Local Park Superintendent, Ben Bobowski, Leaves His Post

Park Superintendent Ben Bobowski Retires After Nine Years Of Service In Copper Valley 

Ben Bobowski in front of Wrangell Mts. 

The longest-running superintendent of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Ben Bobowski, has retired from his work at the park after nine years of service. Wrangell-St. Elias is America's largest national park, and is located in the Copper River Valley of Alaska. 

Ben Bobowski started a career in public service in 1986 as a senior in high school when he signed up for the Coast Guard Reserve. 

The superintendent was working on a Fulbright scholarship when he decided to leave federal service this spring. "My wife, Katie and I struggled with the decision," he told the Journal on Wednesday, June 11th, 2025.

"It’s been an honor to serve as Superintenent of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve," he told the Journal in a prepared statement. “I’ll miss working with the many passionate community members who call this area home. Most of all, I’ll miss working with an incredibe park staff. Though small in number for the nation's largest park service unit, they are big in heart in their commitment to serve the visitor and especially our local communities."

The former superintendent has been working on his Fulbright Global Scholar award, which involved studies in Costa Rica and Poland. He is doing a project about maintaining access to protected areas (like parks) for food security, including hunting, fishing and trapping. 

Ben Bobowski said that there are similarities in this vein among the people of Costa Rica, Poland and America.

The report that he's working on will be published in three languages – Polish, Spanish and English – in the winter-spring of 2026. 

"I expected to come back and contribute for a while," (at the park)  he noted. "It was not an easy decision. It was a hard decision, but a right one for the family." He added, "I plan to continue to contribute and live in the valley.” The Bobowskis have three children.