- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, February 9, 1998
- Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, February 9, 1998
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
98-46 - Guadalupe Mountains NP (TX) - Follow-up on Gas Pipeline Explosion
Details have been learned about the pipe blowout which occurred early on the
morning of January 27th. The line itself was 40 to 50 years old, but had
recently been reconditioned. The gas company is still not sure of the cause,
but suspects it may have been related to electrolysis from the pipe going
from one soil type to another in the middle of a salt flat. Passing traffic
could have provided the ignition source. Two truckers reported that they'd
encountered what they thought was a fog bank; as they exited the "fog,"
everything behind them erupted into flames. A nine foot section of the 30
inch line blew out, but an adjacent 26 inch line was not affected. The line
was pressurized to 820 psi, and over 200,000 cubic feet was lost before the
rupture could be controlled an hour after the explosion was reported. [Steve
Martin, GUMO, 2/6]
98-56 - Parks Servicewide - Follow-up on El Nino Winter Storm Impacts
Additional reports have been received regarding the impacts of the series of
unusually strong winter storms that have struck or are striking the country:
Pinnacles NM (CA) - A major storm dropped six inches of rain on the
park in less than 12 hours on February 3rd. Around 6 a.m., a wall of
water churned down Chalone Creek and Bear Gulch, the major drainages in
the park, causing significant damage to facilities and utilities in
both districts. Chapparal campground was heavily damaged in the West
District; the CCC-era Chalone Creek bridge in the East District was
destroyed. The storm also knocked out power and phones throughout San
Benito and Monterey counties and caused major flooding, washouts,
landslides and damage to several state highways, all of which provide
access to the park. Highway 25 south of Hollister may be closed for up
to eight months. Park residences and offices are currently without
power, phones or water, and are cut off by state road closures and the
collapsed Chalone Creek bridge. The chief ranger was stranded in his
residence on the west side of the creek for some time. Park
headquarters and the superintendent's house are also isolated and can't
be reached. Eleven permanent and seasonal employees and family members
spent the night in their dark and isolated homes. Park employees
living on surrounding ranches were also without utilities and were
isolated by road closures. On the morning of February 4th, the park's
facility manager and other staff living outside of Pinnacles reached
the Chalone Creek park residence area via high-clearance 4WD vehicles.
Due to the continued lack of utilities and drinking water and the
forecast for more heavy rains throughout the weekend, all residents
were evacuated to King City, 35 miles to the south, where they are
being lodged in a motel. The park is closed and will remain so until
highway access is restored and emergency utility and bridge repairs can
be made. The superintendent has established a temporary office in the
regional office. All staff are safe and no buildings or residences
have been damaged to this point, but the campground and park water,
phone, road, and utility systems have all been heavily damaged. Park
staff, with the assistance of regional and FHA specialists, will begin
assessing the damage and planning repairs after the current storm
system moves through.
Redwoods N&SP (CA) - The park was being buffeted by high winds and rain
as of Friday afternoon. Trees were toppling all over the park; it
appears that the Newton Drury Parkway will be closed for up to five
days to remove trees. A tree had fallen on the Prairie Creek visitor
center, but the extent of damage was not yet known. Other park roads
were blocked by trees and downed power lines, including the road to the
Wolf Creek housing area. The south operations center had lost both
power and phones. Scanner traffic indicated that almost all roads
leading into the northern California coastal area were closed.
Acadia NP (ME) - On January 6th, a severe three-day ice storm struck
the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Freezing drizzle
slowly accumulated to depths of from three to six inches; over 500,000
households in the state lost electric power, many for a week to ten
days, some even longer. Utility workers from around the U.S. replaced
over 6,000 utility poles and 5,000 transformers and restrung 3 million
feet of power lines. Because Acadia is close to the ocean, the rain
generally did not freeze, except at higher elevations. The park was
closed for several days, and non-emergency employees were excused in
order to look after their homes and families and to participate in
regional emergency efforts. The park lost a large number of trees,
which were broken by the weight of the ice. The biggest loss was the
park's 60-foot radio tower on the summit of Cadillac Mountain, which
fell when its supporting guy cables were encrusted with ten inches of
ice. The park incurred considerable storm-related overtime expenses in
making emergency repairs, clearing roads, removing downed trees,
pumping out basements, and moving small generators from building to
building to keep them from freezing up. A second storm struck on
January 23rd-24th, dropping over seven inches of rain on the park. In
western Maine, it was another disastrous ice storm. The main impact on
the park consisted of washouts and more flooded basements. The park
was spared the effects of the northeaster which hammered the coastline
of the middle Atlantic states last week. The park's radio antenna is
currently lashed to a fence post, but the chief ranger reports that
they're otherwise doing well.
Fire Island NS (NY) - Last week's northeaster caused only minor changes
to the park. The dunes in the park's wilderness area and at Lighthouse
Beach, however, were severely diminished. Overwash of the lighthouse
road occurred at high tides due to the absence of the dunes. There was
little damage to Fire Island communities, but they also experienced
flooding and significant beach erosion. The village of Ocean Beach
declared a state of emergency due to flooding and loose propane
canisters that broke away from their supports. The park's headquarters
in Patchogue was unreachable at high tide last Friday morning due to
flooding around the building from the Patchogue River. This is the
fifth time in six weeks that the headquarters site has flooded during
working hours.
Lassen Volcanic NP (CA) - Although the park reports no damage, the
abundant precipitation from the Pacific storms has deposited a lot of
snow. During last year's storms, it rained up to 9,000 feet, but the
snow line this year has been considerably lower. At the Chalet, which
is at 6,500 feet, the park has received 416 inches of snow, with 16
feet presently on the ground.
Shenandoah NP (VA) - The situation was stable as of Friday afternoon.
Hundreds of trees had fallen from the weight of ice on them and due to
the loosening of root structures from rain saturated soil. Park crews
are being kept off the mountain until trees stop falling for safety
reasons. Power remains out at Piney River, Big Meadows and Simmons
Gap, as the power companies have the same safety concerns. There were
not reports of visitors or staff needing assistance.
Reports from other parks that have also been significantly affected by these
storms would be appreciated. [Norm Dodge, CR, ACAD, 2/6; Constantine Dillon,
Superintendent, Fire Island NS, 2/6; Bryan Swift, CR, LAVO, 2/6; Bob Martin,
CR, REDW, 2/6; Gary Candelaria, Superintendent, PINN, 2/7; Greg Stiles, SHEN,
2/6]
[Additional reports pending...]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Entry pending.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Update on 6(c) pending and will appear tomorrow.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
EXCHANGE
No entries.
TRAINING AND WORKSHOP CALENDAR
Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains training courses and workshops, and a second, which contains
meetings, conferences and events. If you know of a conference, meeting,
workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and implications,
please send the information along. 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. Brevity is appreciated.
2/19-21 Course: Medical Diving
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Details: The course includes preventive and on-site emergency
care for injured Scuba divers.
Contact: Dive Rescue International, 201 North Link Lane, Fort
Collins, CO 80524
Phone/fax: 1-800-248-3483; ---
E-mail:
Submitter: Kinsey Shilling, CURE
2/23-25 Course: Ice Diving Operations
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Details: The course covers planning for and diving underneath
ice and includes hands-on training.
Contact: Dive Rescue International, 201 North Link Lane, Fort
Collins, CO 80524
Phone/fax: 1-800-248-3483; ---
E-mail: -
Submitter: Kinsey Shilling, CURE
2/25-28 Course: Ice Rescue
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Details: The course includes certification for teaching ice
rescue.
Contact: Dive Rescue International, 201 North Link Lane, Fort
Collins, CO 80524
Phone/fax: 1-800-248-3483; ---
E-mail: -
Submitter: Kinsey Shilling, CURE
3/9-11 Course: Principles of Access
Location: Martinsville, IN
Details: Designed to introduce park and recreation
professionals to the fundamentals of accessibility
and to lay the foundation for understanding the
characteristics and needs of people with
disabilities.
Contact: National Center on Accessibility
Phone/fax: 765-349-9240; ---
E-mail: www.indiana.edu/~nca
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
3/9-13 Course: Workshop on Managing Visitor Use in Wilderness
Location: Folsom, CA
Details: Participants will analyze problems associated with
heavy recreational use in wilderness study areas and
examine a range of tools to address them.
Contact: Greg Kroll, Arthur Carhart National Wilderness
Training Center
Phone/fax: 406-626-5208 x 14; 406-626-5395
E-mail: Greg Kroll at NP-YELL
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
3/10-13 Course: The Information Ecosystem: Managing the Life Cycle of
Information for Preservation and Access
Location: College Park, MD
Details: The course teaches managers how to create, manage,
adapt and reuse information in a project setting.
Tuition: $285.
Contact: Gay Tracy, Northeast Document Conservation Center
Phone/fax: 978-470-1010; 978-475-6021
E-mail: tracy@nedcc.org
Submitter: Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO
3/15-20 Course: Wilderness Stewardship Training, Southeast
Location: Islamorda, FL
Details: Course emphasis will be on coastal and wetland
wilderness issues.
Contact: Greg Kroll
Phone/fax: 406-626-5208 x 14; 406-626-5395
E-mail: Greg Kroll at NP-YELL
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
3/9-20 Course: Special Operations Training
Location: Organ Pipe Cactus NM, AZ
Details: Designed for personnel who are directly involved in
special law enforcement operations in parks,
including drugs, poaching, and ARPA and
paleontological violations. Training will include
operations along the U.S. border. Due to the
strenuous nature of the course, participants must
meet FLETC physical fitness standards. Benefiting
account.
Contact: Aniceto Olais, ORPI
Phone/fax: 520-387-7661 ext 7201; ---
E-mail: Aniceto Olais at NP-SOAR
Submitter: Aniceto Olais
3/16-20 Course: Visitor Use Management for Managers
Location: Shepherdstown, WV
Details: This management level course is designed to provide
the participants with an understanding of legal
responsibilities, administrative aspects, and
management applications of outdoor recreation
planning, wilderness management, emergency
operations, land policy, and fee management.
Contact: Learning Place bulletin board, or Charles Anibal
Phone/fax: 304-535-6215; ---
E-mail: -
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
3/16-20 Course: Archeological Resources Protection Training (XP-ARPTP-805)
Location: Lincoln, NE
Details: The program focuses on a team approach to
archeological resource crime scene investigation.
Closes on February 17th.
Contact: Park or regional employee development officer.
Phone/fax: --- ; ---
E-mail: -
Submitter: Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC
3/17-26 Course: Cultural Resources for Managers
Location: Harpers Ferry, WV
Details: This is a core course for superintendents and program
managers who have major cultural resource management
responsibilities.
Contact: Tony Knapp
Phone/fax: 304-535-6178; ---
E-mail: -
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
3/23-27 Course: Law Enforcement for Managers (LEM-801)
Location: FLETC, Glynco, GA
Details: The course provides an orientation to federal law,
NPS authority and jurisdiction and other issues to
upper level managers. Closes on February 10th.
Contact: Park or regional employee development officer.
Phone/fax: --- ; ---
E-mail: -
Submitter: Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC
4/20-30 Course: Advanced Principles of Administration
Location: Albright TC, Grand Canyon, AZ
Details: The course will provide chiefs of administration with
instruction and methods in the management of
administrative programs as a member of the park's
management team.
Contact: Learning Place Bulletin Board, or Tom Ferrani
Phone/fax: 907-257-2550; ---
E-mail: As above
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
4/20-24 Course: Servicewide Basic Technical Rescue (Program Code
5399)
Location: Canyonlands NP, Moab, UT
Details: Training for personnel with an active role in the
rescue and evacuation of injured persons from heights
and difficult terrain. This will be a physically
demanding course with frequent exposure to acute
heights. The class will be 40 hours long and will
include a night training exercise. There is no cost
for the course. One page training nominations are
due by February 17th and should be sent to Grand
Canyon NP SAR coordinator Ken Phillips.
Contact: Ken Phillips, GRCA
Phone/fax: 520-638-7792; 520-638-7838
E-mail: -
Submitter: Ken Phillips, GRCA
4/20-5/1 Course: Historic Weapons Certification
Location: Camp Gruber Training Site, Braggs, OK
Details: The course meets the initial certification and
recertification needs of supervisors and interpreters
in NPS historic weapons firing programs.
Contact: Rick Martin, Fort Smith NHS
Phone/fax: 501-783-3961; ---
E-mail: FOSM Ranger Activities at NP-FOSM
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
4/27-5/1 Course: Wilderness Planning Workshop
Location: Parsons, WV
Details: The workshop will present a forum for learning about
and discussing methods for developing programmatic
wilderness management direction.
Contact: Greg Kroll, Arthur Carhart National Wilderness
Training Center
Phone/fax: 406-626-5208 x 14; 406-626-5395
E-mail: Greg Kroll at NP-YELL
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
4/27-28 Course: Tax Incentives for Developing Historic Properties
Location: Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, CA
Details: Use of historic preservation tax incentives to
develop historic properties. Experienced developers,
bankers, NPS project reviewers, and IRS tax
specialists will introduce effective strategies for
historic property development.
Contact: Brooks Prueher, HPS, WASO
Phone/fax: 202-343-1185; ---
E-mail: Brooks Prueher at NP-WASO-HPS, or Brooks_Prueher@nps.gov
Submitter: Brooks Prueher
5/11-15* Course: Fundamental Principles of Administration
Location: Mather Training Center, Harpers Ferry, WV
Details: Designed to provide training in essential
competencies for all functions of NPS administration
at the clerk/tech level.
Contact: Peggy Woodward
Phone/fax: 304-535-6403; 304-535-6408
E-mail: Peggy Woodward
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
* * * * *
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your servicing hub
coordinator.
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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