Tim Reid, a former Yellowstone National Park chief ranger, on occasion let family and friends, and even a family from France, use his government-owned housing at Mammoth Hot Springs/NPS

Editor's note: This updates with comment from Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk.

A former chief ranger of Yellowstone National Park, although required to live in the park, opened his government-owned housing to friends and relatives, and even a family from France looking for a house exchange, while he lived in nearby Gardiner, Montana, according to an Interior Department investigation.

Timothy Reid, who was promoted to Devils Tower National Monument superintendent last June, over a number of years let 19 individuals use the one-bedroom apartment at Mammoth Hot Springs, the Office of Inspector General report (attached below) released Monday stated.

"Among the Yellowstone visitors who have stayed at Reid’s apartment was a family from France who resided there for 8 days. In exchange for staying in the apartment, the French family agreed to allow Reid and his family to stay in one of their homes in France as part of a home exchange program," the reported noted. "The remaining visitors to the apartment were Reid and his wife’s family members, friends, or family of friends. None of these guests provided compensation to Reid and his wife.

"We also determined that Reid—despite annually certifying that his on-park government housing was his primary residence—violated the terms of his required occupancy agreement by living at (his wife's) family-owned bed-and-breakfast, not the on-park apartment. The Yellowstone superintendent and deputy superintendent both admitted that they knew Reid did not comply with the required occupancy condition of his employment and that they took no action."

The report noted that while Reid did not receive compensation for letting others use his apartment, the practice raised concerns over the propriety of his decision to live several miles north of the park in Gardiner.

Ironically, it was Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk, during a stint as acting director of the National Park Service, who signed the service-wide order stating that, "(T)hose NPS employees assigned housing as a condition of employment are referred to as required occupants because their positions require them to reside in government housing. Their physical presence is required within a specific geographic area to provide a timely response to emergencies involving human life and safety and/or park resources, and to provide a reasonable level of deterrent protection."

Superintendent Wenk said Tuesday that while he inherited the situation with Reid, he "should have handled it differently." Moving forward, the superintendent said he has reviewed the staff positions affected by the required occupancy rule and reduced the number of those required to live in the park by about 25 percent, from 201 to 149, and outlined how government housing can be used. While Superintendent Wenk said he saw no problem with family and friends staying in government housing, he said there's an expectation that the leaseholder should be present at the time.

In his interview with OIG personnel, Deputy Superintendent Iobst said he believed "that Reid lives within a reasonable response time from his off-park residence."

Reid told the OIG investigators that he had lived in government housing since his arrival in Yellowstone in 1994, and eventually worked his way up to a four-bedroom duplex in Officer's Row at Mammoth Hot Springs. In 2008, however, he moved out to his wife's B&B in Gardiner. 

"Reid told us he knew he had to keep an on-park apartment as a condition of employment. To satisfy the required occupancy condition, when his family moved to Gardiner, Reid surrendered the large NPS duplex, then bid on and was awarded a small efficiency apartment, reducing his monthly housing cost," the report said. "He also explained that for the first couple of years he stayed at the apartment 3 nights per week, but has gradually reduced his time to very few nights. He does use the apartment during peak operation periods, such as fire season, to remain in the area while getting some sleep. Otherwise, the apartment is vacant unless used by family and friends."

The French family used the apartment in 2013. 

"We spoke with the French couple, who explained they found Reid and his wife’s bed-and-breakfast on a home-exchange website and emailed Reid’s wife in the fall of 2012 to negotiate a home exchange at her bed-and-breakfast. The French couple also explained that prior to the couple’s arrival, Reid’s wife emailed them, explaining that the cabin they had booked was no longer available," the OIG report stated. "She offered them the on-park government apartment as an alternative place to stay.

"When the family arrived on September 7, 2013, Reid’s wife also provided them with a free vehicle park pass to Yellowstone. The French couple told us that Reid escorted them to the on-park apartment, showed them around, and provided them with the key to the apartment. Even though Reid and his wife did not know the French family prior to their arrival, the family stayed in the on-park apartment unsupervised for 8 nights among other NPS employees," it went on. "The French couple told us that, as part of the home exchange, they offered Reid and his family a stay at one of their homes in France as compensation."

The Reids never took up the French couple's offer, according to the report. 

Mrs. Reid told the OIG investigators that, "since the apartment is vacant most of the time, she takes it upon herself to offer its use to their personal contacts, friends, and family as a 'courtesy.'"

"It’s basically a nice thing we can do for somebody," she told the investigators. "She said that she and her husband agreed that she could allow family and friends to stay in the apartment. She also said her husband did not know all of her friends, but if she told him someone was her friend, he accepted it."

The OIG investigators told Deputy Superintendent Iobst that, "families with children and suitcases frequently stay in Reid’s apartment for several days and then depart via rental car, creating the perception that Reid is using the apartment as an overflow for his family’s bed-and-breakfast. Iobst stated that he understood the perception and that the chief ranger position is a position of incredible responsibility and should be held to NPS ethical standards. In addition, he would have similar concerns if the allegations were concerning any park employee.

"He added that the allegations were disturbing, disrupting, and disconcerting," the report noted.

While the OIG referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana for disposition, that office declined to prosecute Mr. Reid and the report was forwarded to Park Service Director Jon Jarvis "for any action deemed appropriate."