From Midwest to Mountains: How one UM alum found his calling in the National Park Service

UM alum Nate Gowen outside wearing a hat and sunglasses carrying a bag for knapweed invasive plant management.. — UM alum Nate Gowen '21 takes a break and enjoys the view while working on spotted knapweed invasive plant management at Big Hole National Battlefield. Gowen worked for South Indiana Dunes National Park and Big Hole Battlefield National Monument before being hired as a maintenance manager at Nez Perce National Historical Park.

UM alumnus Nate Gowen is embodying the park service mentality in his current job at the National Park Service, and he thanks the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation for teaching him what this mentality truly means.

Growing up in Indiana, Gowen started his undergraduate education at Purdue in pursuit of a degree in aeronautical engineering. Within a year, however, he decided that the vocation didn’t quite fit him. Site unseen, he traveled across the country to UM to get his degree in the Parks, Tourism and Recreational Management (PTRM) program and is now a jack of all trades for the Nez Perce National Historical Park, based in Lapwai, Idaho.

Gowen’s leap of faith from a very different start to his collegiate career was motivated by his belief in the importance of a career path that aligns with personal values and interests, while also giving back to the community. Gowen says that his PTRM coursework, as well as several key professors and mentors, helped him to understand the duties as well as benefits of working in conservation and inspired him to become a steward of Western landscapes. One class that resonated with him was Alex Metcalf’s Nature of Montana course.

“It was a class that really framed up all what Montana has to offer. If I was sick, I would be upset to miss it,” Gowen said. “How many undergraduates can say that about a class?”

Gowen said that while in Montana he tried to take advantage of the proximal outdoor recreation in places like the Rattlesnake and Patty Canyon. The recreation as well as the community here are the biggest reasons why Gowan fell in love with Missoula and UM.

“A lot of times in the parks service we talk about the power of place,” said Gowen. “Walking into Montana, if you're not from here, is just fascinating. It was just another thing that hooked me.”

Nate Gowen Hiking off of Battle Mountain at Big Hole National Battlefield after fire wrapping culturally significant resources to protect them from the encroaching Trail Creek wildfire in 2021. What started as a passion for trees when he was younger then evolved into a yearning to help protect the bigger picture, land. Gowen came to UM having already worked for the park service, at Indiana Dunes National Park but he started his career officially after graduating UM in 2021, working at Big Hole Battlefield National Battlefield.

In 2022, he was hired as a maintenance manager at Nez Perce National Historical Park, where he conducts both ground and facilities maintenance.

Gowen has become indispensable at the Nez Perce National Historical Park, where his job ranges from custodial work to rebuilding bridges and trails to ground maintenance. Recently, he was offered the position of IT specialist and will wear yet another hat. In this role, he will help the park connect to the Upper Columbia Basin Network, a collection of 13 park service sites. Gowen will work cover a scope from Lake Roosevelt in Washington all the way south to City of Rocks in Idaho.

The Nez Perce National Historical Park recently received a base funding increase to start a new tribal compliance division. This will allow the parks to work closer with tribes on protecting sites that are historically and culturally important to them.

This new effort is an important step, Gowen said, in ensuring equal opportunity to the tribes when it comes to the management of lands that fall under the purview of the National Park Service.

“Tribal constitution and compliance is so important to all national park sites,” Gowen said. “Section 106 compliance is meant to make sure that we are following our legal responsibilities to interact with tribes and ensure that this is a collaborative effort.”

Nate Gowen working up Battle Mountain at Big Hole National Battlefield during spotted knapweed invasive species management.

Throughout his many trades, Gowen said his PTRM degree has helped him to navigate the larger landscape that is the National Park Service. Having an understanding of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and familiarity with case law is something that has been fundamental to his field work. His case law textbook is something he still keeps on hand.

Gowen got his job through the USA jobs website and says that he found it valuable to attend the USA Jobs staffing sessions to learn how to apply and really hone in on his application.

His advice for those undergraduates in forestry who want to work for the parks is to keep a finger on the pulse with job boards, apply to as many Forest Service positions as possible, and to keep their ears open locally.