Was your interest in Crater Lake increased by having a basis for comparison with other lakes?
Not really. I was just interested in Crater Lake. I wanted to describe the phytoplankton community better and try to do some other things that I was capable of doing. I also had a long range interest, thinking that if I prove myself to the Park Service, by demonstrating my willingness to volunteer and do good work, maybe the Park Service might eventually decide to hire me. So, my long range goal was to get hired by the Park Service as a limnologist at Crater Lake, and I thought it was feasible. I could show them that I did excellent work and that I’m highly motivated, and that I’m dedicated not only to my profession, but to Crater Lake. Maybe this will turn out to be a nice job for my last 20 years in government service. I could spend 20 years there and finish out my career as a federal employee.
How supportive was the Army Corps of Engineers of your work in the park?
I worked in a section called reservoir regulation and water quality and my supervisor was Richard Cassidy. He was a hydrologist and I told him that I was spending some of my vacation time down there, and occasionally visiting Crater on my way to and from the Lost Creek lab. He didn’t seem to be particularly alarmed or interested, just don’t commit the Corps to anything. Those were his words, “Don’t commit the Corps to anything, or don’t make it appear that this is something the Corps is doing.” This brings to mind a rather humorous thought about how I was received at Crater Lake. Some people despised me because I worked for the Corps. I don’t know if they really meant it or not, but some of them really disliked the Corps. Since I worked for the Corps they really didn’t care for me either or they suspected me of being the spearhead for a Corps project down there. So I made fun of it. I said “Yeah we’re interested in doing pump storage here. We’re going to pump water out of Crater Lake down and then generate hydro power, and then pump it back up.” I think some people really believed me. I recall my birthday in June 1979. It was my 42nd birthday and John Salinas wanted to hold a birthday party for me, so he had his wife Marilyn make a cake for me. She made a cake with a dam on it, and the dam had a big crack in it.
As I was saying, Marilyn Salinas made this wonderful cake. I think she was suspicious of me, as were some other employees and their wives because I worked for the Corps. I guess I hadn’t been around long enough to convince them that I’m here as a volunteer in the park and wanted to continue my own personal research. None of this is related to what the Corps is doing, and they could care less that I am here. My immediate supervisor just told me to stay out of trouble, and don’t commit the Corps to anything up there. I think eventually I won hearts and minds of most people up there. They viewed me as a person who wanted to study limnology and provide the Park Service with information about this lake that they are supposedly managing and protecting.
I think it was Sholly, or it could have been Mark Forbes, who wrote a letter to the Colonel and my bosses. The letter told them what I was doing there and more or less requested that they allow me to work there and that my work was important to the Park Service. I think the Corps responded. They said he has to do this on his own time. Crater Lake can’t conflict with his work here at the Corps and the Corps takes no responsibility for anything Larson might do or say. They made sure this was understood between them and the Park Service. This was fine with the park and I worked as a volunteer in the park, VIP.
