George Washington |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2025. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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April 28, 1987 Location: entrance to CIA Hdqrs. USPP arrested 183 demonstrators on GW Parkway and north entrance to CIA base. Individuals were taken to Anacostia facility, and charged with demonstrating without a permit. They could post $75 colateral or appear before magistrate or forfeit. Twenty chose to appear before the magistrate as of late on 4/27. Demonstration generally of a peaceful nature, held due to government's Latin American and South African policies. Demonstration involved approximately 1,100 demonstrators.
Location: Windy Run along Potomac H.B. was sitting on precipice along river with his friends. H.B. was consuming alcohol when he lost his footing and fell approximately 40-60 feet. D.C. Fire Department along with Eagle II and Arlington County Rescue Unit evacuated H.B.. He was transported to Washington Hospital Center where he was treated for possible internal injuries.
Location: North of Spout Run At approximately 9:00pm on 7/8, USPP responded to a report of a multi-vehicle accident on the parkway. A large tree apparently fell into the left lane of the northbound side of the parkway and struck the vehicle in which Senator E.K. was a passenger. E.K. struck the windshield, suffering minor injuries to face and leg. The operator of the vehicle was not injured. The vehicle had to be towed from the scene due to extensive damage. Several other vehicles sustained damage after striking the fallen tree.
Location: Roach's Bird Sanctuary USPP responded to a report of a fight a the bird sanctuary. One individual fled the scene-At approximately the same time witnesses observed a man who waded into the water, stopped and shouted in Spanish, then disappeared below the surface of the water. At 10:19pm divers from Washington National Airport recovered the body of a Hispanic male. Drowning is thought to be the cause of death at this time. Autopsy to be performed.
Location: 1st overlook into Virginia USPP Officer Rule observed a possible narcotics violation taking place in the front driver's seat. Rule approached the vehicle and placed W.R. under arrest. A search of the vehicle revealed 2 oz. of cocaine packaged in 6 sealed plastic bags, a Ohaus Gram Measuring Scale, and a loaded, sawed-off shotgun with extra rounds. W.R. was taken to the Central District Substation where he was processed and transported to Arlington County Jail and held without bond. He was charged with narcotics and weapons violation.
Location: Roach's Run USPP responded to a report of visitors finding a human body on waterline. The individual had a weapon in his hand. The body was that of a black male approximately 30 years of age. Investigation is ongoing by USPP.
Location: Dyke Marsh Mr. R.J.O. discovered an unexploded, 8 1/2" by 3" Civil War Parrot shell in the marsh and brought it to the Park Police stables at Fort Hunt. Park Police officers then called in an Army EOD (emergency ordinance disposal) team from Fort Belvoir. After determining that it was in fact a live round and "potentially unstable and hazardous", they destroyed the shell. Since R.J.O. said that he'd seen two other such shells in the swamp, a search was conducted of the area by the EOD team, park personnel and Park Police on Monday. Both rounds were found and destroyed.
Location: Boundary Channel Bridge M.B. was driving a car which hit a guardrail along the parkway, then plunged down an adjacent embankment. He was transported by Med Star to Washington Hospital Center, but died shortly after arriving there. A.F. was dead on arrival at a local hospital. C.T. is in critical condition; S.S. was treated and released. It is not yet known whether excessive speed and/or alcohol were contributing factors in the accident.
Location: Arlington Cemetery entrance Park Police officers found a body along the road near the entrance to Arlington Cemetery. The victim had been shot in the head. The killing is believed to be drug-related.
While engaged in a routine traffic stop around, noon en the 17th, Park Police officers discovered the body of a 25- to 35-year-old man near the parkway's Second Overlook. The cause of death has not yet been determined. The USPP Criminal Investigation Branch is investigating. (CompuServe message from Capt. Dave Blackburn, RAD/NCRO).
On the 20th, an oil spill occurred in Roaches Run Lagoon. The Park Police and area fire and hazardous material units responded, and booms were placed along the creek's outlet near Gravelly Point to contain the leak. The oil is believed to have come from a sewer on the south side of the lagoon. As a result of the incident, the southbound lane of the parkway was closed during the evening rush hour. Clean-up operations were suspended at 6 p.m., then continued the following day. The total amount of the spill was estimated at between 25 and 100 gallons. (CompuServe message from Capt. Dave Blackburn, RAD/NCRO, 10:45 EST, 12/21).
A Park Police officer spotted a woman in the Potomac River near the Collingwood picnic area off the parkway just before 9:00 p.m. on January 1st and immediately notified local fire and rescue units. The woman, tentatively identified as a resident of Alexandria in her late 20's, was pulled from the water by rescue personnel and taken to a local hospital. Indications are that she was attempting to commit suicide. (Telefax from Capt. Marvin Ellison, RAD/NCRO, 1/4).
Park Police officers following up on a report discovered the body of a 33-year-old man from Adelphi, Maryland, in the trunk of a rental vehicle parked at Teddy Roosevelt Island on the afternoon of the 14th. The victim was found wrapped in plastic bags. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. The Criminal Investigation Branch is investigating the death. [Telefax from USPP via Jack Schamp, RAD/WASO, 6/17]
On the morning of July 19th, a taxi belonging to the Friendly Cab Company was heading southbound near Roaches Run in the center lane. As the cab apparently attempted to change to the left lane, it struck the rear of a Dodge Colt. Both vehicles crossed the median and struck a Datsun pickup, causing it to go airborne. The pickup landed on top of a US Park Police cruiser which was also heading northbound on the parkway. The cruiser, driven by officer L.T., crossed the median and the southbound lanes of the highway, ran through a parking lot and came to rest on the bank of the run. The drivers of the taxi and the pickup were killed; although the driver's compartment of the cruiser was completely demolished, L.T.'s injuries were limited to contusions and lacerations. He was transported by Eagle 2 to Washington Hospital Center and was reported to be in serious condition. The driver of the Colt was taken to a local hospital, treated and released. [Telefax from USPP Dispatch, 7/19]
M.S.Y., 19, died of head and chest injuries after falling 60 feet while climbing near Great Falls on the afternoon of September 7th. M.S.Y. had been climbing without ropes for about two hours when the accident occurred. He was unconscious when local rescue squads arrived. Efforts were made to revive him, but were unsuccessful. [Stephen Buckley, Washington Post, 9/9]
As of yesterday afternoon, the oil sheen from last Sunday's spill into the Potomac River extended 55 miles south from Sugarland Run, where the fuel entered the river. Oil has spread over vegetation, wetlands and wildlife all along the Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia shorelines, including George Washington Memorial Parkway, Great Falls, C&O Canal, and National Capital Parks. No closures are currently reported in any of these areas. Colonial Pipeline contractors have begun initial cleanup of areas within Great Falls and the parkway. Park resource management staffs are presently conducting the pre-assessment phase of the overall natural resource damage assessment process. [John Howard, NCRO, 4/1]
On the evening of November 28th, Park Police officers received a report that a bomb had been placed on Memorial Bridge, a major crossing point over the Potomac between Washington and northern Virginia. Access to the bridge was shut off on both sides of the river until a search of the bridge and surrounding area could be completed. No bomb was found, and the bridge was reopened about 90 minutes later. Traffic across the bridge had to be shut down again during rush hour the following morning so that a daylight search of the area could be conducted. The closure caused major traffic disruptions throughout the area. The bridge was reopened at 9 a.m. No arrests have yet been made; the case is still under investigation. [Einar Olsen, RCR, RAD/NCRO, 11/29]
Despite unusually cool weather, an estimated crowd of about 500,000 people took part in the Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall. Park Police officers made 20 arrests over the course of the day. Incidents included several which appeared to have been gang related. Just under 300 visitors received medical treatment at the various first aid sites; 15 of them were taken to area hospitals for further treatment. A ten-year-old girl received severe burns to her chest and neck when she was struck by exploding fireworks. Other than numerous liquor law violations, no significant incidents were reported along the nearby George Washington Memorial Parkway, a popular site for viewing the culminating firework display. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCFDO]
B.B., 53, of Great Falls, Virginia, and A.S., 24, of Arlington, Virginia, were killed in a three-vehicle accident on the parkway on Saturday, February 22nd. B.B. was traveling northbound on the parkway near Route 123 when her vehicle crossed the median strip and collided head-on with A.S.'s southbound vehicle. A third vehicle heading south on the parkway was also involved in the accident. There were no injuries to the operator or passengers in the latter. The accident is under investigation by the Park Police. This is the fifth fatal accident in less than a year on this section of the parkway, and it has sparked an outcry from the media and public for the placement of media barriers between the north and southbound lanes. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCR, 2/24]
J.M., 55, of White Plains, Maryland, was killed in a single vehicle accident on the parkway near Mount Vernon on the afternoon of February 26th. J.M. was traveling northbound on the parkway when his Ford Explorer crossed both southbound lanes and struck a tree. Witnesses said that the vehicle was being operated in an erratic manner just before the accident. An investigation is underway. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCR, 2/28]
On March 14th, a vehicle heading northbound on the parkway at what witnesses called an "extremely high speed" veered into a parkway overlook, struck a curb on the north side of the parking area, went airborne over a knee-high wall, struck a pair of trees on the precipice below, and exploded into a fireball. The vehicle was burned so badly that investigators were unable to determine either its make or model. The driver also remains unidentified. This is the seventh fatal accident to occur on the parkway over the past twelve months. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCRO, 3/17]
A vehicle driven by S.L. of Alexandria went out of control on the parkway and plunged into the Potomac River near Columbia Island on the evening of March 19th. S.L.'s vehicle crossed the median and both northbound lanes before heading downhill into the river. Paul Hiskey, a passing motorist, pulled S.L. from his partially submerged vehicle. S.L. was admitted to a local hospital for treatment for hypothermia and exposure. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCR, 3/20]
During the early morning hours of June 18th, A.K., 19, of Washington, DC, was killed when she apparently lost control of her car while on the parkway near Lady Bird Johnson Park and it plunged into the Potomac River. A witness told police that A.K. was traveling north on the parkway in her Jeep Cherokee when it jumped the curb and went into the river. The vehicle and victim were recovered. The investigation continues. [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCRO, 6/19]
D.E., 26, was fatally injured in an apparent diving accident in the Potomac River near Mount Vernon during the early morning hours of July 1st. Witnesses told USPP investigators that D.E. had been drinking with friends on the bank of the river when they bet him that he wouldn't dive into the water. D.E. then ran to the shoreline and dove into the shallow water, striking his head on the rocky bottom. When he failed to surface, his friends summoned police. USPP officer Chester Perlinski and a citizen located D.E. and pulled him to shore. He was flown to a local hospital by a USPP helicopter, where he subsequently died. [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCRO, 7/1]
A.C., 86, of Alexandria, Virginia, was fatally injured in a two-car accident on the parkway on June 26th. Witnesses reported that A.C. failed to yield to traffic at the parkway's intersection with Belle Haven Road and collided with a southbound vehicle. He was flown to a hospital by a USPP helicopter, where he later died. The operator of the second vehicle sustained minor injuries. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCRO, 6/27]
G.S., 49, of Bethesda, Maryland, was killed in a single vehicle accident on the parkway on the afternoon of November 29th. G.S. was heading up the ramp from Boundary Channel Drive to the southbound lanes of the parkway when his vehicle struck a bridge abutment. G.S. was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Three other occupants of the vehicle were taken by USPP helicopter to Children's Hospital, where they are listed in serious condition. USPP criminal investigators are conducting the investigation. [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCRO, 12/1]
J.K., 32, of Springfield, Virginia, was killed in a three-vehicle accident on the parkway at its intersection with Washington Boulevard south of Memorial Bridge on the afternoon of December 22nd. J.K. was traveling north on the boulevard when his vehicle was struck head-on by a southbound vehicle that had gone out of control on the rain-slicked roadway and crossed the median. A second vehicle in the northbound lane was also struck, but its driver suffered only minor injuries. Park Police officers are investigating the accident. No charges have been filed at this time. [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCRO, 12/23]
Early in the afternoon of February 7th, R.R., 40, attempted to launch his kayak at Fisherman's Eddy, immediately below the Great Falls of the Potomac River. At the time, the river level was extremely high and hazardous for recreational use due to the heavy rains that had recently fallen throughout the Potomac River basin. R.R., an experienced kayaker, overturned in the strong currents immediately after launching; he quickly became trapped by the swirling currents and large logs and other debris in the eddy and was unable to get out of the water. A visitor reported the emergency to park staff at the visitor center, and rangers Jesse Reynolds and Barbara Perdew responded. Meanwhile, another kayaker was able to get close enough to R.R. to assist him in getting to a less turbulent part of the eddy, although he was still unable to get out of the water on his own. Reynolds was able to get a rope to R.R., then assist him from the water. He was unhurt, but was shaken, cold, and exhausted. R.R. was wearing a dry suit, which may have contributed to his survival in the 38 degree water. [Gary Pollock, Manager, Potomac River Unit, GWMP, 2/9]
The body of a missing woman was found by Park Police officers in a wooded area near the Collingwood picnic area on the morning of February 5th. Local police had broadcast an "attempt to locate" message earlier that morning; a Park Police officer remembered seeing the woman's vehicle at the picnic area the previous evening, returned to the site, checked the woods, and made the discovery. Suicide is suspected. [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCRO, 2/5]
J.G., 29, of Alexandria, Virginia, was heading south on the parkway near the entrance to CIA headquarters on April 11th when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree on the right shoulder of the highway. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses told Park Police investigators that J.G. had been driving aggressively, speeding and cutting people off. According to one witness, J.G. was traveling in excess of 90 mph when he passed a portable speed indicator board near the crash scene. [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCRO, 4/14]
While conducting observations on nesting waterthrush on a small creek at Turkey Run Park on Friday, April 24th, members of the park's natural resource management staff noticed a white, milky substance coming from a culvert that originates on adjacent CIA property. The National Response Center, an interagency hazardous materials emergency response team, was notified, and park representatives worked with the Coast Guard, EPA, Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairfax County, and the NPS Washington Office to investigate the type and source of the pollutant. The CIA reported that they had used a combination of biocides and a strong alkaline solution to wash the coolers at their facility and had then flushed the solution into the stormwater system which dumps directly into the stream. The stream's pH was found to be as high as 12 (pH 14 is the maximum on the pH scale and pH 10 is considered unhealthy for human contact; local streams typically have a pH of approximately 7.5). The stream is in a natural area and the Potomac Heritage Trail crosses it near the Potomac shore. A cursory check by USFWS epresentatives revealed no aquatic invertebrates left near the outfall on Friday. A hazardous materials response unit was mobilized to flush the stream. On Monday, park and NCR staffs again observed a white discoloration in the stream and field tests showed the pH to be approximately 10+ near the outfall and 9 downstream. Early analysis of aquatic organisms appeared to show that those organisms with low tolerance are missing from the stream. CIA personnel continue to clean the creek and have placed weirs to induce settling of residue. Although water from the cooling system has been shut off, white residue from the outfall was still evident yesterday. The spill may also have originated from the facility's incinerating operations, which could have produced the high pH. Tests yesterday revealed that the stream pH was back down to about 7.2. The NPS is working with members of the interagency environmental crimes unit to determine if any permits were issued by state agencies for this discharge, and a long-term monitoring program is being designed to determine impacts to the stream ecosystem. Waterthrushes are tropical migratory birds that nest on stream banks and eat small aquatic invertebrates. The park's natural resource management staff had initiated a volunteer project to determine nesting occurrences and survivorship. [Dan Sealy, RMS, GWMP, 4/28 and 4/29]
On May 2nd, USPP officer D.L. arrested a 38-year-old male with no fixed address for possessing an open container of alcohol and for two felony warrants outstanding against him. D.L. found anti-Semitic materials in the man's possession and writing implements consistent with those used to vandalize property within the park. The man has been charged with defacing pubic property (hate crime). The investigation continues. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCRO, 5/13]
The report on the August 29th drowning that appeared in the September 3rd Morning Report stated that the victim had entered from C&O Canal. The incident actually occurred on the Virginia side of the park in the Great Falls unit of the parkway. C&O has not had a drowning since 1993. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCSO, 9/4]
Ranger Scott Ryan caught G.W. operating a metal detector in the Stone Bridge area of Manassas battlefield on August 28th. G.W. subsequently appeared in court and was convicted of the violation. On September 23rd, Park Police officer Franz Ferstl again caught G.W. using a metal detector, this time at Jones Point on George Washington Memorial Parkway. G.W. pled guilty on January 19th; he was fined, had his metal detector confiscated, and was barred from all national parks in the Eastern District of Virginia for a year. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCSO, 1/25]
On January 23rd, a 16-year-old girl was picked up by a cab in front of Union Station. The operator, a man between 28 and 35 years old, drove her around the city for several hours, then took her to the parking area at the Columbia Island Marina and sexually assaulted her. He was armed with a handgun at the time of the offense. The case is being investigated by Park Police criminal investigators. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCSO, 2/1]
On February 11th, a woman advised Park Police that she'd been grabbed and touched by an older white male while jogging on the parkway's bike path. Other victims subsequently filed similar reports of being assaulted and sexually touched on the bike path. The victims all provided the same description of their assailant. On February 21st, officer Nancy Leggieri, acting on the report of a woman who'd been assaulted in Old Town, Alexandria, the previous day, arrested R.O. and turned him over to Alexandria police, who held a warrant for the assault. R.O. was identified as the primary suspect in the previous assaults. A warrant was secured in federal court on February 27th, charging R.O. with the original assault. Additional charges are pending from the other cases. [Sgt. David Mulholland, PIO, USPP, 3/3]
On Wednesday, March 17th, an All About Town tour bus was carrying 24 visitors from a hotel to Reagan National Airport. While heading south on the parkway, the 64-year-old driver slumped over the wheel. The bus left the parkway, striking and knocking down two light poles. Two bus passengers - H.M. of Gordo, Alabama, and J.M., of Coaling, Alabama - reacted quickly and brought the bus, which was headed towards a lagoon, safely back onto the parkway without striking any nearby trees or other vehicles. Park Police officer Randy Cubbedge arrived on scene within moments and began CPR on the driver. A county EMS unit took the driver to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The passengers were taken to the airport and were able to make their flight. J.M. and H.M. were lauded by the Park Police and media for their quick thinking and successful resolution of the incident. [Sgt. Dave Mulholland, PIO, USPP, 3/18]
Several parks have reported Fourth of July events or incidents: o National Capital Parks (DC) - The NPS hosted the annual national Independence Day celebration on the National Mall and surrounding areas. Park Police officers enforced alcohol restrictions on the Mall and the George Washington Memorial Parkway for the third year in a row. This year, over 700 cans or bottles of beer and about 50 bottles of other alcoholic beverages were surrendered to officers. There were no associated arrests. All of the alcohol will be disposed of today at the Arlington County pollution control plant. Other parks with significant Fourth of July events should send summaries for inclusion in future Morning Reports. [Sgt. Robert MacLean, USPP, NCR, 7/7; Dale Thompson, CR, LAMR, 7/6; Tony Sisto, Superintendent, FOVA, 7/7; Ed Wenschhof, CR, ANTI, 7/7]
Two rock climbers attempting to scale an 80-foot cliff at Great Falls on July 1st were injured when they fell 30 feet after a supporting anchor broke loose. A kayaker spotted them and immediately contacted a ranger, who in turn notified Park Police. Eagle, the USPP helicopter, responded and extracted one of the men and flew him to a hospital. The second climber was taken downriver by boat to an ambulance, then to a hospital. Both are recovering from their injuries. [Sgt. Robert MacLean, USPP, NCR, 7/2]
On August 28th, M.C. went for a swim while fishing with friends on the bank of Little Hunting Creek under a parkway bridge. The current pulled him downstream; he was able to grab a bridge support, but let go of it a short time later and disappeared under the water. USPP officers and a helicopter took part in the search along with divers and fire and rescue workers. Fairfax County police found his body in the creek two days later. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 8/30]
A motor vehicle accident occurred in the northbound lane of the parkway near the 14th Street bridge on September 28th. The vehicle left the road, continued at a relatively slow rate of speed along the grass area adjacent to the parkway, passed through a row of shrubs, and came to rest against the abutment of a railroad bridge. The lone occupant was unconscious and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Evidence indicates that he suffered a coronary or other disabling ailment before the vehicle left the road. An investigation is underway. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 9/29]
On March 19th, a northbound Toyota Camry left the road and struck a tree. Fairfax County firefighters extracted the driver from the car; she was flown to Fairfax Hospital by Eagle 1 and is currently in guarded condition. Her female passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation continues. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 3/29]
On May 27th, a multi-agency task force concluded "Task Force Potomac," a fisheries enforcement operation on the Potomac River in the Little Falls/Chain Bridge area. The operation took place over six days during a one-month period. Citations were issued for over 420 violations, including the illegal catching of striped bass and shad, use of cast nets, snagging, fishing without a license, and a multitude of public use violations. Hundreds of pounds of highly prized anadromous striped bass were seized, some of which was donated to a homeless shelter. The operation also gained valuable intelligence on potential commercial fishing violations. No injuries occurred during the operation despite the rugged terrain in the area. Participating in the task force were the Park Police officers, NPS rangers and EMS personnel, USFWS agents, and officers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Maryland National Capital Park Police, DC Harbor Police, and Arlington Police. (Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO, 5/30)
Park Police officers have arrested R.B., a 41-year-old homeless man, for hate crimes which recently occurred in the area of Columbia Island in Washington and along the parkway. R.B. had previously served time for similar crimes committed in 1998 and was recently listed as a walk-away from a local halfway house. R.B. became a suspect when recent reports and photographs were compared with those from the 1998 incidents. During interviews with USPP detectives, R.B. admitted to the recent acts of vandalism and defacing of property. He's been charged with both those violations and with hate crimes in both Washington and Virginia. [Dennis Maroney, USPP, 9/12]
On December 20th, a four-count indictment was issued charging E.C., a fugitive from Panama, with operating a continuing criminal enterprise and with the drug-related first degree murder of A.L.-C., whose body was found in a vehicle at Theodore Roosevelt Island off the parkway in June, 1991. For the last ten years, E.C. managed an organization responsible for importing in excess of 1500 kilograms of cocaine from Panama for distribution along the East Coast. The investigation revealed that E.C.'s organization employed threats, violence, witness intimidation and murder to further the activities of his operation. E.C. was arrested in August on related charges and is currently being held in federal custody. E.C. and his associates are primary suspects in numerous unsolved drug-related homicides in New York, Atlanta, Miami and Washington. The case is being prosecuted by DEA and the Park Police. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 12/20]
Park Police officers responded to an accident on the parkway near Turkey Run Park just after 8:30 a.m. on February 3rd. A Chevrolet Geo heading south on the parkway left the roadway, entered the medium, reentered the parkway, flipped over, and came to rest on its hood. The vehicle was occupied by five people. Four were taken by ambulance to Fairfax Hospital; the fifth was flown there by USPP helicopter. The operator of the Geo was later pronounced dead. The four passengers were admitted with non-life-threatening injuries. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 2/6]
National Park Service personnel systemwide are responding in many ways to the terrorist attacks yesterday on Washington and New York. Here's a summary, as of 11 a.m. today: o National Capital Region - The regional office, all of the downtown D.C. monuments and several parks closed yesterday. All but the monuments have reopened. Due to the extensive Park Police commitment, their involvement is reported separately (below). Fifteen rangers from Monocacy, Harpers Ferry, C&O Canal, Manassas and Prince William responded to a USPP request for law enforcement assistance. They formed up into two squads and staged out of the George Washington Memorial Parkway HQ area. One squad was positioned on the National Mall near the Capitol and at the Jefferson Memorial, mostly to enforce closures. The second was dispatched to the Columbia Island marina area. The Pentagon day care center evacuated about 50 children to the island, and the rangers provided support and eventually escorted them to a Virginia DOT center in Arlington, where they remained until picked up by their families. Catoctin Mountain Park, located near Camp David, was shut down yesterday and remains closed today. [Bob Martin, RCR, NER, 9/12; Einar Olsen, RCR, NCR, 9/12; Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 9/12; Dennis McGinnis, Type 1 team, SHEN, 9/12; Dennis Burnett, RAD/WASO, 9/12]
The National Park Service continues to provide support to its parks and employees, gather information on the status of field areas for DOI, and deal with security issues throughout the country. Director Mainella is in New York today to meet and talk with employees and to visit sites affected by the attacks. The Service's Type 1 incident management team (Skip Brooks, IC) continues its operations from the South Interior Building. The following summarizes the current status of parks in the New York and Washington areas and any changes in the previously reported status of parks elsewhere: o George Washington Memorial Parkway - Partial closures are in effect. [SHEN EICC, 9/20]
The National Park Service continues to provide support to its parks and employees, gather information on the status of field areas for DOI, and deal with security issues throughout the country, including the brokering of numerous requests for operational support. The Service's Type 1 incident management team (Skip Brooks, IC) continues its operations from the South Interior Building; a regional Type 2 team from Southeast Region (Bob Panko, IC) is overseeing the NPS expanded dispatch operation at Shenandoah NP. There have been no significant changes in the status of parks as previously reported. Normal operations, including planned special events, have resumed. The latter included several weekend events: o George Washington Memorial Parkway (VA) - The annual D.C. bike rally was held on the parkway on Sunday. [EICC/Type 2 IMT, SHEN, 9/23; NPS Type 1 IMT, WASO, 9/24]
The National Park Service continues to provide support to its parks and employees, gather information on the status of field areas for DOI, and deal with security issues throughout the country, including the brokering of numerous requests for operational support. Incident management in Washington has transitioned from Skip Brooks' Type 1 team to Eddie Lopez's Type 1 team. A regional Type 2 team from Southeast Region (Bob Panko, IC) continues to oversee the NPS expanded dispatch operation at Shenandoah NP. Members of the team in Washington are in the processing of making individual calls to every park in the nation to establish a comprehensive list of resources that can be utilized in emergencies if needed. About 230 calls have been made so far; more will follow this week. Callers are focusing on resources similar to those needed in past incidents, such as the floods in Yosemite and Hurricane Andrew. A report is due to Director Mainella by Friday. The following is a quick run down of continuing closures: o Parts of George Washington Memorial Parkway near the Pentagon remain closed. [EICC/Type 2 IMT, SHEN, 9/25; Kris Fister, NPS Type 1 IMT, WASO, 9/26]
On September 17th, fishermen found the body of a 20-year-old Arlington man on a trail in the wooded area of Daingerfield Island, a park adjacent to the parkway. The victim was last seen alive on Sunday evening, September 16th, in Alexandria. Detectives with the USPP Criminal Investigations Branch are investigating this crime as a homicide. The detectives have reached out to the Spanish-speaking community for assistance by disseminating and posting flyers in both English and Spanish. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 9/25]
The National Park Service continues to provide support to its parks and employees, gather information on the status of field areas for DOI, and deal with security issues throughout the country, including the brokering of numerous requests for operational support. The Service's Type 1 IMT (Eddie Lopez, IC) continues its operations from the South Interior Building; the Type 2 East Team (Bob Panko, IC) is overseeing the NPS expanded dispatch operation at Shenandoah NP. Here's a current report on the status of parks affected by this incident: o George Washington Memorial Parkway - Road closures around the Pentagon continue. [EICC/Type 2 IMT, SHEN, 9/27; Kris Fister, NPS Type 1 IMT, WASO, 9/28; Pat Buccello, CISM Team, 9/28; Billy Garrett, Superintendent, Jamaica Bay Unit, GATE, 9/27]
Firefighters from the NPS and two local counties responded to a fire in a wooded area of the park at Dead Run just after 6 a.m. on October 28th. About two acres burned. Park Police officers provided traffic control and site security. One of the parkway's northbound lanes was closed to provide a safe work zone for firefighters. Evidence was found indicating that the fire was intentionally set, so a joint investigation was begun by USPP detectives and Fairfax County investigators. They determined that the fire had been started in several areas and found suspected accelerants. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 10/30]
Great Falls rangers Sarah Koenen and Brent O'Neill were at an overlook above the Potomac River just after noon on Saturday, June 1st, when they saw a boat with two people on board stopped in a potentially hazardous location above the Maryland portion of the falls. The rangers notified supervisory park ranger Jesse Reynolds and USPP officer DiToto, who also responded. The two people began paddling upstream, but were quickly swept over the falls. Their boat, a sit-on-top style of kayak, immediately flipped, throwing them into the water. They were then swept through the drops in Great Falls. The rangers used emergency hand and whistle signals to alert kayakers in the river below the overlook. Before emergency rescue units or USPP aviation could be contacted, two of the kayakers retrieved the man and woman from the fast-flowing current. Only the woman's hand was visible in the current; the man's head had gone under the surface several times. The couple said that they would have died if they hadn't been helped. Almost unbelievably, the couple did not sustain any injuries, despite being swept over numerous drops and through large waves. [Jesse Reynolds, GWMP, 6/4]
Ranger Sarah Koenen was at an overlook in the Great Falls unit on the afternoon of June 15th when she saw a person in the Potomac River in a dangerous location above the falls. USPP officer Kris Traynor and other rangers were notified. They determined that a man in his 30s was about 500 feet from the Virginia shoreline holding onto a rock and in apparent distress. The rock was surrounded by at least chest deep water with a strong current. Traynor contacted USPP aviation and a helicopter was dispatched to the falls. The man was hoisted from the river in a rescue net and taken to the Maryland shore. Ranger Khabira Al-Muhyee Ettaji then spotted a second man in the river. The man, who turned out to be a friend of the man who had just been rescued, was in the river about 250 feet from shore, also in a location where strong currents prevailed. He was hoisted from the river by the USPP helicopter and brought to shore. It turned out that he'd gotten into trouble while trying to rescue his friend. During the rescues, rangers learned that an eight-year-old boy - the nephew of one of the men - was missing. Local fire and rescue units and Great Falls rangers searched the area and found the boy standing near the river about 500 yards downstream from the point where the two men had been rescued. He was okay. [Jesse Reynolds, GWMP, 6/17]
A six-year-old boy fell about 40 feet from the cliff tops near one of the overlooks in the park's Great Falls unit on the evening of Sunday, August 4th. His family was apparently picnicking and fishing in the area while he and some of his other siblings played. The play area they chose was on the opposite side of the safety fence from the overlook, where there are numerous vertical drops. The boy evidently lost his footing and fell onto boulders below. Great Falls staff members Cheryl Bresee, Nicky Veith, and Kevin Butler responded to the incident. The boy sustained serious head injuries but was still conscious. County fire and rescue personnel transported him to the north parking lot, where the Park Police helicopter landed, picked him up, and flew him to a local hospital. Initial reports indicated that the boy suffered skull fractures with some internal bleeding, but that he will survive. [Jesse Reynolds, Great Falls Unit, GWMP]
During a routine site inspection of the Marine Corps War Memorial (better known as the Iwo Jima memorial) on Sunday, September 8th, rangers Ellen Strojan and Katie Gallemore found military police on site, checking out a report of graffiti on the base of the memorial and at the nearby Netherlands Carillon, a memorial gift to the U.S. commemorating the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation in World War II. The graffiti was on all sides of the black granite base of the former and on one lower panel of the latter. The vandals used large felt-tip "Magic Marker" type pens to write anti-war and anti-American phrases, draw a swastika, and make one reference to September 11th. Park maintenance staff, rangers and a retired Marine Corps volunteer used an alcohol solution to remove the graffiti. No damage was done to either the memorial or the carillon. Although the park has had periodic problems with graffiti, it's possible that there's a link between this incident of vandalism and the demonstrators arriving in Washington to protest the IMF-World Bank meetings at the end of this month. Park Police detectives are investigating. [Submitted by Dan Sealy, Chief Ranger, George Washington Memorial Parkway]
On February 27, D.K., 21, of Washington, DC, was indicted by a
federal grand jury on three counts for firing a shot at another motorist
on the parkway on December 1, 2002. D.K. was charged with assault with
a dangerous weapon; using, brandishing and discharging a firearm during
a crime of violence; and making a false statement in connection with the
acquisition of a firearm. D.K. and another motorist were heading north
on the parkway last December when D.K. fired a round from his .40
caliber pistol through the rear window of the other vehicle. The bullet
lodged in the back of the driver's seat. D.K. continued north on the
parkway while the other motorist called police and reported the
shooting. D.K. also provided false information to a federally-licensed
firearms dealer when he purchased the pistol in August, 2002.
Arraignment has been set for March 7. Detective Todd Reid and the USPP
Criminal Investigation Branch investigated.
On the morning of May 19th, a truck driver who was heading south on
the inner loop of the beltway around Washington stopped to get a soft
drink. When he got back onto the beltway, two men in a car next to him
yelled that someone had placed explosives on his truck while he had made
the stop. He was also told that the truck would blow up the next time he
stopped the vehicle. The truck driver called 911 and advised dispatchers
of the threat. Virginia state troopers got in front of and behind the
truck and escorted it down the highway, then called the Park Police, who
cleared a way down the parkway to an area where the truck could be
safely parked. The driver pulled to a halt in the parkway's eastbound
lanes and ran from the truck. Bomb squads from the Virginia State Police
and Park Police and investigators from ATF and the Joint Terrorism Task
Force investigated, but found no explosives in the truck. The parkway
was shutdown around Route 123 just before noon and reopened at 3 p.m.
Media reports picked up on the obvious parallel with the movie
Speed. See the following web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12700-2003May19.html
Preparations continue along the East Coast for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Isabel. Reports received as of this morning follow, from south to north:
Parks to the south of the Carolinas are all keeping a wary eye on the storm, just in case the course changes, but generally remain in a "stand by" mode. Prepared from reports submitted by Bob Vogel, Superintendent, CALO; Dann Trexler, IC, CAHA; Tom Nash, CR, COLO; Vince Santucci, CR, GWMP; Laura Illige, CI, ROCR; Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS; Bill Halainen, IO, DEWA; Frank Mills, IC, STLI; and Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS.
Due to the ongoing passage of Hurricane Isabel through the eastern states, not all parks have been able to report on their status. Here's a rundown of those that had been heard from as of late yesterday evening (south to north):
Meanwhile, the NPS Type 1 IMT (JD Swed, IC) is currently staged in Charlotte, North Carolina, working with the regional emergency response coordinators for the three regions (SER, NCR, NER) on providing assistance to parks currently being affected by Hurricane Isabel. The Type 1 team has compiled contact lists and has provided a team liaison to assist at the North Carolina Emergency Operations Center. Parks should report their current situations to their respective emergency response coordinators and make requests for resources and assistance to them. The Type 1 team will coordinate these requests with the regional emergency coordinator to determine the appropriate response. More information will be available later today, once parks have had an opportunity to complete preliminary assessments on their needs. This summary was compiled from reports submitted by Ken Garvin, SERO; Brenda Ritchie, EICC, SHEN; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Bob Vogel, Superintendent, CALO; Mark Hardgrove, Assistant Superintendent, CAHA; Barry Munyan, ADR, CAHA; Vince Santucci, Chief Ranger, GWMP; Doug Wallner, Acting Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Laura Joss, General Superintendent, FOMC/HAMP; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Carla Hauser Hahn, Executive Assistant, UPDE; Phillip Correl, Director, NEJE; Reed Johnson, Superintendent, APCO; Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS; Ed Whitaker, IC, DEWA; Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT.
The driver of a Plymouth Breeze heading north on the parkway near the
CIA exit early on the morning of September 10th lost control of his
vehicle, crossed the grassy meridian, and struck a Toyota Camry. Park
Police officers immediately closed the northern portion of the parkway.
The driver of the Plymouth was pronounced dead at the scene; the driver
of the Toyota was flown by USPP Eagle 1 to Fairfax Hospital with non
life-threatening injuries. There were no passengers in either vehicle.
The northern portion of the parkway was closed for about four hours.
Hurricane Isabel caused moderate to extensive damage in many parks within Southeast, National Capital and Northeast Regions. As of yesterday, 36 parks had reported damage sufficient to require the preparation of conditions assessments. Although most of these parks are not requesting any additional assistance, several have sustained damage sufficient to warrant oversight of recovery efforts by incident management teams. Here's a rundown on the affected parks (south to north), excluding those that reported negligible impacts:
Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Ken Garvin, SERO; Don Boucher, NCRO; Doug Wallner, NERO; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR; Wouter Ketel, IC, and Bob Vogel, Superintendent, CALO; Paul Stevens, Liaison Officer, IMT, and Barry Munyan, ADR, CAHA; Vidal Martinez, Superintendent, GEWA; Reed Johnson, Superintendent, APCO; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS; Charlie Strickfaden, Chief Ranger, FOMC; Gregory Smith, Chief Ranger, MORR; Maryanne Gerbauckas, Superintendent, EDIS; Bill Sanders, Superintendent, HOFU; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP.
Damage assessments and the organization of repair and rehabilitation operations are underway at parks throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Assisting with and supporting these efforts are JD Swed's Type 1 team (currently relocating from Charlotte to Williamsburg), Rick Brown's Type 2 team, and Clay Jordan's Type 3 team at Shenandoah. Here's a rundown on the current status of affected parks (south to north): George Washington Memorial Parkway Seven tree crews were en route to the park to remove downed and hazard trees by Sunday evening. Clara Barton, Glen Echo, Great Falls, and the HQ compound at Turkey Run were all without power. Belle Haven Marina is destroyed and is having problems with looting. Trails have suffered extensive damage, as have 50% of the park's trail bridges. Teddy Roosevelt Island is closed. Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Ken Garvin, SERO; Don Boucher, NCRO; Bob Martin and Doug Wallner, NERO; Mary Doll, PIO, Outer Banks Group; Wouter Ketel, IC/Chief Ranger, and Donna Tipton, PIO, CALO; Laura Joss, Superintendent, FOMC; Vidal Martinez, Superintendent, GEWA/THST; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH/MAWA; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Laurie Coughlan, Superintendent, HAMP; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Bill Sanders, Superintendent, HOFU; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS.
Yesterday's efforts focused largely on organizing incident management operations, orienting incoming personnel, obtaining equipment, and gathering important damage cost data for the regional and Washington offices. Initial recovery efforts were hampered by heavy rain that fell on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, causing new flood damage in many areas already affected by Isabel. The following reports were received from parks and regions over the past 24 hours. They are listed from south to north. This information either supplements or revises information previously reported; no effort is being made to recap earlier submissions with each new summary. Through the assistance of David Duran in the Service's National Information Systems Center in Denver, URL's are posted below for maps of three of the hardest hit parks - Cape Lookout, Cape Hatteras, and Colonial - so that readers can more easily determine referenced locations. Others will be added in the future as needed. You can zoom in or out or pan from one park to another and can also turn additional data layers on or off, e.g. National Geographic TOPO!, Relief Imagery, Flood Hazard Areas, Land Cover Imagery, etc. The sites are, respectively: http://maps2.itc.nps.gov/nps/parkatlas/jsp/atlas.jsp?zoomtopark=Cape%20Lookout%20National%20Seashore For a gallery of photos of the hurricane's effects on several parks, put together by WASO ITC's Ken Handwerger, please go to http://inside.nps.gov/ people/hurricane/. This gallery will be added to on a regular basis. George Washington Memorial Parkway The parkway is open, but the Mount Vernon trail remains closed. Trees are down in all areas of the park. The Jones Point lighthouse - a National Register property - has been damaged. Belle Haven Marina remains closed while damage assessments are being conducted. The Park Police are providing security on the trail and at the marina. Staff are currently working on cleanup of the Gravelly Point boat ramp. About half of the bridges on park trails are damaged, and the boardwalk at Teddy Roosevelt Island has been lost. The ranger office at Great Falls is flooded. Trees are down on Clara Barton Parkway and Spout Run. Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Don Boucher, NCRO; Dan Davidson, Shenandoah EICC; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH.
Overview Crews and other resources have been arriving at the Williamsburg ICP for JD Swed's Type 1 IMT since Wednesday, bringing the total number of personnel currently assigned to the incident to 131. Early work efforts are focused on orienting personnel to the operations, with a heavy emphasis on safety due to the increased hazards involved in tree removal operations, especially with vehicle traffic. Team members are also holding short training sessions on ICS for newly-arrived personnel, as there are many people coming to this incident with minimal previous exposure to the system. The FMSS team continues to compile and input facilities assessment information received from the 38 park units that sustained hurricane-related damage. The preliminary assessment has been 100% completed by the parks. The FMSS team members are going out to parks beginning today to conduct comprehensive condition assessments. Crews will continue work on clearing the Yorktown Battlefield tour road in Colonial NHP. Additional crews and other resources were dispatched yesterday to Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP, Richmond NB and Petersburg NB to work on tree clearing and other cleanup operations. Many employees working in the parks being managed in this incident are still without power at home. These same employees have been working for extended hours with little or no time off for over a week. A three-person Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) team was scheduled to arrive in Williamsburg yesterday. They will make arrangements to provide assistance to park employees dealing with incident-related stress Rick Brown's Type 2 team, which is focusing on four sites in what's being called the North Carolina Seashore Area, is divided into two branches. The Outer Banks Group branch has four divisions - one for Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh, one for Bodie Island, one for Hatteras Island, and one for Ocracoke Island; the Cape Lookout branch has two divisions - one for Core Banks and one for Portsmouth Village. Principal problems confronting personnel on this operation have to do with the time and distances between locations and the amount of travel required. Operations are underway in all divisions. Park Updates The following reports were received from parks and regions over the past 24 hours. They are listed from south to north. This information either supplements or revises information previously reported; no effort is being made to recap earlier submissions with each new summary.
Additional Information
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Karl Merchant, Plans Chief, Type 2 IMT; Dave Lattimore, Plans Chief, Type 1 IMT; Don Boucher, NCRO; Zeke Seabright, NCR Communications Center; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Mike Litterst, PIO, COLO.
Utilizing preliminary damage assessments prepared by parks, incident management teams and regional offices, the Washington Office has prepared and released a summary of the cumulative impacts of the hurricane on the 27 parks reporting damage. These are not final cost estimates, which should be out later in the year. The preliminary estimate is that the hurricane inflicted about $137 million in damage. Earlier this year, parks elsewhere in the system reported damage of about $13 million, so the total damage assessment for the year comes to $150 million. It's not yet clear whether there were will be a budget supplemental to cover these and storm-related costs incurred by other agencies. All the projects are therefore being put into the facility assessment program and will be funded in priority order. These projects will be compared with other facility needs across the country to establish priorities. The Service's role is to assess damage, take care of immediate resource protection and safety issues, and notify the management chain - the Department of the Interior and the Congress - of NPS needs. Estimates at specific parks include:
The following reports reflect the status of operations through Monday. Central IMT (Sherrie Collins) Almost as fast as Hurricane Isabel moved through coastal Virginia, museum specialists from the National Park Service swooped in after the storm passed to check on the archeological collection housed in the Visitor Center at Historic Jamestowne. Brackish water from torrential rain and a storm surge had flooded the collection storage area to a depth of nearly five feet. Fast action was needed to protect the 900,000 catalogued items. In a time frame better measured in hours than days, 71 pallets were pulled out of the visitor center and trucked to a temporary home to begin saving the collection. Tucked between a couple of quiet streets on a military base near Petersburg, an unassuming World War II era building with peeling, cream colored paint and an O.D. green hazmat tent in the parking lot hum with activity Think of it as a M*A*S*H unit for the nation's most important archeological collection. The park called Sarah Wolf, director of the Northeast Museum Services Center, the day after the hurricane hit. She arrived on site Monday. Coming in to help direct the recovery effort was Pam West, her counterpart from the National Capital Region. Pam arrived with six van loads of much needed museum supplies she had stockpiled in Andover, Maryland. Employees, volunteers and contractors chipped in to turn the vacant building on the grounds of Fort Lee into an organized, efficient workplace. Artifacts are first removed from their waterlogged storage cases. Then they're inventoried, tagged and temporarily re-bagged. From there it's on to a bath in de-ionized water and drying trays. After they're stabilized in this fashion, they're re-bagged, re-tagged, and put in storage boxes which are shrink wrapped onto pallets. The collection recovery effort is bigger than anything ever undertaken in this country. "We're making sure the things we're learning get shared with other curators," said West. "The collection is pretty sturdy, and it's coming through extremely well," commented Wolf. "Since most of the items are inorganic we expect there will be a very minimal loss of artifacts - less than five percent." A silver lining to this cloud is that in the end there will be a complete, new inventory of the entire collection. "This is one of the premiere collections in the world," said Wolf. "It means a lot to a lot of people. The outpouring of help from the archeological community has been outstanding." By late November, the team expects to have triaged and prepared the entire collection for shipment to a yet-to-be identified site in the Williamsburg area where long-term conservation of the artifacts will be undertaken. Fort Lee is one of 21 different work sites spread across four national park units in eastern and central Virginia struck three weeks ago by Hurricane Isabel. Much less sensitive recovery work using muscle and machines continued Sunday at Petersburg National Battlefield, Richmond National Battlefield Park and throughout Colonial National Historical Park. Another five-and-a-half miles of the Colonial Parkway were cleared of debris. In Historic Jamestowne, hazard tree removal at the Glass House is complete. The modular unit that will serve as the temporary visitor contact station is in place, with an operational quiet technology generator to provide power. In Richmond, all clean-up work at Parker's Battery is completed. Work also was completed Sunday along the road and right of way in Poplar Grove. There are 378 people currently assigned to the recovery effort. The cost to date is $6,218,117. Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann) Piles of rusty, derelict vehicles and parts of vehicles are awaiting removal from the shoreline of Alger Willis Fishing Camp and the Morris Marina Kabin Kamp areas of the park. The abandoned cars were uncovered by the storm surge from the hurricane and now pose a safety hazard to those who visit or drive on the shore. Traditionally, people brought vehicles to the Outer Banks by ferry and kept them there so they could get around the islands more easily. Exposure to salt water and sand resulted in non-operational vehicles being abandoned over the years and left on the shore to create artificial dunes as sand collected in and over them. The dunes protected the inland fishing camps from wind and waves, eventually becoming part of the landscape. Removing these vehicles is hazardous, tedious work. Crews are digging them out and piling the junkers with other storm debris near ferry landings for removal. Several buried septic tanks were uncovered and floated by the hurricane at the Morris Marina Kabin Kamp. The tanks have been removed from the beach and marsh areas and prepared for removal from the islands. While the buildings at the camp survived the hurricane in fairly good shape, the septic systems did not. Most of the building were constructed on stilts four or five feet above ground. That space is now filled with sand, and the stairs leading to the porches are partially buried. The area is accordingly closed to the public until emergency operations are completed. Willis Fishing Camp at the Great Islands Ferry landing fared even worse, with several buildings moved from their foundations or completely destroyed. Small docks have been repaired, which has made it possible for owners of cars that were left in the camp parking lot before the hurricane to come out and check on their vehicles. They are the only non-official personnel allowed into the area until hazards are removed and the superintendent reopens the area to public use. The high visitor day-use area of the lighthouse at Cape Lookout has been opened. The boardwalk, visitor center and associated buildings have been cleaned up and the dock has been repaired and reopened to ferry traffic. Crews continue to clean debris from the heavily used area around the lighthouse. The graded road on the islands is being filled and repaired in order to reopen it to public traffic. Storm surge caused many washouts and deep, water-filled potholes. Repairing the road will prevent further impact to the fragile vegetation there. Work continues on the historic structures at Portsmouth Village. The area remains closed to the public until safety hazards are removed or repaired. Over 400 damaged trees have been removed from Portsmouth and the water system to the visitor center is again operational. Safety and logistical concerns must be addressed before the area will be reopened to the public. The remainder of the park is now open to pedestrians and may be reached by ferry . Ranger patrols in the park have been increased to ensure visitor safety, secure historic or hazardous areas, and protect natural resources. East IMT (Bob Panko) Public ferry access to Ocracoke Island resumed on Friday. Ramps 68 and 70 on the island also reopened, although Highway 12 remains closed north of the pony pen at Ramp 68. Facilities on the island also reopened - the visitor center and marina on Friday and Ocracoke campground on Saturday. ORV access to South Beach is now open from Ramp 44 via the road between the dunes south to Ramp 49, but Ramp 49 remains closed. ORV access to Ramp 4, located across from the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, also reopened, thanks to the assistance of the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association, which helped clear debris from the beach and restore access. The area from Ramp 55 south to Hatteras Inlet has been temporarily closed while a contractor lays pipe to dredge sand for the breech just south of Frisco. This closure will likely continue for about five days, or until the middle of this week. The area will be reopened while the dredging occurs, but a similar closure will be needed upon completion of the dredging project. Additional Information
Reports compiled from submission by Al Nash, IO, Central IMT; Scott Wanek, IO, Pacific West IMT; Michelle Fidler and Peter Givens, IO's, East IMT/Outer Banks Group.
In November of 2000, the NPS received a report of a tree cutting incident within the park. The area in question is located on a private parcel protected by a conservation easement. The incident was reported by a local conservation group, the Potomac Conservancy. The easement was established to protect the natural and scenic qualities of the Potomac River Gorge, a 16-mile stretch of the river from the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, upstream to Great Falls. The investigation revealed that 32 trees were felled to improve the view of the Potomac River from the private residence. The investigation was conducted by United States Park Police investigator Jon Crichfield and ranger Sean McCabe, with close coordination with assistant U.S. attorney Dennis Kennedy and other NPS and USGS staff. On September 14, 2004, the National Park Service reached an out-of-court settlement with the property owners. The settlement includes the following terms:
Media interest may be high due to the high value of the real estate in this neighborhood. For more information, contact Sean McCabe at 703-289-2500 or via email.[Submitted by Sean McCabe, Park Ranger]
On the afternoon of April 18th, Park Police officers were notified of a three-car accident on the parkway near Wellington Road. Numerous units responded. A Chevrolet SUV occupied by two adults and an infant was heading south on the parkway when it crossed over the double yellow line and collided with a Range Rover SUV and a four-door BMW in the northbound lanes. Five people were taken to Fairfax Hospital - two by Eagle 1, one by a Fairfax County PD helicopter, and two by ambulance. Siham Arun, the female passenger in the Chevrolet SUV, subsequently succumbed to her injuries. The remaining four victims were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. [Submitted by Sgt. Scott Fear]
On the evening of Friday, August 19th, the Park Police traffic safety
unit coordinated a DWI checkpoint on the George Washington Memorial
Parkway which involved 40 NPS law enforcement officers and culminated
with 14 arrests. The checkpoint was located on the parkway at the south
end of Reagan National Airport on both the northbound and southbound
sides. Park Police officers and NPS law enforcement rangers from
local NCR parks stopped more then 100 cars between the hours of 9:30
p.m. and 2:30 a.m. to perform field sobriety tests on operators. The end
results were nine DWI arrests, five DUI arrests and over 30 citations
issued throughout the evening. Red Top Cab, Henry's Towing and W.R.A.P.
(Washington Regional Alcohol Program) were active participants in the
operation. W.R.A.P. also supplied informational pamphlets that were
handed out to drivers for the upcoming "Sober Ride" program that is
kicking off in the Washington area in October.
A vehicle heading north on the parkway just north of Columbia Island around 11 p.m. on October 8th went off the road and plunged into the Potomac River. Divers from Metro PD's harbor unit recovered the driver from the vehicle. He was taken to GW Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An investigation is underway. [Lt. Kathleen Harasek, USPP]
A homicide on Dangerfield Island was reported to Park Police detectives on the afternoon of May 28, 2005. The victim was subsequently identified as a 48-year-old man from Alexandria, Virginia. The medical examiner ruled that he had died of strangulation. An investigation into the murder was begun that culminated in the arrest of a 35-year-old man, also from Alexandria, on June 10th. He was charged with felony murder, but later pled guilty to second-degree murder. On February 11th, he was sentenced in federal court to 30 years in prison. Park Police detectives were credited with outstanding work in putting together the case that led to the conviction. [Sgt. Scott Fear, USPP]
A Park Police horse-mounted patrol officer stopped a blue Nissan pickup truck as it was leaving a lot in the Carderock Park unit in Montgomery County on the afternoon of April 5th. The officer immediately recognized the pickup and its occupant as being sought by the Park Police in several thefts from autos and subsequent fraudulent purchases with stolen credit cards. The driver gave false information to the officer and was taken to District 4 Station (Greenbelt Park) for further investigation. He was positively identified through fingerprint analysis at the FBI, at which time he waived his Miranda rights and was questioned. During questioning, he admitted that several warrants for his arrest for various credit card cases were outstanding in the state of Maryland. He was remanded to the Prince George County Sheriff's Office, which had seven outstanding arrest warrants against him. There are also four outstanding warrants against him in Howard County. USPP criminal investigation branch officers had previously obtained one of the Prince George County arrest warrants that had been filed against him. That warrant stemmed from the investigation of a theft from an auto at Carderock Park. Investigators have also linked Baker to other thefts in that park and other NPS units in the area. Warrants are being sought for those incidents. [Sgt. Scott R. Fear, United States Park Police]
On May 10th, S.G. was found guilty of following fire apparatus too closely in federal court in Alexandria and sentenced to a fine of $1,500. Last October, S.G. was following behind a Fairfax County ambulance and fire truck that were responding with emergency lights activated to a reported traffic accident on the parkway. Traffic was yielding to the emergency vehicles, which were traveling up the middle of the two northbound lanes. S.G. was following ten to twelve feet behind the ambulance for between a half and three-quarters of a mile. The ambulance then stopped and EMS personnel on board asked S.G. to stop following so closely. The ambulance then continued to the accident, where Park Police officers were notified of the incident. Sergeant Frank Barwinczak stopped S.G. and cited him. [Sergeant Robert Lachance, United States Park Police]
In the early hours of September 28, 2006, a black Lexus being driven by S.M. went off the southbound lane of the parkway near Spout Run and collided with trees along the roadway. The driver and front seat passenger received minor injuries and a man and woman in the back seat sustained serious injuries and were taken to local hospitals. The fifth occupant, 21-year-old J.L. of Great Falls, Virginia, who was also in the back seat, was pronounced dead at the scene. On Friday, July 27th, S.M. was sentenced in district court in Arlington, Virginia, on a count of involuntary manslaughter. The judge ordered her to spend five years in prison, with four years suspended. Park Police detectives Todd C. Reid and Michael Horman led the investigation; crash reconstruction was done by officer Janice Bindeman. [Sergeant Robert Lachance, Public Information Officer]
R.B., 47, of no fixed address, was apprehended in Arlington County, Virginia, on Thursday, August 16th, on a warrant for destruction of property out of the District of Columbia. R.B. is the primary suspect in a US Park Police investigation into numerous hate/bias-related vandalism cases in the district and in Virginia. Arlington County police arrested R.B. on the warrant, then contacted the USPP in response to a recently released information bulletin specifying that he was being sought in this investigation. USPP detectives took him into custody. R.B. is suspected of vandalizing National Park Service property in the warrant — specifically, writing hate/bias-related words on trash receptacles along the parkway's bike path. R.B. has been a suspect in 14 recent USPP hate/bias-related vandalism cases involving swastikas and pornography. He's been arrested by the Park Police several times since 1997 for similar crimes. [Sgt. Robert Lachance, Public Affairs Officer]
On the evening of Monday, May 26th, the Park Police were notified that a motorcycle had left the roadway on the northbound side of the parkway south of the first scenic overlook - an area with a steep embankment between the roadway and the river, plus heavy underbrush and thick foliage. An extensive search for the motorcyclist was conducted in conjunction with local fire and emergency services units, the harbor patrol, and the military. The USPP's 'Eagle' helicopter searched from overhead using a FLIR thermal imaging camera. Fire department personnel lowered rescuers with ropes and extended truck ladders over the embankment while harbor patrol units searched from the water. The motorcycle, a blue sports bike, was located that night on the embankment between the roadway and the river. Search and rescue efforts had to be suspended for safety reasons around 11:15 p.m., but resumed early the next morning. The motorcyclist - N.T., 22, of Alexandria, Virginia - was found in the woods near the crash site. He was a member of the military and was stationed in the area. The parkway was closed in both directions during the evening's search and rescue efforts and the associated investigation. The northbound lanes were completely blocked with rescue vehicles, while the southbound lanes had to be closed due to a serious crash involving an SUV. The driver had been distracted by the search operation and rolled the vehicle in the median. A tire from the vehicle broke off and struck a fire truck. All traffic traveling southbound was detoured onto Route 123 and northbound traffic onto Spout Run. Southbound lanes were reopened after the search was suspended. [Sergeant Robert LaChance, Public Affairs Officer]
On Wednesday, June 4th, a series of powerful thunderstorms passed through the National Capital Region, prompting the National Weather Service to issue 70 severe thunderstorm, marine, and tornado warnings in the Baltimore/Washington area. The storms left over 500,000 homes and businesses with out power and spawned four tornados. While none of the tornados struck any parks in NCR, virtually all NCR areas suffered damage from downed trees and power lines. The following is a synopsis of the preliminary storm impacts. The full extent of the damage may not be know for several days. George Washington Memorial Parkway - Numerous trees were blown down, but maintenance crews were able to quickly clear all roads. A large number of tree limbs still have to be cleared from the roadway shoulders and several trails remain closed. Park fencing and 12 motor vehicles were damaged by downed trees. [Don Boucher, Emergency Services Coordinator, NCRO]
On Wednesday, June 4th, a series of powerful thunderstorms passed through the National Capital Region, prompting the National Weather Service to issue 70 severe thunderstorm, marine, and tornado warnings in the Baltimore/Washington area. While none of the tornados struck any parks in NCR, virtually all NCR areas suffered damage from downed trees and power lines. Here's a follow-up report on recovery efforts: George Washington Memorial Parkway - The storms knocked down many trees, but maintenance crews were able to clear all roads. Numerous tree limbs still have to be cleared from road shoulders, and several trails remain closed. Tree and grounds crews are continuing to clean up the park. Power remained off at the Turkey Run headquarters area for 96 hours. Electrical damage was inflicted on the HVAC system and hot water heater in the headquarters building. Park fencing and twelve privately-owned motor vehicles were damaged by downed trees, but no other federal government property damaged. [Donald C. Boucher, Fire & Emergency Manager, NERO]
Two men have pled guilty to felony assault in federal court for an attack on two people that took place near the Mount Vernon Trail in March. E.A.C.A. and A.B., both in their 20s, pled guilty to felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury and will be sentenced in October. They each face up to 10 years in jail, but the plea agreements that they reached with the government provide for a sentence of 63 months. On March 19th, E.A.C.A. pushed and knocked one victim into the open flame of a campfire, causing burns to his face and body that required hospitalization for two days. During the same incident, A.B. punched and kicked a second person in the face, causing a blood clot in his brain that required hospitalization. The incident occurred on a section of the trail near Reagan National Airport and Four Mile Run. The case was investigated by Park Police detectives Kevin Fornshill and Michelle Ludwick in conjunction with detectives from the Alexandria City and Arlington County Police Departments. [United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia]
Reports have been received from parks along the Eastern seaboard regarding this past weekend's passage of Tropical Storm Hanna, which brought only modest winds but heavy rains: George Washington Memorial Parkway - Power was lost at Great Falls Park around 4 p.m. on Saturday. Only two downed trees were found. All roadways and facilities are open. [Wouter Ketel, CALO; Don Boucher, NRCO; Saudia Muwwakkil, SERO]
On Sunday, September 14th, officers form the Park Police District 2 Station, in conjunction with the Virginia State Police and the Arlington County Police, conducted a motorcycle safety checkpoint on the southbound lanes of the parkway in the area of Reagan National Airport. Over 4,000 vehicles passed through this checkpoint, which was conducted between 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. During the course of this enforcement action, 75 motorcyclists were stopped. Of the motorcyclists stopped, eight operators had no driver's licenses, eight operators had registration violations, seven motorcycles were found to have safety inspection issues, one operator had a revoked permit, one operator was in violation of a learner's permit, and three motorcycles were impounded. Twenty-six citations were issued as a result of the above findings. The goal of the checkpoint was to enforce existing laws and educate riders through motorcycle safety tips brochures. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 4,810 motorcyclists were killed in 2006 - an increase of five percent over the 4,576 motorcyclists killed in 2005. There were 88,000 motorcyclists injured during 2006. Also, per mile traveled in 2006, a motorcyclist is approximately 37 times more likely to die in a crash than someone riding in a passenger car. Due to the overwhelming success of this enforcement action, it will be repeated in the future. [Sergeant Robert Lachance]
Last July, two men pled guilty to felony assault in federal court for an attack on two people that took place near the Mount Vernon Trail in March. E.A.C.A. and A.B., both in their 20s, pled guilty to felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury. On March 19th, E.A.C.A. pushed and knocked one victim into the open flame of a campfire, causing burns to his face and body that required hospitalization for two days. During the same incident, A.B. punched and kicked a second person in the face, causing a blood clot in his brain that required hospitalization. The incident occurred on a section of the trail near Reagan National Airport and Four Mile Run. On October 31st, E.A.C.A. was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison; several weeks earlier, A.B. received an identical sentence. "The sentencing of the suspects in this horrendous crime is a culmination of the hard work and cooperation between all agencies involved," said acting assistant chief Sal Lauro, "In addition, the detectives showed compassionate and humane assistance to the victims, ensuring they received appropriate medical care as well as helping them re-establish their lives after such a tragic event. This is the kind of police work that makes everyone proud." The case was investigated by Park Police detectives Kevin Fornshill and Michelle Ludwick in conjunction with detectives from the Alexandria City and Arlington County Police Departments. [Sgt. Robert Lachance]
A man who was jogging on the bike path on the south side of Key Bridge near Teddy Roosevelt Island was attacked from behind and knocked to the ground just before 7 a.m. on December 18th, then robbed of his iPod, $80 and two credit cards. His assailant hit him several times on the back, neck and head with a bottle, causing several cuts to his hand and a gash to the back of his head. He was taken to a hospital, treated, and released. The suspect is described as a white male, medium build, mid to late 30's, curly brown/gray hair that is longer in the front. He spoke with a deep voice but no discernible accent, and has been described as having a disheveled appearance. Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Branch are currently investigating the incident. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Criminal Investigations Branch at 202-610-8737. [Sergeant Robert Lachance, Public Information Officer]
Park staff mobilized quickly to protect park resources and visitors during the mid-March flooding along the Potomac River. Great Falls Park in Virginia and Theodore Roosevelt Island in D.C. (and adjacent parking in Virginia) were closed to address visitor safety concerns for several days starting on Saturday, March 13th. Park staff used sandbags to mitigate potential flooding at Great Falls Visitor Center and monitored trail and site conditions while on foot patrols. Staff informed the public about how flooding might affect recreational visits/commutes, asked people to respect closed areas, and suggested visitors remain observant for standing water, mud and obstructions on trails in the park. Flooding was expected due to heavy rainfall combined with snowmelt in the upper watershed of the Potomac River. Rising water carried extremely hazardous debris, trees, and man-made objects. High winds associated with the moving storm and water-logged soils caused concerns about the uprooting of trees and falling branches. Here's the current status of park facilities: Great Falls Park, Virginia - The park is open, but some trails are still closed due to fallen trees and flood debris. Fisherman's Eddy is closed until further notice due to flood debris. Theodore Roosevelt Island, Washington, D.C. (and adjacent parking near Arlington, Virginia) - Open. Mount Vernon Trail - Open, but some sections of the 18.5-mile trail may still be covered by flood debris. Potomac Heritage Trail - This 10-mile trail is open, but sections may be muddy. For more information, call 703-289-2500. [Dana Dierkes, Public Affairs Officer]
A selfie nearly cost a man his life after he accidentally slipped into the turbulent Potomac River near Olmstead Island this past Sunday. A number of bystanders had to pull the man out of the river, which was at a high level due to recent heavy rains. Flood warnings were in effect at the time for the areas around the Potomac River in Virginia and Maryland. Local fire department rescuers treated the man for serious injuries and got him to the hospital. He's expected to fully recover. Park Police officers and park rangers are investigating. Source: WTOP News.
As of today, the government has been shut down for 26 days, a new record for shutdowns. The huge sign that appeared recently on the side of the federal building in San Francisco about sums up the perspective of federal workers regarding this ongoing fiasco — "Sorry, We're Shut Down. Tantrum In Progress." Here's a summary of media stories about its impacts on the national parks that have appeared over the past week, grouped under four headings. The National Parks — Articles on the effects of the shutdown on several specific National Park Service areas: Washington (DC) Parks — The NPS has announced that it's resuming maintenance services in Washington-area parks, including the National Mall, George Washington Memorial Parkway and Rock Creek Park. It will also reopen several bathrooms at sites around the Mall. The Service has not collected trash, worked on roads, or attended to sanitation services since the shutdown began. The money is coming from fee revenues "from national parks across the country." Source: Mikaela Lefrak, WAMU News.
The George Washington Memorial Parkway fully reopened to traffic on Saturday, March 23rd, after repairs were made to a large sinkhole that compromised the road Friday morning. For about four hours on Friday morning, a portion of the parkway was closed in both directions between Virginia Route 123 and the Beltway near the American Legion Bridge. The sinkhole was discovered before 6 a.m. in the northbound lanes near Dead Run. After assessments determined the southbound lanes were safe, traffic resumed flowing southbound about 10 a.m. NPS crews worked through the night to address drainage issues and fill in the sinkhole, which was ten feet deep, twelve feet wide and thirty feet long. Source: Kristi King, WTOP News.
A summary of recent openings, closures and other changes in the status of parks and their facilities, National Capital Parks — The NPS has completed upgrades to segments of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the Clara Barton Parkway, and Beach, Fort Davis and Fort Dupont Drives — all of them significant commuter access roads. Details on the work that's been completed can be found on the following webpage. Source: Kristi King, WTOP News.
On October 22, a federal judge dismissed all criminal charges against two U.S. Park Police officers who fatally shot unarmed motorist B.C.G., 25, in 2017. They ruled that the officers had reasonable fear of danger and the actions were "necessary and proper." The Virginia Attorney General's Office and Fairfax County commonwealth's attorney said they would appeal the ruling. Source: Washington Post
George Washington Memorial Parkway — Attorneys general from nine states and the District of Columbia are asking a federal appeals court to reverse the October 2021 dismissal of manslaughter cases against two U.S. Park Police officers who fatally shot unarmed motorist B.C.G. in 2017. Source: The Washington Post
As of yesterday afternoon, the oil sheen from last Sunday's spill into the Potomac River extended 55 miles south from Sugarland Run, where the fuel entered the river. Oil has spread over vegetation, wetlands and wildlife all along the Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia shorelines, including George Washington Memorial Parkway, Great Falls, C&O Canal, and National Capital Parks. No closures are currently reported in any of these areas. Colonial Pipeline contractors have begun initial cleanup of areas within Great Falls and the parkway. Park resource management staffs are presently conducting the pre-assessment phase of the overall natural resource damage assessment process. [John Howard, NCRO, 4/1]
As of last weekend, clean-up efforts were being limited to surface cleaning and removal of retrievable pockets of oil due to high water in the Potomac River. All clean-up operations are being handled by Clean Harbors, the contractor hired by Colonial Pipeline, and consist of removal of logs and woody debris which has become supersaturated with oil. Areas which have been cleaned include Great Falls and portions of the shoreline along George Washington Memorial Parkway, Piscataway Park, and Oxon Cove. Efforts have been frustrated by the continuing flow of saturated materials during periods of high water. Wildlife impacts are being monitored. Initial evaluations of bald eagle nesting sites were completed late last week, and a few other animals - including turtles, a beaver and a Canada goose - have been removed for cleaning. Several small fish kills have also been reported; these kills may not have been caused by the spill, though, since mortality is normal for several species of fish who spawn at this time of the year. Long-term impacts of the spill are being evaluated, as concern has been expressed regarding the extended exposure of riparian, flood plain and tidal marsh vegetation to the oil. Concerns have also been raised regarding several migratory species which are moving through the area at this time. Monitoring of sensitive locations by park resource management staffs is on- going. Costs to date have been limited. Planning is underway for fishery monitoring programs and vegetative inventories. [John Howard, NCRO, 4/2]
Around 9:40 a.m., an employee reported the smell of gas from an eight-inch natural gas line at a construction site at the park maintenance yard off the parkway across from National Airport. The break in the line, which reportedly had been abandoned, apparently occurred during excavation for a new storage shed being constructed by a contractor. Traffic in both directions on the parkway was stopped for more than an hour while Washington Gas Company representatives closed off the leak. The leaked gas rapidly dissipated in the wind and the parkway was reopened around 11:30. [Einar Olsen, RAD/NCRO, 10/29]
A Park Police officer came upon a 40-gallon drum of an unknown chemical on the shoreline of the Potomac River in the park on the morning of April 18th. The area was cordoned off, and the WASO oil and hazardous materials emergency response coordinator was called to the scene. Attempts to identify the material were partially successful, as the manufacturer was able to provide material safety data sheets (MSDS) for the eight chemicals that they ship in steel drums. The MSDS's indicated that the drum might contain either 2-butoxyethanol or a high flash petroleum mixture. The Fairfax County hazmat unit responded; the drum was successfully overpacked and rendered safe, then turned over to the NPS for disposal. The manufacture subsequently arranged to remove the drum and transport it to a federally permitted disposal facility. [Ernest Ralston, DEQ/WASO, 4/25]
On the afternoon of August 31st, Corky Mayo, chief of interpretation for the National Park Service, was driving on the parkway when his car was struck by another vehicle on the driver's side. Corky is currently in intensive care in the Fairfax Hospital with broken ribs, a bruised spleen and a broken hip; he also suffered a collapsed lung and is on a respirator. Doctors expect him to make a full recovery. Cards and messages may be sent to him at Fairfax Hospital, 3300 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA 22046. Further details will appear in the Tuesday morning report. [Debra Kelly, Interpretation, WASO, 9/1]
Corky Mayo, the chief of interpretation for the NPS, is recovering in the hospital from the serious accident he had on the parkway last Thursday. Corky suffered three broken ribs, a broken left hip, and damage to his diaphragm and spleen. He will be in the hospital until September 10th or thereabouts, then recovering at home for about three months. Those wishing to send him messages can send them to 801 North Pitt Street #1507, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. [Debra Kelly, WASO, 9/7]
On October 31st, a pedestrian crossing the parkway south of Memorial Bridge was struck and killed by a northbound vehicle. The operator of the car was treated for a minor injury and released. The accident is still under investigation. Late the following morning, a cab heading northbound at the same location struck one of the bridge's abutments. The 39-year-old driver was killed; his passenger, a woman who was five months pregnant, was taken to a local hospital, where she remains in critical but stable condition. This accident is also under investigation. [Capt. Marvin Ellison, RLES, RAD/NCRO, 11/4]
Construction workers accidentally broke a 16-inch water line under the north bound lane of the parkway on the afternoon of December 28th, forcing the closure of the highway and creating a major traffic disruption throughout the metropolitan Washington area. Sections of the parkway were closed until midnight on December 29th. [Julia Hewitt, RAD/NCRO, 12/29]
Park Police officers arrested three individuals for cutting a paulownia tree near Mount Vernon on April 11th. This is the fourth incident of paulownia tree cutting on the parkway this spring. The high value of the wood on the black market has increased the amount of tree poaching in the area. One case has so far gone to court. [Dan Sealy, NCRO, 4/12]
A woman driving a 1992 Mitsubishi was killed when she lost control of her vehicle on the parkway just north of the parkway's first overlook on April 30th. She was extricated from the vehicle and transported by Park Police helicopter to a city hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. [Bill Lynch, NCRO, 5/1]
Around 1 p.m. on July 15th, seasonal ranger Wesley Fox, 37, of Vienna, Virginia, was on bike patrol on the Mt. Vernon trail when he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. A park volunteer and Alexandria firefighters attempted resuscitation, but were unsuccessful. An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death. Temperatures were in the upper 90s, humidity was high, and air quality was poor at the time. [Einar Olsen, RCR, RSD/NCAO]
The funeral service for ranger Wes Fox, who collapsed and died while on bike patrol on the Mount Vernon trail last Saturday, will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Emmaus United Church of Christ in East Vienna, Virginia. Calling hours will be this evening at the Money and King Vienna Funeral Home in Vienna. The family has asked that park employees wear uniforms to the service, and that badges be covered with black bands. There will be an NPS honor guard this evening, and a joint ranger/USPP officer honor guard at the funeral service tomorrow. Contributions may be made to Neurofibromatosis, Inc., Mid-Atlantic Chapter, 8855 Annapolis Road, Lanham, MD 20706, or to Emmaus United Church of Christ Music Fund, 900 Maple Avenue, East Vienna, VA 22180. Employees in the Washington area who will be attending should contact Einar Olsen, Ranger Services, NCAO, for further information. [Einar Olsen, RSD/NCAO]
K.B. was killed in a one-vehicle accident on the ramp from Boundary Channel Drive to Washington Boulevard on the afternoon of December 18th. Investigation revealed that he'd lost control of his vehicle on the wet pavement, skidded off the road, and struck a tree. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCAO]
The heavy rains which fell throughout the Mid-Atlantic regions and New England on Friday, January 19th, coupled with the melting of several feet of snow throughout the area, caused severe flooding in several parks. The following reports - some preliminary and by phone - were received as of this morning; more are expected later today: * George Washington Parkway - Five people were rescued from rocks in the Great Falls area by a Park Police helicopter. [CR, CHOH; Einar Olsen, RAD/NCFO; Bill Halainen, IO, Wet and Wild Incident, DEWA]
T.C., 26, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was killed when the vehicle he was operating was struck by an NPS snow plow around 3:25 a.m. on Saturday, February 3rd. Investigation revealed that the plow driver was clearing snow from the parkway when the truck collided with T.C.'s vehicle, which was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes. An investigation is underway. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCFO]
Just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17th, two drivers - N.T., 26, and B.C., 26 - got into an argument while heading northbound on the parkway. According to witnesses, the two drivers passed each other several times and were screaming at each other. They were both traveling at a very high rate of speed when one cut in front of the other as they approached a bridge over Pimmit Run. At that point, both vehicles went out of control, crossed a narrow grass divider into the southbound lane, and struck two vehicles. B.C. and the drivers of each of those vehicles - Nancy McBrien, 41, and George Smyth, 49 - were killed instantly. N.T. suffered a fractured ankle, but was otherwise uninjured. The impact was so powerful that B.C.'s car virtually disintegrated. A Park Police lieutenant on the scene described the accident as one of the worst he'd ever seen. N.T. was questioned by Park Police officers, then released pending further investigation. McBrien was a Navy reserve officer just returning to work after staying at home to raise her three small children. Smyth was a former Montgomery County police officer. The parkway was closed for almost eight hours. Charges against N.T. are expected. [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCFDO; Washington Post]
Despite unusually cool weather, an estimated crowd of about 500,000 people took part in the Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall. Park Police officers made 20 arrests over the course of the day. Incidents included several which appeared to have been gang related. Just under 300 visitors received medical treatment at the various first aid sites; 15 of them were taken to area hospitals for further treatment. A ten-year-old girl received severe burns to her chest and neck when she was struck by exploding fireworks. Other than numerous liquor law violations, no significant incidents were reported along the nearby George Washington Memorial Parkway, a popular site for viewing the culminating firework display. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCFDO]
Reports on the impacts of Hurricane Fran have been received from a number of Eastern parks. Of particular note is the fact that the flooding along the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers has in most cases been as or more severe than that which occurred during January, making this the first year since the National Weather Service began keeping track early this century that areas along those rivers have been hit by two major floods. As of Sunday night, the Potomac was flowing past Little Falls in Maryland at more than 300,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) - 130 times the normal volume. When the Shenandoah River crested on Saturday, it had a flow rate of 153,000 cfs, or more than 200 times its typical rate. o George Washington Parkway - The Potomac River flood gauge at Little Falls toward the north end of the park crested at almost eight feet above flood stage yesterday evening. That mark was two feet below the high water mark recorded in last January's big floods, but damage is nonetheless considerable. Many segments of the parkway, particularly from Key Bridge south to Mount Vernon, remain closed. The Mount Vernon bike trail has sustained considerable damage, but the scope of the flood's impacts here and elsewhere will not be known until flood waters recede. [Greg Styles, IC, SHEN; Kevin Fitzgerald, CHOH; Gary Pollock, GWMP; Sandy Ailey, PIO, NCFA; Jim Fox, BLRI; Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA; Newt Sikes, CUIS; John Breen, FOPU; Andrew Loveless, Superintendent, KIMO; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU; Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; Mike Johnson, CR, FRSP; Washington Post]
Damage reports are beginning to filter in as flood waters recede and park staffs gain access to their areas: o George Washington Parkway - A five mile portion of the parkway was closed at 4:30 pm on Sunday and remained closed until this morning. The closure produced significant traffic problems, particularly for those attempting to reach National Airport. Reports have been received of individuals bypassing barricades on Sunday and becoming stranded in the then-rising flood waters. [Mark Hardgrove, SAJU; Mark Woods, VIIS]
Additional reports have been received regarding on-going hurricane and flood recovery efforts: o George Washington Parkway - The boardwalk, contact station and comfort station in the Roosevelt Island unit all suffered major damage, and the trail system will require complete rehabilitation. Other units of the park suffered extensive tree damage and shoreline erosion. The park's radio repeater system was also damaged. Preliminary damage estimates have now passed $1.5 million. [Greg Stiles, SHEN; Ann Childress, CVS, FOSU Group; Don Boucher, FMO, NCSO; Kevin FitzGerald, DR, CHOH]
On Tuesday, September 17th, a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia, convicted N.T. of involuntary manslaughter for his part in the April 17th accident on the parkway that claimed three lives. The jury took just two hours to decide that N.T. had acted recklessly by racing along the parkway at speeds up to 80 mph, apparently dueling for position with the driver of another northbound vehicle. The two cars struck each other, then crossed the highway into the southbound lane, striking two more vehicles. The other three drivers were killed. N.T. faces up to 13 years in prison. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCSO]
On November 22nd, N.T., 26, of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced in federal district court to ten-and-a-half years in prison for his role in the motor vehicle accident which killed three people on the parkway last spring. On April 17th, N.T. and another driver, B.C., also 26, got into an argument while heading northbound on the parkway. According to witnesses, the two drivers passed each other several times and were screaming at each other. They were both traveling at a very high rate of speed when one cut in front of the other as they approached a bridge over Pimmit Run. At that point, both vehicles went out of control, crossed a narrow grass divider into the southbound lane, and struck two vehicles. B.C. and the drivers of each of those vehicles - N.M., 41, and G.S., 49 - were killed instantly. N.M. was a Navy reserve officer just returning to work after staying at home to raise her three small children. G.S. was a former Montgomery County police officer. N.T. received ten years on two counts of involuntary manslaughter and six months for illegal possession of a handgun. Even with time off for good behavior, he will have to serve nearly nine years of the sentence. The U.S. attorney commended USPP detective Ernest Hoenigmann for his work in the prosecution of N.T. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCSSO]
On Monday, June 1st, a cab driver who'd picked up two people in Arlington was choked and robbed of cash while in downtown Washington. The two men then forced the driver out of the cab and drove off in it, eventually crashing the cab along the George Washington Parkway at Route 123. The pair fled on foot, but were arrested by Arlington police officers. Robbery-related charges have been filed in Virginia; Park Police officers are pursuing carjacking charges in the District of Columbia. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCRO, 6/2]
Although many of the reports that appear today occurred over the Fourth of July weekend, the following were specifically related to the holiday: o Washington Area Parks (DC/VA) - Several hundred thousand people visited the National Mall, adjacent President's Park, and the George Washington Memorial Parkway on the Fourth of July. Events included the annual Folklife Festival, a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra, and a 20-minute fireworks display. Traffic was very heavy. Increased alcohol enforcement efforts resulted in the seizure of 2,400 cans of beer. USPP officers made 33 arrests; of these, 16 were for disorderly conduct or alcohol, seven were for drugs, three were for assault, and the balance were for a variety of other offenses. Notes on other significant Fourth of July activities would be appreciated. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCRO, 7/6; Scott Pfeninger, CR, STLI, 7/6; Mike Pflaum, CR, MORU, 7/6; Phil Sheridan, PIO, INDE, 7/7; Michael Shaver, SAHI, 7/4]
On December 25th, a visitor was walking from Memorial Bridge towards the Iwo Jima Memorial when she was attacked and physically beaten by a homeless individual. The victim was hospitalized due to her injuries. The suspect was detained by Metro Transit personnel and subsequently arrested for aggravated assault by Park Police officers. While being booked, the suspect assaulted Park Police officers, but none sustained any serious injury. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCSO, 1/6]
Ranger Scott Ryan caught G.W. operating a metal detector in the Stone Bridge area of Manassas battlefield on August 28th. G.W. subsequently appeared in court and was convicted of the violation. On September 23rd, Park Police officer Franz Ferstl again caught G.W. using a metal detector, this time at Jones Point on George Washington Memorial Parkway. G.W. pled guilty on January 19th; he was fined, had his metal detector confiscated, and was barred from all national parks in the Eastern District of Virginia for a year. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCSO, 1/25]
On May 27th, a multi-agency task force concluded "Task Force Potomac," a fisheries enforcement operation on the Potomac River in the Little Falls/Chain Bridge area. The operation took place over six days during a one-month period. Citations were issued for over 420 violations, including the illegal catching of striped bass and shad, use of cast nets, snagging, fishing without a license, and a multitude of public use violations. Hundreds of pounds of highly prized anadromous striped bass were seized, some of which was donated to a homeless shelter. The operation also gained valuable intelligence on potential commercial fishing violations. No injuries occurred during the operation despite the rugged terrain in the area. Participating in the task force were the Park Police officers, NPS rangers and EMS personnel, USFWS agents, and officers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Maryland National Capital Park Police, DC Harbor Police, and Arlington Police. (Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO, 5/30)
On May 18th, a multi-agency task force concluded the spring 2001 operation of Task Force Potomac, a fisheries enforcement operation on the Potomac River in the Little Falls/Chain Bridge area. Citations were issued for 167 violations, including the illegal catch of striped bass, use of cast nets, snagging, fishing without a license, and a multitude of CFR public use violations. Personnel also provided EMS assistance to several visitors who sustained fishing-related injuries in the area. During a similar period last year, citations were issued for over 420 violations. In addition to the enforcement efforts, an education outreach effort has been begun to encourage responsible fishing and public use on park lands. Participating in the task force were USPP officers, NPS rangers, USFWS agents, and officers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, DC Harbor Police, and Arlington County Police. [Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO, 6/8]
Utilizing preliminary damage assessments prepared by parks, incident management teams and regional offices, the Washington Office has prepared and released a summary of the cumulative impacts of the hurricane on the 27 parks reporting damage. These are not final cost estimates, which should be out later in the year. The preliminary estimate is that the hurricane inflicted about $137 million in damage. Earlier this year, parks elsewhere in the system reported damage of about $13 million, so the total damage assessment for the year comes to $150 million. It's not yet clear whether there were will be a budget supplemental to cover these and storm-related costs incurred by other agencies. All the projects are therefore being put into the facility assessment program and will be funded in priority order. These projects will be compared with other facility needs across the country to establish priorities. The Service's role is to assess damage, take care of immediate resource protection and safety issues, and notify the management chain - the Department of the Interior and the Congress - of NPS needs. Estimates at specific parks include:
The following reports reflect the status of operations through Monday. Central IMT (Sherrie Collins) Almost as fast as Hurricane Isabel moved through coastal Virginia, museum specialists from the National Park Service swooped in after the storm passed to check on the archeological collection housed in the Visitor Center at Historic Jamestowne. Brackish water from torrential rain and a storm surge had flooded the collection storage area to a depth of nearly five feet. Fast action was needed to protect the 900,000 catalogued items. In a time frame better measured in hours than days, 71 pallets were pulled out of the visitor center and trucked to a temporary home to begin saving the collection. Tucked between a couple of quiet streets on a military base near Petersburg, an unassuming World War II era building with peeling, cream colored paint and an O.D. green hazmat tent in the parking lot hum with activity Think of it as a M*A*S*H unit for the nation's most important archeological collection. The park called Sarah Wolf, director of the Northeast Museum Services Center, the day after the hurricane hit. She arrived on site Monday. Coming in to help direct the recovery effort was Pam West, her counterpart from the National Capital Region. Pam arrived with six van loads of much needed museum supplies she had stockpiled in Andover, Maryland. Employees, volunteers and contractors chipped in to turn the vacant building on the grounds of Fort Lee into an organized, efficient workplace. Artifacts are first removed from their waterlogged storage cases. Then they're inventoried, tagged and temporarily re-bagged. From there it's on to a bath in de-ionized water and drying trays. After they're stabilized in this fashion, they're re-bagged, re-tagged, and put in storage boxes which are shrink wrapped onto pallets. The collection recovery effort is bigger than anything ever undertaken in this country. "We're making sure the things we're learning get shared with other curators," said West. "The collection is pretty sturdy, and it's coming through extremely well," commented Wolf. "Since most of the items are inorganic we expect there will be a very minimal loss of artifacts - less than five percent." A silver lining to this cloud is that in the end there will be a complete, new inventory of the entire collection. "This is one of the premiere collections in the world," said Wolf. "It means a lot to a lot of people. The outpouring of help from the archeological community has been outstanding." By late November, the team expects to have triaged and prepared the entire collection for shipment to a yet-to-be identified site in the Williamsburg area where long-term conservation of the artifacts will be undertaken. Fort Lee is one of 21 different work sites spread across four national park units in eastern and central Virginia struck three weeks ago by Hurricane Isabel. Much less sensitive recovery work using muscle and machines continued Sunday at Petersburg National Battlefield, Richmond National Battlefield Park and throughout Colonial National Historical Park. Another five-and-a-half miles of the Colonial Parkway were cleared of debris. In Historic Jamestowne, hazard tree removal at the Glass House is complete. The modular unit that will serve as the temporary visitor contact station is in place, with an operational quiet technology generator to provide power. In Richmond, all clean-up work at Parker's Battery is completed. Work also was completed Sunday along the road and right of way in Poplar Grove. There are 378 people currently assigned to the recovery effort. The cost to date is $6,218,117. Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann) Piles of rusty, derelict vehicles and parts of vehicles are awaiting removal from the shoreline of Alger Willis Fishing Camp and the Morris Marina Kabin Kamp areas of the park. The abandoned cars were uncovered by the storm surge from the hurricane and now pose a safety hazard to those who visit or drive on the shore. Traditionally, people brought vehicles to the Outer Banks by ferry and kept them there so they could get around the islands more easily. Exposure to salt water and sand resulted in non-operational vehicles being abandoned over the years and left on the shore to create artificial dunes as sand collected in and over them. The dunes protected the inland fishing camps from wind and waves, eventually becoming part of the landscape. Removing these vehicles is hazardous, tedious work. Crews are digging them out and piling the junkers with other storm debris near ferry landings for removal. Several buried septic tanks were uncovered and floated by the hurricane at the Morris Marina Kabin Kamp. The tanks have been removed from the beach and marsh areas and prepared for removal from the islands. While the buildings at the camp survived the hurricane in fairly good shape, the septic systems did not. Most of the building were constructed on stilts four or five feet above ground. That space is now filled with sand, and the stairs leading to the porches are partially buried. The area is accordingly closed to the public until emergency operations are completed. Willis Fishing Camp at the Great Islands Ferry landing fared even worse, with several buildings moved from their foundations or completely destroyed. Small docks have been repaired, which has made it possible for owners of cars that were left in the camp parking lot before the hurricane to come out and check on their vehicles. They are the only non-official personnel allowed into the area until hazards are removed and the superintendent reopens the area to public use. The high visitor day-use area of the lighthouse at Cape Lookout has been opened. The boardwalk, visitor center and associated buildings have been cleaned up and the dock has been repaired and reopened to ferry traffic. Crews continue to clean debris from the heavily used area around the lighthouse. The graded road on the islands is being filled and repaired in order to reopen it to public traffic. Storm surge caused many washouts and deep, water-filled potholes. Repairing the road will prevent further impact to the fragile vegetation there. Work continues on the historic structures at Portsmouth Village. The area remains closed to the public until safety hazards are removed or repaired. Over 400 damaged trees have been removed from Portsmouth and the water system to the visitor center is again operational. Safety and logistical concerns must be addressed before the area will be reopened to the public. The remainder of the park is now open to pedestrians and may be reached by ferry . Ranger patrols in the park have been increased to ensure visitor safety, secure historic or hazardous areas, and protect natural resources. East IMT (Bob Panko) Public ferry access to Ocracoke Island resumed on Friday. Ramps 68 and 70 on the island also reopened, although Highway 12 remains closed north of the pony pen at Ramp 68. Facilities on the island also reopened - the visitor center and marina on Friday and Ocracoke campground on Saturday. ORV access to South Beach is now open from Ramp 44 via the road between the dunes south to Ramp 49, but Ramp 49 remains closed. ORV access to Ramp 4, located across from the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, also reopened, thanks to the assistance of the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association, which helped clear debris from the beach and restore access. The area from Ramp 55 south to Hatteras Inlet has been temporarily closed while a contractor lays pipe to dredge sand for the breech just south of Frisco. This closure will likely continue for about five days, or until the middle of this week. The area will be reopened while the dredging occurs, but a similar closure will be needed upon completion of the dredging project. Additional Information
Reports compiled from submission by Al Nash, IO, Central IMT; Scott Wanek, IO, Pacific West IMT; Michelle Fidler and Peter Givens, IO's, East IMT/Outer Banks Group.
During the early hours of June 4th, Park Police officers responded to
a 911 call of a body in a parking lot known as the "First Overlook" on
the northbound side of the parkway. Investigation revealed that the
woman, identified as R.W., 47, of no known address, had
succumbed to stab wounds. It appears that she was homeless and living in
the nearby Arlington-Rosslyn area. The case is being investigated as a
homicide.
As of today, the government has been shut down for 26 days, a new record for shutdowns. The huge sign that appeared recently on the side of the federal building in San Francisco about sums up the perspective of federal workers regarding this ongoing fiasco — "Sorry, We're Shut Down. Tantrum In Progress." Here's a summary of media stories about its impacts on the national parks that have appeared over the past week, grouped under four headings. The National Parks — Articles on the effects of the shutdown on several specific National Park Service areas: Washington (DC) Parks — The NPS has announced that it's resuming maintenance services in Washington-area parks, including the National Mall, George Washington Memorial Parkway and Rock Creek Park. It will also reopen several bathrooms at sites around the Mall. The Service has not collected trash, worked on roads, or attended to sanitation services since the shutdown began. The money is coming from fee revenues "from national parks across the country." Source: Mikaela Lefrak, WAMU News.
A summary of recent openings, closures and other changes in the status of parks and their facilities: George Washington MP — One of the parkway's northbound lanes will remain closed indefinitely as the NPS continues to develop a long-term fix for the sinkhole that opened up last month. The Service completely closed the northbound lanes for several days on May 10th after a Park Police officer spotted a sinkhole that measured 10 feet deep by 30 feet long by 20 feet wide. One of the two northbound lanes reopened to traffic on May 14th after the park employed temporary stabilization efforts, including an injection of grout to stabilize the soil, but the right lane remains closed due to a failing 60-year-old, 40-foot deep brick drainage inlet. Source: Max Smith, WTOP News.
A summary of recent openings, closures and other changes in the status of parks and their facilities, National Capital Parks — The NPS has completed upgrades to segments of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the Clara Barton Parkway, and Beach, Fort Davis and Fort Dupont Drives — all of them significant commuter access roads. Details on the work that's been completed can be found on the following webpage. Source: Kristi King, WTOP News.
George Washington Parkway — The U.S. Park Police officers recently acquitted for criminal charges for the 2017 shooting of B.C.G. have received notice that the Interior Department seeks to fire them. The Park Police's Fraternal Order of Police union said that the action violated the union's contract because internal investigations and a disciplinary process were not conducted. The DOI stated that the officers remain on paid leave and the matter is ongoing. The acquittal of criminal charges is also currently on appeal by the state of Virginia. Source: The Washington Post June 15, 2022 On June 10, the Department of Justice announced it would not reopen the federal investigation of the 2017 shooting death of Bijan Ghaisar by two U.S. Park Police officers. This ends the criminal prosecution of the two officers. However, a lawsuit filed by the Ghaisar family will now move forward. The two officers remain on paid leave. Source: The Washington Post
On December 16, a semitruck flipped on the southbound Baltimore-Washington Parkway just past Maryland Route 201 near Route 50. It was the only vehicle involved in the crash. The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Traffic backed up for miles and several hours before being able to be cleared. The truck was carrying onions and potatoes as part of a commercial enterprise, which is illegal on NPS-managed roads, and the driver will face a citation. Source: NBC Washington February 22, 2023 On February 7, a 58-year-old pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, in connection with an incident on the George Washington Memorial Parkway on November 1, 2022, along the Arlington portion of the parkway. The individual was involved in a motor vehicle accident with a dump truck. The individual then drove their vehicle in front of the dump truck, came to a complete stop in the righthand lane, walked up to the truck, opened the driver's side door, and brandished a knife while attempting to retrieve the keys of the truck. The individual then returned to their vehicle, obtained a baseball bat, then struck the driver's side window, which shattered. The victim was sitting inside the truck during the incident. U.S. Park Police arrived on scene and found the perpetrator standing outside their vehicle, holding the key to the dump truck in the air. The individual is scheduled for sentencing on May 25. Source: U.S. Attorney's Office: Eastern District of Virginia, ARL Now
On March 5, the NPS closed the northbound lanes of the parkway from Spout Run Parkway to Chain Bridge Road, VA-123, to remove an abandoned vehicle below the road near the Potomac River. They also temporarily closed parts of the Potomac Heritage Trail. The car left the road during a snowstorm in January 2022. At the time of the accident, the driver was trapped inside the car and suspended upside down, and sustained a broken arm and leg. They were extracted via a Washington, D.C., fire boat. Source: ARL Now
On July 29, a major storm with 80 mph winds hit the Washington, D.C., area, leaving hundreds of fallen trees and other debris along the parkway. Sections of the road closed for several days. NPS staff estimated they repaired or removed 325 trees and more than 500 tons of wood and debris. The parkway was able to fully reopen on August 2. Cleanup along the road shoulders continued for several more days. Source: The Washington Post
On January 15, the parkway closed from 495 to Spout Run. It again closed and reopened on January 19. Source: George Washington Memorial Parkway (1/19 - first, 1/19 - second)
On August 5, a passenger in a vehicle was shot by someone in a separate vehicle on the parkway "near NASA." U.S. Park Police responded and the victim was taken to the hospital with "non-life-threatening injuries." Source: DC News Now
On November 12, the Office of Inspector General released a report that concluded that the two U.S. Park Police officers who shot unarmed motorist Bijan Ghaisar in 2017 acted reasonably and within policy. The two officers have been on paid leave since they were charged with manslaughter in Fairfax County (VA) in 2020, and before that, they were on paid administrative duty since the November 2017 shooting. A federal judge dismissed the criminal case in 2021. The Department of the Interior issued letters to the two officers shortly after the 2021 dismissal stating the Interior Department "was seeking to fire them." After three years of no action, the two officers sued the DOI in July 2024 (see 8/7/24 Coalition Report). The family of the victim has stated that they object to the report's finding. In 2023, the federal government paid a $5 million settlement to the motorist's family to resolve the civil suit against the U.S. Park Police. Source: The Washington Post
On December 16, the two U.S. Park Police officers involved in the shooting and death of Bijan Ghaisar in November 2017 were reinstated. They had been on paid administrative duty followed by paid leave since the incident. In November 2024, the Department of the Interior found that the two officers did not violate any USPP policies in the incident (see 11/27/24 Coalition Report). Source: NBC Washington | |