Ed Clark was appointed Appalachian National Scenic Trail in late September/NPS

Just five years after an Interior Department investigation determined then-Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent Ed Clark had "committed criminal violations by submitting false travel vouchers and by accepting more than $23,000 in meals, lodging, and other in-kind gifts from non-Government organizations," he has been appointed superintendent of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

“The National Park Service should not be promoting employees who commit financial fraud,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees For Environmental Responsibility. “The immunity from punishment enjoyed by the Park Service’s inner circle is one reason the agency has such lousy morale.”

According to a 2018 investigation by Interior's Office of Inspector General, from 2014-2016 Clark accepted the $23,000 in compensation from the Gettysburg Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to attend events sponsored by the foundation.

"In addition, he violated laws and regulations by failing to obtain required supervisory and ethics approval prior to taking these trips and by failing to report expenses accurately following his trips," the OIG report added. "We also found that his subordinate staff approved his travel authorizations, that he sometimes traveled without first submitting a travel authorization request, and that he requested full per diem reimbursement even though the foundation paid for some of his meals during those trips."

When OIG staff discussed the matter with Clark, he "acknowledged that he knew the ethics rules and admitted that an ethics employee had explained to him by email how to use Form DI-2000 to request approval for travel-related payments from non-Government sources. Clark acknowledged that receiving payments from the Foundation and not completing the appropriate documentation were his error' and his responsibility. He said that his repeated disregard of regulations concerning the acceptance of travel-related expenses was an oversight and due to his own 'sloppiness.'"

The OIG investigation also found that Clark asked the Gettysburg Foundation "to pay for a dinner costing more than $6,000 that Clark and other National Park Service employees and foundation guests attended, violating the ethics regulation that prohibits soliciting gifts from prohibited sources."

While the OIG report was forwarded to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the office declined to bring charges against Clark. A copy of the report also was provided to the NPS Acting Deputy Director "for any action deemed appropriate."

Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, chief spokesperson for the National Park Service in Washington, declined to comment when asked if Clark's appointment sends the wrong message to agency staff and whether Park Service Director Chuck Sams approved the appointment. She referred questions to the agency's Northeast Region, which made the appointment. The regional office did not respond.

In criticizing the appointment, Whitehouse said internal surveys conducted by the Park Service regarding the agency's low morale level "cited the total lack of accountability for misconduct among superintendents and other senior officials who are 'transferred or even promoted rather than given realistic and appropriate consequences.'"

“Senior Park Service officials have such a sense of impunity they are often called the ‘Untouchables’ by staff,” added Whitehouse. “If ever a federal agency needed a new broom to sweep it clean, it is the National Park Service.”

Following his stint as Gettysburg superintendent, Clark served as the Pacific West Region’s senior project manager supporting complex projects such as Colorado River water issues, Lake Mead water levels, and statewide permitting efforts. In a release announcing his appointment to the national scenic trail, the Northeast Regional Director Cinda Waldbuesser said that, “Ed’s community engagement experience makes him a great fit to work with the dedicated community of partners who help the NPS protect and maintain the largest contiguous corridor east of the Mississippi River.”

In the same release Clark said he was "eager to begin collaborating with other federal, state, tribal and community partners to continue to protect this natural gem. I look forward to meeting the dedicated staff and partners that support the trail and working to support our shared vision.”

The release, which didn't mention the OIG findings, added during his five years at Gettysburg Clark "built strong partnerships and provided strategic leadership for one of the nation’s premiere civil war battlefields."