Shock, outrage follow investigation of Grand Canyon chief

The arrival of four federal investigators at Grand Canyon National Park this week reopened old wounds and threatened to topple a woman regarded by many as one of the top stars in the National Park Service. Superintendent Chris Lehnertz, who was brought in to the premier Arizona park two years ago to clean up after a sexual harassment scandal, was hastily reassigned when the park service announced she was the subject of a federal investigation (Greenwire, Oct. 23). Friends say Lehnertz got word of the transfer on the same day her mother died. The nature of the investigation is still unknown. At Grand Canyon, one of the nation's busiest and most popular parks, the news has been met with sadness, shock and outrage. And it's raising new fears that employee morale will plummet again, regardless of the outcome of the investigation...Lehnertz, who once compared her job to a mayor "running a town," has emerged as a trailblazer of sorts for the Park Service. She's the first woman to lead the Grand Canyon park, following 18 male superintendents. She's one of the agency's highest-ranking LGBT employees — she moved to Grand Canyon's South Rim with her spouse, Shari Dagg, and their cat, Chaco. And her $187,000 in pay last year ranked first among all NPS employees, tied with former Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk and Sue Masica, who led the Denver regional office. Fueling fears among NPS personnel that top executives were being forced out by the Trump team, Wenk and Masica both resigned this summer rather than accept reassignments ordered by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and NPS acting Director P. Daniel Smith. But Lehnertz is perhaps most well-known for her leadership role in the NPS fight against sexual harassment. She stood by Zinke's side at Grand Canyon in October of last year when the secretary announced a plan to crack down on harassment. The two met again just last month, when Zinke toured the park on National Public Lands Day...MORE