access to the WWII Memorial during the Government shutdown (National Park Service)

Hi Chris & Carol,

This request was sent to me while I was furloughed. So it is not
considered to have been received until today. Based on the subject of the
request, it appears NCR would be the most likely to have responsive
records. Please let me know if it turns out that we need to have the
Director's Office or other WASO offices search for responsive records.

I've cc'd the requester so they know who I've routed their request to.
You'll still need to send a formal acknowledgement letter with the
tracking number and estimated response date.

Thanks,

C.
____________________
Ms. Charis Wilson, MLS, CRM
NPS FOIA Officer
12795 W. Alameda Parkway
PO Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287
303-969-2959
Fax: 303-969-2557
1-855-NPS-FOIA

"What we find changes who we become." - Peter Morville

"The historian works with records...there is no substitute for records: no
records, no history." - Paraphrasing Langlois & Seignobos (1903)

"Let us be guardians, not gardeners" - Unknown, From 1963 Living Wilderness
editorial - Attributed to Adolph Murie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 2, 2013 at 3:23 PM
Subject: Freedom of Information Request: access to the WWII Memorial during
the Government shutdown (National Park Service)
To: Charis_Wilson@nps.gov

October 2, 2013
National Park Service
Charis Wilson
12795 W. Alameda Parkway
P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request
the following records:

All legal opinions in October 2013 relating to the Honor Flights or access
to the WWII Memorial during the Government shutdown.

For context, please see the following from ABC News:

The first busload of veterans arrived to a circus of media and members of
Congress just after 11 a.m. Several members of Congress who were on hand
opened the barricades, allowing the veterans access to the memorial. Since
then, several hundred of them have passed through the gates.

According to the National Park Service, the memorial remains officially
closed, but a statement released by the department states Honor Flight
members will not be barred from entering the site.

&quot;The Honor Flights are being granted access to the WWII memorial to
conduct First Amendment activities in accordance with National Park Service
regulations applicable to the National Mall and Memorial Parks,&quot; said
National Park Service Spokeswoman Carol Johnson in a statement regarding
the closure of World War II and other national memorials in DC. &quot;This
is consistent with the DOI Closure Determination and Notice issued on
October 1, 2013.&quot;

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this
request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made
available to the general public free of charge as part of the public
information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the
news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for
commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would
inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would
prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available
or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I
look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business
days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Jason Smathers

Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com

For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 6949
PO Box 55819
Boston, MA 02205-5819

PLEASE NOTE the new address as well as the fact that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than MuckRock News) requests might
be returned by the USPS as undeliverable.

Mr. Smathers:

Please confirm that you (MuckRock) would like for the National Park Service
to still process the FOIA request dated October 02, 2013. If so, please be
specific in your request for "All legal opinions in October 2013 relating
to..."

You may contact me directly with any questions that you may have pertaining
to this email.

Thank you,

Christopher Watts
Staff Assistant
and Acting Freedom of Information Act Officer

Please find attached our acknowledgement of your FOIA requests.