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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, November 15, 2011 INCIDENTS Rocky Mountain NP Very High Winds Knock Down Myriad Trees Extremely high winds and micro bursts that hit the area between last Saturday evening and early Sunday morning blew down numerous trees in the park. Winds were estimated to be between 70 and 90 miles per hour, with even stronger micro bursts. Many of the trees that blew down were not beetle-killed trees, but were old, large ponderosa pines. Sprague Lake is temporarily closed as park staff continue to cut trees that have fallen on the access road leading to Sprague Lake from Bear Lake Road. Tuxedo Park, a picnic area located along Bear Lake Road, is also closed due to numerous fallen trees. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist] Grand Canyon NP Man Wanted For Felony Child Exploitation Arrested On November 2nd, rangers investigated a report of abandoned property at a campsite at Mather Campground on the South Rim. They found a tent, camping equipment and a few personal possessions in the area and began an investigation into the possibility of a missing person. They soon learned that the camper had a nationwide extraditable warrant out against him from the state of Connecticut for child exploitation. They contacted the detective in charge of the investigation in Connecticut and found that the man was also wanted for questioning regarding a series of bank robberies in California. The rangers requested assistance from the NPS Investigative Services Branch. A joint investigation was begun, ICS was put into effect, and a search for the man was launched. Rangers found him at the camper services building after he was recognized from photos used during the investigation. Rangers and special agents took him into custody without incident. If he proves unable to post the $300,000 bond, he will be extradited back to the state of Connecticut. [Christopher Smith, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, ISB Central] 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/): Independence NHP - A ceremonial groundbreaking on October 24th marked the start of an 18-month project to renew and refurbish the underground museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin in Independence National Historical Park. Risk Management - The NPS Safety Leadership Council recently held its biannual meeting to review its work, goals, and progress in assuring all employees view safety as an integral part of the Service's mission. Workplace Enrichment - The newest article in the "From Where I Sit" leadership and management series has been posted. Navnit Singh, chief of interpretation at Haleakala, shares his thoughts on setting and delivering on expectations. Office of Communications - Liza Stearns, an education specialist at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, is the recipient of the National Park Service's 2011 Freeman Tilden Award for excellence in interpretation. Office of the Comptroller - Bruce Blackistone will retire on December 31st following a federal career of almost 38 years. Grand Canyon NP - Materials handler (Martha) Suzanne Davis will be retiring after almost twenty years of government service. * * * * 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 the Assistant Director for Information Resources and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). --- ### --- |