-
Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, February 14, 2001
-
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 10:13:32 -0500
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2001
INCIDENTS
01-049 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Rockslide
The El Portal Road (Highway 140) reopened yesterday afternoon after
being closed since early on Monday due to a rockslide. Crews
determined that the release point for the slide had stabilized, then
began clearing and repairing the road. Although the road is open, work
will continue at the site for the next several days. [Public Affairs,
YOSE, 2/13]
01-050 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/TN) - Poaching Arrests
On February 2nd, rangers Terry Morris and Brian Stackowicz came upon a
number of people harvesting galax in the park's Pisgah District. All
of them fled and were able to escape. Over 20,000 stems were seized
from a roadside cache. On February 5th, Morris stopped two vehicles on
the parkway. They were occupied by five Mexican nationals, who had
about 20,000 galax stems in their possession. They are to appear in
federal magistrate's court in Asheville. Galax is an evergreen ground
cover plant that is used in the floral industry. The leaves range from
bright green to a deep burnt red in color, depending on the season.
Reduced populations on Forest Service lands, a growing international
market, and an available labor pool have resulted in increased
pressure on galax growing in the park. Seizures over the past two
weeks totaled more than 60,000 stems. [John Garrison, Protection
Specialist, BLRI, 2/9]
[Additional reports pending....]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Plan
No new information. Please check the NPS Fire Management Program
Center web page (www.fire.nps.gov) for further information on fire
plan projects.
Park Fires
No fires reported.
CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Yellowstone NP (WY) - Catch-And-Release Fishing
Beginning with the 2001 fishing season, all native sport fish species
in Yellowstone will be placed under catch-and-release-only fishing
rules. The native species affected by this change are the cutthroat
trout and its several subspecies, the Montana grayling, and the
mountain whitefish. Most of the park's native fishes have been
included under catch-and-release-only fishing rules since the early
1970s. The changes will primarily affect populations in Yellowstone
Lake, its tributaries, and upper Lamar River. The rules are being put
into place to repair the damage being done to native species by
introduced organisms, including lake trout, whirling disease, and New
Zealand mud snails. Yellowstone cutthroat trout have declined
throughout the west and are currently designated as a "Species of
Special Concern-Class A" by the American Fisheries Society. A formal
petition to list this subspecies as "threatened" throughout its range
was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1998 and is
currently under review. Yellowstone contains approximately 91% of the
current range of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and 85% of the historical
lake habitat for this subspecies, so the park is considered crucial to
the survival of the species. Yellowstone cutthroat trout generally
declined in the second half of the 20th century due to over-harvesting
by fishermen, competition with exotic fishes, and overzealous egg
collection. Populations rebounded in the park after the advent of
catch-and-release-only fishing rules in the 1970s, but new and
aggressive invaders are causing an increasing threat to these native
fish and alarming park fisheries biologists. Non-native lake trout, an
effective fish predator, were discovered in Yellowstone Lake in 1994.
Aggressive lake trout control efforts by the National Park Service and
no harvest limits have resulted in removing 27,000 lake trout from
Yellowstone Lake since 1994, including more than 12,000 in 2000.
Still, the number of Yellowstone cutthroat trout monitored during the
annual fall count in Yellowstone Lake was lower in recent years than
at any other time in the 25-year history of the monitoring effort.
Whirling disease, which has been implicated in recent years in the
decline of trout populations in many western states, was discovered in
Yellowstone Lake in 1998. So far, it is unclear which of these two
non-native invaders has been the greater factor in the decline of
Yellowstone cutthroat trout, but there is no question they are causing
it. Other native sport fish, including westslope cutthroat trout and
Montana grayling, have been under catch-and-release-only fishing rules
since 1973. This is the first time mountain whitefish have been
placed under such rules in Yellowstone National Park. This new rule
gives mountain whitefish equal status to the other native sport fish
in the park. [Public Affairs, YELL, 2/9]
INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No submissions.
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
INTERCHANGE
No submissions.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Booker T. Washington NM (VA) - Ranger Alice Hanawalt will retire from
the NPS on March 23rd. She began her career as a seasonal at the park
in 1981, and won several awards over the years, including a regional
safety achievement award and a semi-final finish in a national "Take
Pride in America" campaign. She's been involved with plantation
history and genealogy research on the Burroughs and Williams families.
Alice portrays plantation owner Elizabeth Burroughs during special
programs held at the park. She will continue to teach at the local
community college after retirement and will visit with her family.
Letters for her scrapbook may be sent to Connie Mays, Booker T.
Washington NM, 12130 Booker T. Washington Highway, Hardy, VA 24101.
[Connie Mays, BOWA]
Pacific West Region (CA) - Stan Albright retired from the National
Park Service on February 2nd after 30 years of service. A retirement
party will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 31st at Heather Farms
Park in Walnut Creek, California. For further information, contact
Patty Neubacher via cc:Mail. [Tom Ritter]
* * * * *
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed
by park, office and/or regional cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please
address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your
servicing hub coordinator. The Morning Report is also available on
the web at http://www.nps.gov/morningreport
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the
cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
--- ### ---