NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, March 19, 2009

INCIDENTS

Everglades NP

Cuban Migrant Landings Continue In Park

Early on March 13th, rangers were notified that the US Coast Guard had received a report of migrants landing on Cape Sable. A ranger on the water and a Coast Guard helicopter soon confirmed that 26 migrants were on East Cape. Responding rangers also noticed a suspicious vessel being pulled from the Flamingo Bay Marina at the time of the report. They detained the two people onboard after determining that neither one was the owner of the vessel and that their explanations of their activities conflicted. Eight rangers in four patrol vessels responded to East Cape and picked up the migrants. There were nine men, eleven women and six children, ranging in ages from two to thirteen years old. The migrants claimed that they came over in an 18-foot plywood boat with a Russian-made engine that they sank off the Capes, then swam to shore. Investigation showed no signs of a sunken vessel or debris. The migrants were transported to Flamingo, where Border Patrol officers took custody of them and the two suspects. Recent intelligence reports indicate that this section of the park may see an increase in human smuggling activity as anti-smuggling operations have increased in other areas of Florida. A similar event occurred last June. The case remains open, with the Border Patrol investigating. [Cynthia Morris, Flamingo Park Ranger]

Natchez Trace Parkway

Falling Death From Parkway Bridge Deemed Probable Suicide

Rangers, with assistance from Williamson County Sheriff's Department officers, are investigating an apparent suicide that took place from the park's Highway 96 bridge in Tennessee. The body of W.B., 60, was found last Sunday below the bridge and adjacent to Highway 96. It's believed that he jumped from the 155-foot-high bridge late on Sunday morning. [Allen Etheridge, Chief Ranger]

Hot Springs NP

Man Killed In Motor Vehicle Accident

A car heading east on Coy Street along the park's boundary went off the road and struck a large park oak tree on the evening of March 7th. Hot Springs police and EMS personnel were first on scene. The investigation and autopsy revealed that the 46-year-old male driver died of blunt force trauma. There were no passengers in the vehicle. The crash occurred at a relatively low speed, under 40 mph. [Dennis Stock, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

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

Environmental Quality Division - Tammy Whittington has been selected as the new chief of the National Park Service's Environmental Quality Division, effective March 15th.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2268" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2268

Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP - Mary Anne Carlton will retire after over thirty-five years with the National Park Service on March 31st.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2269" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2269

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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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