Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga, acting in the wake of a tide of sexual harassment complaints, has dismantled the River District Office where the grievances arose.

The superintendent, in an email to all his employees, wrote that he takes "full responsibility for the situation the park finds itself in and I acknowledge and accept that over time, a culture was tolerated that allowed sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment."

That email, sent Wednesday, came a day after National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis sent an email to all Park Service employees stating that "no employee has the right or the power by nature of their position to inflict their will or to subject co-workers, regardless of their status, to abuse."

The emails stemmed from an Interior Department investigative report that found that for 15 years life deep in the Inner Gorge of Grand Canyon National Park at times reflected rowdy, sexually charged scenes from a frat party for some Park Service employees, with male employees pawing and propositioning female workers, some of who at times exhibited their own risqué behavior. 

The investigation by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General generated a tawdry list of inappropriate behavior, from male employees taking photographs up under a female co-worker's dress and groping female workers to women dancing provocatively and bringing a drinking straw "shaped like a penis and testicles" to river parties. The incidents, the September 2014 letter to Secretary Jewell charged, "demonstrated evidence of 'discrimination, retaliation, and a sexually hostile work environment.'"

The report, released in January, also stated that Park Service managers, from Superintendent Uberuaga to Intermountain Regional Director Sue Masica, had been aware of the allegations prior to 2014 and yet relatively little was done to change the river culture.

According to the 13-page OIG report, Superintendent Uberuaga, when provided with the Equal Employment Opportunity report from a 2013 investigation, "did not provide the report to HR or GRCA managers, and did not request HR personnel’s opinions about potential disciplinary action against the employees named in the report. No one was disciplined for failing to properly respond to the allegations, he said, because the EEO report indicated that these failures were 'not actionable.'”

"As the superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, I have the responsibility to take corrective action which includes rebuilding trust and credibility. To do so, I must work to ensure that the same or similar events do not occur in the future; and I must take decisive actions that demonstrate that we take such matters outlined in the OIG report seriously," Superintendent Uberuaga wrote to his staff. "As a result of considerable review of the facts and reflections of my own sense of right and wrong, I have made the decision to abolish the River District of the park and to create an opportunity for a fresh start and a total review of our mission and responsibilities on the river.

"As part of the OIG response plan, the Deputy Regional Director will engage an external, multi-disciplinary team to conduct a comprehensive top-to-bottom examination of the river operations. The findings and recommendations from this report will inform how the park will carry out its mission along the river. In the coming weeks and months we will develop the details of implementation."

In his email to the entire Park Service family, Director Jarvis acknowledged that across the system many employees "have expressed shock and dismay that the serious behavior and practices described has occurred for so long."

While he added that personnel matters and pending Equal Employment Opportunity cases require confidentiality, he wanted to "assure you that we are taking active steps in response to this situation."

"... Certainly, this type of behavior is unlawful," he wrote. "While policy, rules and regulations exist to protect all of us, treating people with respect is foundational to our culture.  The National Park Service is committed to ensuring a work environment that is free of threatening, hostile or demeaning behavior.

"The culture in this arena is of deep concern for me. I am asking every one of you to work to change this. Take it upon yourself to initiate the dialogue, as we all have the responsibility to bring these issues to the forefront. If you have concerns, discuss them first with your supervisor," the email continued. "Leadership, regardless of position, matters. If the response is inadequate, seek out a supervisor in a different discipline. Initiate the dialogue, talk to a supervisor, and if a response or mediation does not occur, seek out your local equal opportunity counselor or contact.

"Together we must create a culture of acceptance, which treats every individual with respect and provides employees with a safe and secure work environment. You deserve nothing less."