- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, March 13, 1995
- Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, March 13, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
95-89 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Follow-up on Storm Damage
Precipitation fell on the park over the weekend, but in amounts more moderate
than the heavy falls of the weekend of March 4th. The South Rim had received
about a quarter inch of rain and an inch of snow by Sunday morning; Phantom
Ranch recorded about an eighth of an inch of rain; the North Rim had four-and-
a-half inches of snow. Welding has been completed on two water line breaks;
it's estimated, however, that only 15 percent of the needed work has been
finished, so delivery of water by truck will continue to be necessary for some
time. The park's goal is to bring in 350,000 gallons of water daily to meet
anticipated needs (just over 260,000 gallons were consumed between 8 a.m.
Thursday and 8 a.m. on Friday) and is close to attaining that objective. Water
tenders brought about 100,000 gallons of water into the park on Thursday, but
that amount had more than tripled by Saturday. Trail rehabilitation continues
along the river and up the Bright Angel trail towards the South Rim. The
park's landfill was flooded by the storm and has water over 40 feet deep in
some places. Representatives from the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality have met with incident managers to develop a plan to pump out the
contaminated water. This project will entail construction of about three miles
of line and pumping of the water to the park's wastewater treatment facilities.
Bulldozers constructed a berm around the landfill Friday to prevent more water
from flowing in. Pipeline work will begin later this week. As of yesterday,
there were 180 personnel assigned to the Canyon Flood Incident. Cooperating
agencies include the Forest Service, BIA, BLM, Coconino County Sheriff's
Department and the Arizona Departments of Environmental Quality, Forestry and
Emergency Services. [Bryan Swift, IC, GRCA, 3/11-12]
95-96 - Western/Pacific Northwest Regions - Storm Damage
The heavy rains which have fallen along the West Coast since the middle of last
week have had significant impacts on at least three parks; additional reports
are anticipated:
* Yosemite (California) - Over eight-and-a-half inches of rain fell on the park
during a 48-hour period that began on Thursday, March 9th. Highways 41 and
140, the park's two primary access roads, were heavily damaged by rock slides,
mud slides and undermining of the roadway in numerous areas. The main park
sewer line was threatened as a portion of Highway 140 above the line slid into
the Merced River. The Badger Pass ski area and park communities of Wawona, El
Portal and Yosemite West were cut off by blockages of access roads. Power was
lost in some areas for an extended period and the water storage for Wawona was
damaged, leaving that community with only minimal drinking water and inadequate
water for structural fire protection. Preliminary estimates place the damage
to roads, utilities and some buildings in excess of $1 million. At present,
Yosemite Valley can only be reached by Highway 120. Minimum estimates for the
length of time it will take before Highways 41 and 140 can be reopened are,
respectively, five days and over two weeks. Damaged areas of these roads will
require extensive engineering and repairs. All estimates, however, are
predicated on no further rains or other damage. About 300 park, concession and
other employees will have significant problems getting to either their homes or
work places over the next few weeks. The park completed a comprehensive ICS
plan for potential spring flooding from heavy rains and snow runoff just prior
to the storm's arrival; on March 10th, non-essential park employees were
released from duty early in the day and the ICS plan was put into effect. As
of yesterday, about 150 park employees were involved with the incident. The
park has received mutual aid assistance from the Forest Service.
* Pinnacles (California) - There has been significant flooding due to rain and
runoff on both the east and west sides of the park. On the east side, the
visitor center has been sandbagged to protect it from rising water, several
garages have been flooded, and three feet of water was reported over the road
leading to the headquarters building. The park's only campground, which is on
the west side, is flooded and closed. A slide across the access road about
three miles outside the park has cut off road travel to the west side. Both
portions of the park are essentially closed to public use and there are no
visitors in the park. Non-essential employees have been sent home.
* Olympic (Washington) - Heavy rains and extremely high winds that struck the
area on the afternoon of March 9th caused power outages, building damage and
road blockages throughout the park. Winds blew steadily at about 60 mph, with
gusts in excess of 80 mph on the Olympic Peninsula. Some areas of the park had
received over seven inches of rain in the 48 hours prior to this storm's
arrival, which exacerbated run-off and slide problems. There were many downed
trees and rock falls; almost all districts had roads blocked by fallen trees.
Several visitor centers and visitor use areas were evacuated when trees began
falling around them. The Staircase ranger station received a direct hit from a
large tree that caused significant damage to the roof and to a nearby patrol
vehicle. The Mora ranger station and a patrol vehicle were also hit by a tree,
but only suffered minor damage. Some district areas which have low visitor
used during the winter remain closed due to trees across roadways. All ranger
stations were accessible and open at the time of the report, but visitor delays
were expected as crews were still clearing trees. A damage assessment of front
country areas is underway; assessments of backcountry areas will not take place
until staff are available and snow melt makes it possible to hike into
backcountry areas.
[Brian Smith, YOSE; Bill Lester, CR, PINN; Carl Christensen, WRO; Larry Nickey,
EOC, OLYM; 3/10-3/12]
95-97 - Golden Gate (California) - Structural Fire
A double-wide trailer at the Johnson Oyster Farm caught fire around 1 a.m. on
the morning of March 10th. Park and local engines responded; crews were unable
to save the double-wide, but were able to limit damage to an adjacent trailer
to about a quarter of the structure. Property loss and cause remain unknown,
but it appears that there was a wood-burning stove in the double-wide. Strong
winds of from 30 to 40 mph fanned the flames and complicated suppression
efforts. [Bill Oswald, FMO, GOGA, 3/10]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
MEMORANDA
No memoranda.
MEETINGS/TRAINING CALENDAR
Calendar appears in the morning report every other Monday. If you know of a
conference, meeting or training session with Servicewide interest and
implications, please forward the listing to WASO Ranger Activities. Entries
are listed no earlier than FOUR months before the event, EXCEPT in instances in
which registration dates close much earlier. Asterisks indicate new entries;
brackets at end of entry indicate source of information:
3/19-21 -- Annual conference, Virginia Association of Museums, Richmond, VA.
The conference will focus on technology, administration, exhibit
design, partnerships, conservation, legislative advocacy,
collections management, visitor services, education, and
evaluation. Contact: 804-367-1079 for further information. [Diane
Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
3/20-23 -- Modern Analytical Photogrammetry, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, OR. Fee: $495. Contact: Conference Assistant, College
of Forestry, Oregon State University, Peavy Hall 202, Corvallis, OR
97331-5707; tel: 503-737-2329; fax: 503-737-1606. [Gary Sullivan,
MWRO]
3/24-29 -- North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference,
Minneapolis, MN. Contact: Lonnie L. Williamson, Wildlife
Management Institute, 1101 14th St. NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC
20005; 202/371-1808. [Kathy Jope, PNRO]
3/30-4/1 -- "Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act:
Implications and Practical Application", sponsored by University of
Nevada (Reno), Juneau, AK. The cost is $450. Contact: To register
call 702-784-4062; for information call 702-784-4046; or fax
702-784-4801 or write Cultural Resource Management, Division of
Continuing Education/048, University of Nevada, Reno, NV
89557-0024. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
3/30-4/1 -- "Preserving the Recent Past", conference, Chicago, IL. Sponsored
by the NPS and several other organizations. The cost of the
conference is $265 and eight educational tours will follow at an
additional cost of $10-$30. Early registration is encouraged to
ensure that space is available on the tours. Contact: Carol Gould,
202-343-9585. [Carol Gould, PAD/WASO]
4/3-4 -- "Protecting Educational and Cultural Assets", workshop, Holiday
Crowne Plaza, Union Station, Indianapolis, IN. Contact: American
Society for Industrial Security, 1655 North Fort Myer Dr., Suite
1200, Arlington, VA. 22209; 703-243-4954 (fax), 703-312-6346
(phone). [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
4/3-7 -- National Interagency Workshop on Wetlands, New Orleans, LA.
Contact: U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Wetland
Research and Technology Center, Attn: CEWES-EP-W, 3900 Halls Ferry
Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199; 601/634-2569. [Kathy Jope, PNRO]
4/17-21 -- "Sustainable Society and Protected Areas", Eighth Conference on
Research and Resource Management in Parks and on Public Lands,
George Wright Society Meeting, Portland Marriott, Portland, OR.
The registration deadline is March 17th. Contact: George Wright
Society, 906--487-9722. [Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]
4/17-22 -- "An Introduction to Archival Research", American Indian
Museum Studies Program, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC.
Offered to American Indians charged with gathering information for
use by American Indian cultural centers, tribal museums, tribal
histories, archives, or public programs. Successful applicants
receive a tuition waiver and a travel/lodging stipend. Apply in
writing by FEBRUARY 13th to the American Indian Museum
Studies Program, Office of Museum Programs, Arts and Industries
Building, RM 2235, MRC 427, Smithsonian Institution, Washington
DC 20560; 202-357-3101; fax: 202-357-3346. [Diane Vogt O'Connor,
CSD/WASO]
4/22-26 -- Tenth Annual U.S. Landscape Ecology Symposium, University of
Minnesota, MN. The symposium will critically examine landscape
ecology as a means of addressing ecological consequences of human
activity. Registration fees are $125. A $40 late fee will be
assessed for registrations received after February 1st. Contact:
Call 612-625-3850 or write the university at 1136 Registrar,
Professional Development, 235 Nolte Center, 315 Pillsbury Drive,
S.E., University of Minnesota, MN 55455-0139. [Steve Cinnamon,
MWRO]
4/24-28 -- "Introduction to Managing Museum Collections", Smithsonian
Museum, Washington, DC. Contact: 202-357-3346 (fax). [Diane
Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
4/25-28 -- 1995 Department of Interior Conference on the Environment and
Safety, Colorado Springs, CO. Contact: Tracy Brown, Engineering
and Safety Services Division, WASO, 202-343-7036. Tracy Brown,
ESSD/WASO]
4/30-5/5 -- Training course on museum conservation, focusing on preventive
conservation for collections on display, in storage and in transit.
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Cost: $375. Enrollment by
April 18th. Contact: Jane Clay, Division of Continuing
Studies, 204 Owen Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
47405; tel: 812-855-6329; fax: 812-855-8997. [Diane Vogt O'Connor,
CSD/WASO]
5/4-7* -- "The Urban/Natural Canyon Interface: Making Connections for
Visitors," National Association for Interpretation, Rocky Mountain
Regional Workshop, Snowbird Resort, Snowbird, UT. Contact: Kathy
Brown, chief of I&RM at Timpanogos Cave, at 801-756-5239 or by name
(Kathy B. Brown) at NP-TICA. [Kathy Brown, TICA]
5/21-25 -- Annual meeting, American Association of Museums, Philadelphia, PA.
Scholarships are available (complementary registration and a
stipend of up to $500); applications for same are due by FEBRUARY
10th. Contact: Dean Phelus at 202-289-9113, or write to him at
AAM, 1225 Eye St., NW, Washington, DC 20005; fax: 202-289-6578.
[Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
5/21-27 -- First World Congress, International Ranger Federation, Kasprowy
Hotel, Zakopane, Poland. The agenda for the meeting includes guest
speakers; full day sessions on resource management, human
management and balancing conflicts between the two; a raft trip in
Pieniny National Park; and a banquet and dance. Contact (for
registration forms and informational brochures): Bill Halainen,
ANPR, 4032 Conashaugh Lakes, Milford, PA 18337, or by name on
cc:Mail. [Bill Halainen, DEWA]
5/22-26 -- Environmental Systems Research Institute Users' Conference, Palm
Springs, CA. A combination general purpose GIS conference and
Arc/Info users conference. Contact: ESRI, 909-793-2853, or your
regional NPS GIS Coordinator. [Joe Meyer, MWR GIS Coordinator]
6/12-23 -- "An Introduction to Archival Administration," Georgia Archives
Institute, Atlanta, GA. Cost: $450. Apply by April 1st. Contact:
Donald E. Oehlerts, School of Library and Information Studies,
Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA. 30314; Tel: 404-248-1322;
fax: 404-880-8702. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
6/18-29 -- Meeting, The Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents,
Madison, WI. The application deadline is MARCH 15th. Contact (for
forms): NHPRC, Room 607, National Archives, Arch I, Washington, DC
20408; 202-501-5610. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax: 202-208-6756
cc:Mail: WASO Ranger Activities
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