With nearly six million visitors last year, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is one of the busiest -- and arguably most famous -- public spaces in the National Park Service system. The person charged with running the park is Christine Lehnertz. She became the superintendent last August, making her the first woman to hold the position since Grand Canyon was established as a national park nearly 100 years ago.
Lehnertz, who grew up in Colorado and is a University of Colorado Boulder alumna, speaks at CU Boulder's Conference on World Affairs Monday. She came to the Grand Canyon after serving as superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco. Prior to the National Park Service, Lehnertz worked with a number of conservation agencies, including the Colorado Division of Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.
At Grand Canyon, she succeeds Dave Uberuaga, who announced his retirement last year after the Department of Interior's Office of Inspector General investigated reports of sexual harassment and misconduct in the park's River District. The investigation uncovered a "long-term pattern of sexual harassment and hostile work environment."
Lehnertz spoke with Colorado Matters host Nathan Heffel.
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