NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, November 20, 2009

INCIDENTS

Blue Ridge Parkway

Rangers Save Life In Attempted Suicide

On the evening of Friday, November 13th, ranger Dustin Gunderson came upon a vehicle that appeared to be abandoned near the Lump Overlook on the parkway. Gunderson checked on the registered owner and learned that the family of the 27-year-old man believed that he might have harmed himself. A search was conducted and he was found a little after noon on Saturday about 100 yards down a steep and rugged embankment. He appeared to have overdosed on unknown types of pills and was semi-conscious and unresponsive. Ranger Colin Fisher provided immediate care until he could be flown to Baptist Hospital, where he was treated and is expected to make a full recovery. Personnel from Wilkes County Emergency Management and Wilkes County Volunteer Fire Departments assisted in the search efforts. [Bruce Gagnon, Supervisory Ranger]

Great Smoky Mountains NP

Man Apprehended In Bull Elk Poaching Case

Charges are pending against a Granville County, North Carolina, man who is a suspected of shooting a bull elk inside the park. Rangers found the carcass of bull #21 lying along the edge of one of the pastures in the Cataloochee area on the morning of November 13th. The animal was believed to have been shot and was taken to the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy. That report is pending. An investigation was begun immediately by rangers, an NPS special agent, and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officers. A vehicle description lead them to a man who subsequently confessed to the offence. The park is working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to develop the case. [Bob Miller, Public Affairs Officer]

OTHER NEWS

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

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS - On November 14th, the National Archives for Black Women's History held a reception to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Bethune Museum and Archives, the predecessor to the current Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS.

Environmental Leadership and Sustainability - In late October, San Francisco Maritime hosted a Climate Friendly Parks workshop for five other parks, including the Presidio, Devils Postpile, Point Reyes, John Muir/Eugene O'Neil/Rosie the Riveter, and Pinnacles.

NPS Alumni - The Partnering Anthropology with Science and Technology (PAST) Foundation has presented retired NPS archeologist Dr. Douglas Scott with its Innovation Award in recognition of a lifetime of innovative leadership.

Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by the NPS and its partners across the nation. Added to this week's listing are a course on retrofitting for accessibility at Lake Mead, another half dozen monthly Commercial Services “chats,” and seven new FLETC-sponsored backcountry tracking and tactics courses this coming spring.

Events Calendar - A calendar of upcoming NPS-related events from around the National Park System. Included are the upcoming Ranger Rendezvous, this year's National Christmas Tree lighting on December 3rd, which will be broadcast nationwide on PBS and online, and a Christmas event at Booker T. Washington.

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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