NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, February 9, 2009

INCIDENTS

Southeast/Midwest Regions

Parks Rebound From Ice Storm

The three parks most affected by last month's big ice storm - Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHS, Buffalo NR and Mammoth Cave NP - have all made substantial progress in efforts to return to normal operations, but all report continuing closures and ongoing recovery operations. Here's how things currently stand:

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHS - The park, which is scheduled to host a Lincoln bicentennial event this week, is slowly recovering from the storm. Electrical and telephone service have been restored and limited visitor services resumed last Friday. Visitors have access to the main parking lot, the visitor center, and the memorial building in the Birthplace Unit. The Knob Creek Unit, picnic area, all unpaved trails, and most park lawns will remain closed until debris is removed and safety considerations are addressed. A regional incident assessment team traveled to the park last Friday to assess and document damage.

Buffalo NR - The ice storm left roads blocked and utilities out across Buffalo National River, which is located in northern Arkansas. A Type 3 incident management team set up an incident command post at park headquarters and responded to the storm in conjunction with the Office of Emergency Management and the Forest Service. After insuring that all persons residing in park housing and in campgrounds were accounted for and safe, work began to clear roads and repair the radio repeaters upon which the park depends for communications. Many areas remain closed or access is restricted due to ice on north-facing slopes, downed utility lines, and fallen trees and branches. Most damage occurred at higher elevations, leaving the 135-mile-long river corridor in reasonably good condition. The CCC cabins and pavilion at Buffalo Point sustained significant damage from falling debris. Although the park is not officially closed, no services are currently available and it is uncertain at this time when they will be restored. Power has been restored to the park headquarters in Harrison. The Tyler Bend Visitor Center remains open in spite of the outages there.

Mammoth Cave - Recovery operations continue. Cave City Road reopened to the public on Friday afternoon along with Mammoth Cave Parkway, Brownsville Road, and Cedar Sink Road. All regularly scheduled cave tours are again available, and all services have been restored to Mammoth Cave Hotel. Crews were to shift their focus to Green River Ferry Road-North this weekend, with the goal of opening it within next few days.

[Jeff West, Buffalo; Vickie Carson, Mammoth Cave; Keith Pruitt, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace]

Grand Canyon NP

Victims Of Probable Murder-Suicide Identified

The two bodies discovered in a residential trailer park within the park last Thursday morning have been identified as L."M.".G., 82, and S.G., 73, both from Grand Canyon, Arizona. Rangers responded to a 911 call early that morning and found the two bodies inside the couple's mobile home. Initial investigations indicate that the two likely died as a result of a murder-suicide. An investigation is being conducted by the National Park Service with support from an FBI evidence response team. [Maureen Oltrogge, Public Affairs Officer]

Valley Forge NHP

Man Sentenced For Armed Assault On Rangers

D.M. was sentenced on February 5th for an attack on two rangers that occurred in the park in the summer of 2007. A federal magistrate sentenced him to 72 months in prison without parole for the armed assault on rangers Duane Buck and John Waterman. D.M. will also serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his six year sentence. D.M. was contacted on June 23, 2007 for being in a closed area. Further checks on him revealed an outstanding warrant for a previous DUI conviction. When the rangers were about to arrest him, D.M. pulled out a .44 caliber handgun and threatened them. [Gregg Tinkham, Supervisory Park Ranger]

Blue Ridge Parkway

Suicide Victim Found On Parkway

On the morning of February 4th, park dispatch received a report that the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office was attempting to locate a suicidal man who'd called 911 and reported that he was at a parkway overlook and intended to kill himself. While en route, rangers were advised that deputies had found the body of the 56-year-old man near milepost 45 on the parkway. He'd evidently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The county is leading the investigation; rangers are assisting. [Kurt W. Speers, Ridge District Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service. Five new bills have been introduced on matters of interest to the NPS, and a hearing has been set on a bill to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7334" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7334

Intermountain Region - Three projects in three regions have been selected for support in 2009 through the Park NAGPRA internship program.

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7333" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7333

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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363

Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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