U.S. SENATE – Today, U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) pressed Acting Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt about the disturbing history of sexual harassment and recent turmoil at Grand Canyon National Park following the resignation of Superintendent Christine Lehnertz on March 14. 

During an U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on Acting Secretary Bernhardt’s nomination to lead the Department, McSally sought answers on what is being done to change the culture at the National Park Service to hold leaders responsible and stop harassment.  Lehnertz was brought in as the first female superintendent in 2016 to end the pervasive culture of bullying and harassment at the park. Over the last few months, Grand Canyon National Park has been rocked by an Office of the Inspector General investigation into allegations against Lehnertz. On March 4, the OIG released their findings showing the allegations against her to be “wholly unfounded.”  She resigned March 14th. 

 

DOWNLOAD MCSALLY QUESTIONING HERE.

“Unfortunately, Grand Canyon National Park has been ground zero for the issues across the board in the National Park Service. In a recent survey, nearly 39 percent of Park Service employees say that they have experienced sexual harassment,” Senator McSally said. “I’m concerned about the Grand Canyon National Park - the culture, the leadership there. What’s going to happen at Grand Canyon National Park to make sure that people are treated with honor, respect, and dignity, and to ensure that harassment and bullying are not going to be tolerated?”

“Let me tell you what we have done. We have dramatically revised our anti-harassment policy. We have hired anti-harassment coordinators,” Acting Secretary Bernhardt said. “We’ve reprioritized funding. I have basically required every single bureau to bring me an anti-harassment plan, handed that plan to experts, had the experts go through it and come back to me and tell me what needed to be tweaked and then say it implement it and we’re watching you. The IG in about a month will have an evaluation of that and I imagine there will be some people doing better, some people doing worse.”

McSally also invited Bernhardt to Grand Canyon National Park to see firsthand the issues and how they can work together to improve National Parks.

McSally met with Bernhardt in her Washington, D.C. on March 26 where they discussed western drought issues, the Drought Contingency Plan, combating and preventing wildfire, and tribal issues.

###