The Morning Report for Friday, January 13, 2012

INCIDENTS

Canaveral National Seashore (FL)
Visitor Saved From Drowning

Ranger Ben Hansel received a dispatch call through the Kennedy Space Center's emergency operations center on December 29th. The dispatcher said that the center had received a 911 call reporting that a man was in the water near one of Canaveral's parking areas and was being swept out to sea. Hansel commandeered a paddleboat from a park visitor and asked for his help. Hansel then stripped down to his undergarments and the two men paddled out through the surf. They reached the drowning man but were pulled south by strong currents. They made several more attempts, but were still unable to reach him. Kennedy Center security officers and Brevard County deputies soon arrived and joined in the rescue effort. Together, they were able to reach the man and get him to shore, where he was checked by paramedics and declined further treatment.
[Submitted by Eric Lugo, Chief Ranger]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Natural Resource Program Center
GS-13/14 Branch Chief

The Geologic Resources Division is recruiting for a chief for its energy and minerals branch under two series - GS-1301 physical scientist and GS-0028 environmental protection specialist. The announcements follow:

The announcements are open until January 23rd.

Southeast Arizona Group
GL-0025-9 Protection Rangers (Laterals)

The Southeast Arizona Group is seeking applicants for several GL-9 ranger positions. Click on the link below for full details on duties, area information, and procedures for applying.
More Information...

Southeast Arizona Group
GS-0025-12 Supervisory Interpretive Ranger

The Southeast Arizona Group (Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, and Fort Bowie National Historic Site) is seeking qualified applicants interested in an interpretive supervisory ranger position.

Click on the link below for a copy of the announcement with full details on duties, area information, and procedures for applying. It closes on January 23rd.

If you are interested in more information regarding this opportunity, contact Denise Shultz, chief of interpretation, at 520-824-3560 x307 or by email at denise_m_shultz@nps.gov.

For more information on the Southeast Arizona Group of national parks visit: http://www.nps.gov/chir, http://www.nps.gov/coro, http://www.nps.gov/fobo.
More Information...

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (CA)
Alan Foster Has Retired

Alan Foster, a special agent with the Investigative Services Branch, retired on January 31st following nearly 34 years with the NPS.

Alan started his NPS career in 1972 in the Youth Conservation Corps at Rocky Mountain National Park. While completing a BS in natural resources management at Colorado State University, Alan worked at Grand Canyon and with the Forest Service as a seasonal firefighter. He returned to Rocky Mountain as a dispatcher and backcountry ranger before moving to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as a protection ranger.

In 1981. Alan entered the permanent workforce as an inventory management specialist for the US Air Force in Ogden, Utah. He next moved to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area as a protection ranger. In 1986, he transferred to Whiskeytown National Recreation Area as a protection ranger and in 1992 was promoted to criminal investigator. Alan was a June 2000 graduate of the FBI National Academy.

During his time with the NPS, Alan was not only a classic resource-based park ranger, but showed the ability to lead complex cases to completion. Alan was a lead investigator in the infamous Mojave Plastics waste dumping case, resulting one of the earliest successful NPS significant environmental prosecutions. After the 9/11 attacks, Alan served as the security incident commander for Shasta Dam, the second largest dam, and as regional law enforcement officer for Bureau of Reclamation. For several years, Alan represented the NPS on the certified wildfire investigations working group, developing professional standards and training for wildfire investigators alongside federal, state and international partners.

After transferring to the Investigative Services Branch, Alan served as the counter drug program lead for Pacific West Region. His coordination and investigative work helped result in the eradication of marijuana throughout the NPS, arrest of many suspects, and the introduction of new technology and tactics to this challenging effort.

Alan and his wife Peggy Phillips Foster (also a former ranger) plan to stay for a time in Northern California.
[Submitted by Jim Richardson, Chief Ranger]

National Capital Region
Cynthia "SAM" Salter-Stith Retires

Cynthia "SAM" Salter-Stith, youth programs and special emphasis recruitment manager for National Capital Region, retired on December 30th after 31 years with the National Park Service.

Cynthia began her career in June of 1978 as a temporary GS-5 crew leader for the Youth Conservation Corps program with National Capital Parks-East. For the next two summer seasons, she worked with the YCC program before accepting a position in November 1980 as a park ranger at Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. She progressed from park ranger to education specialist to site manager at several park sites under National Capital Parks-East.

In addition to her career in youth programs, Cynthia was very committed to her "other" career in the incident management program for fire as a support dispatcher and personal time recorder. For 18 years - from 1990 until 2008 - Cynthia provided outstanding support services for numerous wildland fire-based incidents. Some of Cynthia's assignment memories included sleeping countless nights on the ground in tents in fire camp (once even under a tractor trailer), working in oppressive heat, and eating bag lunches with the flies. Several assignments took her to the Southern Area Coordination Center, where she worked several support desks dispatching overhead, crews, equipment and aircraft.

In August 2001, she was detailed into the regional youth programs manager position for National Capital Region and was transferred to the position permanently in the spring of 2002. In this position, Cynthia has managed the region's YCC and youth funding programs and recruited and mentored students with placement in seasonal, temporary, and permanent positions. Shortly thereafter Cynthia also took on the duties as the regional special emphasis recruitment manager.

During her career, Cynthia received numerous awards recognizing her for her outstanding contributions to the National Park Service.

"The National Park Service has been good to me," said Cynthia. "It's been a good career. I have gone places, met many wonderful people, and have experienced things that I probably would never have experienced. It's been an exciting and wonderful 31 year ride with the service".

Cynthia had significant and positive influence on literally thousands of youth and young adults over the course of her career, many of them now working for the National Park Service and carrying on that same honorable tradition of mentoring future generations.

After retirement Cynthia can be reached at sam_salterstith@yahoo.com
[Submitted by Will Reynolds, Regional Chief Ranger]

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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.