Dear HCN,
On behalf of the National
Parks and Conservation Association, I want to publicly apologize
both to Petroglyph Superintendent Judith Cordova and to your
readers for the personal remarks made by NPCA Southwest Regional
Director Dave Simon that appeared in a sidebar to your Oct. 25
“Monumental chaos’ feature. His comments were inappropriate and
insensitive, and do not represent NPCA’s attitudes or
values.
The National Park Service, your
publication, and NPCA all share a deep commitment to protecting our
nation’s parks for the edification and enjoyment of present and
future generations. I deeply regret any pain we may have caused.
NPCA is working to repair relationships with National Park Service
staff and various community groups so that we can continue our
mutual efforts to preserve and enhance the area’s natural and
cultural resources.
Thomas C.
Kiernan
Washington,
D.C.
The writer is president
of the National Parks and Conservation
Association.
The
publisher replies:
For those
who no longer have the Oct. 25, 1999, HCN, here is what Dave Simon
said:
“If this superintendent (Judith Cordova)
were in the private sector, she would have been fired long ago.
This is an EOE (Equal Opportunity Employer) experiment gone
haywire.”
We published his comments not because
they were personal, but because they referred to an official
government employment policy and its fallout. It was clear from
reporter Cathy Robbins’ story that John King, who oversees the
Southwestern Parks for the National Park Service, agreed with an
official report stating that Ms. Cordova had done a terrible job,
and had caused great pain to some or perhaps many Park Service
employees. It was also clear from the story that Mr. King would
rather let Petroglyph National Monument go down than transfer Ms.
Cordova to a more suitable position.
I appreciate
Thomas Kiernan’s sensitivity to matters of ethnic background, but I
also respect Dave Simon’s willingness to let us all know what is
happening to the park, and why it is happening. Ultimately, the
truth, frankly spoken, will serve us
best.
Sincerely,
Ed
Marston
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A public apology and the publisher replies.
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