NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, March 15, 2010

INCIDENTS

Chattahoochee River NRA

Two Drown In Separate Incidents On River

There were two drownings in four river-related incidents in the park the weekend before last, largely due to the first nice weather in months combined with high water levels on the river. On Saturday, March 6th, a fisherman was swept into some rapids just below the Jones Bridge area, which flipped him upside down in his float tube. The fisherman was unable to upright himself and was underwater for approximately five minutes. CPR was begun by a fellow fisherman, but was unsuccessful. The fisherman was wearing a life jacket. On Sunday, March 7th, two men were in a boat that struck a rock just below McGinnis Ferry. Both men were thrown from the boat and the boat capsized. A boater in the area witnessed the accident and was able to save one of the two men, but was unable to locate the other. Search efforts continued until he was found around noon the next day when a spotter in a Georgia State Patrol helicopter located the body about two miles downstream from the accident scene. Rangers then recovered it. Personnel from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and from the Johns Creek, Forsyth County and Gwinnett County Fire Departments all played key roles during the entire SAR. Neither of the men were wearing life jackets. The other two incidents involved overturned canoes and a fisherman caught in the rising water by a scheduled release from Buford Dam; they resulted in only minor injuries. [Robyn Podany, Management Assistant]

Cumberland Island NS

Three Survive Emergency Landing In Park

Three people were uninjured when their Cessna 210 Centurion slid to a stop about halfway up the 17-mile-long island following a forced landing last Thursday. The sightseeing flight came to an abrupt end when the plane's engine failed over Cumberland Island and the pilot had to make an emergency landing. He landed the plane on its belly when the retractable landing gear failed to drop. The FAA is investigating. For additional details, see the news article at the link below. [St. Mary's Tribune and Georgian] HYPERLINK "http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2010/03/12/news/top_stories/ 2topstory3.10.txt" http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2010/03/12/news/ top_stories/2topstory3.10.txt

Wrangell-St. Elias NP&P

Two Sentenced Following Illegal Hunting Convictions

An investigation into the illegal hunting of three Dall sheep in the park last summer came to a conclusion this past winter with the sentencing of two men. The investigation by Alaska Wildlife troopers and NPS rangers began last August 14th after three Dall sheep were taken illegally near Cabin Creek. Investigation at the kill site revealed that two men - identified as K.T., 30, a hunter from Wasilla, and J.N., 36, a guide formerly residing in Anchorage - had taken three sub-legal Dall sheep and had only partially salvaged two of the rams, with the rest of their remains buried and left to waste on the mountain and the third ram concealed by rocks and moss. On August 16th, troopers in Glenallen, Palmer, Wasilla and Anchorage, joined by NPS special investigators, served search warrants on the two men. The meat, cape and horns of a Dall sheep were recovered at K.T.'s residence; additional evidence was seized at J.N.'s home. Investigators also found and seized the meat, cape and horn of a sub-legal sheep at a local taxidermist. K.T. pled guilty to the charge of attempted tampering with physical evidence; he was sentenced to 30 days in jail (25 suspended), ordered to pay $5,000 ($3,000 suspended) and $1,100 in restitution, required to forfeit the sheep meat, and placed on probation for three years. J.N. pled guilty to the charges of aiding or committing wanton waste; he was sentenced to 30 days in jail (23 suspended), ordered to pay $20,000 ($10,000 suspended) and $2,200 in restitution, required to forfeit the sheep meat, cape and horns and all hunting equipment used in the hunt (including guns), and was placed on probation through January 26, 2015. His right to obtain a hunting license in Alaska has also been revoked for five years. [Michael J Thompson, Nabesna District Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

Virgin Islands NP - An exotic invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish was found in park waters last week. Biologists fear that the non-native fish will rapidly become an established species, wreak havoc on local fisheries within the park, and pose potential problems to both the environment and visitors.

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science - Reminder - comments on the draft National Park Service climate change response strategy are due by Friday, March 19th.

Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service.

Jobs - InsideNPS today carries job announcements for the RD Intermountain Region, RD Pacific West Region, AD Interpretation and Education in WASO, and superintendent of Golden Gate.

To see these and other stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter):

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

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

NPS serious incident submission standards can be found at the following web site: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/notify" http://inside.nps.gov/notify

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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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