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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, April 9, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Padre Island NS Passing Of Marina Giggleman Marina Giggleman, a biological technician with the park's Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, died in an ATV accident on the afternoon of April 3rd. Marina was beginning her second season with the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle recovery project. Marina was a vibrant and committed employee. She loved the park, the ocean, and the work that she performed for the sea turtle recovery program. Marina patrolled North Padre Island each day searching for nesting Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, protecting them, their eggs, and hatchlings from threats. Marina was a remarkable and brilliant woman who loved being part of the sea turtle science and recovery team. The staff will miss her very much. The funeral was held this past Saturday in Garland, Texas; at the request of the family, a memorial service will be held on the visitor center deck at Padre Island National Seashore at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18th. Messages of condolences can be sent to the family at the following address: Mr. C.G. An educational trust fund has been set up for E.M.G., Marina's 14-year-old son. Please make checks payable to College America f.b.o. E.M.G., and send them to Edward Jones, 260 N. Main Street, Grapevine, TX 76051. [Mark Biel] WASO Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services Man Charged With Threatening NPS Special Agent K.A., 46, of Montebello, Virginia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a ten-count indictment - one count of threatening an NPS agent, two counts of illegal possession of a machine gun, two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm, three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. According to the indictment, sometime between January 1, 2006 and March 29, 2006, K.A. sent a letter threatening to murder a special agent with the National Park Service in order to retaliate against the agent for performing his official duties. K.A., a former maintenance supervisor at Blue Ridge Parkway, was previously indicted in November 2005 for stealing government property, possession of child pornography on government property, and possession of a machine gun. K.A. pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced in June 2006 to five years and eleven months in prison. During the investigation of information revealed in the letters, agents found two machine guns, six rifles, three pistols, a shotgun, and ammunition belonging to K.A. As a result of his previous conviction, K.A. is prohibited from possessing any firearms. If convicted on all counts, the maximum penalty faced by the defendant is 90 years imprisonment and/or a fine of $1,770,000. The investigation of the case was conducted by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Steve Pfleger will prosecute the case. A grand jury indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. [US Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia, and Investigative Services Branch, Washington Office] Olympic NP Canoeist Capsizes, Succumbs To Exposure A.D., 21, of Olympia, Washington, died early on the morning of Friday, April 5th, at the Forks Community Hospital following a canoeing accident in Ozette Lake. A.D. suffered coldwater exposure after the canoe he and his partner were paddling capsized south of Eagle Point in Ozette Lake. A.D. was part of a party of four from Olympia using two canoes on a weekend camping trip on the shores of Ozette Lake. Hearing calls for help after A.D.'s canoe capsized, Ozette residents responded and transported the four canoeists to a local residence to await help. A.D. had been in the 46-degree water for over 15 minutes and became increasingly non-responsive. A Coast Guard helicopter diverted from a training mission in the Neah Bay area to respond to the emergency. As Coast Guard personnel provided emergency medical care, the helicopter transported A.D. to the Forks Airport, where he was met by ambulance and taken to the Forks Community Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. [Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS The following stories can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: Northeast Region - Northeast Region's Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program was recently honored as one of the prestigious top fifty “American Innovations in Government” by the Ash Institute of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Special Park Uses Program - The three NPS applications for special park uses have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget and are available on the special park uses program web page. A link is provided. Joshua Tree NP - Dan Messaros, Lost Horse District Ranger at Joshua Tree National Park, was named 2007 Officer of the Year by the Morongo Basin Chapter of the International Footprint Association. Olympic NP - The park is seeking a GS-1640-13 supervisory facility operations specialist to serve as the park's chief of maintenance. To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |