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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, July 28, 2014 INCIDENTS Glacier NP St. Mary Visitor Center Reopens Following Repairs The St. Mary Visitor Center on the east side of Glacier National Park has reopened. It was temporarily closed on Thursday due to damage sustained when the furnace malfunctioned and the water sprinkler system activated. Although most services offered there are again available, some parts of the building remain closed, including the auditorium. Park rangers responded to an alarm at the visitor center around 4 a.m. on July 24th. The visitor center furnace had malfunctioned and the water sprinkler system had activated. There was water damage to the building and contents, as well as to some of the utilities. Contractors and park employees worked all day and most of the night on Thursday to assess the situation, remove office equipment and furniture, remove water, and dry out the area. Some park employee offices have been relocated to the park administrative area nearby. Some drywall, flooring, office equipment, furniture and computers will need to be replaced due to water damage. Some Glacier National Park Conservancy sales items were also affected. The furnace may need to be replaced because several of the internal safety mechanisms failed to properly shut off the heat. The park is also considering some possible electrical upgrades to increase safety measures. [Public Affairs Office] Glen Canyon NRA Girl Injured By Boat Propeller A 12-year-old girl visiting from Israel was struck by a boat propeller and seriously injured on July 23rd. The injury occurred when she was ejected from the back of a moving powerboat while holding onto an inflatable inner tube. She sustained a severe lower leg injury when hit by the boat's propeller. Coconino County Sheriff's Office deputies and Classic Aviation responded to the Wahweap main launch ramp. The girl was flown from there to Flagstaff Medical Center. The incident is currently under investigation by the sheriff's office. [Katie Wood, Park Ranger] Grand Canyon NP Former Concession Employee Sentenced For Child Molestation Over the past few years, special agents with the Investigative Services Branch have conducted an investigation into the repeated sexual abuse of a minor that occurred within Grand Canyon National Park between June 2004 and July 2006. It took several years to bring the investigation to a conclusion. On August 15, 2013, former park concession employee
R.E.G., 47, of Daytona Beach, Florida, was indicted by Coconino
County and charged with one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child
and seven counts of sexual conduct with a minor. On July 8th, R.E.G. pleaded guilty to one count (amended) of attempted molestation of a child and one count (amended) of attempted sexual conduct with a minor. He was sentenced in the Superior Court of the State of Arizona to 15 years in state prison, lifetime probation and lifetime sex offender registration. [Investigative Services Branch] OTHER NEWS The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers): Fort Washington Park - Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens hosted its 29th annual Lotus and Water Lily Festival on Saturday, July 19th. Over 5,000 visitors attended to see the flowers and performances featuring African and Asian cultures. Biological Resource Management Division - An MOU has been signed with the Forest Service to renew NPS cooperation with the forest inventory analysis program. It provides guidance to parks on FIA plot installation and procedures for gaining access to FIA data. Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the Service. This report covers activities in Congress for the week ending July 25th. Department of the Interior - The Department of the Interior Museum is hosting a “See America” exhibition, presented by the Creative Action Network and the National Parks Conservation Association. It opens today. Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Division - Lonnie Pilkington, natural resources program manager at Glen Canyon NRA and Rainbow Bridge NM, has received a Legends Award from the American Recreation Coalition. To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites: NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/ The Morning Report is produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov). --- ### --- |