NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, August 27, 2010

INCIDENTS

Katmai NP&P

Still No Sign Of Plane In Sixth Day Of Search

Low morning clouds around King Salmon slowed the launch of search efforts on Wednesday. By midday, clouds had cleared and search efforts were again underway, but rescuers again found no sign of the missing plane or its pilot or passengers. To date, a total of 17,500 miles have been flown by incident searchers, covering an estimated 10,000 square miles of ground area. Thursday's efforts were to again follow a grid pattern. By flying in a north to south pattern and focusing on high priority areas, rescuers hope to have “new eyes” on the search area. The US Coast Guard continues to search the coast and the Civil Air Patrol is working on the northern search areas. For additional details, including photos and maps, go to the park's HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/katm/parknews/newsreleases.htm" web page. [Morgan Warthin, Kathleen Kavalok]

Death Valley NP

Restaurant Suffers Serious Damage In Fire

Park personnel responded to a report of a structural fire in the Stovepipe Wells Village around 2 a.m. on Thursday, August 26th. They found that the rear part of a kitchen area and an employee dining area were fully engulfed in flame. The building is a government-owned, concession-operated restaurant. A van adjacent to the building had already burned completely. Concessioner and Beatty volunteer firefighters helped knock down the blaze. There were two minor injuries to non-government firefighters. Initial investigation indicates that fire may have started in the van, which contained chemicals used in fire suppression that can become flammable under pressure. The building suffered extensive structural damage but is being considered a save. It was being inspected at the time of the report to determine the extent of the damage. [Aaron Shandor, Acting Chief Ranger]

Yosemite NP

Marijuana Plantation Raided, Two Arrested

With information obtained from a joint investigation with the Forest Service and the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, Yosemite National Park rangers raided a large marijuana cultivation site in El Portal early on the morning of August 24th and seized 3,657 plants. The site was on land in both Yosemite National Park and the Sierra National Forest. The park worked with Mariposa County Sheriff's Office deputies and detectives, an officer from Mariposa County Probation, and park rangers from Point Reyes National Seashore. The total estimated worth of the seized marijuana is $14.6 million. Two Mexican nationals, both in the United States illegally, were taken into custody while working the cultivation site during the raid. One of the men was armed with a loaded .45 caliber pistol concealed under his clothing. Both were wearing camouflage clothing at the time of their arrest. The marijuana plants growing in the site ranged in size from one plot of young, one-foot-tall plants, to a mature plot that was in the process of being harvested, with plants ranging from five- to ten-feet tall. In addition to seizing the 3,657 plants, several pounds of processed marijuana ready to be moved out of the site were also confiscated. The growing site suffered extensive resource damage, including damage to the native vegetation and landscape. Hose lines, fertilizers, trash and human waste were found throughout the area. The operation concluded safely with only a few minor injuries to officers.

Both suspects are currently in custody awaiting charges. [Kari Cobb, Public Affairs Officer]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Yellowstone NP - Old Faithful Geyser erupted as if on cue as the keynote speaker wrapped up his remarks Wednesday at the dedication of the new Visitor Education Center at Old Faithful.

Upcoming Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation. Added to this week's calendar are the following 25 new entries - seven maintenance and preservation courses in California, nine FLETC training programs at its centers in Glynco, Charleston and Artesia, three new Fundamentals II classes at Albright, and six nationwide webcasts.

NPS incident submission standards can be found online at the HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504" serious incident notification web page.

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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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