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Park Service Settles Whistle-Blower Case, Rehires Ranger
By Brian Faler, Special to The Washington Post
July 9, 2003
AP photo
Bob "Action" Jackson, a seasonal park ranger who was allegedly not rehired for complaining publicly about unethical hunters around Yellowstone National Park, has reached an agreement with the National Park Service that allows him to return to his post.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a group that defends federal employees involved in environmental issues and that had filed a whistle-blower complaint on Jackson's behalf, declined to discuss the specifics of the settlement. A park service spokeswoman said the agreement is "confidential."
The settlement appears to have ended a long-running feud between the park and Jackson. It began several years ago, when Jackson began complaining to reporters that hunters were setting up salt licks just outside the park's boundaries. The elk are protected inside the park, so the hunters used the salt licks to draw the animals outside, where they were shot.
But the hunters were often interested only in the animals' antlers and, perhaps, some of the choicest cuts of meat. The rest of their carcasses were left to rot, Jackson had complained. That inevitably drew grizzly bears, who feasted on the bodies. The bears, already considered an endangered species, became even more so as they increasingly came into contact with hunters -- who are allowed to shoot the bears if they themselves feel endangered.
Earlier this year, the park service said it would not hire Jackson again for this summer, pointing to what it said was his poor performance record. PEER filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, arguing that the decision was retaliation for his criticism. It was that complaint the two sides resolved this week.
"He's been through the wringer for no apparent reason other than speaking the truth," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who had also pressed the park service to rehire Jackson. "I'm glad the National Park Service finally came to its senses."
By Brian Faler, Special to The Washington Post
July 9, 2003
AP photo
Bob "Action" Jackson, a seasonal park ranger who was allegedly not rehired for complaining publicly about unethical hunters around Yellowstone National Park, has reached an agreement with the National Park Service that allows him to return to his post.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a group that defends federal employees involved in environmental issues and that had filed a whistle-blower complaint on Jackson's behalf, declined to discuss the specifics of the settlement. A park service spokeswoman said the agreement is "confidential."
The settlement appears to have ended a long-running feud between the park and Jackson. It began several years ago, when Jackson began complaining to reporters that hunters were setting up salt licks just outside the park's boundaries. The elk are protected inside the park, so the hunters used the salt licks to draw the animals outside, where they were shot.
But the hunters were often interested only in the animals' antlers and, perhaps, some of the choicest cuts of meat. The rest of their carcasses were left to rot, Jackson had complained. That inevitably drew grizzly bears, who feasted on the bodies. The bears, already considered an endangered species, became even more so as they increasingly came into contact with hunters -- who are allowed to shoot the bears if they themselves feel endangered.
Earlier this year, the park service said it would not hire Jackson again for this summer, pointing to what it said was his poor performance record. PEER filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, arguing that the decision was retaliation for his criticism. It was that complaint the two sides resolved this week.
"He's been through the wringer for no apparent reason other than speaking the truth," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who had also pressed the park service to rehire Jackson. "I'm glad the National Park Service finally came to its senses."
