Park News October 6,2008

Yosemite National Park

On October 1st, a hiker contacted the Mono County Sheriff’s Department and showed officers a pilot’s license and about $1,000 in cash that he’d found scattered on the ground while hiking in the Inyo National Forest near Devils Post Pile NM. The license belonged to Steve Fossett, the noted American businessman and adventurer who disappeared just over a year ago while flying a Bellanca Super Decathalon airplane from a private airstrip just over the border in Nevada. The discovery sparked resurgence in the search for Fossett, who had intended on taking only a short flight in the Decathalon and had not filed any flight plan. A huge search had been conducted for him, but no trace of his aircraft was found and the search was eventually suspended. Yosemite was asked to provide mutual aid assistance in the search for the plane, and ranger Matt Stark located the crash site from the park’s Helicopter 551 around 6 p.m. The landing zone providing access to the accident site was in alpine terrain at over 10,200 feet, limiting the type of helicopter that could safely operate there. On October 2nd and 3rd, the National Park Service again supplied Helicopter 551 and personnel for the recovery operation. Park staff helped the Madera County Sheriff’s Department with the recovery of Fossett’s remains and assisted the NTSB investigator. They also helped Inyo National Forest personnel with the removal and cleanup of the accident site, which is in a designated wilderness.

 

National Historic Landmarks

The Kate Chopin House, named for the legendary feminist writer who lived there during the 1880s, burned to the ground in an early morning fire on October 1st. The structure, located in Cloutierville, Louisiana, was designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of Interior in 1993. The cause of the fire has not been determined. For a news article with additional details, click on the link below.



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Mammoth Cave National Park

On September 15th, an Edmonson County deputy sheriff requested back up from Mammoth Cave rangers in dealing with an armed man who’d been involved in a domestic dispute. Deputy Shane Doyle responded to the call and encountered 24-year-old Christopher Nowak, who’d assaulted his grandmother. Nowak was intoxicated and was waving a knife around. Doyle drew his gun and ordered Nowak to drop the knife, but Nowak refused and continued to walk around, waving it in the air. Ranger Peter Zahrt then arrived at the scene and told Nowak to drop the knife or he would receive a taser shock. Nowak continued to disobey commands to drop the knife, so Zahrt fired the taser at him. Nowak immediately fell to the ground and Doyle moved in to secure the knife and handcuff him. Nowak was transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment of self-inflicted knife wounds, then taken to the Grayson County Correctional Center.  Doyle later said that he would have used deadly force to stop Nowak if Zahrt hadn’t used his taser.

 

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

Rangers and members of the park’s volunteer climbing ranger team recovered the body of a 21-year-old man at the base of Chasm View overlook on Friday, September 19th. He’d been reported missing on Tuesday, and rangers found his car at the overlook after receiving an “attempt to locate” message from the local sheriff’s office. Rangers spotted what appeared to be a body at the base of the overlook, an observation that was confirmed by members of a hasty search team who hiked into the canyon that afternoon. A recovery team entered the canyon and prepared the body for extraction via helicopter long-line. Investigators determined that he’d fallen about 1800 feet. A forensic autopsy was conducted and the medical examiner has ruled the death a suicide.

 

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

On the afternoon of October 3rd, Patrick Tieken, 19, of Bullhead City, Arizona, dove into Lake Mohave from a boat near Rams Head Cove but failed to resurface. The park received a report of the accident around 3:30 p.m. and rangers were on-scene within an hour. Divers from Bullhead City FD found his body in about 70 feet of water two hours later. He was not wearing a life jacket and is presumed to have drowned.

 

United States Park Police

Pilot officer Laura Johnson retired from the United States Park Police on August 9th following 23 years of dedicated service. 

Johnson began her career with the U.S. Park Police on August 4, 1985. After graduating from the academy, she worked as a patrol officer in the Central District, covering the National Mall and surrounding parks.  During this time, she attended George Washington University to complete her paramedic certification. 

In 1990, she was reassigned to the Aviation Unit as a rescue technician.  Soon after, in 1991, she departed for 10 months of pilot training at Fort Rucker, Alabama.  After graduating, she returned and continued her pilot training in the unit. 

In 1996, Johnson became the first female pilot for the United States Park Police.  During her time in the Aviation Unit, she received awards and recognitions for her performance and participated in numerous rescues and missions. 

Johnson is a member of the Whirly Girls (International Women Helicopter Pilots), an organization dedicated to the advancement of women in helicopter aviation through scholarships, networking, and opportunities. 

She retired to spend more time with her family – her husband, retired sergeant Paul Johnson, her stepson Dean, and her son Kyle. 

A retirement party is planned on October 8th to celebrate Laura’s career with the United States Park Police.

 

Andersonville National Historic Site

Long time park chief of maintenance Jimmie Harris has retired from federal service. He served as maintenance supervisor at Andersonville from 1990 on and in the same capacity at the Jimmy Carter Site for 17 years. He leaves with 40 years of federal service. 

Jimmie served in the Navy as a ships serviceman soon after graduating from D. F. Douglass High School in Macon County, Georgia. He served aboard the USS Wilkinson (DL-5). 

Upon leaving the Navy, he went to work at Andersonville not long after the park was transferred from the Department of the Army to the National Park Service.  He started as a laborer and his main duties were digging graves by hand in the national cemetery. 

Thanks to his wide variety of skills and strong work ethic, he rose through the ranks and became the chief of maintenance in 1990.  During the 1990s, he played a pivotal role in the development of both parks. This included the establishment of the Carter site, restoration of Plains High School, restoration of the Plains depot, and the development of the boyhood farm.  At Andersonville, he helped to coordinate the construction of the National POW Museum and bring it into operational status.

As a long term employee, Jimmie possessed vast knowledge about many features and facilities in the park.  Any park employee could ask, “When was that built or how deep is that pipe?” and Jimmie had the answer.  He will be missed also as a good friend. 

Jimmie and his wife of 39 years, Annie Marie, will retire to their home in Montezuma, Georgia, where they are active in the Piney Grove Baptist Church and community work. 

 

Stephen T. Mather Training Center

Stephen T. Mather Training Center is recruiting to fill a permanent training manager position for the career fields of administration and business practices, concessions, information management, legislative affairs and public affairs. The person in this position oversees the development and delivery of training programs in each of these career fields and will work extensively with other Servicewide training professionals and subject matter experts within these career fields to implement elements of the Learning and Development Division’s initiatives defined in the “Learning and Development Report to the National Leadership Council” (July, 2008). For further information, click on the link below.



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Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Dates: 09/30/2008 - 10/12/2008

The park has an opening for a GS-7/9 budget analyst. The USA Jobs announcement is AT191404 and can be obtained by clicking on the link below.

This an advanced trainee position in which the person selected will receive training and developmental experience for higher level duties as a budget analyst. 

Chattahoochee River NRA is located within the metro Atlanta counties of Forsyth, Gwinnett, Fulton and Cobb. The park consists of a beautiful greenway with over 50 miles of trails, rich in natural and human history located on the outskirts north of Atlanta. The river is usually clear, cold, and slow-moving with the best trout fishery in the southeastern US. Flora and fauna abound along the river with frequent sightings of white tail deer, osprey, beaver, otter, muskrat, mink, raccoons, and much more. The state record brown trout weighing over 18 pounds came from the Chattahoochee and rainbows in the 16 to 20 inch range are common.

The Atlanta Metropolitan Area is a great place to live and work. Known for its greenery, this thriving metropolis offers a temperate climate with an average mean temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit. The area offers both cultural (the Atlanta Symphony, the High Museum of Art, the Georgia Aquarium) and recreational opportunities which are plentiful, including professional major league sports teams ranging from baseball, football, basketball and soccer. Nearby lakes offer boating, skiing and fishing. National and state parks, national forests, and national wildlife refuges are within easy driving distance for weekend getaways. Complete medical, dental and shopping services, along with excellent educational opportunities readily available. A wide range of housing exists and rentals are available at a variety of rates.



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