National Parks Gallery - Park News

Illegal Dumping Arrest - Suitland Parkway

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:15 -0600

While on patrol of Suitland Parkway on Wednesday, May 2nd, USPP officer Mark Mason saw a commercial dump truck on NPS property. Mason contacted the operator and discovered that he’d just dumped over four cubic yards of soil in the park. The crime scene was documented by the Park Police identification unit. The operator was arrested and charged with CFR violations for dumping without a permit, dumping refuse from a vehicle, and operating a commercial vehicle without a permit. The truck...

Injured Man Rescued From Ponca Wilderness - Buffalo National River

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:15 -0600

On Thursday, April 24th, eight members of a boating group attempted to hike out of the Ponca Wilderness after they wrapped three canoes and a raft around trees on the Buffalo River during a period of high water. Just before 2 p.m., Jeff Cox, a member of the group, slipped on a steep scree slope and injured his ankle. Another member of the group ran down the Buffalo River trail to the Steel Creek campground for help. The campground host in turn notified rangers by radio. After interviewing the...

Young Boy Drowns In Buffalo River - Buffalo National River

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:15 -0600

On the afternoon of May 4th, Lori Davenport, her seven-year-old son Will, and a friend were floating the Buffalo River below Erbie when their canoe hit a rock and capsized. The canoe then got pinned under a tree, commonly referred to as a strainer. Will Davenport was unable to get out of the canoe in time and was trapped. Other canoeists reported the incident to the Newton County Sheriff’s Department, which dispatched emergency personnel. The canoe was eventually released by using a c...

In the Line of Duty: National Police Week 2008

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:14 -0600

Police Week 2008 will be held from May 11th through May 17th this year. During this period, the National Park Service and the United States Park Police will honor the memory of NPS protection rangers and law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Their names are etched in granite at the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial in Washington, D.C. Many parks have begun their own traditions of honoring our fallen during this week through special exhibits or remembra...

2008 Harry Yount Award Conferred

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:13 -0600

Gary Moses of Glacier National Park in Montana is this year’s recipient of the Harry Yount National Park Ranger Award for excellence in the field of “rangering.” Director Bomar presented Moses with the peer-nominated award at a Washington, D.C., ceremony on May 7th. Named after the 19th century outdoorsman generally credited as being the first park ranger, the prestigious Yount Award is presented annually by the NPS and made possible by the National Park Foundation through a gene...

Man’s Body Found In Remote Section Of Park - North Cascades National Park

Wed, 07 May 2008 06:00:11 -0600

On May 2nd, a park trail crew found a man’s remains on the East Bank trail in the Ross Lake portion of the park, about 24 miles from Canada and eight miles from the Highway 20 trailhead. It’s not known which way he was heading, but a Canadian phone card was found on his body along with some herbal supplements. The victim was of Asian origin and about 30 years old. Cotton clothing and an estimate that one to two months had elapsed since his death suggest that he may have succumbed to ...

Teenager Drowns, Two More Hospitalized - Big Thicket National Preserve

Wed, 07 May 2008 06:00:11 -0600

Four teenagers and a 20 year-old man were playing in the Neches River at the Lakeview Day Use Area on the afternoon of Saturday, May 3rd, when one of them – a 15 year-old male – drowned. The five were wading on a sandbar in the river, but ventured out too far and found themselves in over their heads. The teens who were not good swimmers panicked and quickly exhausted themselves trying to swim to shore. The adult male managed to save a 17 year-old female and tried to save her younger bro...

Coastal Stewardship Partnership Established - Gateway National Recreation Area

Wed, 07 May 2008 06:00:10 -0600

The National Park Service has formed a unique informal partnership with the temples and civic organizations of the local New York City Hindu community to develop a program to support religious and cultural activities, protect the local ecology, and provide environmental education. This might sound like a complicated undertaking, but the ranger behind this project, John Zuzworski, knows that the benefits of this type of collaboration are well worth the effort. "It's great to...

Park Truck Driver’s Quick Actions Avert Tragedy - Olympic National Park

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:12 -0600

A park dump truck laden with sand lost its brakes last Friday morning on the grade down Mount Angeles Road heading into Port Angeles. It crossed Park Avenue and Lauridsen Boulevard, passing school children waiting to cross the street, then turned onto its side at Night Street, skidding for a block before coming to a stop just short of the Eighth Street intersection. Witnesses praised driver Paul Duce for slowing the truck down as much as he could be dumping its load to reduce weight and low...

Burglary Suspect Caught After Running Out Of Gas In Park - Natchez Trace Parkway

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:11 -0600

On the morning of Wednesday, April 30th, supervisory park ranger Patrick Shell came upon a white Dodge pickup parked on the west side of the parkway with its hazard lights on. The truck was also hauling several new, large appliances, and this type of hauling is prohibited on the parkway. As Shell stopped to investigate, the chief of a local police department arrived on scene along with the driver, identified as John Avery, 37, of Shubuta, Mississippi. The chief told Shell that he’d contacte...

Conviction For Lewd Behavior Leads To Lifetime Park Ban - Canaveral National Seashore

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:11 -0600

On January 19th, a ranger on patrol in a beach area frequented by nudists came upon a naked man engaged in lewd behavior with beachgoers no more than 75 yards away and in the direction in which he was walking. While citing the man – identified as Jon Freiden – for disorderly conduct (36 CFR 2.34), she found that Freiden had been cited twice before for the same offence – once in 2005, then again in 2006. Her citation therefore called for a mandatory appearance before a federal magistrate...

Company To Pay $9 Million In Damages To Park - Rocky Mountain National Park

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:10 -0600

The NPS and Justice Department yesterday announced that Water Supply and Storage Company (WSSC), a mutual ditch company and the owner and operator of the Grand River Ditch, has agreed to pay $9 million for damages to natural resources within Rocky Mountain National Park caused by a May 30, 2003, breach of the Grand River Ditch. The proceeds from the settlement will be used to restore areas in the park that were damaged by the breach. This is the largest natural resource da...

New Park Area Featured At Battle Anniversary - Fort Pulaski National Monument

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:10 -0600

On the weekend of April 12th and 13th, large crowds witnessed the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Pulaski. Members of six living history groups were on hand to commemorate the landmark battle. Fought on April 10-11, 1862, the battle featured the first significant use of rifled artillery in combat. Park staff and volunteers portrayed members of both the Confederate garrison at Fort Pulaski and Union troops besieging the fort from Tybee Island. Confederate acti...

Renovated Panther Junction Visitor Center Opens at Big Bend

Mon, 05 May 2008 18:00:14 -0600

Newly Expanded and Renovated Panther Junction
Visitor Center Opens at Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park dedicated the newly expanded and renovated Panther Junction Visitor Center, located at the park’s main headquarters in Panther Junction, on May 1^st at 3:00 PM. About 250 people ranging from school-aged to long-time Big Bend advocates were on hand to help celebrate.

The renovation boasts a complete face-lift and expansion o...

Ray Martinez To Retire In June - Big Thicket National Preserve

Mon, 05 May 2008 18:00:13 -0600

Ray Martinez, Facility Manager at Big Thicket National Preserve, will be retiring on June 2, after 30 years of NPS service. Ray began his NPS career in 1978 as a seasonal motor vehicle operator at Grand Canyon. He received his permanent status at Big Thicket in 1980 as a maintenance work leader, then transferred back to Grand Canyon as an equipment operator. In 1986 he moved back to Big Thicket as a work leader, and remained for 22 years, promoting to foreman, then finally facility manager....

Renovated Panther Junction VC Opens At Big Bend

Tue, 06 May 2008 12:00:23 -0600

Big Bend National Park dedicated the newly expanded and renovated Panther Junction Visitor Center, located at the park’s main headquarters in Panther Junction, on the afternoon of May 1st. About 250 people ranging from school-aged to long-time Big Bend advocates were on hand to help celebrate.

The renovation boasts a complete face-lift and expansion of the visitor center, new handicap accessible comfort stations, new hands-on interpretive exhibits, and a much larger, improved book...

Missing Hiker Found Near Kaweah River - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:00:15 -0600

On the afternoon of Thursday, May 1st, the park received a report that a 21-year-old man had gotten separated from his group while on an extended trip in the park wilderness and was missing. The Sierra Institute, an extension of Humboldt State University, was conducting a seven-day-long wilderness skills course in the Redwood Meadow area of Sequoia National Park. On the afternoon of April 30th, Matthew Gleason became separated from his group. The other members of the group conducted a s...

Pedestrian Struck By Two Vehicles And Killed - Suitland Parkway

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:00:15 -0600

A pedestrian was fatally struck on Suitland Parkway west of Naylor Road in Temple Hills, Maryland, around 10:15 p.m. on Friday, May 2nd. Eric Bell, 24, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, was first hit by an SUV in the parkway’s westbound lanes, then by another SUV in the eastbound lanes. The driver of the first vehicle stopped, but the latter fled. Park Police detectives and members of the crash reconstruction team investigated. The parkway was closed in both directions for about four hours.

Burns Documentary On NPS Previewed At Interior

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:00:14 -0600

Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns recently delighted an NPS audience with a sneak preview of his upcoming series about national parks. Burns and co-producer Dayton Duncan shared background stories and 40 minutes of footage from the six episode, 12 hour miniseries, which is scheduled to air on PBS in September, 2009. Secretary Kempthorne and Director Bomar joined about 150 NPS employees in the Department of the Interior building auditorium for the special showing. Burns had stro...

Weekly Legislative Activities Report

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:00:14 -0600

The Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs puts out weekly reports on hearings, new legislation and other activities on the Hill. The following is the May 2nd summary. In order to obtain the full text of any of the bills that appear below, click on the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/ . That will take you to Thomas, the Library of Congress legislative tracking system. Enter the bill number in the “Search Bill Text” block, being su...

Lift Every Voice and Speak! Jazz and Poetry Event - Brown V Board Of Education National Historic Site

Fri, 02 May 2008 18:00:14 -0600

On April 19th, the orientation gallery at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site was transformed into the “Down Beat Jazz Club” for a night of music and spoken word. The event, “Lift Every Voice and Speak!,” featured music by the Jazz Disciples and original poetry by spoken word artists Glenn North, Shavonne “Queen” Standifer, Kynana “Yep” Ramsey, Taylor Brown and Robert Brown. The Jazz Disciples are an outstanding group out of

David Vela Selected as Southeast Regional Director

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:25 -0600

For Immediate Release: May 02, 2008

Sue Masica Selected as Alaska Regional Director

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:25 -0600

For Immediate Release: May 02, 2008

Man Sentenced For Assaulting Ranger - American Memorial Park

Fri, 02 May 2008 06:00:13 -0600

Prisco Ongrung was sentenced to 90 days in jail and a year’s supervised release earlier this week for assaulting a ranger at the Outer Cove Marina last September. On September 12th, Ongrung struck Sam Martinsen in the head, causing injury, when Martinen attempted to cite him for speeding. Martinsen was on patrol in the marina when he saw a pickup driven by Ongrung, who he’d warned several times in the past for driving without a license. This time, Ongrung was speeding, so Martinsen pulled...

Agreement Reached On ORV Beach Access - Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Fri, 02 May 2008 06:00:12 -0600

The National Park Service announced yesterday that a settlement has been reached that will protect nesting areas for piping plovers and other species and allow recreational opportunities for visitors to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. A consent decree was filed on April 16th in US District Court whereby the parties involved in the lawsuit to regulate beach driving along Cape Hatteras National Seashore (the federal government, environmental organizations, local counties, and recreatio...