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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, October 30, 2014 INCIDENTS Office of Communications Suspect Identified In Vandalism At Eight National Parks A 21-year-old New York State woman, C.N., has been identified as the primary suspect in recent vandalism cases that affect eight national parks in the western United States. National Park Service investigators have confirmed that images were painted on rocks and boulders in Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park, all in California; Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado National Monument, both in Colorado; Crater Lake National Park, in Oregon; Zion National Park and Canyonlands National Park, both in Utah. Investigators continue to collect evidence of the crimes and conduct interviews and are consulting with the U.S. Attorney's Office about potential charges. The image in Rocky Mountain National Park was reported to the park and removed in late September before similar images were found in the other national parks. Ice and snow now cover the image at Crater Lake National Park, and it may not be accessible for assessment and clean up until next summer. An image in Yosemite National Park was removed by an unknown person or persons. If people visiting these parks come upon these images, they should contact the nearest park ranger with information about the image location. Visitors should not attempt to remove the images. The National Park Service was contacted on October 20th about this vandalism case. The investigation began immediately. [Jeffrey Olson] Natchez Trace Parkway Rangers Investigate Three Fatal Accidents Over One Month Period Rangers have responded to three single-vehicle collisions with fatalities since mid-September. On Thursday, September 18th, J.R.A., 41, of Houston, Mississippi, lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree. J.R.A. was not wearing his seatbelt and a toxicology report found a blood alcohol content of .20, much higher than the legal limit. On Thursday, October 2nd, C.C., 68, of Tupelo, Mississippi, lost control of her vehicle and struck a tree. She was transported to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. The data retrieved from the vehicle's airbag module indicates Carson was traveling well in excess of the posted 40 mph speed limit. On Saturday, October 18th, D.B., 26, of Ackerman, Mississippi, was ejected from his vehicle in an accident and was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation has revealed that D.B. likely fell asleep and was not wearing his seatbelt. Due to the proximity of the accidents to each other, rangers are increasing patrols in the area and will be performing safety checkpoints to increase seatbelt usage and reduce speeds. [Sarah Davis, Chief Ranger] 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 Scott NHS - Fort Scott National Historic Site recently partnered with the Kansas Historical Society at its Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield State Historic Site to remember the largest Civil War battle fought in Kansas. Northeast Region - The NPS, USGS and USFWS joined together in September to present an interagency Congressional briefing on post-Hurricane Sandy work being done by the Department of the Interior. Oregon NHT - Pawnee Nation tribal members performed traditional dances at a public event on September 27th at Alcove Spring Park, a historic site on the Oregon and California national historic trails in Kansas. Lake Roosevelt NRA - Marty Huseman, chief ranger at Lake Roosevelt NRA, is retiring on Friday. She has been with the National Park Service since 1982. Theodore Roosevelt NP - Valerie Naylor, superintendent of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and general superintendent for the North Dakota Group National Parks, will retire on October 31st. Joshua Tree NP - Denise Fuller has announced her retirement after 31 years of service to the National Park Service. Her last day will be on Friday, October 31st. 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). --- ### --- |