NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Monday, August 26, 2013
INCIDENTS
Shenandoah NP
Three Ginseng Poaching Cases Solved
Rangers have been involved in a number of ginseng poaching investigations over the past month.
Intelligence gathered from last season's ginseng investigations led rangers to believe that this year would be active based on above average rainfall amounts and the fact that surrounding public land agencies discontinued the issuance of ginseng permits in four states.
Three cases have been solved in the last two weeks alone. This year's investigations include one in which 131 roots were discovered.
[Brian L. Sikes, Chief Ranger]
Big Cypress NP
Suicide Victim Found In Backcountry Parking Lot
Ranger Jared Barber came upon a vehicle parked in a backcountry access area parking lot along I-75 last Friday and determined from inquiries of other rangers that it'd been there for at least three days.
Further investigation and communication with family members pointed toward the probability of a suicide.
Rangers and Florida Highway Patrol officers searched the area and located the body nearby. The man, identified as a 39-year-old resident of Fairfax, Virginia, had died of a single gunshot wound to the head. The death has been ruled a probable suicide.
A joint investigation is ongoing by the park and the Collier County Sheriff's Department.
[Rob Leonard, Supervisory Park Ranger]
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/):
National Mall and Memorial Parks - On Saturday, the National Mall and Memorial Parks coordinated with the National Action Network and a number of other non-profit organizations to support an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington.
Daily Almanac - The remnants of Tropical Storm Ivo will bring heavy rains and flooding to much of the Southwest. Severe weather is possible across the northern Great Plains and through the Great Lakes region.
Office of Communications - Director Jarvis will host a national web chat today in honor of Founders' Day. Please join in to talk about what's happening across the Service.
Women's Rights NHP - President Obama visited the park last Thursday and presented a copy of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 along with an annotated copy of his remarks at the law's signing ceremony.
Intermountain Regional Office - Intermountain Region's Office of Indian Affairs and American Culture partnered with the WASO American Indian Liaison Office to host the first ever DOI-wide applied Indian law training course in early July.
Lake Mead NRA - Jennifer Haley has been selected as the park's chief of resource management. She assumed her new duties yesterday.
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights - The daily national fire summary is posted around 8 a.m. EDT each day and can be found at either of the links above. Today's edition will feature updates on fires in Yellowstone and Yosemite.
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The Morning Report is produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).
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