NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

INCIDENTS

Buffalo NR

Couple Arrested By Rangers Linked To Numerous Burglaries

Ranger Karl Sommerhauser contacted a fisherman in a remote area on Buffalo National River known as Crow Hole on the afternoon of August 22nd. During the contact, he noticed that the fisherman's camping area had a lot of trash strewn about. While talking with the fisherman's girlfriend about the litter, Sommerhauser noticed a marijuana grinder through the open flap of their tent. Ultimately, during a consent search, he discovered drugs and drug paraphernalia. Rangers Kelly Charbonneau and Ken Nelson came in to assist. The rangers located a large number of personal items in various containers at the camp and determined that the pair were residing at the site because they had nowhere else to go. The items discovered appeared to belong to many different people. While checking on the pair with the local sheriff's office, staff at the Midwest Regional Ozark Communications Center learned that the pair were suspects in several burglaries in Boone County. The man was arrested on an outstanding state warrant and the woman was arrested on drug charges. Local investigators provided valuable information during the course of the incident. They believe that the evidence discovered by rangers will result in closing as many as sixteen local residential and commercial burglaries. [Jeff West, Law Enforcement Specialist]

Lake Roosevelt NRA

Man Paralyzed From The Neck Down In Diving Accident

A park visitor was seriously injured in a diving accident on the shores of Lake Roosevelt around midday on August 13th. R.Y., 21, of Spokane, Washington, was playing a game with two friends which involved them running full speed from shore and diving out to try and reach their boat, which was anchored approximately 15 feet from shore. Two of R.Y.'s friends had made the dive before R.Y. tried it. When it was his turn, he ran and dove into the water and went straight to the bottom just a couple of feet from shore. There were no rocks or other obstructions underwater in the area. When R.Y. resurfaced, he was face down and unconscious. R.Y.'s friends at first thought he was playing a joke, but they soon realized the seriousness of what happened. Suspecting he suffered a broken neck, they quickly took him to shore, called 911, and performed CPR until rangers and local EMS personnel arrived on scene. Medstar paramedics took over care and transported him to a trauma center in Spokane. R.Y.'s friends had recently been recertified in CPR and life-saving skills. Alcohol was being consumed prior to the incident. R.Y. remains hospitalized and is paralyzed from the neck down due to his injuries. [Adam Kelsey, Acting Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

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

Yosemite NP - Jeff Maurer, a wildlife biologist at Yosemite National Park, died on Sunday, August 30th, after falling from the Third Pillar, a technical rock climbing route on Mount Dana. Photo.

Blue Ridge Parkway - Since November of 2007, four separate landslides have plagued the Blue Ridge Parkway motor road, creating travel challenges for visitors due to road closures and lengthy detours. Repairs are underway or have been completed on all of them.

Office of Public Affairs - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced that the federal government has reached agreement with all of the landowners for all properties needed for the construction of the Flight 93 Memorial in western Pennsylvania.

Risk Management Division - A draft of DO 50C, setting forth the policies and procedures for the Service's risk management program, is now out for review. Comments are due by September 24th.

To see these and other stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter): NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index ; non-NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/

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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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