NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, March 5, 2002
- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, March 5, 2002
- Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 04:10:42 -0500
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2002
INCIDENTS
00-135 - Saguaro NP (AZ) - Follow-up: Pursuit with Fatality
On the evening of April 9, 2000, Pima County deputies attempted to stop a
vehicle that had run a stop sign west of the park. The driver, J.D.,
took off and a high-speed pursuit ensued, ending when J.D. lost control of
the vehicle and it flipped and crashed on Picture Rocks Road within the
park. J.M., who was in the vehicle with J.D., was killed
instantly. J.M. fled, but was eventually found and arrested. J.D. was
recently convicted in the murder of Grady Towers, a security guard at
Tohono Chul Park, and faces murder charges in the killing of Robin Hay, an
assistant manager at Egees in Tucson. J.D. is also to be tried for murder
in the death of J.M.. He has sought a change of venue, but the court
has denied the request. All three homicide charges are being handled by the
Pima County attorney's office. [Robert E. Stinson, DR, SAGU, 2/25]
02-033 - Ozark NSR (MO) - Follow-up: Serious Employee Illness
Chris Andress, superintendent at Ozark NSR and chief ranger for the
National Park Service from 1995 until 2001, died of cancer at his home in
Missouri on Monday afternoon. Memorial arrangements have not yet been
announced, but will be disseminated via InsideNPS and the Morning Report as
soon as they are received. Chris was a graduate of the University of
Arkansas and a Vietnam veteran. He joined the Service as a seasonal ranger
at Yellowstone National Park in 1964. Following a tour in the Army in
Vietnam, he spent several seasons at Grand Teton National Park and Yosemite
National Park, then became a permanent ranger at Yosemite. He remained at
Yosemite until he was selected as chief ranger at Petrified Forest National
Park. From there, he went on to become regional chief ranger in the old
Mid-Atlantic Region, then took the position of chief of the Ranger
Activities Division in Washington. During his six years in Ranger
Activities, Chris oversaw the many and diverse responsibilities of NPS
rangers. Those included both day-to-day operations in law enforcement,
search and rescue, emergency medical services and the numerous other ranger
specialties, and a number of major programmatic areas, such as wilderness
management, entrance and user fee administration, and formulation of
regulations implementing laws and administrative policies. He was also
deeply involved in the concerted and successful effort to improve ranger
grades, pay and benefits. A full obituary and appreciation of his life will
also appear in future editions of both InsideNPS and the Morning Report.
[Editor, 3/4]
02-045 - USS Arizona Memorial (HI) - Car Clouting Arrest
On February 23rd, ranger Cody Seeler came upon a vehicle that matched the
description of a truck associated with previous car clouts in the area.
Pearl Harbor base police were asked to respond while ranger Jason
Gayeski-Peters watched the truck from a concealed position and Seeler
focused a surveillance camera on it. The driver of the truck looked into
several vehicles, but did not try to break into any of them. When police
arrived on scene, he bolted from the truck and ran towards a park building.
He was stopped after a short pursuit, brought back to his truck, and
interrogated and searched. Tools that could be used in forced entries and a
crack pipe were found. The man was arrested and charged with trespass and
possession of criminal tools and drug paraphernalia. This is the fifteenth
car clouting incident to occur in the park since the end of November and
the third arrest associated with car clouts. [Superintendent, USAR, 2/27]
02-046 - Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Special Event: Annual ORV Races
Visitation, traffic and associated incidents increased during the weekend
of February 23rd due to the holding of the annual "Sand Drags" off-road
event just outside the park in the bed of the Canadian River. This event
attracts thousands of participants from neighboring states, including
Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. There was a dramatic increase in
the number of campers and recreational enthusiasts in the Rosita area of
the park. Six NPS rangers and three Texas ABC officers issued hundreds of
safety warnings and handled over 150 incidents during the two-day event.
Violations were mainly alcohol-related, and included 70 incidents of minors
in possession, 25 of open containers, 15 helmet violations, seven DUI
arrests, and one warrant arrest. One person with possible head and spinal
injuries was medevaced by Lifestar to an Amarillo area hospital. [Rhonda
Terry, PIO, LAMR, 2/27]
02-047 - Manzanar NHS (CA) - Special Event: Anniversary of Relocation Order
Signing
On February 19th, the park commemorated the 60th anniversary of the signing
of the executive order that authorized the U.S. military to exclude
Japanese-American citizens and resident aliens from the West Coast with a
special interpretive program, an exhibit premiere, and an open house at the
historic Manzanar High School auditorium. Nearly 120,000 people of Japanese
ancestry were relocated to ten war relocation centers during World War II.
At its peak, Manzanar War Relocation Center was the largest "city" between
Los Angeles and Reno, with a population of over 10,000 people - about
two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens. On the 16th, park staff presented an
hour-long program exploring the historical context and consequences of
Executive Order 9066 and provided "voices" from the past. The program was
followed by the premiere of a new traveling exhibit on the executive order
developed in partnership with Minidoka Internment NM. On the 19th, the
park held an open house in the auditorium. Construction work will begin on
rehabilitation of the building next month. It will serve as an interpretive
center and as park headquarters, and is scheduled to open in the spring of
2003. [Alisa Lynch, CI, MANZ, 2/21]
02-048 - Cape Cod NS (MA) - Attempted Suicide
Local police received a phone call on February 21st from a distraught woman
who said she was about to commit suicide. She provided a description of her
vehicle, which was subsequently found at the Doane Rock picnic area. A
joint search by rangers, Eastham police officers, and a county search dog
was conducted. With the aid of visitors, supervisory ranger Dennis St.
Aubin found the woman a mile away on Coast Guard Beach. She had suffered
superficial wounds in an attempt to cut herself. St. Aubin stabilized the
situation and escorted her back to the beach parking lot, where rescue and
mental health personnel continued treatment. [Bill Hooper, CACO, 2/22]
[Additional reports pending?]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Plan Update - The Department of Interior and Department of
Agriculture delivered their joint "National Fire Plan 2001 Performance
Report" to Congress this week. The NFP laid the foundation for a long-term
program to reduce fire risk and restore healthy fire-adapted ecosystems to
the nation's forests and rangelands. Outlined in the year-end report are
accomplishments in the areas of firefighting, rehabilitation and
restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, community assistance, and
accountability. Appendices include specific progress made by the National
Park Service and the other four fire management bureaus. Access the entire
document on the National Fire Plan website at http://www.fireplan.gov.
[Debee Schwarz, IO, WASO]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Pinnacles NM (CA) - CORRECTION: Two items need changing from yesterday's
announcement regarding the vacancy for a GS-0401-12 chief of resource
management. Government housing is NOT available, and the Internet addresses
for information on the nearby towns of Hollister and King City are as
follows (the former was incorrect): http://www.san-benito.ca.us/ and
http://www.kingcity.com. Questions should be directed to Lori Frusetta at
831-389-4485 extension 227 or via email. [Lori Frusetta, PINN]
Crater Lake NP (WA) - In the near future, the park will be announcing two
vacancies in the Branch of Fire Management - a GS-0303-5/6 fire program
assistant and a GS-0462-6/7 supervisory forestry technician (fire crew
supervisor/engine captain). Lateral reassignment eligibles will also be
considered. If you're interested, contact Craig Letz at 541-594-3062 or
Dave Fuller at 541-594-3017. [Craig Letz, FMO, CRLA]
* * * * *
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation
and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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