At that point the colonel got a letter from Daniel Tobin. It said:
Dear Colonel Freedenwald: We wish to express our appreciation to you for allowing Doug Larson to assist the National Park Service with the Crater Lake water quality study. His expertise and knowledge was critical in initiating and guiding the limnological study during its critical formative stages. The Crater Lake study and other aquatic research needs in the region have developed in size and complexity to the point where we have employed a research aquatic ecologist to direct the program. Therefore, we will not need to renew the interagency agreement for Doug’s services. Again, thanks.
On October 5, I got this letter from the Park Service also signed by Daniel Tobin,
Regional Director. It said:
“Dear Dr. Larson: We would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to you for your work on the Crater Lake project. Your assistance in initiating a limnological study by offering your knowledge and expertise and the devotion of your own time to the project certainly contributed to the success of the project thus far. As you know the project along with the other research needs in the region have grown and become sufficiently complex that we have hired a research aquatic ecologist, Dr. Gary Larson. As project leader, Gary has responsibility for the conduct of the study, however, due to your long term work on the lake we would like to keep in touch with you to insure an orderly transition period and to allow you adequate opportunity to publish. Gary will be contacting you soon if he has not done so already. Crater Lake is an important natural resource which the National Park Service must manage in such a way as to leave it unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. We offer our thanks for your part in helping us fulfill that mandate.”
I always viewed that letter as a nice way of saying, “get your ass out of here, we don’t want you around anymore.” I can explain that a little better. Let me go back to 1982.
