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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Wednesday, March 15, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Saguaro NP Follow-up on Death of Trail Crew Member A memorial service for John “Jake” Quilter was held on Monday, March 13th, in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Quilter, a seasonal employee and member of the park's trail crew, died while on duty on March 8th. He was 26 years old. Over 150 people attended the memorial, including staff from several Virginia-area NPS units and staff from Saguaro National Park. A four-person contingent from the National Park Service's honor guard participated in the memorial service. An Arizona memorial service will be held on March 24th at 11 a.m. at Saguaro Buttes Community Church, 5825 South Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85747. In lieu of flowers, the Quilter family has established a memorial fund for Jake. Donations can be sent to Bennett's Funeral Home, 8014 Lee-Davis Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23111. The Quilter family will divide donations between the National Park Service and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. If you have a preference, please note it on your donation. [Bob Love, Chief ranger] Blue Ridge Parkway Fleeing to Elude Arrest On Thursday, March 2nd, a 19-year-old Asheville man was arrested for fleeing to elude, resulting in a motor vehicle collision. The man was observed speeding and passing vehicles in a negligent and reckless manner. When the ranger tried to stop him, he sped up and continued to pass vehicles in curves and no passing zones. He hit another vehicle when he failed to yield right of way at an intersection, then left the parkway. A ‘be on the lookout' message was immediately transmitted, including a description of the vehicle, its direction of travel, and the driver's possible residence. Within a few minutes, Asheville PD notified park dispatch that the car was at the suspect's residence. The investigating ranger drove there, obtained a statement, and arrested the man. No one was injured in the collision. [Tim Francis, District Ranger] PARKS AND PEOPLE Fire Island NS George Leone Retires On April 1st George Leone, park safety officer at Fire Island National Seashore, will retire on April Fools Day, following 31 years with the National Park Service. George started his park ranger career with seasonal assignments in 1974 at Minutemen National Historical Park and 1975 at Cape Cod National Seashore. His first permanent job was at Fire Island National Seashore in 1976, followed by Channel Islands National Park, Sequoia National Park, and then Acadia National Park, where he served as a district ranger and later as a park safety officer. George finished his career with a reassignment in 2001 to Fire Island National Seashore, where he also served as a district ranger with another stint as the park safety officer. Messages can be sent to George's e-mail: HYPERLINK "mailto:georgeleone@yahoo.com" georgeleone@yahoo.com. His new address is RR Box 263B, Davis Road, Machias, ME 04654. His cell phone number is 631-384-1352. George's request: That his NPS family know that they have an open invitation to visit, as there will always be a spot for you by his fire. [Wayne Valentine, Chief Ranger] Everglades NP Sandy Dayhoff To Retire After 35 years of serving Everglades National Park and enlightening the minds of South Florida's youth, Sandy Dayhoff will be retiring this year on May 3rd. Sandy retires as the park's outreach/education coordinator. She has been with the Everglades education program since it's inception in the 1970's. The majority of her career has been spent teaching students, teachers, coworkers, and supervisors about the wonders of the Everglades. While this will be a definite loss to Everglades NP, she will leave her legacy in the program and projects she created, and most importantly in the students who grew up knowing the value and importance of the Everglades to their lives in South Florida. We will celebrate her retirement on Saturday, April 22nd (Earth Day) with an afternoon picnic beginning at noon at the Loop Road Education Center in Big Cypress National Preserve. The picnic lunch will be catered. The cost is yet to be determined, but will be minimal. Please RSVP by April 14th. We are also compiling a scrapbook of pictures, stories, cards, and wishes. If you would like to contribute, please mail or email them to me by March 31st. We know there are some good ones out there! Send to: Allyson Gantt, Everglades National Park, 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, FL 33034 ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Allyson_Gantt@nps.gov" Allyson_Gantt@nps.gov). Please contact me if you are interested in receiving further updates about Sandy's retirement party or if you have any questions. A more detailed announcement will be sent out to the local South Florida parks and those who express interest. [Allyson Gantt, Supervisory Park Ranger] * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |