By Felicia Fonseca
The Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum will fill the role temporarily of superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park now that the former superintendent of the Arizona park has resigned after being cleared of allegations she created a hostile workplace.
Christine Lehnertz is taking a new job in San Francisco. She oversaw Golden Gate National Recreation area before taking over at the Grand Canyon less than three years ago. She’s returning to the Bay Area next month as president and chief executive of a nonprofit group that supports Golden Gate.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Superintendent Woody Smeck also will be tapped to fill in until a replacement is found.
Lee Taylor will serve as acting superintendent at Olympic National Park in Creachbaum’s absence.
At the Grand Canyon, Lehnertz had been tasked with overturning a culture of sexual harassment that included male employees in the now-defunct river district preying on female colleagues. She said she was proud of employees’ progress in becoming more respectful and inclusive, and of clearing a backlog of complaints. In an interview Tuesday, she said she didn’t accomplish everything she wanted to and understood the tenure of park superintendents is limited.
Her departure from Grand Canyon leaves one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations without a permanent leader during its centennial year.
The Grand Canyon is the second-busiest national park in the country, drawing nearly 6.4 million visitors in 2018, behind Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area reclaimed the top spot in 2018 among the 418 National Park Service units with more than 15.2 million visitors. The recreation area includes the bridge itself, former military posts, Alcatraz, and beaches and trails on 125 square miles.
The nonprofit that Lehnertz will lead has provided $500 million to the recreation area. Moore said the money has helped maintain old military posts, update buildings at Alcatraz to better withstand earthquakes, and repair roofs, among other things.
