Appalachian National Scenic Trail (CT,GA,MA,MD,ME,NC,NH,NJ,NY,PA,TN,VA,VT,WV)
Remains of Murderer Found
Skeletal remains were found on NPS lands near the Appalachian Trail
two miles south of Delaware Water Gap NRA on Monday, November 24th. A
man was searching for his lost dog when he found the remains about 500
feet from the trail and near the Kirkridge shelter. Investigators
suspected that they were the remains of C.D., who had been missing
since he killed his wife with a hammer on May 31, 1988. His wrecked car
had been found about a half mile from the point where the remains were
discovered, but he had not been seen since that date. It took some time
for DNA tests to be completed to determine the identity of the victim.
The county coroner worked with a forensic anthropologist to match DNA
from the remains with one of C.D.'s surviving brothers. The two samples
had the same DNA sequence. C.D., who was 65 at the time of his death,
was a decorated World War II veteran who was among just a handful of
survivors from the infamous "Malmedy Massacre" that occurred during the
Battle of the Bulge in 1944. He had reportedly been treated for medical
and emotional problems at VA hospitals shortly before his wife was
killed. His case has been profiled on the television program "America's
Most Wanted."
[Submitted by Robert Gray, Chief Ranger, with media
reports]
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (AZ)
Several Border Incidents
Several significant incidents occurred within the park during the last days of 2003:
- December 27th — Border Patrol officers advised rangers that a dark-colored, four-door sedan had turned rapidly around and headed south on the highway a quarter mile south of the Border Patrol checkpoint. The vehicle passed ranger cruisers at a high rate of speed. The rangers attempted to stop it, and a pursuit ensued with speeds in excess of 100 mph. The driver ran numerous cars and motorhomes off the road and successfully fled back into Mexico. It's believed that the driver had been transporting illegal aliens and had dropped them off just south of the checkpoint.
- December 27th — Officers at the Lukeville port of entry asked the park to bring its dog down to search a vehicle. The dog alerted to the back seat of the vehicle and pulled out a zip lock bag full of pills — 396 Soma tablets and 356 valium tablets. The owner had no prescription for these drugs. He was arrested and the vehicle was impounded. Soma is a strong muscle relaxant that is commonly used for illicit purposes.
- December 28th — Rangers tracked a group of suspected drug backpackers about five miles across the park's backcountry north of North Puerto Blanco Drive near Dripping Springs. Three men were taken into custody at gunpoint; six others fled on foot. A cell phone was confiscated along with seven packs with a total of 343 pounds of marijuana.
- December 30th — E.M., 76, of Ajo, Arizona, was killed in a two-vehicle accident on Highway 85. E.M. was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by her husband. It was headed northbound on the highway when it ran into the rear of a vehicle that had been stopped by a traffic flagger in a construction zone. Rangers and Ajo Ambulance personnel responded immediately, but the severity of E.M.'s injuries precluded any attempts at effective resuscitation. Her husband was not injured. Another passenger was treated at the scene and transported by ambulance. The second vehicle sustained only minor damage.
[Submitted by Fred Patton, Chief Ranger; Bo Stone and Julie Kovacs, Park Rangers]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Alaska Region
Compendium Comment Period Open
Dates: 01/05/2004 - 02/15/2004
The annual public comment period for the written compilation of designations, permit requirements and other openings and restrictions in Alaska's national parks is now open through February 15th.
A collection of management tools, called the compendium, is created for each national park unit in Alaska and is part of the park-related regulations which help provide for the enjoyment, use and protection of national parks.
Many of the federal regulations governing actions in national park units have discretionary authority given to the National Park Service. The compendium is a written compilation of all designations, closures, permit requirements and other restrictions imposed under that discretionary authority found in the Code of Federal. For example, one regulation states, "The superintendent may designate a portion of a park area, or all or a portion of a building, structure or facility as closed to smoking when necessary to protect park resources, reduce the risk of fire, or prevent conflicts among visitor use activities." Specific designations are placed into the park's compendium.
Public involvement improves the compendium process by giving the National Park Service the opportunity to be responsive to people's ideas and concerns, to involve the public cooperatively in generating alternatives and to educate park users about the compendium. Park compendiums are reviewed and updated at least annually, although in some cases no changes are proposed.
Due to the anticipated volume of comments, it will not be possible to respond to each correspondent individually. After March 15, comments will be addressed in a preamble to each park's final compendium.
The park compendiums can be obtained from each park or viewed as .pdf files on-line at www.nps.gov/akso/compendium. Comments will be accepted by mail or e-mail between January 1st and February 15th. Written comments can be address to the specific parks. Email comments can be addressed through the compendium web page. Comments are welcome at any time in addition to this timeframe, but comments received after February 15th will be considered in future revisions.
[Submitted by John Quinley, john_quinley@nps.gov, 907-644-3512]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Pacific West Region
Cindy Orlando Named New Superintendent of Hawaii Volcanoes NP
Cynthia "Cindy" Orlando, a 33—year veteran with the National Park Service (NPS), has been named superintendent of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Orlando succeeds Jim Martin who retires this month.
Orlando is Chief of Concessions for the NPS and located in Washington, DC, where she leads a national program that oversees 630 concession operations in 125 parks that gross over $800 million in revenue to concessioners and $40 million to the NPS. She also has provided assistance on concessions policy and operations to national park systems in Venezuela and Argentina.
She will move to Volcano by March 2004.
"Cindy's diverse background is tailor-made for Hawaii Volcanoes," said NPS regional director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "She has good listening skills, a background in anthropology and archeology, as well as policy development in visitor services and concessions management."
She is no stranger to the islands, having gone to Leilehua High School in Wahiawa and to the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.
"I regard the opportunity to serve at a park in Hawaii as a pinnacle of my career," Orlando said. "I feel an emotional and cultural attachment to this special place and look forward to meeting and, learning from and working with all the accomplished and talented staff, park friends, and partners on the many resource and visitor use issues. Most importantly, I look forward to representing the National Park Service, serving the people of Hawaii and the millions of visitors to this important park."
Orlando was superintendent at the Lewis and Clark winter encampment at Fort Clatsop National Memorial, Oregon. In this capacity she completed a general management plan for the park which sought a boundary adjustment, established the first resource management program, oversaw the development of a new maintenance facility and visitor center, and positioned the park as a key site for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebration.
She also was superintendent at Ebeys Landing National Historic Reserve, Washington. She was a ranger and a management assistant at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, where she assisted in the planning of the First World Conference on Cultural Parks. She has worked on policy level issues in the San Francisco and Seattle offices of the NPS in the Finance and Cultural Resources divisions.
She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in anthropology and archeology. She also completed the Women's Executive Leadership Program with the Federal Government.
[Submitted by Holly Bundock, holly_bundock@nps.gov, 510-817-1320]
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.