NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Friday, June 19, 2015
INCIDENTS
Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs
Bear Injures Sleeping Camper
A park visitor stopped at the Ash Mountain Entrance Station in Sequoia National Park early on Wednesday morning to report an incident involving a bear and a camper at Potwisha Campground.
According to reports, a bear nudged a man in a sleeping bag and woke him up at a campsite there around 6:30 a.m. The bear then stepped on the man, who ran away. The bear followed him, then turned around to grab the man's sleeping bag and drag it to the edge of the campsite. Other campers said that they banged pots and pans to scare the bear away.
The 25-year-old California man sustained minor injuries - lacerations to his back and a puncture wound. He declined further medical care by park staff.
Currently, park personnel are trying to locate the bear. Notices have been posted and campers contacted at Potwisha and Buckeye Flat campgrounds. Campground patrols have been increased. The incident is under investigation.
[Dana M. Dierkes, Public Affairs Specialist]
Niobrara NSR
Rangers Locate Sexual Assault Suspect
On the last Saturday in May, a mutual aid request to all local law enforcement agencies was issued by the City of Valentine, asking assistance in locating a man suspected of committing a sexual assault. Officers from Cherry County, the City of Valentine, and Nebraska Highway Patrol had been searching unsuccessfully for the man for almost two hours.
Rangers Andrew Branum, Cody Lloyd, and Mike Denson were returning from a river patrol and overheard the request. They quickly located the man in a residential area, took him into custody without incident, and handed him over to local authorities.
Niobrara rangers frequently work together with state and county officers in providing law enforcement assistance throughout the river corridor, where most of the land is in private ownership. These partnerships are crucial to carrying out the National Park Service's mission in this very remote section of northern Nebraska.
[James Dahlstrom, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers):
Fire and Aviation Management - The National Park Service is either the lead agency or a collaborator on five of the ten projects that have been awarded $10 million in funding for the Wildland Fire Resilient Landscapes Program, a new approach to achieving fire resiliency goals across landscapes.
Archeology Program - The Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate has announced the winners of the 2015 John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in National Park Service Archeology.
Alaska Region - In Alaska, NPS employees employ the Anchorage Pridefest as the single largest regional event to participate in a proud NPS tradition of the documentation and interpretation of LGBT civil rights history.
Klondike Goldrush NHP - Ben Hayes has been selected as the new chief of interpretation and education for Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. He comes to the park from the National Mall and Memorial Parks.
Denver Service Center - Margaret A. Lemke, contracting officer with DSC's Contracting Services Division, has announced that she will retire on July 3rd following 20 years of federal service.
Servicewide Training Calendar - The following have been added to this week's calendar - two NEPA webinars on blending compliance laws and cumulative impact analyses, a webinar on the NPS and global science, a class at Mather on facilitation skills for trainers, and a series of webinars and online training courses on improving organizational, meeting and presentation skills.
To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites:
NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index
Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/
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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