Dear HCN,
Cathy Robbins’ article on
the hideous situation at Petroglyph is right on target (HCN,
10/25/99). As a former NPS staffer there (I was chief of
Interpretation and Cultural Resources from 1994-1998) who fled in
terror under Judith Cordova’s reign, I can elaborate on several
points in the article. Ms. Cordova did indeed make it clear to the
staff on several occasions to steer clear of Ike Eastvold while
also actively discouraging any worthwhile dialogue with the City of
Albuquerque Open Space staff. We continued to meet regularly
regardless, in order to keep serving the public as efficiently as
possible.
Cordova’s comment on Matt Schmader
(-Matt knows nothing that goes on in the monument …” ) is typical
of the arrogant and disdainful attitude she displays toward Open
Space staff and her own staff. To imply that Dr. Schmader’s 25-year
involvement with the petroglyph area is insufficient compared to
her four-year tenure as superintendent is
ludicrous.
Regarding the “96-page book” she
“produced” about the Atrisco Land Grant: I was initially in charge
of coordinating the production of what was to be a simple, elegant
text at a cost of about $3,000 to the American taxpayer. Because of
the numerous changes wrought by Ms. Cordova both in editorial
content and design, the book turned into a $12,000 vanity project
to court Westland Development Corp.
Finally, in
the two years I worked for Ms. Cordova, she did everything she
could to discredit my performance, lie about my abilities, and
treat me with disdain due to my lack of ethnic affiliation. When I
confronted her boss, John King, with documented facts, I was pretty
much told “Gee, sure hope you find a better job somewhere else.”
Which is exactly what I did.
I left the National
Park Service after 27 years of faithful and outstanding service,
and am now enjoying a revitalized career with the BLM, of all
places.
Greg
Gnesios
Las Vegas,
Nevada
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Petroglyph: Why one staffer quit.
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