Eastern Areas
Katrina Strikes Gulf Coast, Moves North
Although Hurricane Katrina made landfall yesterday morning, no reports have yet been received from parks in its path. Today's summary includes two follow-up reports from south Florida and a series of reports received on Sunday and Monday from Louisiana and Mississippi prior to the hurricane's arrival:
Biscayne NP
All park facilities, including Adams, Elliott and Boca Chita Keys, reopened yesterday following their closure during the hurricane's passage. Damage assessments continue.
Everglades NP
Park staff, with assistance from Big Cypress staff, are beginning efforts to clear the main park road to facilitate access to Flamingo. Maintenance staff are assisting Flamingo employees in surveying quarters and determining personal property damage. Special attention will be given to Flamingo water and wastewater systems that have been impacted by high water, followed by building and property damage assessments.
Natchez NHP
The Melrose and William Johnson Houses were "hurricane-proofed" by Sunday afternoon. All shutters were closed and loose items secured. Historic furnishings were moved away from windows in case shutters and storm windows failed. The park was closed on Sunday and non-maintenance staff were released to take care of their homes. The park remained closed yesterday. Flooding in the 100-year flood plane was anticipated, but was not expected to impact park resources.
Natchez Trace Parkway
Because of the impacts of Hurricane Katrina, the parkway was closed to traffic from Milepost 105 (Post Road) in Ridgeland, Mississippi, to Milepost 204 (Highway 82) near Mathiston, Mississippi, effective at 12:30 p.m. yesterday. This closure will be in effect until further notice. The park has also closed its Rocky Springs and Jeff Busby campgrounds. The Mississippi Crafts Center, operated by the Mississippi Craftsman's Guild and located in Ridgeland, Mississippi, also closed.
Vicksburg NMP
The park completed preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Katrina yesterday and closed at noon. Protection rangers were to remain on duty in the park as long as possible. Park staff are to report to the visitor center or headquarters maintenance area this morning. Rangers and maintenance staff will then determine whether its safe enough for employees to return to their assigned duty locations. A damage assessment will also be begun.
Cane River Creole NHP
The park completed all hurricane preparations in record time. Since the park was largely out of the hurricane's path, it remained open on Monday. Park staff are housing a few of the evacuees from Jean Lafitte and New Orleans Jazz along with family members who were evacuated from the greater New Orleans area.
[Submitted by Ken Garvin, SERO; Monika Mayr, VICK; Rick Cook, EVER; Keith A. Whisenant, NATC; Jerry Pendleton, NATR; Gary Bremen, BISC; Laura Gates, Superintendent, CARI.]
Glacier National Park
Visitors Injured in Surprise
Encounter with Bears
Two park visitors, a man and a woman, were injured on the morning of
August 25th in a surprise close-range encounter with a female grizzly
and her two cubs. The hikers reported that they surprised the bear at a
distance of approximately five feet. To avoid a continued attack, they
apparently rolled off the trail, falling approximately 30 to 50 feet
down a steep, rocky area below the trail. This fall may have aggravated
their injuries. The incident occurred on the Grinnell Glacier Trail,
approximately two miles above the head of Josephine Lake. Due to the
nature of the injuries and the steep and difficult terrain, the victims
were transported from the scene via helicopter to an area were the
helicopter could land and further medical care could be provided. Both
were later flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. The Grinnell
Glacier Trail was closed immediately after the incident was reported. It
will not be reopened until there are two patrols by rangers with no bear
sightings, nor any evidence of bear in the area. Other area trails were
also temporarily closed for safety concerns; they will be reopened as
deemed appropriate. Park rangers, including bear management rangers, are
investigating the incident. Park managers will review their findings in
the context of the park's bear management guidelines and determine if
any further actions need to be taken. This is the first instance of a
bear-related injury this year in the park. [Submitted by Public
Affairs]
George Washington Memorial Parkway (MD)
Major DWI
Checkpoint
On the evening of Friday, August 19th, the Park Police traffic safety
unit coordinated a DWI checkpoint on the George Washington Memorial
Parkway which involved 40 NPS law enforcement officers and culminated
with 14 arrests. The checkpoint was located on the parkway at the south
end of Reagan National Airport on both the northbound and southbound
sides. Park Police officers and NPS law enforcement rangers from
local NCR parks stopped more then 100 cars between the hours of 9:30
p.m. and 2:30 a.m. to perform field sobriety tests on operators. The end
results were nine DWI arrests, five DUI arrests and over 30 citations
issued throughout the evening. Red Top Cab, Henry's Towing and W.R.A.P.
(Washington Regional Alcohol Program) were active participants in the
operation. W.R.A.P. also supplied informational pamphlets that were
handed out to drivers for the upcoming "Sober Ride" program that is
kicking off in the Washington area in October.
[Submitted by Lt.
Warren Boyer, USPP]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Body of Concession
Employee Found After Five-Day SAR
Rangers found the body of 26-year-old M.B. of Austin, Texas,
around 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 27th, following a large-scale search
effort. M.B., who was working as a seasonal employee at the Grand Teton
Lodge Company, was located about 500 yards north of the group campsite
on Hermitage Point, near the shore of Jackson Lake and four miles from
the trailhead at Colter Bay. On Tuesday, August 23rd, the Grand Teton
Lodge Company notified rangers that M.B. had not shown up for work the
previous day. Based on information about where M.B. had possibly gone
hiking, an extensive search was launched that included rangers in boats,
rangers with search dogs and rangers on foot. The search parties scoured
the Hermitage Point peninsula, but turned up no sign of M.B.. Over the
ensuing days, rangers continued their investigation and search efforts.
Rangers interviewed friends of M.B. as well as his employer and family
members to see if he had contacted anyone or shown up in another part of
the country. Information from these interviews led rangers to search
other locations in the park where M.B. might have gone camping. On
Saturday morning, rangers mounted a large-scale search effort. Twenty
searchers from several agencies and both Yellowstone and Grand Teton
— including teams with search dogs from Wyoming K-9 Search and
Rescue, an interagency contract helicopter, two teams of rangers on
horseback, two teams of rangers patrolling by boat on Jackson Lake, and
several teams of rangers on foot — again searched the Hermitage
Point peninsula and trail network for any sign of M.B.. At about 11
a.m., rangers spotted M.B.'s body from a patrol boat on Jackson Lake.
The cause of death has not yet been determined, but there is no
evidence of foul play. This marks the fourteenth major search and rescue
in Grand Teton National Park this year. [Submitted by Jackie Skaggs,
Public Affairs Specialist]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Tuesday, August 30, 2005
NPS Fires
For a brief supplemental narrative on each fire, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
No updates on National Park Service fires have been received since yesterday.
National Situation Report
The full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report for today can be obtained at http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf. NIFC's national fire news is at http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Intermountain Region
Mary Risser Named Superintendent at Dinosaur NM
Mary Risser, a 22-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named superintendent at Dinosaur National Monument. She will assume her new responsibilities on August 21st.
"Mary has shown that she possesses the intellect, knowledge, and passion to be an effective superintendent, as exhibited at Golden Spike NHS. I am certain that she will continue on this path of excellence at Dinosaur National Monument," said acting Intermountain regional director Mike Snyder.
Risser began her public service career in 1979, serving as the assistant field representative for U.S. Senator Richard S. Schweiker. In 1983, she began her National Park Service career in the office of employee and labor relations in the National Capital Region, which includes many of the monuments and parks in the nation's capital.
Since joining the National Park Service, Risser has gained experience in a variety of park operations, including administration, resources management, interpretation, concessions management, accessibility, and park management. After a March ski vacation in Jackson Hole in 1984, she applied for the first job she saw at Grand Teton National Park and by July had moved to there as the secretary for the resources management division. During her six years in the Tetons, she also worked in interpretation and was detailed into the concessions management office for two summers to concentrate on the quality of the interpretation being provided by concession employees. Risser worked in Yosemite, Big Bend and Joshua Tree National Parks before becoming superintendent at Golden Spike National Historic Site.
"I am honored to have been selected as the superintendent of Dinosaur National Monument. It truly is one of the little known treasures of the National Park Service," said Risser. "This area enjoys a rich, colorful history and I look forward to learning more about it and working with the park staff and the local residents."
Risser graduated from Slippery Rock State University in Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in secondary education. In her new role as superintendent, she will manage 210,278 acres, a staff of approximately 54, and an annual operating budget of more than $2,865,000. The quarry at Dinosaur is the single most important Jurassic dinosaur paleontological site anywhere. The monument also has the most complete stratigraphic geologic record of any park in the National Park System. The varied rock layers have been carved by the Green and Yampa rivers to form vertical canyons 1,000 to 2,000 ft deep.
[Submitted by Nathan Souder, nathan_souder@nps.gov, 303-969-2319]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found by clicking here. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.