for me, given that I have been a National Parks Conservation Association member since I was a kid.”

National Parks Conservation Association Senior Director of Cultural Resources Alan Spears will present Hallac and Santucci with their awards during a special ceremony at the Association of National Park Rangers’ 47th annual Ranger Rendezvous event on Friday, November 8th, 2024, at the Holiday Inn in downtown Rapid City, South Dakota.

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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org