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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, December 13, 2011 INCIDENTS New River Gorge NR BASE Jumpers Cited For Parachuting From Bridge Ranger Randy Fisher developed information that a BASE jump group out of Ohio was planning on making multiple parachute jumps from the New River Gorge Bridge this last weekend. On the night of December 10th, as a full moon rose over the gorge, the ranger assigned to observe the bridge for activity heard and then saw several individuals parachuting from the catwalk below the bridge. The river was flowing around 20,000 cubic feet per second, very high for this time of the year. Due to the high water, the only place available for the BASE jumpers to land was the railroad track. The surveillance ranger watched as the jumpers were picked up by someone in a vehicle and was able to vector in rangers stationed nearby. Rangers stopped the vehicle a short distance away and found five people from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana inside. They also discovered four deployed parachutes. A total of nine mandatory appearance citations were issued for trespassing, HYPERLINK "http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/2-17-aircraft-and-air-delivery-19767506" illegal air delivery, and for aiding and abetting illegal air delivery. One of the five had previously been cited by rangers for trespassing on the bridge while attempting an illegal BASE jump. Rangers Karl Keach, Randy Fisher, Nate Freier, and District Ranger Frank Sellers worked the case. [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/): Richmond NBP - This fall, the park opened the newly-acquired Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield Unit, a 124-acre parcel that includes a house built in the early 1700s. This new unit helps fill a critical gap in the story of the 1864 campaign outside Richmond. Fire and Aviation Management - Applications are being sought for 2012 structural fire internships. They are due by January 27th. North Cascades NP - North Cascades National Park's primary educational partner, the North Cascades Institute, is seeking applications for its next cohort of graduate students. Big South Fork NRRA - Three long-time National Park Service employees -- Ron Cornelius, Darrel Smith and Frank Graham -- will be retiring at the end of December. George Washington Memorial Parkway - Dottie P. Marshall, superintendent at George Washington Memorial Parkway, will be retiring on December 31st after 35 years of federal 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). --- ### --- |