The National Park Service could be in for a rough day Thursday, as officials from Yosemite and Grand Canyon are scheduled to testify at a congressional hearing on alleged mismanagement in the agency.
Kelly Martin, Yosemite’s chief of fire and aviation management, will be testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a panel that specializes in raking the administration over the coals. Though Martin’s prepared testimony has not yet been made public, the overall hearing sounds critical for the park service overall and for certain parks in particular.
“Additional allegations of serious harassment and misconduct have to come to light at some of the country’s most prominent national parks,” the committee states.
Martin is scheduled to appear along with the manager of Grand Canyon’s fishery programs as well as Michael Reynolds, the park service’s deputy director of operations.
The hearing Thursday followed up an earlier committee session last June, when investigators revealed sexual harassment allegations at Grand Canyon and Cape Canaveral National Seashore, among other problems.
At the earlier hearing, the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General identified what investigators called a “long-term pattern of sexual harassment and hostile work environment” over 15 years at Grand Canyon. The allegations included groping, sexual propositioning and raw flirtation during Colorado River trips.
“In many cases, managers in senior leadership positions were not held accountable for their actions, and were able to move laterally or retire to escape disciplinary action,” the committee noted.
Unlike some of the Republican-led oversight committee’s work, moreover, the ongoing probe of the park service so far has maintained a bipartisan approach.
Michael Doyle: 202-383-6153, @MichaelDoyle10