Grand Canyon Superintendent Christine Lehnertz has been cleared of any wrongdoing as is returning to the park/NPS
Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Christine Lehnertz, who was removed from her job last fall after undisclosed allegations were made against her, has been cleared of any wrongdoing and is returning to the park.
In an email to Grand Canyon staff, acting National Park Service Director Dan Smith on Thursday said an investigation into the allegations concluded they lacked credence.
"The investigation has been completed and I am extremely pleased to let you know the allegations were determined by OIG to be wholly unfounded," Smith wrote. "Chris has been fully exonerated of all allegations. Chris will be returning to the park soon to join all of you and assume her duties as superintendent. As we work out the details of her return, she asked me to send her appreciation to you for the work that you have done over the past several months in her absence."
When the investigation into the superintendent began last October, she was moved to an unspecified position in the Park Service.
Lehnertz had moved from Golden Gate National Recreation Area to the Grand Canyon in July 2016 to help the park overcome a long-running episode of sexual harassment,
In January 2016, a report released by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General said that for roughly 15 years life deep in the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon at times reflected rowdy, sexually charged scenes from a frat party for some park employees, with male employees pawing and propositioning female workers, some of who at times exhibited their own risqué behavior.
While Lehnertz was brought in to help end harassment at Grand Canyon, another episode was reported in 2017, according to an OIG investigation into a park manager alleged to have harassed an intern.
The incident ran for several months in 2017, according to the OIG report. The manager, who was not identified by name or position, resigned from the National Park Service in October of that year, about a month after he was interviewed by the OIG's staff.
In welcoming Lehnertz back to Grand Canyon, Smith called her "a talented and dedicated executive of the National Park Service and her commitment to building a respectful and inclusive workplace is sincere, broadly demonstrated, and widely respected. Together, you all have worked tirelessly to change the culture at Grand Canyon National Park. I thank all of you for the progress you have made at the park and for your contributions to the greater culture change within the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. Your continuing commitment to these changes is crucial."
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Comments
I am just so glad that this is over, that Chris is back where she belongs and I hope that one day soon she will be the Director of the NPS. She is one of our best and I am so proud of her.
Not alien, but in the case of a civil suit an attorney will often provide a free consultation and will appraise the client about the possibility of attorneys fees. However, it seems to be up to the judge in a particular case to award attorneys fees. As far as I know it's not automatic should a plaintiff lose.
I don't know if this case was truly warranted or not, but it does upset me to hear almost a knee-jerk reaction about whether or not any accusers were punished for making the accusation(s).
Does this need to be modified to include punishment for the accuser should there be no action taken against the accused?
Thank you for reporting this! I am impressed this personel matter was handled confidentially, except the public 'all clear,' as it should be. What concerns me a great deal more are the comments referencing the "hostile work environment" that exists in some NPS units. The behaviors exhibited at Grand Canyon and apparently other units has been unacceptable for decades, and people that say otherwise may be contributing to the problem. I worked for Fortune 500 companies which were Federal Contractors or Regulated Industry. The behaviors reported were banned in the 1960's and at a zero tolerance level by the 1980's. The issue is definitely a top down issue, but it takes 'grass-roots' reporting to motivate executives to assure the 'mindset' is truly zero tolerance. I am sickened when government, Hollywood, and other industries claim anything less than zero tolerance is acceptable. I wish Superintendent Lehnertz the best in pursuing zero tolerance and a positive atmosphere for our National Park Service workers, volunteers and visitors.
Thank you.
y_w_p ". . would you prefer a
system. .where no final action. . means automatic retribution against the accuser?"
Hmm. Well, in a great deal of Civil litigation, if you bring a case and lose, you are responsible for all court costs and attorneys' fees.
So, the concept is not as entirely alien as you insist.
I never for a moment believed anything against Chris. I have had the pleasure of working for her at GGNRA, and Chris is nothing but professional, honest, and full of integrity. She is the most ethical person I have worked with and for. Chris, so glad you are back where you belong -- in the parks doing wonderful work for the parks and your staff.
though not all investigations are unbiased or clean, at least we have one here. So when the accused is exonerated we can hope/trust that the decision is at least based on a better understanding of reality than the rest of us have. The only problem I see here is that when men are charged with the abuse of power today, they are often punished without ever having the judicial review that Lehnertz has had here. This is clearly a problem in the NPS, and one hopes that this case draws attention to it.
If you know of any allegations of sexual assault within the National Park Service that were not investigated, please report it to NPS law enforcement. If the allegation is against a NPS employee, please either notify the Investigative Services Branch, or the Office of Professional Responsibility for the National Park Service.