December 12, 2023 2:50 a.m.

On Monday, Senator Ron Wyden said he is asking federal officials to act immediately to prevent what he calls “concessionaire mismanagement” from continuing to pose safety risks at Crater Lake National Park.

A release said the situation also impacts park visitors, and employees who live and work at the southern Oregon park.

In a letter to National Park Service Director Charles F. Sams III, Wyden said, “The annual concessionaire assessments paint a troubling picture of the concessionaire’s fulfillment of its important responsibilities at Crater Lake National Park over several years”. Wyden said, “The National Park Service records make it clear that the concessionaire has continually failed to fulfill the requirements of the contract”.

The release said in his letter, Wyden wrote that Aramark – doing business as Crater Lake Hospitality – has failed under its contract to perform contractually required maintenance and has created unsafe living conditions for staff.

Wyden’s letter also cited alleged diesel spills at contractor-managed facilities, malfunctioning fire alarm systems and unsatisfactory public health inspections. It also noted a reported lack of investment and deferred maintenance by the concessionaire has prevented progress on a number of maintenance and improvement projects that the National Park Service has approved.

Wyden said, “After becoming aware of these issues, I directed my staff to conduct an in-person assessment of the conditions at facilities at Crater Lake National Park”. Wyden said, “The issues that staff observed during this visit have only served to solidify my understanding of the seriousness of the concessionaire’s failure to plan for and perform important regular maintenance, adequately train staff and address issues that directly threaten safety”.

Wyden said it was apparent that National Park Service staff were spending hours of their time trying to manage the situation, and are deeply concerned with the safety issues for visitors and guests. Wyden said, “I am grateful to National Park Service staff for their dedication for our public lands. It is clear they have prevented the situation from becoming significantly worse through their efforts. Despite repeated and documented attempts by the National Park Service to secure performance, it is clear that little progress has been achieved to meaningfully resolve most of these serious issues”.

The entire letter is linked: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/crater_lake_letter.pdf