NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
BLACKBERRY EDITION
Monday, October 31, 2005
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INCIDENTS
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Recovery Operations Shift Into High Gear
The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) transitioned Sunday with the park IMTs from Big Cypress and Everglades. The total number of personnel currently committed to the incident is now 145, including 24 overhead. An FMSS team is onsite to assist Everglades, Dry Tortugas, Big Cypress and Biscayne with facility condition assessments and will enter the information into the FMSS system. Electricity has been restored to Big Cypress, Biscayne and Everglades. Equipment and material are arriving at all three parks. An employee assistance specialist has been assigned to the incident and is meeting with park employees to determine how best to assist affected employees and their families with recovery from Wilma. The National IMT will be attending all-employee meetings that all three parks have scheduled during the coming week. Communications are still challenging all over south Florida. Park employees who have significant need for temporary housing have been placed in motel rooms. Contact with the FEMA incident management team running a receiving and distribution center at Homestead has been established. Meals for crews and fuel are available.
Big Cypress NP
The branch director assigned to the park is Wayne Elliot, chief ranger at Mammoth Cave NP.
Damage assessments have been conducted in the backcountry. The Oasis Visitor Center now has power. The park is under a “boil water” advisory until further notice. A 20-member work crew has been split into two squads to remove debris from off-road trails which service private land belonging to in-holders within the park. There is still water flowing over the Loop Road. The road is partially open and a contract is being developed for its complete clean-up. Access within the park is by swamp buggy and other off-road vehicles. Significant tree hazards within the park will require special handling. Security fencing at Monroe Station is being installed, as this facility sustained significant damage. Crews are working on wayside and campground debris removal and clean-up. Special handling methods need to be employed to prevent the spread of invasive plants. Safety hazards include poison wood, poison ivy, poisonous snakes, poison spiders and alligators. Crews have been thoroughly briefed and are employing all safety measures to avoid these hazards. Contact will be made with the Miccosukee Tribe regarding their sacred sites located within the park.
Biscayne NP
The branch director assigned to the park is Jim Brown, facility manager, Pecos NHP.
Facilities have been surveyed to determine the supplies and materials needed for repair of park facilities. Electrical generator issues are being addressed. All park residents are back in their housing. Park crews have assisted in emergency stabilization of roof damage and removal of hazard trees and debris at employee homes.
Everglades NP
The branch director assigned to Everglades NP is Bob Panko, the park's FMO.
Debris removal and salvage by crews are underway in all areas of Everglades and facilities continue to be assessed for specific repair needs and cultural resource damage. By the end of Sunday, 80% of the park, not counting Flamingo, will have been assessed. The majority of the widespread park damage is an aggravation of the damage from Katrina.
The park IMT conducted a site visit to Flamingo on October 28th to assess damage and plan for clean-up. Flamingo sustained an eigth-foot storm surge, covering all low-lying surfaces with six to eight inches of mud. Flamingo still has no power. It has already been determined by park staff that the damage at Flamingo will be the biggest project and will require long-term design and engineering that will involve the NEPA process. Key Largo lost a dock and will also be a long-term project.
Tree cutting and removal will continue in Shark Valley and on the Loop Road. There is no access into East Everglades because the road is impassable due to down power lines and debris. Park repeaters are back on line with the exception of Dry Tortugas. Hazardous tree removal is underway. Skilled tradesmen are focusing on repair of utilities and structural damage repair. A crew from Big Cypress is assisting with clean-up at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center, located in the northwest corner of the park. Contact has been established with the FEMA disaster recovery team in Everglades City to work with them on employee assistance and insurance claims.
The Environmental Center was cleaned up by a crew from Glacier NP and Delaware Water Gap NRA. MRE's have been secured for crews assigned to Everglades and park employees who need them. Curatorial collections are fine and have been secured. There have been no significant injuries or illnesses within the park since the beginning of the Wilma incident.
Dry Tortugas NP
The branch director assigned to Dry Tortugas NP is Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP protection ranger Bud Walsh.
Housing at Poinciana was spared and didn't flood. All POV's there were also spared, although some had wet interior rugs. There is severe beach erosion on Dry Tortugas. The seaplane landing ramp is gone and cultural resources are now exposed. Communications are extremely challenging. The repeater on the island is out and the satellite phone is not working. Boat service to Dry Tortugas will resume on Tuesday. An engineering team along with needed supplies, satellite phones and materials will be on the first boat to the park. On Garden Key at Fort Jefferson, some porches were blown away and palm trees blown down. The campground is under two feet of sand. The Sluice Gate bridge is missing along with the bricks and mortar that supported it. The base of the bridge from Garden Key to the Sallyport was also compromised. Due to storm surge, many boats were undercut and drifted away, but were recovered. Loggerhead Key also sustained significant damage to facilities and structures.
Additional Information
A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1.
[Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Significant Drug Cases
Since last January, the park has made several significant drug seizures and arrests, primarily through special operations involving scheduled criminal interdiction patrols, checkpoints and "problem oriented policing." To date, a total of 395 misdemeanor and felony drug cases have been made involving possession and distribution of marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine and prescription drugs. Contraband seized totaled 670 grams of drugs, as well as numerous firearms. A total of 150 people were arrested, including 17 fugitives or wanted individuals. In addition, a cooperative effort with state and local agencies in the park's Plateau District resulted in the discovery and eradication of over 9,000 marijuana plants, valued at $9 million, in Rock Castle Gorge. The above was achieved through excellent observation and information sharing, creative and pro-active scheduling, and targeting areas of known criminal activity. [Tim Francis, Pisgah District Ranger]
Pictured Rocks NL
Successful Three-Day Search for Missing Hiker
At midnight on October 23rd, rangers were notified that a 77-year-old woman from Grand Marais, Michigan, was overdue from a hike in the Grand Sable Lake area of the park. Hasty searches of the area were begun immediately, and additional searchers were called in to assist. Agencies involved in the search included the Alger County Sheriff's Department, Michigan State Police, Eastern Upper Peninsula Search and Rescue, United States Coast Guard, Alger Maximum Security Prison Emergency Response Team, Burt Township Fire and Rescue Departments, Seney Fire Department, Michigan DNR, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, and the NPS. At approximately 7 a.m. on October 25th, the woman was found along the west shore of Grand Sable Lake by two searchers in a canoe. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where she was hospitalized and monitored. She was in the initial stages of hypothermia when searchers located her. [Larry Hach, Chief Ranger]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
NPS-LETC
Body Armor Alert
A trainee recently arrived at FLETC with body armor made of Zylon. According to an announcement from the National Institute of Justice, they have identified poly-p-phenylene benzobisoxazole (commonly known as PBO or Zylon®) as a material that appears to create a risk of death or serious injury as a result of degraded ballistic performance when used in body armor. Information on the Zylon body armor issue can be found on the NPS-LETC website at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=605&id=3849" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=605&id=3849. [Greg Jackson, NPS-LETC]
PEOPLE
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Remembering Firefighter Daniel Holmes
On October 2nd, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks marked the one-year anniversary of Daniel Holmes' death. Daniel was an Arrowhead Hotshot who was killed during a prescribed fire in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park. Daniel's mother and brother visited the parks for the anniversary and were able to spend time with park staff members, visit the accident site, and enjoy guided tours of the parks. The following week, William Kaage, former fire management officer for the two parks, and Brit Rosso, Arrowhead Hotshot superintendent, met Daniel's mother and brother in Emmitsburg, Maryland, for the National Fallen Firefighter's 2005 Memorial weekend. Finally, on October 15th, the entire Arrowhead Hotshot crew met Daniel's family in Sacramento for the annual ceremony at the California Firefighter's Memorial. [Jody Lyle]
NPS Alumni
Passing of Bill Orr
Joseph L. (Bill) Orr passed away on October 8th at his home in Petaluma, California. His death was due to cancer.
Bill obtained a forestry degree at Colorado A& M (CSU) and had a long and successful career in the NPS, starting in 1950 as a seasonal ranger at Devils Tower. Bill's first permanent ranger position was at Jewel Cave, and his second permanent assignment was at Blue Ridge. While there, he attended the Departmental training program in WASO, then moved on to Bandelier and to Big Bend. He served as park forester in both Yosemite and Grand Canyon, then as chief ranger at Mount Rainer, then spent several years in WASO as a wilderness planner. From there, Bill moved to a unit manager position on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. His last permanent position was as chief ranger of Western Region until his retirement in 1980.
During retirement, Bill answered a call to serve in the NPS Anchorage area command center as the logistics chief for several months during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster in Alaska.
Bill's second career, for which he will be best remembered, was as the director of the Santa Rosa Ranger Academy. Many current NPS, BLM, FWS, and USFS law enforcement rangers graduated from his school. Bill was the director at Santa Rosa from 1988 to 2003. During this period, he graduated well over 3,000 students in 100 plus classes. Bill pioneered the concept of the seasonal ranger law enforcement program that exists today.
Bill is survived by his wife, Vergene (Genie), his children, Jim Orr, Brad Orr, Joy Soares, Debbie Henrioulle, and Lori Glass; step-children, Christine Rooker, Nathan Bishop, and Eric Bishop; and 15 grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at the First Mennonite Church of Hutchinson, Kansas, on October 15th. Memorial contributions may be made to Santa Rosa Junior College Public Safety Training Center, care of Scott Dunn, 5743 Skyline Boulevard, Windsor, CA 95403. Or they may be made to Hospice of Petaluma, 416 Payran Street, Petaluma, CA 94952. Notes to his wife, Genie, can be sent to 913 Cottonwood Court, Petaluma, CA 94954-4357.
[Frank Betts]
JOBS
Southeast Regional Office
GS-1035-14 Public Affairs Specialist
Southeast Region has issued an announcement for a GS-1035-14 public affairs specialist to oversee the regional Office of Public Affairs. The vacancy announcement number is SESO-05-103. It opened on October 21st and closes on November 14th. For a complete copy of the announcement, including duties, click on “More Information” below. [Dave Barna, WASO]
HYPERLINK "http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=35583095&AVSDM=2005%2D10%2D21+14%3A08%3A37&Logo=0&q=SESO-05-103&FedEmp=Y&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=80&SUBMIT1.y=20" http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=35583095&AVSDM=2005%2D10%2D21+14%3A08%3A37&Logo=0&q=SESO-05-103&FedEmp=Y&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=80&SUBMIT1.y=20
Cape Cod NS
GS-025-7/9 Park Ranger (LE)
The park is seeking applicants interested in a full-time GS-025-7/9 law enforcement ranger position. The vacancy is in the North District of the park and is a required occupancy position. The district encompasses over 20 miles of shoreline along the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay, 8-1/2 miles of off-road vehicle corridor, 9-1/2 miles of bicycle trails, hunting and fishing enforcement, traffic enforcement, EMS and SAR. Collateral duties may include CISM, defensive tactics instructor and firearms instructor. The announcement closes on November 18th. For more information, contact operations supervisor Michael Minnerath at 508-487-2100 x-109. For a copy of the announcement, click on “More Information.” [Craig Thatcher, North District Ranger]
HYPERLINK "http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=35649988&AVSDM=2005%2D10%2D28+10%3A18%3A56&Logo=0&q=CACO+VA+06-01+&FedEmp=Y&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=74&SUBMIT1.y=21" http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=35649988&AVSDM=2005%2D10%2D28+10%3A18%3A56&Logo=0&q=CACO+VA+06-01+&FedEmp=Y&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=74&SUBMIT1.y=21
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Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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