NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

BLACKBERRY EDITION

Monday, January 9, 2006

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INCIDENTS

Redwood N&SP

Recovery Continues from Storm Impacts

The parks continue to assess damage from the series of storms that hit the area over the past two weeks, leaving up to 14 inches of rain and generating wind gusts of over 90 mph. Electricity has been restored to the south end of the park, where most facilities were without power for four to six days. Most roads and campgrounds have been reopened. Facility crews have had to clear trees up to 14 feet in diameter to reopen roads. The Newton Drury Parkway through Prairie Creek, however, will remain closed for an undetermined amount of time, as several large redwoods have fallen across the road and severely damaged the road bed. Maintenance staff briefly reopened a road to an isolated camper at Gold Bluffs Beach. With rain continuing, landslides on that road remain active and thus the road and beach area remain closed. Fortunately, park buildings escaped impacts from major tree fall or flooding. Most of the parks' extensive trail system has yet to be assessed. [Rick Nolan, Chief of Interpretation]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Glacier NP

Mark Foust Named Chief Ranger

Mark Foust has been selected as the park's new chief ranger. Foust is coming to Glacier from Denver, where he served as the chief of the Branch of Ranger Activities for Intermountain Region. He will report for duty at Glacier on February 13th.

Foust is a third generation NPS employee. His father retired from the NPS as the superintendent of Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area in northern California. His grandfather was an archeologist at Mesa Verde National Park.

While Foust graduated from the University of California, Davis, in 1989 with a BS in resource science, he actually began his career as a firefighter for the California Department of Forestry in 1985. Foust then worked seasonally at Lava Beds National Monument, for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and at Joshua Tree National Monument until 1990. In 1990, he became a police officer for the United States Park Police in Washington, D.C. After a short stay in the district, Foust wanted to get back to rangering, so he transferred to Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in Texas, where he served in several area ranger positions before being promoted to district ranger for the North District. In 1996, Foust transferred to Padre Island National Seashore as the park's criminal investigator and then into a two-year assignment as the acting chief ranger.

In December 1998, Foust became the first chief of operations for the newly established Oklahoma City National Memorial, where he later served as acting superintendent for five months. After getting the memorial operational, Foust transferred to Chickasaw National Recreation Area as the chief ranger in 2000. In 2003, Foust became the chief of the Ranger Activities Branch for Intermountain Region. [Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs Officer]

JOBS

Yosemite NP

GS025-9 Protection Ranger

Yosemite National Park is accepting applications for a GS-9 permanent full-time protection ranger (6c covered) position in the Tuolumne Meadows Subdistrict of the Mather District. This is a required occupancy position with permanent quarters at Hodgdon Meadows (near the west park entrance) and seasonal housing provided at Tuolumne Meadows while the Tioga Road is open (usually from mid-May through mid November). We are seeking a qualified lateral transfer into this position.

Yosemite National Park is located in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range with a variety of recreational opportunities available. In Tuolumne Meadows there are a limited range of services including a store, lodge, gas station, post office and mountain shop and a full range of services available in Mammoth Lakes, CA (45 minute drive). From the Hodgdon Meadow area a full range of services can be found in Sonora, CA (1 hour drive).

In the Tuolumne area, rangers provide primary law enforcement and emergency services to a seasonal resident population of approximately 150 residents, with overnight populations peaking at approximately 2,400 visitors during the summer months (this does not include the numerous overnight and day users in the Tuolumne backcountry and climbing areas). This is a true all-hazards operation, with rangers providing law enforcement services along with emergency medical services (EMS), search and rescue (SAR) and wilderness/ backcountry patrols. Other opportunities may include horse patrol, wildland fire assignments and service as a park medic.

The park is seeking applicants with good leadership skills and a strong background in SAR (specifically climbing and technical rescue skills), EMS, law enforcement and resource protection. If you are a professional, team-oriented ranger interested in working in a full service LE ranger position with other dedicated professionals, contact subdistrict ranger Eric Gabriel (209- 379-1897office, 209-768-6107 cell phone/voice mail, HYPERLINK "mailto:eric_gabriel@nps.gov" eric_gabriel@nps.gov e-mail) for information. We will accept resumes and applications from interested rangers through January 20th. Application packets should include an SF-171, OF 612 or resume, a recent SF-50, and the most recent supervisory appraisal. The mailing address for applications is: Yosemite National Park, Attn: Eric Gabriel, 9500 Tuolumne Grove Road, Groveland, CA 95321.

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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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