Report details park worker’s advances

On his first day in office, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke pledged “zero tolerance” for sexual misconduct. The acting National Park Service chief testified to Congress in June that he’s bringing a culture of “transparency, respect and accountability” to a workplace he acknowledged is often hostile.
But the Park Service recently gave a new job and a performance bonus to a national park superintendent in Florida whom investigators found made unwanted advances to a woman he supervised — with hugs, lingering handshakes, inappropriate comments about her appearance, and sitting or lying on her desk while she was trying to work. Investigators said he also harassed another woman who no longer works at the park. Then, the Park Service issued a one-page set of talking points for media inquiries.When interviewed by investigators, Acevedo denied the allegations and said his staff perceived his actions differently than he intended them. The case was investigated by the inspector general’s office for the Interior Department, the Park Service’s parent agency, and detailed in a March report that was not made public...more