NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

INCIDENTS

President's Park

Park Police Manage Large White House Demonstration

On Friday, February 20th, Park Police officers were assigned to a large demonstration in President's Park. This demonstration involved participants from two groups concerned with issues in Sri Lanka. Both groups received permits to demonstrate on the Ellipse and in front of the north side of the White House. With conditions unstable in Sri Lanka at the time of the demonstration, including military action between both parties near Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo, the Park Police recognized the need to allow all parties to exercise their rights while preventing passions from disrupting the peaceful event. A significant force commitment of SWAT teams, mounted officers, intelligence officers, and uniformed patrol officers was able to guarantee that all parties desiring to express their viewpoints were able to do so safely. No arrests or significant incidents occurred during this event. This operations was supported by personnel from the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department, who handled activities related to the event that occurred off National Park Service jurisdiction, and by staff from the Secret Service and the District of Columbia Fire Department. [Sgt. David Schlosser, US Park Police]

Golden Gate NRA

Victim Of Fall From Mori Point Cliffs Recovered

The park received a request for assistance from Pacifica Police Department on the afternoon of February 18th. A hiker had spotted a body floating in the water below the coastal cliffs at Mori Point and contacted police. Unsure of the jurisdiction in the area, a Pacifica police captain called the park. Mori Point trails have become very popular with the public due to improvements made on them and the impressive views of the Pacific Ocean along them. Four field rangers and a supervisor responded along with a Park Police detective. Supervisory ranger Pat Norton was IC and coordinated the recovery efforts. Indications were that the victim had fallen from the cliffs and had suffered severe head trauma. The body was packaged by rangers and extricated with the assistance of a California Highway Patrol helicopter. It was determined that the victim was not within NPS jurisdiction, so Pacifica PD will investigate. [Kim Coast, Operations Supervisor]

OTHER NEWS

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

George Washington Memorial Parkway - Nine World War II Marine Corps veterans who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima - two of them directly in the fight for Mount Suribachi - participated in a flag raising ceremony with active duty Marines at the United States Marine Corps War Memorial on the 64th anniversary of that event.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7378" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7378

Southeast Regional Office - Due to a power failure that knocked out the HVAC, fire and emergency systems and elevators in the Rich Building, Southeast Regional Office will be closed today.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7388" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7388

Harpers Ferry Center - Harpers Ferry Center recently completed two new exhibits in relatively small spaces. See how Great Falls Park tells multiple stories in their visitor center, and how Edgar Allan Poe NHS explores “The Many Sides of Genius.”

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7379" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7379

WASO Public Affairs - The recipients of the 2008 Director's Awards for Natural Resource Stewardship have been named. The awards will be presented at the George Wright Society meeting in Oregon in March.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PressReleases&id=852" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PressReleases&id=852

Yosemite NP - Bill Delaney, chief of project management at Yosemite, retired on January 31st after more than 30 years with the National Park Service.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2251" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2251

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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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