Gettysburg National Military Park (PA)
Hit and Run Shatters Historic Cannon Carriage
A civil war cannon carriage on the Gettysburg battlefield was
shattered in the early morning hours of October 18th in a hit-and-run
accident that also damaged 80 feet of historic fence near the Peach
Orchard along Emmitsburg Road. Ranger Randy Phiel responded after police
from Cumberland Township noticed the damage and contacted the park at
about 2 a.m. A license plate found at the scene led Phiel to the
residence of Charles R. Kelly in nearby Emmitsburg, Maryland. Kelly was
charged with unsafe operation of a vehicle, failing to report an
accident, and damage to resources. In addition to fines of up to $175,
the National Park Service will seek damages to pay for the cost of
repairs. The cannon marks the position of Battery E of the 1st Rhode
Island Light Artillery along the Union battle line on July 2, 1863. The
cast iron cannon carriage was placed on the field by the War Department
in the 1890s during the early years of the park. Repairs are impossible.
The park estimates that a new carriage will cost between $10,000 and up
to $13,000, if replaced in cast aluminum or iron. The artillery piece
itself, a bronze Napoleon that weighs 1,239 pounds, was not damaged, nor
was the monument to Battery E and a second cannon and carriage. The park
estimates a cost of $2,592 to repair 80 feet of historic ornamental
plank fence.
[Submitted by Katie Lawhon, Public Affairs]
Padre Island National Seashore (TX)
Drug and Weapons Seizure
Rangers stopped an SUV for a traffic violation on the evening of
September 28th while in the midst of an interagency drug interdiction
operation and discovered that it contained two compressed bricks of
marijuana, weighing scales, a loaded shotgun and a baggie of what are
believed to be hallucinogenic mushrooms. Two men from the Rio Grande
Valley, ages 19 and 20, were arrested. Their vehicle has also been
seized and is being considered for asset forfeiture. [Randy Larson,
Chief Ranger]
[Submitted by Randy Larson, Chief Ranger]
Lincoln Home National Historic Site (IL)
Arson Threat
On the evening of October 21st, Springfield PD dispatch called ranger
Pete Swisher and advised him of a call that had been received at the
county jail which contained a threat to burn down Lincoln Home. The
dispatcher added that police felt that this might be a homeland security
incident, so had also advised the FBI. Swisher and a city officer
searched the building, but found nothing suspicious. The site was placed
under round-the-clock protection for 48 hours, at which point a decision
would be made on subsequent actions.
[Submitted by Richard Lusardi,
Superintendent; Kathy DeHart, Chief of Operations]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (CA)
Impacts of California Fires on Park
As reported in the media, numerous wildland fires are currently burning in southern California. Two fires in particular have affected Santa Monica Mountains NRA:
- Corral Fire — The fire was started by arcing power lines in Malibu on Sunday. Approximately 20 acres in size, it was contained within six hours of its ignition. NPS employees were evacuated from their residences in the Solstice Canyon area of the park for the duration of the containment effort. Although it was within the legislated boundaries of the park, the fire occurred on private land adjacent to Solstice Canyon.
- Simi Fire — The fire, which began last Friday, was probably human-caused. It had burned 80,000 acres as of yesterday morning and was only 5% contained. Park property is threatened but not directly impacted at this time. Park employees are working closely with the incident command team and the unified commanders, of which there are four. Cheeseboro Canyon is closed to the public as a precaution, but impacts on other park operations are minimal. This fire continues to threaten thousands of homes west of Los Angeles in Ventura County. Media interest is very high, as this fire offers a potential to directly impact Los Angeles itself. Governor-elect Schwarzenegger visited the incident command post today, obtaining a detailed briefing of the suppression efforts and greeting firefighters.
[Submitted by Marty O'Toole, Fire Information Specialist]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Office of International Affairs
Host Park Needed for Chilean Park Rangers
The NPS Office of International Affairs is looking for a park or combination of parks to host three experienced park rangers from Chile for 2-3 weeks in November or December. Under the international agreement between the NPS and Chile's park service (CONAF), Chile has sent a group of rangers up to the U.S. for training once a year for the last couple of years. Previous NPS sites involved in this program include Organ Pipe Cactus NM, Amistad NRA, and Lyndon Johnson NHP.
We are looking for a park or perhaps combination of parks that would be willing to house these rangers and provide them the opportunity to see how a NPS site functions. As the CONAF rangers are true generalist rangers in the old tradition--with responsibilities that include law enforcement, SAR, fire management, interpretation, and wildlife management, among others--they would most appreciate and benefit from a broad exposure to NPS operations.
The main caveat is that the CONAF rangers do not speak much English. They need a park where someone would be available to spend a considerable amount of time with them as translators.
Under our agreement, CONAF pays for the transportation to the NPS site, for all food costs and for most of the housing costs. If a park were able to provide free or inexpensive housing, that would be a great help.
If your park is interested, please contact Jonathan Putnam of OIA as soon as possible. Phone number: 202-354-1809. Email: Jonathan_Putnam@nps.gov[Submitted by Jonathan Putnam, Jonathan_Putnam@nps.gov, 202-354-1809] More Information...
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.