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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, January 19, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS New River Gorge NR Five BASE Jumpers Convicted While conducting a patrol just before daybreak on January 15th, ranger Randy Fisher saw several parachutes open just below the New River Gorge Bridge. Fisher contacted and attempted to detain the five jumpers at their landing site, but four of the five took off running while Fisher was waiting for backup. One of them - P.L., 48, of Urbana, Illinois - was apprehended by Fisher as he ran along the CSX railroad tracks, and another was found later in the morning attempting to hitchhike out of the gorge on Fayette Station Road. By day's end, three people had been arrested and booked into jail - P.L., D.D., 30, and C.B.A., 23. C.B.A. and D.D. are also from Urbana. That evening, a fourth parachutist - V.S., 47, of Romulus, Michigan - surrendered to Fisher at the Burnwood ranger station and said that he and his wife - E.S., 23 - would appear before a federal magistrate on January 16th. Prior to their initial appearances, all five agreed to have their cases heard before the federal magistrate and agreed to plead ‘no contest' to the charges: V.S. was fined $1,320 for his second illegal air delivery violation in the park (the first was in 2004) and for fleeing an officer E.S. was fined $85 for fleeing an officer D.D., C.B.A. and P.L. were each fined $635 for illegal air delivery and for fleeing an office Fisher was assisted by other rangers and an NPS special agent, by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, and by Oak Hill City Police Department. Media interest was high. [Duncan Hollar, Assistant Chief Ranger] Saratoga NHP Ice Storm Drops Trees, Damages VC The park closed on the afternoon of January 15th due to extensive damage caused by an ice storm that passed through the region. The storm downed more than 20 trees on the entrance road, but park maintenance employees worked hard to remove them and the road was reopened by noon the following day. The visitor center was struck by two falling trees and suffered damage to the membrane roof, causing leaks into the exhibit area. Damaged were ceiling tiles, lighting fixtures, the carpet, and reproduction living history materials that were on exhibit. Park staff removed collection items from the exhibits and temporarily housed them elsewhere until the roof could be repaired. The nine-mile-long tour road, which is closed for the season, has numerous downed trees on it which will take a crew of three at least a week to remove. The park's 14 miles of trails and interpretive paths have not yet been evaluated, but it's expected that trees will be down all along them. The park is open. [Joe Finan, Assistant Superintendent] OTHER NEWS Other news from today's edition of InsideNPS, the National Park Service's home page: Yosemite - The park and CHP held a joint helicopter hoisting training session in the park. Dry Tortugas - Special regulations for Dry Tortugas National Park, published in the Federal Register last December 19th, will go into effect today. Among other things, the regulations establish a research natural area (RNA) that adds a new layer of protection for the marine resources of the park by prohibiting fishing and anchoring. Indiana Dunes - The park is seeking a GL-0025-9 law enforcement ranger. Mesa Verde - The park has issued a vacancy announcement for a GS-1420-9 archivist. To link to InsideNPS, click on HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |