'Unacceptable': 4 in 10 park service employees say they've been harassed

Nearly 40 percent of National Park Service employees reported being harassed in the last year.

That's the finding of a newly-released survey that experts say underscores the significant workplace harassment issues the agency is facing.

About 19 percent of those who took the survey said they experienced gender-based harassment, while 23 percent said they were harassed based on age.

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, said the survey is a call to action.

“Today’s announcement confirms what we’ve known for some time – there is a pervasive culture of workplace harassment in the National Park Service,” Hirono said, in a news release.

“Continued silence and inaction are completely unacceptable. Working together, we can provide the necessary oversight and resources to ensure that all NPS employees – regardless of age, race, gender, and sexual orientation – have a safe working environment.”