NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

BLACKBERRY EDITION

Monday, March 13, 2006

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INCIDENTS

Rocky Mountain NP

Overdue Hiker Found in Longs Peak Area

A 32-year-old man from Denver and his hiking companion planned to ice climb near Chasm Lake, but when they reached Battle Mountain Junction at 5:30 a.m. on March 11th they separated - the Denver man went on to the lake while his companion returned to the Longs Peak parking area. Their plan was to meet back at the lot by 8:30 a.m. When the former failed to return by 11 a.m., his companion contacted park staff and notified them of the situation, but did not ask for assistance. Early that afternoon, though, the partner, who was hiking back up the trail, asked another hiker heading down the trail to contact the park and ask for help. Rangers left the trailhead at 3:15 p.m. Weather conditions during the day continued to deteriorate, with heavy snowfall throughout the area and white-out conditions reported above tree line (11,500 feet). Search efforts were in the process of winding down due to darkness when the rangers saw a headlamp moving down Mount Lady Washington. They contacted the missing man at 6:50 p.m. at approximately 12,000 feet and found him to be in good condition. The rangers gave him water and food and escorted him down the trail. Although the man was not prepared to spend the night outdoors and lacked snowshoes, he did have food, water and proper clothing for the weather. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]

Theodore Roosevelt NP

Sentencing for Poaching of Two Elk

On the evening of August 27, 2005, a North Dakota man was hunting in an elk hunting zone adjacent to the park and shot two elk within the park, a cow and a trophy bull. In December, he was convicted of Lacey Act and other violations. Sentencing took place in district court on March 2nd. He was ordered to pay fines and restitution of $6,000, serve 80 hours of community service, and was placed on two years supervised probation. In an unusual move, the judge also ordered that he lose his hunting privileges for two years not only in North Dakota or the United States, but in all of North America. He was also convicted of state hunting violations relating to the incident, resulting in additional fines and forfeiture of his weapon. The investigation was a cooperative effort by the NPS, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and North Dakota Game and Fish Department. The park's resource management staff provided sophisticated GIS products that were instrumental in the case. [Tom Cox, Chief Ranger]

JOBS

Castillo de San Marcos/Fort Matanzas NMs

GS-025-9 Park Ranger (Protection)

These two sites, located in St. Augustine, Florida, are looking for a candidate for lateral reassignment to a GS-9 law enforcement park ranger position. Castillo is a 20-acre site in downtown St. Augustine and Matanzas is a 300-acre site on the Atlantic Ocean 14 miles south of Castillo. Combined visitation to the two sites is more than 1.6 million. This position offers a diverse and challenging opportunity in a growing and pleasant community with the full range of amenities. St. Augustine is 40 miles south of Jacksonville and 100 miles from Orlando. Applications must be submitted by March 31st. For more information, contact superintendent Gordie Wilson at 904-829-6506 ext. 221.

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Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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