An investigation into allegations of a hostile working environment for employees of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada found no incidents serious enough to warrant criminal prosecution.
Though the U.S. Forest Service report notes that there is some antagonism between forest employees and Nevada residents, especially in the wake of the agency's decision not to rebuild a washed-out road in Jarbidge, there were no reportable incidents of personal threats, violence or abuse in the past several years.
In early November, Gloria Flora, supervisor of the forest in northeastern Nevada, resigned her post, citing hostility between locals in Elko County, Nev., toward Forest Service officials in the area.
The county was plagued by a pervasive anti-government attitude, Flora said in her resignation letter.
Some Forest Service employees reported being denied service in a restaurant, and others said their spouses were "ostracized" from community groups or were verbally abused in public. But the situations were dealt with "appropriately" when reported to business and school authorities, said Joel Holtorp, who led the review (Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Feb. 8).
Many current and former agency employees in Elko County also reported feeling "afraid for their well-being." Few wear their uniforms or drive marked agency vehicles (Sandra Chereb, AP/San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner online, Feb. 7).
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