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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, September 24, 2014 INCIDENTS Richmond NBP Live Civil War Cannonball Found In Park On the afternoon of Monday, September 22nd, protection rangers were advised by resource management staff that they had found what appeared to be a cannonball within the moat of a confederate fortification known as Fort Gilmer. The site was being cleared in preparation for an interpretive tour that was scheduled for the 150th anniversary of the battle. Rangers responded and with the assistance of the park's historian determined that it was a live cannonball with an intact fuse. The Henrico County police emergency ordnance disposal (EOD) team and county fire department responded. A 500-foot safety perimeter was established and two nearby private residences evacuated as a precaution. The shell, determined to be a 12-pound explosive round, was possibly one of the repurposed artillery shells thrown from the parapet of the fort as a hand grenade into the ranks of attacking United States Colored Troops during the 1864 battle. The cannonball was removed by the EOD team and safely detonated at their county firing range. No injuries were reported. Local media attention was high. [Tim Mauch, Chief Ranger] New River Gorge NR Thirteen Charged In Series Of Ginseng Poaching Cases During the period from September 13th through September 21st, rangers made five new illegal ginseng harvesting cases. Nearly 600 roots were confiscated and most of them have since been replanted by the park's resource management team, using habitat assessment maps to find suitable locations for replanting. A total of 13 people are being charged in these cases. Rangers have been working diligently within the local communities to gather information on ginseng poaching and identify possible suspects and suspect vehicles. A new public information campaign is currently under development, given the recent spike in illegal ginseng activity. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist] Joshua Tree NP Unannounced Bus Inspection Held Joshua Tree National Park, in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), held an unannounced inspection of all commercial for-hire multiple passenger tour buses on Friday, September 19th. The purpose of this unannounced inspection was to ensure visitor safety through safe operation of tour buses. The goal is to reduce chances of crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving tour buses bringing passengers into the park. Roadside inspections adhere to the guidelines of the North American Standard for bus safety. There are five levels of inspections, including a vehicle component, a driver component, or a combination of both. Inspections are designed to determine if buses are in compliance with federal motor carrier safety regulations. Violations may result in fines or taking a bus out of service immediately. Joshua Tree receives approximately 1.4 million visitors per year, with approximately 20,000 of these people arriving on tour buses. It is a primary concern of the NPS that these visitors are safe during their travels in the park. Joshua Tree National Park and the CHP strive to ensure visitor safety and appreciate the mutual support of the other agencies involved in these surprise bus inspections. CHP only conducts these inspections at locations where passengers have access to shelter, food, and water. Since Joshua Tree does not have such infrastructure inside the park, the inspections occurred just outside the park boundary in the village of Joshua Tree, which is adjacent to the park's Joshua Tree Visitor Center. On the day of inspection, rangers and CHP officers examined three commercial buses. All were found to be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and were released without citation. One park commercial use licensee (non-tour bus) was given a verbal warning by a ranger for violation of their permit. This was the second unannounced inspection this year. [Jennie Albrinck, Public Affairs Officer] 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): National Mall and Memorial Parks - Steve Lorenzetti, long-time deputy superintendent for planning for the National Mall and Memorial Parks, passed away unexpectedly last Sunday afternoon. A wake will be held this Friday, followed by a funeral mass on Saturday. Fire Island NS - Fire Island National Seashore hosted two events this month to begin a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the park's establishment. Volunteers, staff, and employee alumni were honored at the events. Office of Learning and Development - The Albright-Wirth Grant program is seeking employees interested in serving as 2015 Albright-Wirth Grant panel peer and/or management reviewers. Grand Teton NP - North District Ranger Patrick Hattaway will be retiring on October 3rd with more than 34 years of service. A park farewell function will be held at Grand Teton on October 3rd. 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). --- ### --- |