MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. (AP) — The chief of interpretation at Mammoth Cave National Park has decided to hang up his Smokey Bear hat and retire.

Mike Adams, who has been with the National Park Service since 1973, said the completion of the new Mammoth Cave visitor center prompted him to make the decision. Adams came to Kentucky in 1991 and spent most of the last three years planning and overseeing the construction of the center.