Blue Ridge Parkway
On-Going Homicide Investigation
On the evening of Sunday, March 28th, ranger John Anthony found
partial human remains along a section of the parkway near Asheville. The
scene was secured until an interagency investigation could be begun the
following day. Additional human remains were found at several other
sites along the parkway and in Henderson County. The victim has been
identified as 49-year-old D.G. The investigation continues.
[Submitted by Jeff Trudrun, Telecommunications Supervisor]
Padre Island National Seashore (TX)
Smuggling Interdiction Incidents
Rangers were involved in two smuggling incidents in March and early April. On the evening of March 16th, the Coast Guard spotted a shark boat heading north from Mexico into the Gulf of Mexico. It eventually turned west on a course to land in the park, so rangers made preparations to meet it when it came ashore. As the vessel approached the park, however, the operator became aware that the Coast Guard was following and people onboard began throwing bales over the side. The boat was eventually stopped about three miles offshore. Five Mexican and five Chinese nationals were arrested and the boat was seized. About 485 pounds of marijuana washed ashore over the next few days and was impounded. Two weeks later, during the early morning hours of April 2nd, a park ranger and Coast Guard law enforcement officers conducting an interagency drug interdiction operation came upon a shark boat that had landed at the mile 34 marker. Several people were offloading bales of marijuana from the vessel and carrying them into the dunes to be buried. The shark boat fled when detected and could not be interdicted prior to its return to Mexico. An intensive search was conducted throughout the day for two people seen fleeing into the dunes, but no one was found in the heavy vegetation. Twenty seven bales of marijuana weighing a total of 1,419 pounds were seized. [Submitted by Randy Larson, Chief Ranger]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Pursuit of Stolen Vehicle
Ranger Mike Clarke attempted to stop a vehicle on the parkway on
March 27th, but the driver declined to pull over and a pursuit ensued.
It ended when Clarke chased the vehicle down a dead-end road. The driver
bailed out and fled on foot into the forest, but the male juvenile
passenger surrendered. Investigation revealed that the vehicle had
recently been stolen in Asheville. Dog teams from the Haywood County SO
and Asheville PD were brought in to search for the driver. Forest
Service and state wildlife officers also assisted in the search. The
driver was not found, but warrants have been issued for his
arrest.
[Submitted by Jeff Trudrun, Telecommunications
Supervisor]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide Training
Operations Training Opportunities
Operations Training Calendar
This calendar appears intermittently on Mondays as an addendum to the Morning Report and a separate entry for InsideNPS. It is not meant to be replace the Learning Place; rather it is a quick summary of available training with links (as available) to relevant Learning Place pages. Please note:
New and revised entries are in bold face.
Submissions for other training courses should conform to the style used here.
Please include the URL to the web sites where readers can obtain the requisite forms and/or find out additional information about the training course. If a URL is not specifically listed, the announcement can likely be found on the Learning Place, the NPS training page found at http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc.
Closing dates for applications are underscored.
**********************************************************************************************
April
April 13 — April 23: NPS Certified Driver Operator, Glen Canyon NRA, UT. This 80-hour class is designed to provide persons participating in National Park Service structure fire suppression with technical information and primary skills essential for safe operation and proper maintenance of a fire apparatus. From this course, students will have the knowledge and take home material, instructions and documents for delivering safe driving techniques and required inspection testing and maintenance of fire apparatus. Emphasis is hands-on training of pumping skills critical to the support of personnel assigned to fire control functions. Personnel will become proficient in troubleshooting, hydraulics, drafting and multiple line pumping evolutions. This will be supported with technical literature and training manuals. After successful completion of this course the individual will be certified to drive, pump and maintain structure fire apparatus for the NPS. For more information, contact Lisa Ford at 928-608-6250 or Hal Spencer at 202-513-7124. [Hal Spencer, NIFC]
April 19 — April 23: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Colorado Springs, CO. For more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
April 27 — 29: Basic EMT Refresher, Zion NP, UT. The staff from Mercy Air in Las Vegas will be teaching the course. For more information, contact Cody Cole, 435-772-0163/0178. [Cody Cole]
May
May 10 — May 14: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Prescott, AZ. For more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
May 11 — May 13: Archeological Resource Investigations, Missoula, MT. Tuition is $300. Closes on April 9th. To register, contact Martin McAllister at 406-728-7195 or at ari@bigsky.net . For further information, contact SA Clyde Yee at 303-969-2862 or via email. [Clyde Yee, IMRO]
May 12 — September 4: National Park Ranger Basic Law Enforcement Training (NPRI-406), FLETC, Glynco, GA. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
May 17 — May 28: Physical Security (PSTP-406), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 14th. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
May 18 — May 27: Internet Investigations (IITP-403), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 16th. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
May 24 — May 28: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Redmond, OR. For more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
May 25 — July 29: Criminal Investigator Training (CITP-413Y), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 21st. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
June
June 7 — June 11: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Missoula, MT. For more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
June 14 — June 18: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Boise, ID. For more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
June 8 — June 17: Basic Law Enforcement Supervisors (BLESTP-405), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on May 1st. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
June 8 — June 11: Instructor Techniques for Non-Lethal Training Ammunition (ITNTA-403), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on May 1st. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
June 21 — July 2: Criminal Investigation in an Automated Environment (CIAETP-404), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on May 12th. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Office of Public Affairs
Superintendent John Hale Retires
Superintendent John Hale, National Capital Parks-East,
retired March 1, 2004 after more than 37 years of federal service, 24 of
which were spent at the National Park Service. While at National Capital
Parks-East, Hale led the management of more than 8,000 acres of Federal
parkland that included more than 14 National Park Service units and such
historically significant sites as the Frederick Douglass National
Historic Site and the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National
Historic Site. In addition, Hale managed the Capital Hill Parks,
including many small city parks with statuary, the Civil War Defenses of
Washington, Fort Washington Park, Piscataway Park, Marshall Hall, Oxon
Cove Park, Anacostia Park, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens,
Greenbelt Park; two Federal parkways, the Baltimore Washington Parkway
and the Suitland Parkway. Two of Hale's significant accomplishments as
superintendent were the cleanup of the Anacostia Marina and the
initiation of a 99-year ground lease agreement between Building Bridges
Across the River, the National Park Service and the D.C. Department of
Recreation for 16 acres of land in Ward 8 to construct THEARC Project a
performing arts and recreation center. Other partnerships formed by Hale
included the Friends of Ft. Dupont, a management arm for the Fort Dupont
Ice Skating Rink, the Friends of Twining Square for the beautification
of the square on Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E. He worked with the Capital
Hill community to improve facilities at all Capital Hill parks. Hale
formed a partnership with Discovery Creek Children's Museum of
Washington to open a full-range environmental education center at
Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. The center gives students a
year-round after school educational program that encourages
environmental stewardship. The National Park Service extends its best
wishes to former Superintendent Hale and his family for good health and
success in the future. Deputy Superintendent Gayle Hazelwood is Acting
Superintendent until further notice. She can be reached at (202)
690-5191.
Social Science Program
Scientific Aide Position at University of Idaho
The University of Idaho Park Studies Unit in the Department of Resource Recreation and Tourism manages the National Park Service (NPS) Visitor Services Project (VSP), a federally funded national-level project that conducts visitor satisfaction surveys in units of the National Park System. The position of "Scientific Aide Senior" is currently avaiable. The VSP operates under the NPS Social Science Program and has conducted over 150 visitor studies since 1988. Under the direction of the VSP Manager, the Scientific Aide Senior is responsible for conducting workshops with park staff, preparing questionnaires and sampling plans for the review by the Office of Management and Budget, organizing and supervising field work including training interviewers, analyzing data, preparing final reports, and conducting public workshops with park staff and local communities.
Other duties include ongoing project planning, data management, report writing, development of training materials, and other tasks.
For further information, contact: Margaret Littlejohn, NPS Visitor Services Project by telephone at (208) 885-7863 or by email at littlej@uidaho.edu; or Brian Forist, NPS Social Science Program by telephone at (202) 513-7190 or by email at brian_forist@partner.nps.gov.
Information on the Visitor Services Project is avaiable on the VSP Web site at http://www.psu.uidaho.edu. The Scientific Aide Senior vacancy announcement can be viewed at http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/UI-C04-033.pdf.
[Submitted by Brian Forist, brian_forist@partner.nps.gov, (202) 513-7190] 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.