NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, April 12, 2010

INCIDENTS

Valley Forge NP

Ultralight Aircraft Crashes Into Tree

On the afternoon of April 2nd, rangers received a report of a parachute that was “stuck in a tree” near the Washington's Headquarters area of the park. When they arrived at the location, they saw an ultralight aircraft stuck in the tree, with 39-year-old pilot L.A. still onboard. The ultralight's parachute was entangled in the upper portion of the tree, and L.A. sat in his machine about 75 feet above the ground. Local fire departments responded. With the assistance of a local arborist, rescuers were able to lower him safely to the ground by rope. The incident received a lot of media interest and involved nearly 100 emergency personnel. NPS rangers are coordinating the investigation with the FAA and NTSB. L.A. was not injured in the crash. [Gregg Tinkham, Acting Chief Ranger]

Blue Ridge Parkway

Two Ginseng Poachers Sentenced To Jail Terms

Ranger Joe Darling came upon a white Pontiac parked near milepost 373 along the parkway last October - a vehicle he'd seen parked in other areas several times previously. Darling suspected that it was being used by ginseng poachers, so investigated and found footprints leading from the vehicle into the woods. Following them, he found recently dug holes. Since it was beginning to get dark, Darling returned to his patrol vehicle and conducted surveillance on the Pontiac. He eventually saw two men emerge from the woods. Both exhibited dirt stained hands and clothing, but denied digging ginseng. Darling identified the individuals as D.A. and M.A., both of Brevard, North Carolina, and released them due to lack of evidence. After they left the area, Darling again entered the woods and found a fanny pack containing 105 ginseng roots. He returned the next day and recovered a second fanny pack, this one containing 106 ginseng roots. It had been hidden in a small rock cave adjacent to where the first fanny pack was found. Darling contacted and interviewed both men and subsequently charged them with illegally harvesting ginseng and conspiracy to harvest ginseng, as well as several other violations associated with the discovery. On March 9th, M.A. plead guilty to conspiracy to harvest ginseng and was sentenced to 30 days in jail; on April 8th, D.A. plead guilty to conspiracy to harvest ginseng and was also sentenced to 30 days in jail. Both were also banned from park and associated USFS lands for two years. [Tim Francis, Pisgah District Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

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

Hampton NHS - A new park exhibit displays items fashioned from a 170-year old “witness tree” that fell in the park. The pecan tree stood witness to elaborate garden parties in the 1850s, the Civil War, emancipation of slaves, and the technological changes of the 20th Century.

Big Bend NP - Under an agreement between the National Park Service and the Department of Homeland Security, Los Diablos, a wildland fire crew made up of firefighters from riverside villages in Mexico across from the park, will again be aiding in fire management in both the park and elsewhere in the U.S. Photo.

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

Petrified Forest NP - Ranger Luny Hill passed away suddenly from a brain hemorrhage just before midnight on April 6th. Photo.

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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