Everglades National Park (FL)
Manatee Speed Zone Enforcement Operation
Rangers, in cooperation with officers and agents from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, recently ran two special operations to enforce manatee speed zones in the Gulf Coast District. Officers working in Chokoloskee Bay issued 25 speed citations and numerous safety and resource violation notices over a two-day period. Chokoloskee Bay is considered an "area of inadequate protection" for manatees and is undergoing an interagency review to improve the protection for this endangered species. Enforcement is accordingly increasing in an effort to educate boaters and improve compliance with these speed zones. Statewide, at least 86 manatees were killed by powerboats in 2006. More special operations are planned for the future. [Submitted by Bonnie Foist, Chief Ranger]
Thomas Jefferson Memorial (DC)
Man Brandishing Knife Arrested By Officers
US Park Police officers were dispatched to the Jefferson Memorial on the afternoon of February 13th to investigate a report of a man with a knife threatening NPS employees. Responding officers contacted a man brandishing a knife in the memorial's chamber. The man threatened to harm the officers. The memorial was cleared of all visitors and the man was safely arrested. [Submitted by Lieutenant Scott Fear, USPP]
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (WV)
Taser Helps Ranger Subdue Man In Confrontation
On the morning of March 13th, acting chief ranger Sarah Davis-Reynolds received a complaint of automatic weapons fire along the Appalachian Trail near Keyes Gap. She requested assistance from C&O Canal rangers and Jefferson County officers, then headed for Keyes Gap, where she contacted a highly intoxicated man later identified as J.J. J.J. was unable to identify himself, saying "I'm a little out of it right now," then began to flee toward the Appalachian Trail with a twelve-pack of beer in his possession. Reynolds was able to catch J.J. and took him to the ground. A struggle ensued and Reynolds attempted to employ her taser on J.J. The darts failed to penetrate his heavy coat, though, and he again fled with the beer. Reynolds again used her taser, this time stopping him. J.J.F was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. The sheriff's department will be handling the case. It was later learned that a local landowner had been firing his personal semi-automatic weapon on private property next to the trail. [Submitted by Sarah Davis-Reynolds, Assistant Chief Ranger]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Cabrillo National Monument
Terry DiMattio Announces Retirement
The alluring call of his beloved Grand Teton range has finally proven irresistible to Cabrillo National Monument superintendent Terry DiMattio, who recently announced his retirement, effective June 3rd.
Terry has been a ranger with the National Park Service for 33 years and the superintendent of Cabrillo National Monument since June, 1990. He began his association with the National Park Service as a VIP at Cabrillo in 1972, dressing in historical clothing as the keeper of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and telling visitors about its history, how lighthouse lenses worked, and the daily life of the keepers and their families.
Prior to his tenure as superintendent at Cabrillo, Terry was superintendent of George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes, Indiana. He also served as the chief ranger at Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine in Baltimore, Maryland; as the chief of interpretation at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in Redding, California; and as the chief of interpretation at Cabrillo National Monument.
A retirement party will be held on Saturday, June 2nd, at 6 p.m. in the visitor center at Cabrillo National Monument. An NPS purist, Terry has requested a traditional pot-luck dinner. We welcome Terry's many friends and colleagues from the NPS family; if you would like to attend, please RSVP by May 17th to Terry Scherkenbach at 619-523-4561 or terry_scherkenbach@nps.gov. The park is putting together a memory book for Terry — if you would like to contribute a letter, card, or anecdote, please send by May 17th to:
Cabrillo National Monument
Terry Scherkenbach, Administrative Assistant
1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive
San Diego, CA 92106-3601
Terry and wife Joanne plan on building a home on their dream property outside of Victor, Idaho, in the shadow of the Teton Range. From there and their home in San Diego, Terry plans on filling his post-retirement days with reading American history, baseball, hiking, woodworking, and visiting national parks.
[Submitted by Terry Scherkenbach, Terry_Scherkenbach@nps.gov, (619) 523-4561]
Northeast Region
GS-0025/0340-14 Executive Director/Superintendent
Dates: 03/12/2007 - 03/30/2007
The executive director/superintendent is the primary operating official for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor and Roger Williams National Memorial and is responsible for the management, interpretation and administration of both sites in accordance with established laws, regulations, bylaws, and policies, as well as providing staff support to the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, an operating federal commission. The incumbent is made available to the commission as chief executive officer of the commission in accordance with Public Law 99-647, sections 4 and 9.
The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a nationally significant cultural landscape extending 50 miles from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island, and incorporating the Blackstone River and most of its watershed. The heritage corridor includes 24 jurisdictions in two states, over 40 historic villages and five cities, numerous forest preserves, trails and state parks as well. There are numerous cultural institutions, historic sites and districts and over 10,000 historic structures in the valley. Approximately 500,000 people live within the corridor boundaries, comprising approximately 390,000 acres.
In October 2006 the corridor was re-authorized for another five years and is currently in the process of undertaking a number of exciting organizational and planning projects. The executive director/superintendent will manage and support the seating of a new corridor commission, the drafting of a five year management plan, conducting of a special resource study (SRS) for possible inclusion of site(s) as a permanent National Park Service area, and conducting a boundary study for possible expansion of the heritage corridor boundaries.
Roger Williams National Memorial is a 4.56 acre urban park located in Downcity Providence, Rhode Island, and includes a full service visitor center with interpretive exhibits, a parking area and picnic tables. The Memorial lies entirely within the boundary of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.
This is a temporary promotion not to exceed one to five years. Th etime limit of this temporary promotion may end at anytime, or be extended up to a total of five years depending on the needs of the Service. The selectee will be required to sign a temporary promotion statement prior to the assignment.
Click on "More Information" below for a link to the announcement and application instructions.
[Submitted by Dory Milliken, HR Specialist, 215-597-5349]
More Information...
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type;=Announcements&id;=3363All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office. The former will be forwarded to the appropriate staff in WASO.