Christine Lehnertz has been named the new superintendent of the Grand Canyon National Park.  She’ll start in August. Lehnertz is currently the Superintendent of the Golden Gate Recreation Area in northern California.

Lehnertz trained as an environmental biologist. She worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for 16 years before coming to The National Park Service.

In a news release Lehnertz said, “Together with staff and managers at the park, I look forward to keeping up momentum on the important conservation, preservation, and operational activities at the Grand Canyon.” 

She added she is committed to eliminating the factors that led to sexual harassment issues that have impacted the park staff. She said park staff and management are already working hard to change that environment.

Her experience as a biologist and in the EPA will likely give her additional insight as to the effects of Stilo’s controversial Tusayan development project which would create two million square feet of commercial space and add thousands of homes to the environmentally fragile area next to the Grand Canyon.