NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, March 7, 2011

INCIDENTS

Hawaii Volcanoes NP

Closures Instituted Due To New Eruption Of Kilauea

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists flying over Kilauea on Saturday afternoon saw a new lava outbreak in a remote area on the volcano's east rift. The park accordingly closed Chain of Craters Road, all east rift zone and coastal trails, and the campground at Kulanaokuaiki until further notice. ICS was put into effect (Gail Minami, IC), operating out of the park's HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id= 10148" new Visitor Emergency Operations Center. For further information, click on these links:

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory HYPERLINK "http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php" eruption updates

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory HYPERLINK "http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/cams/" volcano webcams

Hawaii Volcanoes NP HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm" closure information

[Mardie Lane, Public Affairs Officer]

Bent's Old Fort NHS

Man Indicted For Theft Of Rifles From Fort

Bent's Old Fort, located in La Junta, Colorado, and Boggsville Historic Site, a county-owned site in nearby Bent County, were broken into last September 28th. Nine historic replica rifles were stolen from the fort and two buffalo were taken from Boggsville. The NPS subsequently released a press release on the thefts, which led to a tip from a concerned citizen who had information about the items taken in the burglaries. This lead to a suspect, a 34-year-old area man, who was subsequently indicted in federal court on two counts of possession of stolen United States property and fourteen other gun violations. Otero County and Bent County sheriff's deputies joined agents from the NPS and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the investigation, which led to undercover purchases of various guns. Two other National Park Service guns were recovered when local hikers in the La Junta area stumbled across the rifles wrapped up in a tarp under a bush. The man faces up to 10 years in jail on each charge. Superintendent Alexa Roberts expressed sincere thanks to all the agencies involved in the investigation for their collaboration and professionalism in the quick resolution of the case: “We are grateful for the dedication of the investigators, for the good citizen who stepped forward with the original tip, and for the public's support during the investigation.”

For more information, click on HYPERLINK "http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/suspected-gun-thief-indicted/article_0b8a7238-35a3-11e0-936e-001cc4c03286.html" this link to a related story in The Pueblo Chieftain. [Beth Shott, Special Agent]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science - The Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division recently published three reference guides to help park staff and visitors reduce their noise footprints. Links are provided to all three.

Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the NPS. Today's summary includes four new bills of interest to the NPS, including two that would prohibit further extension or establishment of national monuments without Congressional authorization.

Office of Communications - Director Jarvis has selected Michael T. Reynolds to serve as regional director for Midwest Region. He will begin his new duties in early May. Photo.

Pacific West Region - Tami DeGrosky is the new superintendent of Nez Perce National Historical Park. She officially begins her new assignment in April. Photo.

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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of Communications and 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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