02-544
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HI)
Exposure Death
The body of a middle-aged woman was found about a half mile from
Chain of Craters Road on the morning of Tuesday, October 15. The victim
had some contact burns from cooling lava, but there were no apparent
signs of foul play. Later that day, Hawaii County PD notified the park
that they had a missing person's report from a cruise ship that had
docked in Hilo which they'd received on Monday. Investigators determined
that the victim was that same missing person - J.G., 45, of
Fort Myers, Florida. J.G. had been on a van tour of the park. She'd
failed to meet at the tour bus at the appointed time, and they left
without her after waiting for about a half hour. Evidence indicates that
J.G. died from exposure to the elements, exacerbated by a previous
medical condition. The area where she was found is in open terrain and
within sight of the road. It appears that the lava-caused contact burns
occurred after she'd died. The investigation continues.
[Submitted by Paul Ducasse, Chief Ranger]
02-545
Canyonlands National Park (UT)
Falling Fatality
E.G., 20, a student from the University of Colorado, fell
to his death from the west rim of the Middle Fork of Shafer Canyon in
the park's Island in the Sky District early on the morning of Sunday,
October 13. E.G. had been camping with a group of students, and was
last seen sitting near his tent on the canyon rim at approximately 1:30
a.m. When members of the group awoke in the morning, E.G. was
nowhere to be found. His friends searched for him, but without luck. A
member of their party then called 911 on a cell phone and rangers were
sent to the scene. Ranger Steve Young spotted E.G.'s body at the
base of the vertical cliff after a brief search. E.G. had fallen
almost 500 feet. A multi-agency team of rescuers from Grand County and
the National Park Service completed the technical body recovery in
darkness. An investigation is being conducted and the body is in Salt
Lake City for an autopsy. Ranger Steve Young was incident commander.
[Submitted by Steve Swanke, District Ranger]
02-546
Boston National Historical Park (MA)
Bomb Threat
On October 8, the park received a report from Boston PD regarding a
phone-in bomb threat to the Charlestown waterfront area. The USS
Constitution is berthed inside the park in the navy yard in
Charlestown. Rangers and park staff searched public areas along the
waterfront in conformance with the park's bomb threat plan. No
suspicious objects or packages were found. The threat was not specific
regarding time or place. The waterfront section of the park remained
open throughout the search.
[Submitted by Glenn Van Neil,
Special Agent]
02-547
Colorado National Monument (CO)
Falling Fatality; Possible Suicide
On the morning of October 14, ranger Bill Row checked out a vehicle
at Cold Shivers overlook that he'd seen in the same place the previous
night. The park contacted the appropriate sheriff's department and asked
a deputy to call the registered owner's telephone number and check the
address, but there was no one home. Shortly thereafter, a visitor
spotted what appeared to be a body in Columbus Canyon about 350 feet
below the overlook. The Mesa County technical rescue team was summoned,
and they recovered the body of a 24-year-old woman from Clifton,
Colorado. Investigation revealed that she'd twice attempted to commit
suicide in 1999. The investigation continues.
[Submitted by
Ron Young, Chief Ranger]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
November 5-7: Special Park Uses Training
Spots are still open for the special park uses training session being held in San Francisco from November 5 to November 7.
The course provides comprehensive guidance on all aspects of special park uses, including special events, filming and photography, and rights-of-way for utilities and wireless telecommunications sites.
Sign-up deadline is October 25.
For more information, contact Lee Dickinson in WASO Ranger Activities at 202-513-7092 or Rudy Evenson at Golden Gate NRA at 415-561-4301.[Submitted by Lee Dickinson, RAD/WASO]
New Mexico Historic Preservation Division
December 4-6: Archeological Resource Protection
The New Mexico Historic Preservation Division and the city of Albuquerque will be hosting an archeological law enforcement class in Albuquerque from December 4 to December 6.
The three-day class will provide training on all aspects of the investigation and prosecution of archeological crimes. Instructors include retired NPS special agent Phil Young, now an archeologist for the state of New Mexico, archeologists Glenna Dean and Martin McAllister, investigator John Fryar, and attorney Wayne Dance.
An archeological crime scene practical exercise will also be included.
The tuition is $250.
The registration deadline is November 1.
For further information, contact Martin McAllister at 406-728-7195 or via email at ari@bigsky.net.
[Submitted by Phil Young, Archeologist, State of New Mexico]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
GS-12 District Ranger
The park is currently recruiting for a GS-12 district ranger for its Colorado River District. The position is covered by 6(c). The vacancy is currently advertised on USA Jobs and closes on November 8. The individual selected will be responsible for a wide range of traditional ranger duties and experiences. A key duty is to represent the park and superintendent's office in a variety of settings involving the local community of Grand Lake and associated government organizations. For seven months a year, the Colorado River District is isolated from park headquarters by a three-and-a-half hour drive. Due to a housing shortage, the park's housing policy permits people in positions at this grade level to bid for and live in government housing for one year. At that time, it's expected that the person in this position will have researched and purchased or rented housing outside the park that is within a 15 minute response time to the park. For further information, contact chief ranger Joe Evans at 970-586-1218.
[Submitted by Joe Evans, Chief Ranger]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.