NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, August 7, 2008

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INCIDENTS

Mammoth Cave NP

Maintenance Employee Succumbs To Coronary At Work

Park maintenance employee Kenneth G. Adams, 51, died while on-duty in the park on Tuesday, August 5th, of an apparent heart attack. Adams was last seen walking back towards the ferry operator's building at Houchins Ferry by a fellow employee at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday. He was found deceased later that evening in the same building after he failed to return home at the end of his work shift. Adams had a total of 29 years of federal government service, including 17 years with the National Park Service. Adams began his Park Service career at Jean Lafitte National Historic Park & Preserve in 1990 as a maintenance worker, then moved to Padre Island National Seashore in 1991 as a motor vehicle operator. Adams had been employed at Mammoth Cave National Park as a ferryman and small craft operator since 1994 and was a respected member of the Mammoth Cave “family”. Survivors include his wife D.A., and four sons - B., Cu., and Co., all of Horse Cave, Kentucky, and K., Jr., of Cleveland, Ohio. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Winn Funeral Home in Horse Cave. Visitation will be on Friday, August 8th, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CDT and on Saturday after 9:00 a.m. until the funeral at 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home, with a private burial. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to his wife, D.A., and their sons. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Arthritis Foundation, Kentucky Chapter; 2908 Brownsboro Road, Suite 100; Louisville, KY 40206-3506. [David Alexander, Park Ranger]

Cape Hatteras NS

Update On Operation Consent Decree

On the morning of July 30th, members of the park's turtle patrol discovered all-terrain vehicle tracks inside the posted bird closure located approximately two miles south of Ramp 23. After entering the closure, the ATV's operator had driven high on the beach through a least tern nesting area. The driver then continued through the closure, exited the area, made two doughnuts, and headed back north through the closed area. There were no signs of ATV tracks south of this, so it is thought that the ATV entered the closure heading south and then returned north. Staff followed the ATV tracks north and noted that the tracks left the beach over a dune near Sea Haven Drive in Rodanthe. NPS bird resource management staff were called in to survey the nest site and discovered that a least tern egg had been crushed by the illegal ATV. The egg was located high on the beach approximately 100 meters inside and south of the posted closure boundary. The April 30th consent decree on shorebird and sea turtle protection requires the Service to automatically expand a resource protection area when deliberate acts occur that disturb or harasses wildlife or vandalize fencing, nests, or plants. The buffer has therefore been expanded 100 meters to the north. The incident involved multiple federal criminal violations of NPS regulations, including illegal vehicle use, entering a closed area, and the destruction of the egg. Each violation carries a potential penalty of a fine of up to $5,000 and six months imprisonment. In addition, the destruction of a migratory bird nest/egg is a criminal offense under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 USC § 707(a)(Section 6(a)), which carries a potential penalty of a fine of up to $15,000 and six months imprisonment, plus seizure and forfeiture of all equipment, vehicles, and other means of transportation used when engaged in the violation. "Egregious violations such as this one that result in the automatic expansion of the resource protection areas represent a small percentage of the total number of closure violations that have been occurring,” said superintendent Mike Murray. “For the most part, our law enforcement staff has been successful in apprehending violators in resource closures, although the staff clearly cannot be everywhere at once or in any particular place all the time. In the month of July alone, rangers have apprehended over 30 violators in resources closures. Our hope in publicizing these most serious violations is that members of the public who have any information about the violation or other criminal activity on seashore beaches will come forward and assist us in solving the case.” No suspects have been identified in this case, though several leads are being pursued. Anyone with information about this violation or illegal ATV use in the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo area, or any other illegal activity occurring on the seashore, is asked to call the Dare County Crime Line at 1-800-745-2746, 24 hours a day. [Cyndy Holda, Management Assistant]

New River Gorge NR

Sex Offender Arrested For Firearms Possession

On July 19th, rangers received numerous complaints of disorderly conduct in the park's Army Camp campground. The nature of the complaints ranged from nudity and cursing to the brandishing and firing of a small caliber handgun. Rangers contacted S.B. of Pasco County, Florida, and learned from him that he was a registered violent sex offender (felony conviction) and was in possession of a stun gun. Permission was given for the rangers to retrieve the stun gun from S.B.'s vehicle and also to search the rest of his camp for additional weapons. Rangers recovered several edged weapons along with a North American Arms five-shot, .22 magnum “mini revolver.” Investigation revealed that S.B. has been in West Virginia since May of this year without registering as a sex offender, and that he was a frequent visitor to campgrounds, parks, and other recreation areas where children were present. S.B. is currently in jail awaiting trial for being a felon in possession of a firearm and numerous misdemeanor charges. Investigating rangers are working with the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorneys Office on the possible inclusion federal sex offender charges under “Adams Law” (the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006). [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]

Prince William Forest Park

Rangers, Officers Confront Armed Felon

The Stafford County Sheriff's Office contacted the park around 6 p.m. on August 3rd and advised that they were looking for a felon known to frequent the park who was wanted for abduction and forced captivity of a woman and her minor child in addition to several active felony warrants. The man had told friends that he was not going to be taken by police and that he would kill as many officers as possible before taking his own life. He was reported to have two semi-automatic pistols in his possession. About an hour after receiving this call, an on-duty ranger saw the man park his vehicle in the visitor center parking lot and get out. The chief ranger and three off-duty rangers responded along with a dozen Prince William County PD officers. The man returned to his car a short time later and attempted to leave the park. A roadblock had been established by rangers and officers at the park's entrance station, though, and two rangers were posted to block his escape. The man stopped his car 30 yards away from the roadblock, but remained inside and refused to comply with officers' orders. A county canine unit was brought forward. After a short while, the man obeyed officers' commands, exited the vehicle, and was taken into custody without further incident. He said that he had considered resisting, but decided otherwise. A loaded semi-automatic pistol and several large knives and a sword were discovered in his possession. He had consumed a pint of liquor prior to his arrest, as well as other intoxicants. The investigation is ongoing. [Chip Nelson, Chief Ranger]

Golden Gate NRA

Suicide Victim Found Near Muir Beach

Park dispatch received a call reporting a possible cardiac arrest along the coastline in the Muir Beach area of the park on the evening of August 4th. Rangers responded along with emergency crews from Marin County and found a man in his late 40s in a rugged area about a mile south of Muir Beach. He was unresponsive and bleeding from the head and could not be revived. A loaded handgun was found under his leg. Due to the onset of darkness and rough terrain, rescuers carried him out to the parking lot to a waiting ambulance. The man's car was located in the parking lot. The investigation is being conducted by the Marin County coroner's office and the Criminal Investigations Branch of U.S. Park Police, but all indications are that the death was a suicide. [Kim Coast, Operations Supervisor]

OTHER NEWS

Other stories can be read on InsideNPS at one or the other of these two sites:

NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index

Non-NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/

Please note that both publications carry a combined NIFC/NPS fire report. That is generally posted around 8 a.m. Eastern.

Among the stories in today's edition are the following:

Olympic NP - A memorial service for fallen firefighter Andy Palmer, attended by 1300 people, was held this past Monday in Fort Worden, Washington.

Great Sand Dunes NP&P - On August 4th, a Colorado judge made an historic water decree, approving an in-place groundwater right for the unconfined aquifer for Great Sand Dunes National Park. The in-place groundwater right decreed to the NPS is the first of its kind in Colorado.

Eastern National - A celebration of the life of Chesley Moroz, past president of Eastern National, who died last week, will be held next Monday in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Grand Canyon NP - Kent Mecham, the park's structural fire chief, is retiring after 35 years of service to the National Park Service.

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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:

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 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).

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