The Morning Report
Friday, May 08, 2015
INCIDENTS
Gateway National Recreation Area
Rangers File Charges In Historic Gun Battery Graffiti Investigation
On the morning of April 19th, Ranger John Sorrentino discovered a large amount of fresh spray-painted graffiti on top of a historic gun battery structure, Battery Potter. During the investigation of the scene, Sorrentino found an empty spray paint can littered in the area which he traced back to a local hardware store.
Sorrentino worked with officers and detectives in several local police departments to identify and locate a suspect. A subsequent interview with the suspect led to a full confession. In addition to the confession, during the interview a second suspect was identified and implicated in the crime. Criminal charges were issued and the case is pending federal prosecution.
Sandy Hook has seen an increase in vandalism to the historic gun batteries, specifically spray painting and scratching on the exterior of the historic structures. Rangers are utilizing their investigative training, technology, varied patrol tactics, and partnerships with surrounding police departments to identify and charge those responsible.
[Submitted by Rob Louden, Acting Chief Ranger]
NEWS AND NOTES
North Cascades National Park (WA)
Remains And Wreckage Of Retired Ranger Found In Africa
Aircraft wreckage and the remains of Bill Fitzpatrick, retired NPS ranger and former district ranger at Stehekin in North Cascades National Park Service Complex were found in Cameroon, Africa in early April.
Bill was a ranger and pilot for approximately 25 years at sites throughout the U.S., at Olympic National Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area — Presidio, among others. More recently, he served in two parks in Africa — Outamba-Kilimi National Park and Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Bill disappeared on a flight in West Africa on June 22nd, 2014. His remains were found by hunters in Cameroon, Africa, at a crash site in mountainous terrain where his Cessna 172 went down. Bill was working as an anti-poaching pilot for one of the largest national wildlife preserves in Africa. His new aircraft had recently arrived in Africa and he was flying it to Congo for use in efforts to stop elephant poaching.
"Bill's plane was lost nearly 10 months ago, and this brings some degree of closure for our family. This flight was not a singular trip for Bill; it was part of a lifelong commitment to the parks, the Peace Corps, and conservation in general across both Africa and the United States" said his brother, Ken Fitzpatrick.
Bill's NPS service entailed multiple skills involving resource protection, search and rescue, law enforcement, emergency medical services, wildland and structural fire, traffic control, hazardous materials, natural disasters, terrorist threats, and other types of incidents. His family fondly remembers that he embodied the true meaning of community service, and greatly enjoyed meeting, greeting, and conversing with the thousands of park visitors he met over the years.
Bill is survived by his wife, Paula, and their three children, Mary, Matthew, and Cody, who reside in Chelan, Washington.
[Submitted by Karen Taylor-Goodrich]
Historical Documentation Programs
HABS Creates Animation of Historic Ellis Island Hospital
During the summer 2014, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) produced documentation of the historic Ellis Island Hospital complex at Ellis Island, New York, part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. The documentation consisted of measured drawings, large-format photographs and a historical report for the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection in The Library of Congress. HABS utilized a high-definition laser scanner, in addition to hand-drawn field notes, and hand-measuring to obtain information needed to produce existing conditions measured drawings of the hospital buildings. This short animation shows the 3-D point cloud model produced from the laser scanner data.
The animated fly-through video** of the Main Hospital Building is comprised of data from more than 180 individual laser scan stations, combined and textured with HDR panoramic photograph data. The rendering of more than 1.7 billion data points was done using Pointools point cloud animation software.
Ellis Island is an interlocking series of three mostly man-made islands in New York Harbor. It was home to the preeminent U.S. Immigration Station from 1892 to 1954. The original natural island was expanded to become Island 1, which holds the Ellis Island Immigration Museum (Main Immigration Building) and was the primary site of immigration inspection and processing. In the first decade of the 20th century, Islands 2 and 3 were created to house U.S. Public Health Service hospitals. Originally the three islands were only connected via a narrow strip of land or a wood gangway on the northwest, with basins for ferry docking separating the Immigration Station and the hospital complexes. A significant amount of Ellis Island's land is covered in large-scale buildings, making the buildings themselves one of the primary landscape features.
View the video at http://goo.gl/BGmZuO
Learn more:
See photographs of the HABS documentation team working in the Hospital Complex at http://goo.gl/sZfWHe
View HABS/HAER/HALS documentation of Ellis Island at http://goo.gl/VppbC4
Learn more about Ellis Island at http://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm
Discover more about the Historic American Building Survey at http://www.nps.gov/hdp/habs/index.htm
Help Save Ellis Island at http://www.saveellisisland.org/
The video was produced by HABS Architect Paul Davidson and contains no spoken word.
**To improve the resolution quality of the video on your computer, click on the "HD" on the lower right corner of the video display window.
#HistoricPreservation #PreservationThroughDocumentation #HABSnps #NationalParks
[Submitted by Robert R. Arzola, robert_arzola@nps.gov, (202) 354-2170]
Denver Service Center
DSC Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report Available Online
The Denver Service Center has released its Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report. The report details DSC operations for the contracting services, design and construction, planning, transportation, and information management divisions. It also highlights DSC work on the NPS Centennial and highlights many past year projects.
The report is now available on the DSC website at: nps.gov/dsc
Please contact DSC at (303) 969-2100 or Lindy_Allen@nps.gov to request a printed copy of the report.
[Submitted by Lindy Allen, lindy_allen@nps.gov, (303) 969-2588]
Intermountain Region
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to Star in Film
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will be visiting Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to film an upcoming three-part series about the "Wild West". The series will be produced by the BBC Natural History Unit which has previously created documentaries about Yellowstone National Park, Madagascar, the Galapagos and other natural wonders. One part of the three-part series will cover life adaption in deserts of the southwestern United States. This includes the Mohave Desert, Great Basin, and Sonoran Desert. The other two parts will cover mountain and coastal ecosystems.
The production team will arrive in Organ Pipe on May 12, and will stay for three nights. They plan to film an out-flight of lesser long nosed bats. They will also be filming a blooming saguaro flower and hope to get footage of a bat flying in to feed on the nectar. The production crew is working with park biologists to ensure no bats are disturbed and all safety needs are covered. The series should be completed within a year and will air in the summer or fall of 2016.
[Submitted by Sue Walter, sue_walter@nps.gov, 520-387-6849 ext. 7301]
Petrified Forest National Park (AZ)
Park Earns Community Partner Recognition
At an event on campus the eve of April 30th, Petrified Forest National Park was recognized as an award-winning Community Partner with Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Petrified Forest has supported the university's Parks and Recreation Training Program for the past four years, hosting hundreds of students during that time and utilizing the park as a place to relate classroom theory to on-the-ground reality. In particular, the park was recognized for the significant commitment of time the park management team and field law enforcement rangers provide consistently to students.
"This is a great two-way partnership, and we are happy to provide time and space to nurture the next generation of park stewards and leaders," said Park Superintendent Brad Traver.
[Submitted by Richard Ullmann, Chief of Interpretation]
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
National Capital Region
Human Resource Assistant, GS-0299-5/7 (Detail, Pathways Only)
Dates: 04/24/2015 - 05/08/2015
Detail Opportunity
Announcement Number: NPS-NCR-NCRO-15-06
Position: Human Resource Assistant, GS-0299-05/07
Location: National Park Service, National Capital Region, Servicing Human Resources Office, Manassas, VA
Eligibility: Qualified National Park Service Pathways employees only
Open: April 24, 2015 Close: May 8, 2015
This is a detail opportunity that is expected to last up to 120 days. The employee will be expected to assume the duties of the position within two weeks of being selected. Anticipated start date is May 17, 2015.
Detail: A detail is a temporary assignment of an employee to a different position for a specified period with the employee returning to their regular duties at the end of the assignment. While on detail, the employee continues to hold his/her official position from which detailed and keeps the same status and grade.
Candidates will be evaluated based on how their experience and training reflect the duties and responsibilities of the position.
The duties and responsibilities include the following:
Performs a wide range of administrative and clerical tasks in support of two or more human resources functions, including recruitment and staffing, pay administration, employee relations, labor relations, and employee development. Receives requests for a wide variety of personnel actions; codes them, and completes required tasks associated with processing and legally approving personnel actions. Maintains official personnel records. May serve as the SHRO HRCO representative for processing/record keeping and/or benefits.
Applies laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to human resources. Provides customer service and assistance and explains rules and regulations to applicants, employees and managers who may not be familiar with Human Resources practices and procedures.
Conditions of Employment:
Applicants must possess or be able to possess a valid state driver's license or District of Columbia driver's license.
This is not a drug tested position.
How you will be evaluated:
You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledges, skills, and abilities associated with this position as defined below. When describing your knowledges, skills, and abilities, please be sure to give examples and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of the people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc.
- Ability to communicate verbally.
- Ability to communicate in writing.
- Knowledge of Human Resources management laws, regulations and policies.
- Knowledge of administrative and clerical office functions.
Local Commuting Area: Travel, transportation and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation or relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
There is no public transportation available to the park.
Applicants should submit their OF-612 or resume, a copy of latest SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), a copy of valid state or District of Columbia Driver License and a letter of approval from their supervisor to: National Park Service, National Capital Region, Branch of Human Resources, 12521 Lee Hwy, Manassas, VA 20109
Application information may also be faxed to 703-754-1324 (Attn: Michelle Kahoun) or Email: ncr_job@nps.gov; michelle_kahoun@nps.gov
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Michelle Kahoun, Human Resources Specialist on 703-754-1652 ext 1133.
National Park Service Employees
National Capital Region
Detail/Temporary Promotion Opportunity
Nominee Name: _________________________ Title ________________________
Grade & Series ___________________________ Park ________________________
Please have your supervisor concur with your possible selection of this detail not-to-exceed _____ days or _____ year(s).
Supervisory approval obtained: ______Yes ______No
Supervisory Name: ________________________ Title _________________________
Park: __________________________________
_________________________________________
(Supervisory Signature)
_____________________________________
(Candidate's Signature)
[Submitted by Michelle Kahoun, michelle_kahoun@nps.gov, 703.754.1652 x 1133]
Intermountain Region
WG-4749-7 Maintenance Worker (Term)
Dates: 04/29/2015 - 05/11/2015
Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is seeking applicants for a WG-4749-7 Maintanance Worker. This is a term appointment, not-to-exceed 13 months. The announcement closes on May 11th.
For more information about the position and how to apply, click on the link below.
[Submitted by Donita Pace, donita_pace@nps.gov, 435-425-4121]
Shenandoah National Park (VA)
GS-0303-6/7 Supervisory Visitor Use Assistant (Fee Collection)
Dates: 04/30/2015 - 05/13/2015
Shenandoah National Park National Park is currently seeking applicants for a GS-0303-6/7 supervisory visitor use assistant (fee collection).
Click on the link below for a copy of the announcement. It closes on May 13th.
[Submitted by Ryan McKelvey, ryan_mckelvey@nps.gov, 540-999-3500 ext. 3405]
Glacier National Park
GS-0029-7 Environmental Protection Assistants
Glacier National Park is recruiting for up to two term GS-0029-7environmental protection assistants. The closing date is May 13th.
For more information regarding this position, contact Mary Riddle at 406-888-7898.
More Information...
GS-1603-5 Facilities Services Assistant
Mount Rainier National Park has issued an announcement for a term career seasonal GS-1603-05 Facilities Services Assistant. It closes on May 14th.
Click on the link below for a copy of the announcement with full details on duties, area information, and procedures for applying. If you are interested in more information please contact Chief of Maintenance James Minor at 360-569-6712.
More Information...