Ocmulgee National Monument (GA)
Arsonist Sentenced For Burning Park Building
The historic 1856 Dunlap House, site of the Civil War battle of
Dunlap Hill in July 1864 and the Battle of Walnut Creek in November
1864, sustained approximately $250,000 in interior damage from an arson
fire last February. D.D. was recently convicted on a related
arson charge; he was sentenced to 20 years in prison and banned from all
federal parks. D.D., who has a lifetime of felony convictions, had
previously been incarcerated following numerous burglary convictions and
was on parole when he burglarized the unoccupied park structure in the
pre-dawn hours last February 9th. The building's smoke alarm was set off
during the break in and it was saved from being a total loss by the
rapid response of the Macon Fire Department. D.D., who was found at the
scene by the firefighters, said that unknown persons with a Molotov
cocktail had chased him into the building and set it on fire. The arson
investigation refuted his story with definitive evidence of a pour
pattern and accelerant employed at a specific point of ignition. Macon
officers took D.D. into custody based on blood evidence acquired where
he'd broken out a window pane to gain entry. The conviction was obtained
through the park's close working relationship with Macon police and
firefighters and county deputies and prosecutors.
[Submitted by Irv
Brock, Park Ranger]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
25
Weekly Legislative Activities Report
The Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs puts out weekly reports on hearings, new legislation and other activities on the Hill. The following is the November 18th summary.
In order to obtain the full text of any of the bills that appear below, click on the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/ . That will take you to Thomas, the Library of Congress legislative tracking system. Enter the bill number in the "Search Bill Text" block, being sure to also click on the "Bill Number" option below the block.
*****************
New Public Laws
On November 18th, President Obama signed into law H.R. 2112 (Kingston, R-GA-1), Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012. The law provides continuing appropriations for the Department of the Interior through December 16, 2011.
Floor Action
Nothing to report.
Committee Activity
On November 17th, the House Committee on Natural Resources (Hastings) held a markup and approved the following bills of interest to the NPS:
- H.R. 1545 (Flores, R-TX-17), to establish the Waco Mammoth National Monument in the State of Texas, and for other purposes. This bill requires the Secretary to administer the national monument as a unit of the National Park System but prohibits the expenditure of federal funds for the unit. The Department supports establishing a unit of the National Park System to commemorate and protect the Waco Mammoth site consistent with the 2008 NPS study but opposes H.R. 1545 as reported.
- H.R. 2070 (Johnson, R-OH-6), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to install in the area of the World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day. The Department cannot support the bill as reported because it essentially proposes adding another commemorative work to the existing World War II Memorial and as such is contrary to the Commemorative Works Act.
- H.R. 2087 (Rigell, R-VA-2), to remove restrictions from a parcel of land situated in the Atlantic District, Accomack County, Virginia. The bill would result in net loss of public park land in the county. It was amended to require the restrictions to be removed within 90 days of enactment of the bill. The Department does not support H.R. 2087 because it is contrary to the Federal Lands to Parks program.
- H.R. 2336 (Pingree, D-ME-1), to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the York River and associated tributaries for study for potential inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Department supports the bill as reported.
- H.R. 2606 (Grimm, R-NY-13), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the construction and operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in the Gateway National Recreation Area, and for other purposes. The bill would allow for a pipeline right-of-way and adaptive reuse of two historic aircraft hangar buildings on Floyd Bennett Field to house facilities needed for operation of the pipeline. The bill was amended to specify certain terms for the lease and disposition of fees. The Department supports H.R. 2606 but is working with the committee on the language in the reported bill regarding the disposition of fees.
- H.R. 2834 (Benishek, R-MI-1), to recognize the heritage of recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting on Federal public lands and ensure continued opportunities for these activities. The bill contains several provisions aimed at providing greater access for these activities. The Department has serious concerns about several of the provisions of the bill as reported.
- S. 535 (Isakson, R-GA), to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands within Fort Pulaski National Monument, and for other purposes. The bill would provide authority for the continued use of a parcel of land within the park by the Savannah Bar Pilots Association. The Department supports the bill as reported.
New Bills Introduced
The following bills of interest to the NPS were introduced:
- H.R. 3415 (Israel, D-NY-2), to help ensure that all items offered for sale in any gift shop of the National Park Service or of the National Archives and Records Administration are produced in the United States, and for other purposes.
- S. 1868 (Menendez, D-NJ), to establish within the Smithsonian Institution the Smithsonian American Latino Museum, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 3292 (Amodei, R-NV-2), to prohibit the further extension or establishment of national monuments in Nevada except by express authorization of Congress.
Upcoming Committee Activity
Nothing to report.
*****************
For additional information, please visit the Legislative and Congressional Affairs Office website at http://www.nps.gov/legal/
[Submitted by Erica Chavis]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Saguaro National Park (AZ)
GS-0401-12 Fire Management Officer
An announcement has been reissued for a fire management officer for Southern Arizona parks and for the Catalina Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest. The duty station is at Saguaro NP in Tucson.
This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) standard. It requires the selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to being placed into the position. The position is open government-wide to career or career-conditional employees.
More Information...
45
GS-1811-9/11/12 Special Agent (Temporary Reassignments)
The Investigative Services Branch is seeking candidates for temporary reassignment to a special agent position to its Grand Canyon Field Office for up to 120 days. Applications are due by December 7th. The EOD date will be around mid-January.
Only current career/career conditional employees of the NPS may apply. Supervisory approval for reassignment must be obtained by applicants prior to submitting applications. Applicants must submit letters from their immediate supervisors indicating their approval.
The person selected will work under the direction of a journeyman criminal investigator (special agent) with interstate responsibility for investigating known or suspected violations of federal laws relating to park lands. She/he will provide support to parks through investigations and coordination of law enforcement responses to violations of criminal law and will be expected to conduct investigations and take law enforcement action in cases that are often sensitive or complex.
Through this temporary reassignment opportunity, a park can send an employee for advanced criminal investigation training at minimal cost, thereby making it possible for the selected employee to improve his/her investigatory skills and bring those enhanced skills back to the park for future use. The person selected will be enrolled in the ISB special agent detailer program, which consists of formal objectives detailing the skills required to be an effective criminal investigator in the NPS.
ISB will pay for all travel, per diem, and the salary associated with law enforcement availability pay (LEAP). The employee's home park will be responsible for the employee's base salary. LEAP is approved for this position in order to compensate employees for unscheduled duty in excess of the 40 hour workweek. This includes "callout" response to after-hours criminal incidents.
Extensive, and often short-notice, travel may be required. Government quarters will be provided for this position. Drug testing is required. Applicants must possess a Level 1 NPS law enforcement commission.
Applications must be received by December 7th and should include the following:
- A resume, Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF-612), or other written application format of your choice.
- A one page narrative stating what the applicant hopes to gain from the reassignment and why she/he should be selected. This should not exceed one page.
- A KSA response narrative, not to exceed one page, to this KSA - Knowledge of basic criminal investigative principles and techniques such as interviewing witnesses, interrogating suspects, using informants, obtaining search warrants, searching for evidence, obtaining arrest warrants, and conducting surveillance.
- A copy of the applicant's most recent performance appraisal and a Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing position title, series and grade. Applicants unable to provide their most recent performance appraisal must provide written justification for its absence.
- A signed supervisory support letter.
For information about the application process contact Charlettia Gunter at 202-354-1989; for technical information about the position, contact Christopher Smith at 928-638-7972.
NPS serious incident submission standards can be found at the following web site:
http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id;=8728&lv;=2&pgid;=3504
All reports should now be submitted via this automated system.