San Juan National Historic Site (PR)
ARPA Conviction Sentencing
On January 30, J.F., 57, of Callahan, Florida, was sentenced
in federal court following his previous conviction for stealing
artifacts from Castillo de San Felipe Del Morro (or El Morro), a 16th
century fort located in the park. J.F. was sentenced to three years'
probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,061.89,
with minimum payments of $50 per month. He was also ordered to pay $200
in special assessments. El Morro is considered one of the world's most
important cultural sites and was designated a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1983. J.F. was hired as a contractor to clean vegetation
away from the fort in 1995. He entered a little-known passageway, where
he found a number of artifacts, some dating back 400 or more years.
J.F. removed several of them, including bullets and a lead bar with
carved inscriptions on one side. He returned to Florida with the stolen
artifacts and sold the lead bar to co-defendant Danny Macon for $1,000
in 2000. J.F. later counseled Macon on how to access the site to find
more artifacts and helped Macon arrange a trip back to Puerto Rico to
steal some of them. On June 7, 2000, J.F. and Macon broke into the
fort after park hours and attempted to locate artifacts. Macon was
arrested by FBI agents on January 14 and remains in custody in Tampa
awaiting further court proceedings on a six-count criminal indictment,
including three ARPA violations, theft of government property, malicious
mischief and forfeiture. This is a very important case because it's the
first conviction for a violation of ARPA at a World Heritage Site in the
United States. The case was investigated by ranger/LES Eric Lugo and NPS
archeologist Margo Schwardon and prosecuted by AUSA Carlos Martinez
(Puerto Rico) and AUSA Kathleen O'Malley (Jacksonville, Florida).
Additional assistance was provided by the US Postal Inspection Service
and FBI.
[Submitted by Office of the US Attorney, Middle District of
Florida]
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Fatal Rollover Accident into Little River
A vehicle was reported overturned and submerged in the Little
River about three-and-a-half miles east of the Townsend Wye just before
11 p.m. on Sunday, February 2. Rangers and rescuers from three fire and
rescue agencies responded and found a 1991 Ford Escort completely
underwater and unstable due to the current and rocky bottom. Rescue
workers got to the Escort and secured it by rappelling down and
attaching a tow cable from a wrecker. They found C.C., 66, of
Virginia Beach, Virginia, inside. He was flown by helicopter to the
University of Tennessee Hospital, where he was pronounced DOA.
Investigators are trying to determine whether C.C. died from drowning
or from injuries sustained in the crash. Jack Piepenbring was IC; Scot
Kalna and Michael Nash are the investigating rangers.
[Submitted by
Jack Ramsden, Communications Center]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Fire and Aviation Management
Memorandum: "Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations 2003"
January 31, 2003
Memorandum
To: Regional Directors
Attention: Superintendents
From: Deputy Director A. Durand Jones /s/ A. Durand Jones
Subject: Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations 2003
In 2002, the Federal Fire and Aviation Leadership Council chartered a task group to annually revise, publish and distribute the federal Interagency Fire and Fire Aviation Operations handbook.
For the first time, the National Park Service has joined in this interagency effort to meet specific action items from the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy of 1995 and 2001, particularly related to improvement of the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of interagency fire and fire aviation operations.
The Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations 2003 states, references, or supplements policy for the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, and the National Park Service fire and fire aviation management. Agency specific exceptions are identified in the text.
Specifically for the National Park Service, the Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations 2003 supplements RM-18 Wildland Fire Management and RM-60 Aviation, and is to be used as agency policy guidance.
For additional copies, contact your Regional Fire Management Officer. For further information, contact your Regional Fire Management Officer, or Sue Vap at 208/387-5225, or Paul Broyles at 208/387-5226.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Natchez Trace Parkway (AL,MS,TN)
GS-11 District Ranger
The park has an opening for a GS-11 district ranger in its Kosciusko District. The park is a 444-mile-long scenic byway that stretches from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. The person selected will have supervisory responsibility for all law enforcement, resource protection, and public safety activities in the 104-mile-long district. The town of Kosciusko, Mississippi, has a population of 7,000 and provides all basic services; Jackson, the state capital, is 70 miles to the south. The announcement number is listed on USA Jobs as NATR-0301 and it closes February 14. For more information, please contact chief ranger Mike Anderson at 662-680-4014.
[Submitted by Jackie Henman, Assistant 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.