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Federal Investigators Confirm Yellowstone Park Sexual Harassment Allegations

Flickr user Lance Mountain (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Federal investigators said today they found credible evidence that male supervisors and staff in the maintenance division at Yellowstone National Park created a work environment that included unwelcome and inappropriate comments and actions toward women.

Yellowstone National Park Spokesperson Morgan Warthin:

"The National Park Service and Yellowstone National Park, we acknowledge these findings that were brought forth by the Office of Inspector General. And we appreciate the information that was gained through the comprehensive investigation."

The Interior Department's inspector general concluded that the division's supervisor should have known about and addressed some of the alleged misconduct.

The investigation began last September after the Yellowstone Pioneer magazine reported that a park employee had complained that a pervasive "men's club" environment at Yellowstone had encouraged the exploitation and abuse of female workers.

Park officials say they they were unaware of sexual harassment allegations until just informed about them by the Pioneer.

At about the same time, a congressional hearing revealed allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and other misconduct at other national parks, including Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.

The report on Yellowstone said that between 2010 and 2016, six women who had previously worked in the maintenance unit had been subjected to derogatory comments or actions that made them feel uncomfortable.

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