Gateway National Recreation Area
Beached Sperm Whale
On the morning of January 3, a visitor reported a beached whale at
Fort Tilden. A northeaster with very high tides, high surf and flooding
was blowing at the time. USPP officer Debbie Pecoraro responded and
found a beached sperm whale partially buried in the sand, breathing
slightly, and in apparent shock. The Riverhead Foundation for Marine
Research was contacted and they sent some people to the beach. They
determined that the animal was a juvenile female, about 20 feet long and
weighing two tons. The whale was in obvious distress as a result of
illness and/or malnutrition. After consultation with the National Marine
Fisheries Service and due to the storm conditions, location and position
and condition of the whale, the decision was made to euthanize the
whale. The process took several hours. Park maintenance crews later
removed the carcass for a post-mortem. There are very few of the
endangered sperm whales available for research study, as they normally
inhabit ocean depths rather than coastal waters.
[Submitted by Lt.
John Marigliano, US Park Police]
Amistad National Recreation Area (TX)
Drug Seizure
On January 11, Customs, Border Patrol and Val Verde County Sheriff's
Department officers seized 219 pounds of processed marijuana near the
Lowery Ranch area. The narcotics were transported by vessel across Lake
Amistad and dropped off on the shoreline. Rangers assisted in the
investigation by locating the exact point where the drugs were
transferred from the vessel to backpackers. The backpackers took the
drugs up to Highway 90, where they were met by pickup and scout
vehicles. The former, a Jeep Cherokee, was subsequently stopped and
found to contain three bundles of marijuana. The driver, L.W.-N.,
was arrested; the passenger, F.V.-R. fled,
but was soon apprehended. The occupants of the scout vehicle - J.S.
and J.L.S. - were also arrested. Both vehicles were
seized. The estimated value of the marijuana has been placed at
$175,200.
[Submitted by Bruce Malloy, Chief Ranger]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (WV)
GS-5/7/9 Park Ranger
The park is currently advertising for a commissioned park ranger with strong interest in resource law enforcement. Primary duties include continued patrol of the non-developed portions of the park to detect and investigate boundary encroachments, ARPA violations, or other illegal activities. This is a enhanced annuity retirement system position and the person selected must pass a background investigation, drug screening, and a medical examination before appointment. The vacancy is being advertised at the GS-0025-5, GS-0025-7, and GS-0025-9 grade levels under announcement number NPS-HAFE-03-03. The park is encouraging rangers at all three grade levels to apply, including current non-commissioned employees with appropriate educational backgrounds. You never know who the competition may be, and for those employees without a clear career ladder this may be the opportunity you've been looking for. The announcement closes on January 29. There is currently one vacancy, but the announcement may be used to fill subsequent vacancies, should they occur. Occupancy of government housing is required for the current vacancy. You can obtain the job announcement at www.usajobs.opm.gov or by calling 304-535-6044. Questions concerning the duties, housing, or operational issues related to the position may be directed to supervisory park ranger Todd Roeder at 304-535-6746.
[Submitted by Scot McElveen, Chief Ranger]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.