Worth Fighting For - A Park Ranger's Unexpected Battle
Worth Fighting For is the story of a "real" ranger who for thirty years provided dedicated and heroic service to the National Parks and their visitors. It is also a cautionary tale about the apparent ease with which critical federal managers disregarded the responsibilities of their position, violated the public trust, and failed to uphold the primary mission of the agency. In this case, that mission was to protect the natural resources entrusted in the care of the National Park Service (NPS). Worth Fighting For chronicles how Chief Ranger Rob Danno became aware that corrupt federal NPS bureaucrats allowed the billionaire owner of the Washington Redskins, Dan Snyder, to clear cut hundreds of NPS protected trees, violating federal law, so he could gain an unobstructed view of the Potomac River from his opulent mansion. Chief Ranger Danno, who was bound by his law enforcement oath of office, reported these illegal actions, becoming a federal whistle blower. After making his protected disclosures, a federal investigation amazingly uncovered that the clear cutting was actually authorized and managed from the highest office of the agency, the director of the National Park Service! The story details how NPS managers succumbed to corruption, committed ethical transgressions, and abused their power to gain promotion, protect their positions, or pander to incredible wealth and power, abandoning their mission and mandate in pursuit of political gain. The story is also about the unexpected limitations of whistle blowing and the insidious tactic of attacking the accuser.About The Author - Robert M. Danno has worked for the National Park Service for thirty years as a field, supervisory, and chief ranger and is known as a "ranger's ranger." He has performed a wide variety of general and specialized duties, from traditional backcountry patrols to high-profile front-country emergency services, including special operations. He has worked and had dramatic experiences in a wide va...