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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, May 3, 2011 INCIDENTS Buffalo NR Park Struck By Major Flood Heavy and continuing rains over the past week have caused major flooding at Buffalo National River. The flood has taken a toll on buildings, roads, campgrounds and landings, causing numerous closures during the park's busy float season. Rainfall totals of up to a foot were recorded at various places in the watershed over a three day period, resulting in drastically fluctuating and unpredictable flood levels. The Buffalo River was as high as 37 feet in the park and there were many areas of flash flooding. The three counties in which the park is located are included in Governor Mike Beebe's disaster area declaration, which includes 57 Arkansas counties. It has been forwarded to President Obama for consideration for a possible federal disaster declaration. The Midwest Incident Management Team is on site to assist the park in managing the damage assessment process for repairing and reopening various visitor use areas as safely and timely as possible. [Carol McBryant, PIO, Midwest Incident Management Team] St. Croix NSR Man Arrested For Blowing Up Restroom On March 9th, the park received a report of vandalism at Old Railroad Landing, a remote camping, trail and boat launch area. Upon investigation, it was determined that the specially constructed, flood-proof restroom facility had been destroyed by what appeared to have been a bomb. Ranger Rod Turner (lead investigator) coordinated a multi-agency investigation team that included the Chisago County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Evidence painstakingly collected and documented at the scene indicated that the explosive device was a PVC pipe bomb, and, through forensic analysis, a suspect was identified. Further investigation and subsequent search warrants and subpoenas revealed that the suspect, T.C., had purchased the material to construct the bomb at local stores. T.C. was arrested on state felony charges and is awaiting federal charges. The investigation continues but no specific reason for the bombing has yet been identified. Replacement costs for the facility are estimated at over $60,000. [Bob Whaley, Chief of Visitor and Resource Protection] Petersburg NB Rangers, Agents Help Foil Prison Escape Northeast Region special agents and Petersburg rangers
were assigned to assist the FBI and the Department of Justice's Office
of the Inspector General on a special operation within and adjacent to
the park during the month of April. The case involved Petersburg Federal
Correctional Institute (FCI) inmates, an NPS employee, and other
civilians allegedly facilitating an “escape” by inmates during work
release time (inmates work in the park under a contract between
Petersburg and the FCI). On the morning of Thursday, April 14th, an
operation began involving surveillance of suspected violations. The
surveillance included personnel from the NPS, DOJ's OIG, the FBI, and
the Virginia State Police and was conducted both inside and outside of
the park. On the morning of April 15th, air and ground surveillance
units observed criminal violations and a takedown ensued. Due to the
circumstances of the case, the takedown occurred at the entrance to the
park and along the park tour road, which disrupted park operations for
several hours. One seasonal NPS employee, one inmate, and the inmates'
spouse were apprehended and have been indicted in the Eastern District
of Virginia for charges that include escape, facilitating an escape,
misprision of a felony, and conspiracy. The Federal Bureau of Prisons
and the U.S. Attorney's Office also assisted in the case. [Timothy W.
Alley, Special Agent, ISB] 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/): Office of Communications - A group of “wounded warriors” celebrated National Park Week with an Earth Day bike ride on the National Mall. About a dozen injured soldiers recuperating at Bethesda Naval Hospital joined NPS staff and volunteers for a scenic eight-mile ride from the Jefferson Memorial to and around Hains Point. Fort McHenry NM&HS - The sesquicentennial of the Civil War kicked into high gear in Baltimore on April 15th with a weekend of activities that included a symposium and an observance of the riots of April, 1861, in which the first Americans fell in armed conflict. Photo. Fire and Aviation Management - The most recent edition of the Division of Fire and Aviation's newsletter, FAM News, is now available on InsideNPS. Photo. Office of the Chief Information Officer - Lynn Zigoris will retire from the NPS Information Technology Security Office in early May after almost 28 years of federal service. Photo. Mammoth Cave NP - Gayle Giesecke, the superintendent's secretary, retired from the National Park Service on April 20th. Photo. * * * * 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). --- ### --- |