Black eye for the National Park Service Centennial

To the Editor:

Over the past decade we have ferreted out several criminals who were employed by the National Park Service. These people have caused a great deal of damage to my beloved little park (Effigy Mounds). And now we watch as only one employee is held responsible for his crimes. Yet all of these criminals have been rewarded with retirement benefits.

If this burial site had been a white people’s cemetery there would be a national cry of indignation.

I believe these governmental actions are nothing short of racial genocide toward the native woodland people who originally occupied the Driftless Area of the Upper Mississippi River Valley.

This racist activity first began during the early days of exploration!

They have brought a black eye to our National Park Service’s Centennial year. This is not what John Muir, who tramped these same hills in his youth, envisioned.

Blame for this crime and the others at Effigy Mounds National Monument goes all the way to the top, to the desk of the Director of the National Park Service! Shame to all the guilty parties!

I have come to the conclusion that the more budgeted tax money these outdoor agencies receive, the more harm is done. 
 
Timothy Mason
McGregor
On behalf of Friends of Effigy Mounds
Past 19-year employee at Effigy Mounds National Monument