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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, September 10, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Biscayne NP Area Closure Instituted Following Brawl On the afternoon of Sunday, September 2nd, rangers received a report of a fight in progress at the sand bar at Sands Cut. Upon arrival, they found four injured people in a boat who'd been assaulted by more than 15 people from another boat. The four were bleeding from injuries caused by broken bottles being tossed into their boat and from being punched and kicked by their assailants. The four victims were part of a larger group of boaters who were consuming alcoholic beverages and partying in the waist-deep area of the sand bar. Rangers were able to extricate them only after tying a line to their vessel and pulling them out of the cluster of vessels. It quickly became evident that the many vessels in the area would have to be moved in order for emergency personnel to restore order, secure the crime scene, and render emergency first aid. The rangers were assisted by Florida Fish and Wildlife and Miami Dade County marine units. Following consultation with the rangers and assisting officers, chief ranger Stephen Clark decided to close the area. Although there were between 400 and 500 boats and thousands of people in the immediate area, it was cleared within about 45 minutes. Sands Cut, located approximately 10 miles from the mainland, has for many years been a favorite spot for weekend boaters. In recent years, though, there's been a tremendous increase in visitation, use and incidents, ranging from fights and other assaults to drug use and public intoxication. This increase has occurred despite targeted law enforcement patrols. The sheer number of individuals and boats at the sand bar make it extremely difficult to patrol and control the area. In order to more effectively manage the area, the superintendent recently implemented a change in the compendium limiting the number of vessels rafted together to five vessels and establishing a minimum distance of 100 feet between each group of boats. [Stephen Clark, Chief Ranger] Whiskeytown NRA Follow-Up On Marijuana Cultivation Arrest On August 29th, National Park Service and the Shasta County Sheriff's Office agents apprehended F.H.S., a Mexican national, in an active marijuana cultivation site on Willow Creek within Whiskeytown NRA. One additional suspect, who may have run from officers at the time of the arrest, was not located. Since there was a possibility that he was armed, part of the park was closed to visitor access. That closure has been lifted and the park has returned to normal operations. F.H.S. has been arraigned on one count of illegal marijuana cultivation (21 USC8 41(a)(1)) and one count of possession of a firearm by a person unlawfully present in the United States (18 USC 922(g)(5)). The investigation is ongoing. [Alan Foster, Special Agent] Glen Canyon NRA Fireworks And Drugs Seized From Houseboat The information receptionist at park headquarters received an anonymous call on the afternoon of Friday, September 7th, reporting that drugs and between $4,000 and $5,000 worth of fireworks could be found in the hold of the houseboat Canyon Breeze, located at Antelope Point Marina. The houseboat was set to be leaving the marina the following day. Later on Friday, the park received another report, this one from a known person, reporting that a large number of industrial grade fireworks were being loaded onto the houseboat. Rangers, special agents, Coconino County deputies, and a dog and handler from the Kane County Sheriff's Department contacted the people on the houseboat the next day. Forty large cases containing assorted fireworks were confiscated along with 110 grams of high quality marijuana and methamphetamine paraphernalia. The fireworks have been valued at about $4,000. Two arrests were made for drug possession and a third person received two citations for possession of fireworks and drugs. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office is prosecuting the case. The fireworks will be destroyed in a controlled training setting by the county's explosive ordnance disposal team. The investigation was led by special agent Brian O'Dea, with assistance from rangers Eric Scott, Jared St. Clair, Jordan Barthold and Chad Hunter. [Linda Mihata, Acting Chief Ranger] 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 are, respectively, HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ and ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). * Flight 93 NM - The theme for this year's sixth anniversary commemoration of September 11th is “The Spirit of Community,” a special tribute to area citizens who have supported the family and the Flight 93 project over the past half dozen years. * Harpers Ferry Center - Harpers Ferry Center has awarded a new contract for provision of services to the NPS and other DOI agencies for the development of new media maps and solid terrain models. * In the Press - A Washington Post article on the recent GAO report criticizing the administration for not doing enough to help the NPS and other land management agencies cope with climate change. * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828). --- ### --- |