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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, July 19, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS War in the Pacific NHS Local Search For Missing Plaques Suspended, Thief Indicted Already facing federal charges for allegedly stealing stolen bronze nameplates from the Asan Bay Overlook on Nimitz Hill, J.E. has been indicted locally on charges of theft by receiving as a third degree felony. According to federal court documents, he sold 26 nameplates to Xiong's Family Recycling Company beginning in late June. He was remanded to the custody of U.S. Marshals and has a detention hearing scheduled for the 24th of this month in district court. In the meantime, authorities have stopped searching local scrap yards, as some of the stolen name plates were located in Hong Kong. The National Park Service estimates each nameplate as being worth $1,700. [KUAM, Guam] Fort Vancouver NHP Special Event: Fourth Of July Celebration On July 4th, the park hosted the region's 45th annual Fourth of July celebration. Managed by the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust, the park's cooperating association, the event drew a reported 60,000 visitors, making it one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations occurring in a unit of the National Park System. The traditional festival-style event featured food and craft vendors, family activity areas, and an entertainment stage with over ten hours of live, family-oriented music, culminating in a 30 minute fireworks display billed as the "largest fireworks display west of the Mississippi." The event was held on lands managed by the NPS, US Army, State of Washington, and City of Vancouver within the boundaries of the Congressionally-established Vancouver National Historic Reserve. Lands managed by the NPS at the park are at the heart of the event, including the preferred viewing area for the main stage, fireworks display, and family activity areas. Throughout the day, more than 35 staff and park volunteers provided roving interpretation and special programs for visitors. Staff and volunteers involved in the park's annual Public Archaeology Field School also interpreted an active NPS archaeological dig for the public, and members of the US Army Reserve led traditional games including sack races and three legged races on the park's historic main parade ground. The event was managed under ICS with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) serving as the lead agency. A seven-officer US Park Police team from San Francisco provided additional law enforcement support, with officers from VPD and USPP teaming up and patrolling on foot throughout the event. Working with PWR law enforcement staff, the park also provided VPD officers with a letter of authorization giving them special police designation on NPS land. Fort Vancouver rangers Bill DeBerry, Kimm Fox-Middleton, and Greg Shine served as local NPS liaisons. The local NBC-TV affiliate (Portland television station KGW-TV) broadcast the event live from the park to residents of the Pacific Northwest. As evidence of the event staff working together to keep the safety and security of visitors and resources a top priority, incident command reported only a few minor incidents all day despite the record 94-degree heat. [Greg Shine, Chief Ranger/Historian] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) 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: Fire and Aviation Management - Hal Spencer has been selected as the Service's new structural fire program manager and Susie Bates has been selected as the aviation branch chief. 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). --- ### --- |