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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, August 12, 2011 INCIDENTS Saint Croix NSR Man Dies In 90-Foot Jump Into River The Polk County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call reporting a person missing in the St. Croix River just after 4 p.m. on July 31st. Rangers learned that a group of ten to twelve people, all in their 20s, had been jumping from a 90-foot cliff on private land adjacent to the park when one of them went underwater and failed to resurface. Rangers, Chisago County deputies, Minnesota and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conservation officers and personnel from several local fire departments responded and began a search. The body of the 26-year-old man was recovered from the river around 6:30 p.m. An autopsy is pending. [Scott B. Carrigan, St. Croix District Ranger] New River Gorge NR Marijuana Plantations Found And Eradicated On July 28th and July 29th, rangers assisted the West Virginia State Police and National Guard with a marijuana eradication mission. Areas flown included the river corridors along Gauley River NRA and New River Gorge NR in Fayette and Nicholas Counties. Rangers eradicated six gardens located during the overflights. As they closed in on one garden, a man was spotted and contacted. Charges against him are pending the completion of the investigation. The six sites yielded 300 plants. Additional park-specific overflights are being coordinated with the West Virginia Air National Guard and the state police for a later time. Ranger Stan Wilson is lead coordinator for the park. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger] 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/): Great Basin NP - Great Basin National Park held its third annual bioblitz during the first three days of August. This short-term discover biodiversity event helped the park add many species to its list of hymenoptera (wasps, bees, and ants). NPS Law Enforcement Training Center - A federal law enforcement training accreditation assessment of the NPS Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program was conducted in late July. Full accreditation has been recommended. Cape Cod NS - On August 7th, park staff, partners, neighbors, and visitors celebrated the 50th anniversary of the national seashore's establishment with an array of activities. Photo. Office of Communications - Earlier this week, Secretary Salazar announced that the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island will undergo a $27.25 million renovation that includes long-planned safety and other critical facility renovations beginning in late October. Natural Resource Program Center - Sharon Kliwinski, the Water Resources Division liaison in Washington, has retired from the National Park Service after 32 years of federal service. Photo. NPS Alumni - Retired career employee George S. Cattanach, 84, died on July 2nd in Tucson, Arizona. George retired in 1990 with 39 years of federal service - 36 years with the NPS as an archeologist. Photo. * * * * The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced 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). --- ### --- |