Crater Lake National Park (OR)
Assault and Robbery of Concession Employee
On the afternoon of December 2nd, rangers responded to a report of an
unconscious person with head trauma outside the Mazama Village
concession employee dormitory. They provided EMS treatment and
transported the victim, a 40-year-old male concession employee, to an
area hospital. Investigation revealed that he was on duty and
transferring concession cash register receipts from the Rim Village
cafeteria to an office for storage when he was struck from behind and
knocked unconscious. The bank bag he was carrying was then stolen.
Although it's not yet certain how much money was in the bag, it's
believed that the total came to several thousand dollars. The employee
was released from the hospital later that night; he'd suffered a
concussion, a cracked thoracic vertebra and facial lacerations and
contusions. NPS special agents and rangers are continuing the
investigation; SA Eric Inman is the lead investigator.
[Submitted
by David Brennan, Chief Ranger]
Big Cypress National Preserve (FL)
Berry Poaching
Rangers investigated nine separate incidents of saw palmetto berry
poaching during the month of September and the first week of October.
These cases involved a total of 42 suspects and resulted in the
confiscation of 3,494 pounds of berries. The suspects were typically
Hispanic migrant farm workers who were paid anywhere from $.50 to $1.00
per pound for the berries by wholesale buyers. Investigators identified
a number of buyers at a farmers market in Immokalee, Florida, about 35
miles from the park. Migrants are supposed to pick the berries on
private property with permission of the owner, and the buyers insist
they have no control over where the pickers find the berries. In an
effort to prevent further depredations, rangers met with the local
Collier County Sheriff's Office commander and made contact with all
wholesale buyers at the farmers market. Each was provided with a map of
the park and advised in Spanish that both the park and the nearby
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State Forest,
and Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve are off-limits to collecting.
Press releases will also be prepared and sent out to Hispanic media in
the area, timed for publication just prior to the next harvest season.
The saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is endemic to the southeastern
United States and is both ecologically and economically important. The
plant occurs as under story in poorly-drained pine flatwoods,
well-drained scrubby flatwoods and in sand pine scrub. The berries,
while in season, are a major source of food for black bears and other
animals. For centuries, the aborigines of Florida used the berries as a
staple food item and as a healing herb. In 1898, doctor Edwin Hale
published a book titled Saw Palmetto in which he described the
medicinal value of the plant for relief of prostate gland swelling and
various aphrodisiac qualities. Today it is reputed to be the leading
seller of natural prostate remedies. [Submitted by Ed Clark, Chief
Ranger]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Fire and Aviation Management
Memorandum: "National Fire Plan Website Success Stories - New Submission Guidelines and Quarterly Deadlines"
Memorandum
To: Regional Directors
Attention: Regional Fire Management Officers
From: Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection
Subject: National Fire Plan Website Success Stories - New
Submission Guidelines and Quarterly Deadlines
Please see the attached memorandum dated October 27, 2004, from Nina Hatfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary — Business Management and Wildland Fire, highlighting the newly redesigned and more informative website for the National Fire Plan, still located at www.fireplan.gov. This memorandum also outlines a new quarterly submission schedule and format requirements for the Success Stories section of this interagency website.
Nancy Guerrero in the Department of the Interior's Office of Wildland Fire Coordination is working with agency representatives at the National Interagency Fire Center to coordinate and compile agency submissions. As noted in the attachment, the National Park Service contact is Roberta D'Amico, Fire Communications and Education Program Lead, who is located at the NPS Fire Management Program Center (FMPC) in Boise, Idaho. She can be reached at 208-387-5230 or via e-mail at: Roberta_D'Amico@nps.gov.
In order to meet the immediate deadline, the FMPC will reformat and repackage Fire Stories recently received from your respective regions.
Information and additional details about the "roll-up" of the coordinated Success Stories from each region will be forthcoming and will be discussed with the Regional Fire Management Officers at the December Fire Management Leadership Board meeting. Regions will be requested to assign a point of contact to review, compile, and properly format the representative park and regional Success Stories for submission to the FMPC on a quarterly basis. The quarterly deadlines will be as follows: March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15.
I encourage you to submit Success Stories for this critical website. This is an excellent opportunity to spotlight our successes and recognize our collaborative efforts in the National Park Service Wildand Fire Management arena.
Attachment cc: Associate Regional Directors, Operations
Regional Fire Management Officers
FMPC Program Leads
Edy Williams-Rhodes
Sue Vap
Roberta D'Amico
Tina Boehle
[Submitted by Roberta D'Amico, roberta_d'amico@nps.gov, 208-387-5875] 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 Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.