NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, December 5, 2001

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT



To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2001

*** NOTICE ****

Due to the phasing out of cc:Mail, the National Park Service's internal
telecommunications system, the Morning Report will only be available via the
web, effective tomorrow. The Morning Report can be found at
http://www.nps.gov/morningreport.

INCIDENTS

01-631 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/TN/AL) - Resource Protection Operation

During the opening weekend of deer rifle season on November 17th and 18th,
the park's special resources protection team conducted an enforcement detail
in conjunction with Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Service officers. The
operation consisted of monitoring illegal hunting stands, poaching
enforcement on the parkway, safety checkpoints, and closed area violations.
Numerous citations were written for illegal hunting, weapons violations,
spotlighting, entering a closed area, and traffic violations. Twenty-two
weapons were seized and two arrests were made. [Jackie Henman, ACR, NATR,
12/3]

01-632 - John Day Fossil Beds NM (OR) - Resource Protection Operation

During last year's eleven-day deer rifle hunting season, evidence was found
indicating that at least three mule deer had been illegally taken in
agricultural fields near the park's headquarters/visitor center complex.
This year, a four-person, multi-park resource protection team (RPT) was
brought in to support the park's sole commissioned ranger and help prevent a
recurrence of such poaching. The RPT was developed by a consortium of seven
parks in Pacific West Region (Crater Lake, John Day, Lassen, Lava Beds,
Oregon Caves, Redwood and Whiskeytown) and used to assist parks in deterring
resource crime and apprehending violators. Each park makes $1,000 available
annually to support the team's travel, overtime, training and equipment, and
also attempts to provide one protection ranger to serve as a team member,
covering that ranger's base salary when working for the team. While most of
the RPT's work at John Day consisted of covert surveillance, the park's
small neighboring communities knew that there were more rangers than normal
in and around the area. The results were positive. There were no observed
violations during the season, and no evidence that any wildlife was taken.
The four large bucks normally seen in the fields around headquarters were
still alive in the days following the season. This deployment of the RPT was
complicated by the scarcity of rangers created by the Servicewide response
to post-September 11th security operations. The seven parks nonetheless
provided rangers for the operation. John Day extends it thanks to those
parks for supporting the RPT operation while simultaneously supporting
national security operations and keeping their own parks running. [Scot
McElveen, CR, JODA, 12/1]

HOMELAND SECURITY

No reports.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Fort McHenry NM&HS (MD) - The park is seeking to fill a law enforcement
ranger position at the GS-025-5 or 7 level, temporary for up to a year. The
ranger will be the primary law enforcement field ranger, and may serve as
event permit coordinator, EMS lead, safety lead, and fire protection
coordinator. The emphasis is on interagency coordination, especially as it
pertains to events and dignitary visits. Applicants should contact chief
ranger Charlie Strickfaden at 410-962-4290 ext. 224. [Charlie Strickfaden,
FOMC]

FILM AT 11. . .

Ranger Bill O'Donnell from Ozark NSR will be appearing on the TV show
"Jeopardy" this Friday, December 7th. Times vary locally, since the show is
syndicated.

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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation
and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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