Virgin Islands National Park (VI)
Illegal Immigrants Arrested
Rangers and Virgin Islands Police Department officers arrested 17
undocumented aliens from Caribbean Nations including French Guiana, the
Dominican Republic and Haiti on the morning of Wednesday, March 17th.
Dozens more escaped apprehension by fleeing into the thick vegetation
nearby. Rangers transported the 17 arrested in an NPS vessel to St
Thomas, where custody was transferred to Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) for processing. Due to the continuing
instability in Haiti, the park and its resources continue to be impacted
by the influx of fleeing Haitians. There are usually 30 to 50
undocumented aliens in each group that arrives by boat. Without the
presence of Border Patrol agents, rangers are the only federal law
enforcement presence on the border and are therefore responsible for
apprehending these undocumented aliens.
[Submitted by Steve Clark,
Chief Ranger]
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (KY,TN)
Recovery of Stolen Trailer
Rangers found themselves in a real "pickle' on the morning of Monday,
March 15th. A call came in from the local sheriff's office, reporting
that a tractor-trailer was stuck along Leatherwood Road, a not uncommon
occurrence. But this time there was a difference — the tractor was
gone, leaving only a trailer full of cucumbers in the roadway. No tags
or other identifying marks were on the trailer. A local wrecker service
removed it and rangers began an investigation into the origin of the
trailer. They finally found the owner of the rig, which had been stolen
from a truck stop during the previous weekend. The crime was solved with
assistance from the Tennessee vehicle enforcement division.
[Submitted by Frank Graham, Chief Ranger]
Colorado National Monument (CO)
Teenager Rescued After Fall
On the afternoon of March 14th, B.A., 19, of Grand Junction, Colorado, was hiking and rock scrambling with three friends in the Devils Kitchen area when he slipped near a cliff edge and fell about 40 feet. His companions called 911 by cell phone and ranger Joel Barnett and the Grand Junction Fire Department rescue team responded. B.A. was stabilized, packaged, moved to a helispot, and airlifted to St. Mary's hospital. He was initially listed in critical condition with two broken vertebrae, fractures in his right arm, wrist, and hand, and numerous other contusions and lacerations. His condition has since been upgraded to stable.
FIRE MANAGEMENT
Kings Mountain National Military Park (SC)
Long Branch Prescribed Burn (Prescribed Fire Treatment)
Kings Mountain National Military Park conducted its first of four prescribed burns for the 2004 season on March 11. The 60-acre Long Branch Burn was a Wildland Urban Interface burn designed to reduce hazard fuels along a section of the park's southeast boundary. Other goals for the burn were reduction of mid-story density and increasing native grass habitat.
The burn area was one of many areas impacted by the southern pine beetle. Mechanical reduction on 19 of the 60 acres was completed in 2003 to reduce the intense 100 and 1000 hour fuel load. (full report)
Acreage: 60 Acres
Estimated containment date: March 12, 2004[Submitted by Chris Revels, chris_revels@nps.gov, 864-936-7921]
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (CA)
Power Tower Prescribed Burn (Wildland-Urban Interface Fire,Prescribed Fire Treatment)
The Power Tower prescribed burn was successfully completed on March 13, 2004. A total of 450 acres were burned along the east boundary of the park. The Power Tower burn is a strategic line of defense that reduced hazardous fuels in the recreation area and will help to protect nearby communties from devastating wildfire. (full report)
Estimated containment date: March 13, 2004
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.