“Some federally subsidized nonprofit groups contracted to provide various educational activities to the public have strayed from their mission by offering weddings, wine-tasting events and yoga classes, an audit by the Interior Department’s Office of the Inspector General found.
The National Parks Service, which partnered with the groups to operate Residential Environmental Learning Centers at various parks, failed to provide proper oversight and ensure the activities and services “complied with agreements, statutes, and regulations,” an OIG report said.
The report said the NPS consistently failed to use the correct type of agreement or legal vehicles to authorize the RELCs. Some organizations received thousands of dollars in federal funds while providing expensive services like high-dollar wedding packages, private hiking tours and other offerings.”
