02-562
Kenai Fjords National Park (AK)
Heavy Rains and Flooding
Heavy rains caused flooding in southern Alaska late last week and
forced the park and Forest Service to jointly close the Exit Glacier
Road. The park is concerned about the new foundation that was just
poured for the Exit Glacier Nature Center. Contractors have shored up
the area with additional loads of gravel, but concerns persist as the
waters of Resurrection River continue to rise. Weather predictions call
for more rain.
[Submitted by Jane Tranel, Public Information
Officer, ARO]
02-563
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Arrest of Suspected Marijuana Courier
A ranger on routine patrol on Mineral King Road on October 19 stopped
a vehicle for speeding. The driver and sole occupant had neither license
nor identification and was determined to be an undocumented alien. The
ranger recognized the vehicle as one of three that had been parked at a
residence during the previously reported October 8 execution of search
warrants at two residences whose occupants were suspected of growing
marijuana in the park. By chance, the ranger who made the stop had also
been the ranger who searched that same vehicle during the search warrant
execution. He conducted a consent search of the vehicle and came upon
some of the same items in the trunk as he'd found in the previous
search. Manuel Calderon Vasquez was arrested for driving without a
license and for immigration law violations following a non-custodial
interview by the park's special agent. Information connecting Vasquez to
two other residences where search warrants had been served was found
during a search of his personal property. Park investigators suspect
that Vasquez is a courier for an organized marijuana cultivation
organization and that he was in the park to pick up processed marijuana
from a marijuana garden or a cache located in the park. The U.S.
Attorney's Office will pursue a grand jury indictment against Vasquez
for conspiracy to cultivate marijuana.
[Submitted by Al
DeLaCruz, Special Agent]
02-564
North Cascades National Park (WA)
Drug Arrest
At the conclusion of a successful two-day-long SAR operation on Ross
Lake on October 5, a ranger came upon a lone kayaker setting up camp in
an undesignated area. Due to the weather and the location, the ranger
was concerned enough to check on the kayaker, who he thought might be in
difficulty. During the course of the contact, the ranger discovered that
the man had 20 kilos of high-grade "BC Bud" marijuana in his possession.
Investigators determined that he was a U.S. citizen and that he was
returning from Canada. He was arrested and the marijuana was seized. The
estimated value has been placed at $80,000. Customs is assisting with
the investigation.
[Submitted by Pete Cowan, Chief Ranger]
02-565
Great Sand Dunes National Monument & Preserve (CO)
Search in Progress
On the evening of October 23, ranger Colorado Cordova noted that a
Nissan Pathfinder had been left for more than 24 hours in the Dunes
parking lot. He checked the plate and found that it was registered to
J.L., 29, of Centennial, Colorado, who had been reported to the
Arapaho County Sheriff's Office as a missing person. A follow-up
investigation by rangers revealed that he'd registered to spend the
nights of October 19 and October 20 in the park's campground, but that
he had not obtained a backcountry use permit. According to J.L.'s
roommate, he is an avid hiker and camper who likes secluded areas and
frequently takes off for the mountains without telling anyone where he's
going. Although J.L. is reported to be mentally stable, he's been
under a great deal of stress at work. Search efforts have focused on the
30-square-mile dune field, using NPS and county SAR team ground
searchers and a CAP aircraft. On October 25, the search was expanded,
with more SAR and dog teams brought in to help. A total of 25 searchers
were in the field as of Friday. The search area has been expanded to
include the mountainous areas of the new Great Sand Dunes National
Preserve. Jim Bowman is incident commander.
[Submitted by Jim
Bowman, Chief Ranger]
02-566
Mesa Verde National Park (CO)
Entrance Fee Embezzlement
On October 24, seasonal fee collector Steve Lucero plead guilty to
theft of government money (18 USC 641) from the park's entrance station.
Entrance station road audits indicated a problem with Lucero's
occasional failure to issue cash register receipts to visitors. This
prompted a further investigation, which found discrepancies between
credit card and cash register receipts when Lucero was on duty. A full
investigation involving Intermountain Region special agents and park
staff was begun that led to the discovery of criminal theft of fees. The
case was presented to the U.S. Attorney's Office, and Lucero was charged
with the theft of government money. During the investigation, Lucero
admitted to taking fee receipts while on duty. Indications are that he
stole more than $1,000. Lucero's employment was terminated; sentencing
is scheduled for January.
[Submitted by Charlie Peterson,
Chief Ranger]
02-567
New River Gorge National River (WV)
Special Event: Bridge Day
After being canceled in 2001 as a result of the September 11 attack,
the annual Bridge Day event resumed this year, with an improved security
plan approved by the governor that included closing all bridge lanes to
vehicle traffic. Security for this year's Bridge Day was managed under a
unified command system, with the joint operations center hosted by the
park at its Burnwood facility. Security was provide by a consortium of
16 agencies, including the West Virginia State Police, West Virginia
National Guard, Fayette County Sheriff's Department, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, US Marshals Service, and the National Park Service.
Traditional BASE jumping activities continued this year under a special
uses permit issued by the park following receipt of a waiver from
Director Mainella permitting the activity within the park. This year's
BASE activities were organized by Go Fast Sports, Inc., and proved to be
among the safest events held to date. A total of 394 BASE jumpers made
745 jumps from the New River Gorge Bridge, with landings in the park.
Only two BASE jumpers sustained injuries requiring medical transport,
one a sprained ankle and the other a laceration requiring stitches.
Under the bridge, 308 rappellers made over 500 rappels. One rappeller
lost control at the bottom of the 800 foot plus decent; as a result, he
free fell approximately 50 feet and suffered a fractured lumbar and a
ruptured bladder. He was flown to the Charleston Area Medical Center via
a Health-Net medical helicopter that was on standby in the park. A
highlight of the day was a visit by West Virginia's Governor Bob Wise.
The governor started the day by cutting the ribbon for first BASE jumper
of the day, 73-year-old Jim Guyer. He then participated in a short
whitewater rafting trip on the New River in an NPS raft guided by park
ranger Bryan Hunter. The governor made additional stops at the park's
BASE landing zone and joint operations center.
[Submitted by
Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
02-568
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Suicide
On October 17, dispatch received an ATL ("attempt to locate" message)
from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, advising that a man who was
reportedly suicidal might be heading toward the park. Rangers located
his vehicle the next morning, but there was nobody inside. They searched
the area and found a body in a sleeping bag near Shoshone Point, just
over a mile away. The body was confirmed to be that of the missing
person, who had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
His body was transferred to the county medical examiner for autopsy.
[Submitted by Mark Law, District Ranger, South Rim
District]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Park Fire Situation
The Tar Gap Rx Fire has burned about 664 acres. As of late last week, it was backing down toward the Kaweah East Fork northwest of the Atwell-Hockett trail. No private communities or park facilities were threatened. Park firefighters had worked for three days to keep the fire from spreading outside of the original prescription, but were unable to build direct fire lines due to steep terrain. Fire managers therefore decided to let it burn into the neighboring segment, scheduled for burning next year. The fire will now be contained within natural barriers - the East Fork on the north, Deer Creek on the east, and an unnamed creek on the west. The fire will continue to spread within these barriers until fuels are burned or a season-ending rainfall occurs.
[Submitted by Jody Lyle, Fire Information Specialist]
Yosemite National Park (CA)
Park Fire Situation
The Liberty Fire, a wildfire that began on Sunday, October 20, was contained on Tuesday at 92 acres. It was fully controlled by Thursday. The fire burned at the eastern end of Little Yosemite Valley on the Merced River. Although the cause is not yet known, it was likely started by a campfire.
[Submitted by Public Affairs]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
January 23-March 20: Basic LE for Rangers
The basic law enforcement training course for rangers will be offered in January. The closing date for applications is December 16. For further information, contact Wiley Golden at FLETC at 912-267-2246; for applications, go to the Learning Place web site.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Death Valley National Park (CA)
GS-560-9/11 Budget Officer
The park has an opening for a permanent, full-time GS-9/11 budget officer. The positions is open government-wide and closes on November 21. The posting is on USA Jobs. The person hired will be duty-stationed at headquarters in Furnace Creek. She/he will oversee a budget of $6.9 million. The park has 116 ONPS-funded FTE's, plus project-funded positions. For further information, contact Mary E. Davis at 760-786-3274.
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.