President Obama has been asked to fire National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis if the director does not resign/NPS
Editor's note: This updates the story to mention that a petition drive calling for Director Jarvis' removal has been started.
National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, who has had to deal with his own ethical transgressions and a range of misconduct issues across the National Park System during this, the Park Service's centennial year, should resign or be fired, a member of Congress has told President Obama.
Additionally, a petition has been launched on We The People, a website that reaches out to the White House, calling for the director's termination.
Congressman Jody Hice, a Republican from Georgia, wrote the president last week asking that Director Jarvis be asked to resign. In the letter (attached) the congressman cited the director's run-in with the Interior Department's Ethics Office for not clearing a book he wrote for a Park Service contractor, the well-publicized case of long-running sexual harassment in Grand Canyon National Park, and another case of sexual misconduct at Canaveral National Seashore.
"Regrettably, in these cases -- and others -- the proper form of discipline was not pursued," Rep. Hice wrote. "In the case of Director Jarvis' book deal, the only punishment he faced was that he was stripped of his authority to implement the Park Service's Ethic's Program and is required to attend monthly ethics training courses for the remainder of his tenure. Others have either been transferred out of their positions or have been allowed to retire without facing the punishment that fits the misconduct.
"These are just some of the ethical failures and misconduct commited by employees of the National Park Service and the lack of discipline they have faced. Ultimately, Director Jarvis must be held accountable for these actions. Therefore Mr. President, I believe that the time has come for you to call on Director Jarvis to tender his resignation as the Director of the National Park Service. Should he choose not to resign, I believe that you must relieve him of his duties immediately."
This past Tuesday a petition drive calling for Director Jarvis' removal was launched on We The People. If 100,000 people sign the petition by July 21, the White House will respond to the request, according to the website. The petition, created by "A.B.," states:
As the nation celebrates the National Park Service centennial, we deserve a director who will uphold the integrity of the agency’s mission and values. We urge you to remove Director Jonathan Jarvis.
Jarvis has failed to address numerous and pervasive sexual harassment and hostile work environment violations.
He lied to the Secretary of the Interior and intentionally bypassed the agency’s Ethics Office in order to write an unsanctioned book.
He has failed to discipline park service employees who deliberately omitted and misrepresented scientific data.
And he is pushing for policy changes that would give corporate donors unprecedented influence over park managers and National Park Service decisions.
We and the Park Service cannot wait. Jarvis must go.
As of Thursday evening, just 226 people had signed the petition.
Comments
Sorry, Bubba, but 'progressive' isn't a bad word. Delusional is bad, yup, and scum is bad, yessiree, but that's it.
sorry rick, the progressives are bad. you guys are so gullible and so far from reality it's scary. Jarvis is a progressive and no one is surprised of his dishonesty. Remember Drakes Bay Oyster farm, he should imprisioned based on that mess alone.
our National Parks are the very best thing we have in the United States. They need to be handled and maintained to the very highest standards there are. Corruption, Cronyism, corporate greed, a lack of ethics, etc cannot and should never be acceptable! The American people and our environment deserve the very best Of the best!! Why is this happening? We need a watchdog over the National Parks that has some power to change the status quo and restore the vision of all of our wild and scenic spaces forever!!!
Judy,
There are watchdog groups but being a part one one that has been involved in trying to keep the NPS above board, I quickly learned that the federal lands recreation enhancement act, FLREA is a law that allows the NPS to commit grievous sins in the name of protection. A recent lawsuit against the NPS by watchdog group Southern Forest Watch contested multiple proven dishonest facts in the NPS implementation of a first ever backcountry camping fee wherein absolutely NO amenities were provided. Think about that. They simply decided to charge us to institute a reservation system for empty campsites. When the public comments came out overwhelmingly in oppostion (%90), the NPS attempted to discount and discredit those who opposed. The sixth circuit court of appeals acknowledged that the NPS seemed to operate in opposition to public sentiment but FLREA allows them to do so because the only requirement is for them to get public feedback, not actually do anything with it. And there are multiple instances of that occuring throughout the NPS system. People give wide latitude to the NPS and I dub it the "Ken Burns Effect". After his series the NPS took that goodwill and Jarvised it. They are arrogant, above the law and, in the eyes of the uninformed public, underfunded. Look at their budget increases. After all the stimulus funding, Jarvis decided it wasn't enough and created this "maintenance backlog" mantra. I call it a "maintenance craplog". More manipulation by the NPS moustache club.
I believe you are correct, the NEPA process requires public input and the gathering of the best information available, but once the process is completed, management makes the decision. You cannot sue on the decision in NEPA, only the process, at least that is my understanding. I would be opposed to charging hiking/backpacking fees, but feel charging for the reservations is reasonable. It takes much personnel time to track reservations and then get the information into the check stations etc. Having been involved to different degrees now in park service employment for the last 55 years, I know these changes are difficult. When I was born here in California in 1940, the states population was roughly 7 million. It is now 39 million and looking at over 50 million in the next 15 years. The demand for access has increased accordingly, so limits of some kind during peak seasons I think must occur. Reservations, with some first come first come, first serve, is an equitable way to do that. Much better in my view than upping fees so that only the more well off can afford the price. I must agree with Al Runte on the issue of population, increasing population pressure does result in more restrictions, quite different than when I started in Yosemite in 1960, when the only time the campgrounds were full was on the 3 holiday weekends. Even on those weekends, no one was tuned around, the campground were not unitized, peoples tents were side by side. Additionally, there were more campgrounds and out of bounds camping was permitted. You could work portions of the High Sierra Loop Trail and sometimes see only one backpacker a day. You were more likely to encounter a boy scout group or pack and saddle trip. I think the current NPS managers have a very difficult job, not that there cannot always be improvement, but the demand is greater than the capacity, unless of course we want to increase the infrastructure to provide for even more visitors. Interesting issues Smokies.
Judy -
Please don't take the sour grapes personal opinion of one chronic complainer that there is no maintenance backlog as an axiomatic fact. There is an extensive maintenance backlog coast to coast, and congresscritters keep medling with the budget to their own advantage, and to the NPS' disadvantage.
I am not and have never been a park employee but know and speak with many on a daily basis. I'll take their word over an unsatisfiable curmugeon,
Judy,
Again, look past the NPS kool aid drinkers and ranger wannabees that work for and cavort with NPS folks all the time. The Smokies alone received about 80 million in stimulus, 8 times their annual budget, and spent it on NEW capital projects. What kind of mgmt decision is that? If you cant keep what you have, who builds new and adds to? The NPS, that's who. Ask these ranger wannabees if they think Jarvis needs to go? They will say NO. Their favorite song? the NPS does no wrong.
Since Hartzog retired few NPS Director have made the big decsions regarding NPS management. The have ususally been made by the Secretary of Interior and other politicians. What we will probably never know is how many of the Director's problems are occurring because of the direction he has received from Interior. Jewel may be a supporter of the parks but she is also a supporter of the recreation industry such as REI, and the oil and gas industry.