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Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, November 17, 2000
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Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 10:35:50 -0500
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, November 17, 2000
ALMANAC
On this date in 1933, the Historic American Buildings Survey was
initiated within the National Park Service. Organized under an
agreement with the American Institute of Architects and the Library of
Congress, it was the first comprehensive program to record America's
historic buildings.
INCIDENTS
00-570 - Everglades NP (FL) - Follow-up: Clean Water Act Convictions
On May 4th, rangers Jim Sanborn, Mike Foster and Doug Murphy arrested
J.C., 33, and L.F., 30, both from Homestead, for
violations of the Clean Water Act. The two men were caught in the act
of dumping domestic trash in a wetland area of the park. They were
indicted by a federal grand jury and plead guilty to one felony count
each of violation of the Clean Water Act on August 17th. On October
27th, they were sentenced federal court in Miami. J.C. was
sentenced to one year and one day in federal custody, and L.F. was
sentenced to fifteen months in jail. Each was given one year of
supervised release after his imprisonment and ordered to pay $1,200
each to their former employer, Faircloth Sanitation, which voluntarily
took on the work and expense of cleaning up the dump site. [Jim
Sanborn, DR, EVER, 11/7]
00-707 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Special Event
Secretary Bruce Babbitt was in the park on November 14th to announce
the final Yosemite Valley plan. The draft plan, released in March,
generated more than 10,000 comments from the public. Park staff also
held 20 public meetings around the country to elicit additional
comments from interested parties. The final plan provides a framework
to restore degraded areas and reduce development within the Merced
River ecosystem of Yosemite Valley. It will also reduce gridlock and
automobile congestion by relocating parking to areas outside the
valley. The ceremony was led by superintendent Dave Mihalic and
included presentations by the secretary and leaders of several major
environmental groups. About 350 people and 35 protestors attended the
event. There were no incidents. Media coverage was extensive, with 37
news crews in the park. [Scott Gediman, PIO, YOSE, 11/15]
00-708 - Colorado NM (CO) - Special Event
The Immigration and Naturalization Service conducted a naturalization
ceremony at the park's visitor center on November 15th. Sixty-three
people from throughout Colorado's Western Slope area became citizens
during the ceremony, presided over by a magistrate judge from Grand
Junction. The ceremony was well attended by friends and families of
the new citizens and received significant local media coverage. [Ron
Young, CR, COLM, 11/16]
00-709 - Big Bend NP (TX) - Drug and Cash Seizure
Ranger Matt Stoffolano made a traffic stop for speeding in the park on
November 10th. During a consent search of the vehicle, he found and
seized a small amount of marijuana, a scale, paraphernalia, and a
number of plastic baggies. The two occupants, ages 18 and 20, were
from Colorado. The driver also had $2,700 in cash on his person in a
manila envelope and later admitted that he intended to purchase at
least a pound of marijuana in Boquillas, Mexico. The crossing at
Boquillas was closed at the time, though, due to an on-going drug
investigation. The driver was therefore on his way to the west end of
the park in an attempt to make the purchase in Santa Elena, Mexico.
DEA agents were called in for joint prosecution. The two men were
arrested; the cash was seized and will likely be forfeited. [Bill
Wright, CR, BIBE, 11/13]
00-710 - Mount Rainier NP (WA) - MVA with Fatality
A vehicle with two occupants was headed west on the main park road
about a quarter mile from the Nisqually entrance station when the
driver lost control and the vehicle spun into a large tree. They were
extricated and flown to a hospital in Tacoma by two Airlift Northwest
helicopters. One subsequently died. An investigation is underway. [Hal
Taliaferro, MORA, 11/5]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Plan
The National Park Service's Fire Management Leadership Board has been
engaged in intensive meetings at the Fire Management Program Center in
Boise for the last two weeks. They have been reviewing the National
Fire Plan, the requirements included in the FY01 appropriations bill
(see the November 13th Morning Report), and all other aspects of the
Service's fire management program. That meeting wraps up today.
Additional information on the meeting and related upcoming activities
will appear in the MR next week.
Park Fires
None reported.
CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No submissions.
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
INTERCHANGE
No submissions.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Intermountain SO (CO) - Phil Young, special agent in the support
office, but based in Santa Fe, will retire on December 1st. Phil is
closing out a 25-year career with the NPS, but is not quite ready for
a full-fledged retirement. He will be joining the Office of Cultural
Affairs with the state of New Mexico as a staff archeologist. A dinner
will be held in his honor on Thursday, November 30th, at Peppers
Restaurant and Cantina in Santa Fe. If you plan on attending, please
contact Delpha Maunders via cc:Mail or at 505-988-6015 by November
27th. If you'd like to share any stories about Phil, please submit
them by cc:Mail to Tony Bonanno. Tony is also compiling a "memory
book" and would appreciate messages, cards, letters, photographs, etc.
Send them to him at PO Box 728, Santa Fe, NM 87504-0728.
Dry Tortugas NP (FL) - The park has a number of vacancies that will be
filled over the next few months. Due to limited housing at Fort
Jefferson on Garden Key, the park fosters and encourages dual career
opportunities, and reassignments will be considered. These dual
career opportunities may include both NPS and South Florida Parks and
Monuments Association (SFPMA) positions. A maintenance mechanic
supervisor (WS-10), a park protection ranger (GS-9), a park
interpretive ranger (GS-9) and an administrative support aid (GS-5)
are vacant and SFPMA may need part-time sales person assistance. The
natural and cultural resources of this park are outstanding and
working and living at the park offers a very unique opportunity for
the right individual(s). The protection ranger and maintenance
supervisor positions are currently on USAJobs. The maintenance
supervisor position closes November 24th and the protection position
has been extended to December 12th. Please call Bob Howard at
305-242-7774 for further information.
Santa Monica Mountains NRA (CA) - The park is accepting applications
for a GS-025-7/9 law enforcement ranger. Duties include the full
spectrum of law enforcement. Patrols are by 4x4 vehicle, horse,
mountain bike and on foot. The position is based at the Circle X
Ranch, ten miles northwest of Malibu, and is a required occupancy
positions. Living costs are high; all metropolitan amenities are
available. The announcement is on USAJobs and closes on December 4th.
Contact Jon Dick at the park for additional information.
Olympic NP (WA) - Charles "Bud" Hanify died at the age of 81 on
October 20th. His first position in Olympic NP was on a trail crew
building a trail into the Bailey Range, but it was never finished do
to the start of World War II. Following service in the war, Bud spent
36 years working for the NPS. He served as the park's telephone man,
then as park electrician, then moved to the ranger division in 1971.
He retired as area manager of the Hoh Ranger District in 1978. It was
Bud's policy for the rangers to visit every backcountry ranger station
in each month, a challenge during the winter. An area below Hoh Lake
is commonly known as CB Flats after Bud. It's an area he frequently
camped in. Bud was famous throughout the service for his humor and
down-to-earth environmentalism. He would end each workday asking: "Did
we hurt her today?" Bud is survived by his wife, Mary Lou, son Bruce
and daughters Gretchen, Laura and Carol. A memorial service was held
on October 26th and followed by a reception at park headquarters.
* * * * *
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed
by park, office and/or regional cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please
address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your
servicing hub coordinator. The Morning Report is also available on
the web at http://www.nps.gov/morningreport
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the
cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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