Fact Finding Report
Work Environment and Community Relations
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
February 4, 2000
http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/2003_n_before/nevada_report.htm
Work Environment
The team determined that, except for one significant exception, most of the Humboldt-Toiyabe is similar to other national forests in the quality of community relationships and generally positive work environment.
During our interviews with employees and members of the public we were told of positive working relationships and successful partnerships that exist with the Forest Service in many areas of Nevada.
The significant exception is in northeast Nevada where most employees view the work environment as unusual and antagonistic.
Employees there described numerous situations over the past three years where Forest Service employees and their families have been subject to various forms and degrees of intimidation, harassment, and verbal abuse.
Many current northeast Nevada employees and former employees reported being treated disrespectfully and being exposed to highly embarrassing situations by community members.
Employees spoke of incidents where, while doing field work, they encountered people whose actions or language they considered threatening causing them to be afraid for their well-being.
In several instances, Forest Service employees either were refused service by employees of local businesses or were subjected to foul language by other business patrons. To their credit, business owners dealt with these situations when they were reported; however, these experiences were very troubling to employees.
We heard from two Forest Service spouses who reported being ostracized from community groups and verbally abused and ridiculed in public. One spouse told us that her child's teacher made disparaging comments during class about Forest Service employees. The issue with the teacher was raised to school authorities and is being dealt with. In two instances, church members were said to have left congregations after Forest Service employees joined.
Antagonistic treatment appeared to be due to specific actions the Forest Service was taking or to being identified as a Forest Service employee or family member.
Of the approximately 35 employees we met with in Elko, the majority said that working and living in this setting affected their sense of wellbeing. Lack of community support in Elko, Nevada, has caused some employees in that area to minimize professional and social interactions. However, others reported that they considered dealing with this a normal and tolerable aspect of their jobs.
Very few employees wear their Forest Service uniforms. Many preferred to drive white and non-greenfleet vehicles while performing their duties. Employees stated that these actions made them less conspicuous, and therefore, less exposed to animosity.
We heard from both employees and community members that believe in the past the Elko Daily Free Press fueled anti-federal attitudes in Elko and around northeast Nevada, including articles directed at individual employees.
The Elko Daily Free Press is the only daily newspaper published in northeast Nevada. A review of editorials on the Elko Daily Free Press web page indicates that the paper is strongly in favor of county, local and private rights and opposed to a federal presence in Nevada. The paper frequently featured headlines critical of the Forest Service.
Employees believed they had made good faith efforts to provide information of interest about the Forest Service to the community through the paper. They were frustrated that when articles on Forest Service activities did appear announcing Forest Service activities or programs they were frequently disputed in editorials and disparaged in opinion pieces by the publisher. Many employees expressed the opinion that the editorial content of the Elko Daily Free Press has devalued the role of the Forest Service in northeast Nevada and affects the working atmosphere.
During its visit to Nevada the team learned that the Elko Daily Free Press had been sold and a new editor appointed.
We heard of egregious incidents that occurred prior to 1996, including the bombing of the Carson City District Ranger's office and home. Some of these situations were resolved; others remain unresolved. Many employees have vivid memories of these events and continue to be troubled by them. Some incidents were never reported because the employee was not aware of the reporting process.
Many external contacts were troubled and angered by accusations raised by Flora in her letter and think the claims are unfounded or too all-inclusive.
The team found:
• Working relationships were generally good in much of Nevada. Where problems were found, Forest Service employees, elected officials and local publics expressed a strong desire to work together to improve relationships.
• An antagonistic work environment currently exists in northeast Nevada which has had an impact on Forest Service effectiveness. When considered cumulatively, the experiences employees described were beyond what is typical in work environments for Forest Service employees in other places. The work environment is difficult but is not considered dangerous.
This finding of an antagonistic environment in northeast Nevada is consistent with the most recent Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) Survey. A comparison between the 1997 and 1999 CIP survey indicates that while the results for the Humboldt-Toiyabe as a whole improved, results for the northeast Nevada Eco-unit declined. The CIP is designed to enable employees to provide input and give feedback about processes that affect
I. HAVE YOU PERSONALLY OR HAVE MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY EXPERIENCED AN INCIDENT WHERE YOU FELT UNCOMFORTABLE, THREATENED, INTIMIDATED OR HARASSED? PLEASE DESCRIBE WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED. WHAT DID YOU DO AT THE TIME FO THE INCIDENT. HOW DID YOU REACT?
Received pointed questions, unfounded accusations but nothing illegal — but what sort of support system do employees have to deal with verbal lashings?
"When I travel in a Forest Service vehicle in Central and northeast Nevada I often feel like a "sitting duck", a target. Staying overnight in Austin and Tonopah I usually say that I’m with USDA, not the USFS for fear of a hostile response." We were told when visiting Pahrump that there were certain businesses that refuse to serve the USFS. "It is an awful feeling to think that you need to travel in disguise. When I worked in California on the Eldorado and Tahoe National Forests, I never felt this way —I was very proud of what I did and who I worked for."
"Many positive things are happening on the forest, what a shame that this isn’t the story getting in the news. Somehow we need to redirect the focus to the positive side so that the publics get a true picture of what the USFS is all about. If it takes a staff of five PAOs to get the positive word out then we need to do this.
It is important that employees get serious training on how to operate in this environment, not just advice that we need to positively interact with the publics as if this were nothing out of the ordinary."
A Forest Service spouse who walked her son to the bus stop every day for six years reported being sworn, cussed and screamed at by two women, who also walked their children to the bus stop, whenever an article appeared in the paper about Forest Service activities.
A spouse reported attending a reception with her husband honoring the 75 th anniversary of the Chamber of Commerce and having a local resident approach her to talk. When the resident found out that her husband worked for the Forest Service, the resident stood up and announced to everyone in a loud voice "Attention everyone, I want you to know that Jane Doe’s husband works for the Forest Service and that we don’t have a problem with goshawk because my husband and I ate the last one last night." Everyone at the reception laughed and the employees left the reception feeling ridiculed.
An employee took his wife to a casino for an anniversary dinner. As they sat waiting for dinner, four people came over and sat down at their table and loudly berated him about Forest Service activities.
A child whose father works for the Forest Service reported that his middle school teacher makes derogatory comments about the Forest Service during class. He has referred to Forest Service employees as stupid. The teacher has published vicious opinion articles about the Forest Service in the local paper and told his class that he was going to participate in the work party that was going to open up the South Canyon road. He told his students that they would have to bail him out of jail on Monday morning. This was raised to the attention of school officials who have addressed the incident.
A Forest Service employee took his wife to lunch at a local truck stop and café. He was in uniform. Upon entering the restaurant they were greeted with the sound of one of the patrons loudly saying "Get those F------ employees out of here." They sat down only to leave 30 minutes later when no one waited on them.
An employee went into a service station to fill his vehicle with fuel. When he went in to pay, the cashier told him that Forest Service employees were not welcome at the gas station and they should go elsewhere. The employee asked to speak with the manager to find out if that was indeed the case. The manager told the employee that Forest Service business was welcome.
A spouse reported being verbally attacked in her home by a woman that she had met at her church and invited to her house. The woman berated her and the Forest Service.
A spouse reported that she inquired about joining a reading group that was forming and was told by the organizer when the next meeting was scheduled. She was later told that she could not join the reading group because several women in the group did not want a Forest Service employee’s wife in the club. The organizer said "It would make things uncomfortable, I’m sure you understand."
Employees who drive green rigs have reported being subjected to obscene gestures.
Employees have reported that their families have been subjected to derogatory comments in local grocery stores. A spouse said that people avoided her in the grocery store and would not respond if she greeted them.
An employee reported driving though Jarbidge pulling a dozer to reclaim a small mine. On the way through town, residents were lining the street with cameras and video cameras and one individual violently yelled at him "You Forest Service people have ----- up this whole canyon.
An employee rented a trailer from a local rental company. The taillights on the trailer went out while he was returning the trailer to the company. The police refused to allow him to pull the vehicle 400 feet across the street to return the trailer to the rental company. They insisted that he walk back to the Forest Service office and get someone to follow him with a Forest Service vehicle as he drove 400 feet across the street to the rental company.
An employee inspecting a mining operation reported that a dozer operator at the site tried to run her down with the dozer.
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