The superintendent at the Grand Canyon will be reassigned amid a federal investigation into undisclosed allegations, the National Park Service said Tuesday, marking the latest upheaval at one of the country's most popular national parks.
Investigators from the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General arrived at the park this week to begin their work. The allegations involve Grand Canyon Superintendent Christine Lehnertz, park spokeswoman Vanessa Lacayo said but would not elaborate.
The inspector general's office declined to say what led to the investigation, the scope or when it might be complete. Lehnertz is on leave but will be reassigned outside Grand Canyon temporarily during the investigation, Lacayo said. Two deputy superintendents will rotate overseeing the park that has 6 million visitors annually.
"We want to make sure we comply with the OIG and give them space to complete their investigation," Lacayo said. "And, in that process, protect the integrity of the investigation and those involved."
Lehnertz is a trained environmental biologist who has been with the park service for more than 10 years. She took the Grand Canyon job in August 2016 as the park's first female superintendent after a sexual harassment scandal led to the retirement of its former chief.
An earlier report by the inspector general's office found that some male employees who worked in the now-defunct river district preyed on female colleagues, demanded sex and retaliated against women who refused.
Investigators have uncovered sexual harassment, bullying and other misconduct at many of the nation's premier parks — including Yellowstone, Yosemite and Canaveral National Seashore.
A survey of park service employees a year ago found widespread complaints of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Top officials vowed to address the problems that tarnished the agency's image.
Lehnertz was tasked with changing the culture at the Grand Canyon.
"Whether its sexism or sexual harassment or sexual assault, any of those are clearly behaviors that just can't be part of an organization that is inclusive and is respectful and is part of a larger community," she told The Associated Press before starting as superintendent.
She previously served as superintendent of Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
The Houthis said they shot down the Reaper with a surface-to-air missile, part of a renewed series of assaults this week by the rebels after a relative lull in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
The Houthis described the downing as happening Thursday over their stronghold in the country's Saada province.
Footage released by the Houthis included what they described as the missile launch targeting the drone, with a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”
The footage included several close-ups on parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics, which manufactures the drone, and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company.
Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels counting Thursday's shootdown — in 2017, 2019, 2023 and this year.
Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.
The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily in the last months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the last week.
A Houthi supporter raises a mock rocket during a rally against the U.S. and Israel and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
