NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

INCIDENTS

Petersburg NB

Live Civil War Artillery Shell Found And Removed

On March 24th, a visitor to the battlefield reported finding an object resembling a cannonball and led park staff to the location, where they determined that the object was a Civil War artillery shell. The park implemented its unexploded ordnance policy and contacted the Virginia State Police bomb squad. They removed the round to a remote area outside the park and rendered it safe. The shell will be placed in the park museum collection and information about its location will be documented for further research. Specifics on the location have been withheld from the public to deter relic hunters. The park curator identified the ordnance as a Confederate twelve-pounder shell, possibly a Napoleon round, the most commonly used artillery projectile during the Civil War. It also could have been fired from a twelve-pounder howitzer. Both smoothbore cannon could fire this round, filled with black powder, as far as three quarters of a mile. The shell should have exploded before hitting the ground. This ordnance was discovered almost a year to the day from when the last artillery round, an eight-inch mortar shell, was found in the park. [Jimmy Blankenship, Historian]

Lassen Volcanic NP

Rangers Pursue And Cite Three Snowmobilers In Wilderness Area

Rangers responded to a call last Saturday from a park volunteer ski patroller who observed illegal snowmobile use in the park's wilderness. Rangers swept access points on the park's northern boundary and located an unattended vehicle with a snowmobile trailer parked in an area directly adjacent to the boundary. Snowmobile tracks were observed leading south from the trailer. Rangers also swept the southern boundary and responded on park snowmobiles, riding approximately 20 miles north in an attempt to locate and apprehend the renegade riders. Ski patrollers radioed in descriptions of the snowmobiles several times and reported that the three riders had high-marked several peaks in the wilderness. A CHP helicopter responded to help locate and track the snowmobiles. Several hours later, three riders matching eyewitness descriptions rode out to the vehicle and trailer and were met by rangers. The riders were identified as A.P. of Fall River Mills and An.P. and T.P. from Eureka. All three men were issued mandatory appearance citations for using a snowmobile in an area not designated for use (36 CFR 2.18(c)). Possible resource damage is being assessed by rangers. [Tim Havens, Park Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

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

Fire and Aviation Management - A remembrance of Rick Gale, career NPS ranger and retired chief of fire operations, who died last Friday. It includes details on a remembrance ceremony this coming Friday and on other matters, including where to send condolences.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2284" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2284

Thaddeus Kosciuszko NM - Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Philadelphia has opened a new permanent exhibit to celebrate the life and legacy of this hero of two continents.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7499" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7499

Natural Resource Program Center - The theme for International Migratory Bird Day, which takes place this year on May 9th, is "Celebrating Birds in Culture."

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7500" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7500

Fire and Aviation Management - More than 70 fire program management assistants and budget analysts attended the second annual FPMA workshop during the first week of March.

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7489" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7489

Obed W&SR - Philip Campbell will retire after almost forty years with the National Park Service on April 1st. Phil has spent the last five-and-a-half years serving as the unit manager of Obed Wild and Scenic River.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2283" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2283

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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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