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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Wednesday, July 5, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Northeast Region Parks Continue Recovery From Flooding Three parks in eastern Pennsylvania were affected to varying degrees by the major floods spawned by last week's rains and are in the process of recovering from their impacts: Delaware Water Gap NRA - The Delaware River crested at 32.16 feet at the park's primary river gauge early on the morning of Thursday, June 29th, making this the third worst flood recorded at that location (the high was 35.5 feet in 1903) and more severe than the floods of September, 2004 (28.4 feet) and April, 2005 (31.7 feet). The river caused an as yet unknown amount of damage within the park and also claimed the life of a local resident (see the related report in this edition). Maintenance crews have begun to pump out flooded buildings, repair utilities and clear silt and debris from roads. Park staff have also begun collecting information to prepare an accurate damage assessment of all roads, facilities and archeological, natural and cultural resources. Through the concerted efforts of park personnel, several roads and a number of facilities were opened in time for all or part of the holiday weekend: Route 209, the primary highway through the park. reopened to traffic at 6 p.m. last Friday. River Road, the section of Old Mine Road from Millbrook Village to Depue, and Route 615 have all been reopened. Dingmans Falls Visitor Center resumed operations on Saturday morning. Dingmans Campground and the group campground at Rivers Bend in New Jersey reopened before the weekend began. Closures, however, remain in place throughout the 70,000-acre park. The more consequential of these are as follows: The Delaware River, river campsites, and all access points and beaches remain closed - the river because of dangerous conditions and the campsites, access points and beaches because of mud and debris covering them. The McDade trail remains closed because of mud and debris on its surface. Old Mine Road is closed from I-80 to Depue. Kittatinny Point Visitor Center and the surrounding grounds and picnic areas are closed. The site will reopen when the temporary visitor center trailer is moved back into place and the parking area, grounds and picnic areas have been cleaned. Upper Delaware S&RR - Floodwaters from the Delaware River caused significant damage at the historic Zane Grey House. Personnel from the regional museum services office will be contracting to have the six to eight feet of water in the basement pumped out and to have the structure dehumidified. The majority of the collection was moved upstairs before the river came out of its banks, but the building itself was damaged and will be the focus of recovery efforts. The historic Roebling Bridge, which crosses the Delaware, has been closed by Federal Highways. Some employees reported water in their home basements, but no major damage. Steamtown NHS - There was no significant flooding at the park itself, which is in Scranton and near the Susquehanna River, but a number of employees were evacuated from their residences. All are okay. [Deb Nordeen, Incident Information Officer, DEWA; Jill Hawk, Regional Chief Ranger, NER] Grand Canyon NP North Rim Reopens The North Rim and Arizona State Highway 67 reopened to the public on Monday, July 3rd. The North Rim had been closed since the previous Monday due to the nearby Warm Fire. All services resumed when the area opened at 8 a.m. Visitors can check the status of their hotel reservations on the North Rim by calling Xanterra reservations in Denver at 888-297-2757 (those calling from outside of the United States must call 303-297-2757). Questions regarding campground reservations for the North Rim campground can be answered by calling Spherix at 800-365-2267 (callers from outside of the United States must call 301-722-1257). For questions on mule rides, please call Grand Canyon Trail Rides at 435-679-8665. The North Kaibab Ranger District in the Kaibab NF remains closed, though. Visitors with backcountry permits who require access through the North Kaibab Ranger District and those with questions regarding their backcountry permits should contact the Grand Canyon Backcountry Information Center at 928-638-7875 between the hours of 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. MST. [Leah McGinnis, Management Assistant] Flagstaff Area National Monuments Parks Reopen As Monsoon Rains Diminish Fire Danger The Flagstaff Area National Monuments were reopened to visitors at 8 a.m. on Sunday, July 2nd, thanks to arrival of significant rainfall associated with the Southwest monsoon season. The reopening of the monuments - Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Walnut Canyon - coincided with the reopening of Coconino National Forest lands which surround the parks, which had been closed a total of nine days. The closures were managed under ICS in concert with surrounding city, county, and federal agencies. Although recent rains in the Flagstaff area have lessened the extreme fire danger, conditions in the three monuments and surrounding forest remain critical. Park staff will continue to monitor and evaluate fire conditions on a day-to-day basis as the season progresses. [Charles Strickfaden, Chief Ranger] Olympic NP Search Continues for Overdue Hiker The search for G.G., 47, of Olympia, Washington, entered its seventh day on Monday. No sign of him has yet been found and no clues have been discovered regarding his travel direction. Over the course of that day: Two search dog teams from Pierce County Search and Rescue extended their search within the high probability zone, covering several areas not previously visited by search dogs. A contracted Jet Ranger helicopter from Northwest Helicopters continued the search by air. Almost 40 ground searchers continued off-trail searches within the 30 to 35 square mile search area. Two kayakers again covered the waters of Bear Gulch. None of these efforts resulted in evidence or indication of G.G.'s whereabouts. Four to six swift water rescue experts from Thurston County SAR were to join the search on Tuesday. These teams were to employ a special underwater camera in whitewater sections within the North Fork Skokomish River, enabling a search of areas that have been inaccessible to snorkelers and river search teams in previous efforts. Park officials are encouraging anyone who may have hiked in this area and seen G.G. on the weekend before last to contact the park at 360-565-3120. G.G. is 5'7” tall, weighs 165 pounds, has graying hair, wears glasses, and was last seen wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt of green or blue colors. [Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Incident Information Officer] Delaware Water Gap NRA Body Of Local Man Found Near Flooded River Ranger Mike Croll found the body of a man on Route 209 about a half-mile north of Bushkill Access late on the afternoon of June 29th. The victim, who appeared to be in his 60s, was wearing work boots, work pants and a faded T-shirt. He had a digital camera and a set of car and house keys in his pocket, but carried no identification. He was subsequently identified as G.A., 66, of Pocono Lake Estates in Bushkill, Pennsylvania. State troopers at the nearby Blooming Grove barracks had received a missing person report on him earlier that morning. He had reportedly gone down to the river to take pictures but had failed to return. G.A. evidently drowned in the river, but no determination has yet been made by the coroner. The park and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating. [Phil Selleck, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS Other news of interest from today's edition of InsideNPS, which can be found at this address if your inside the NPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) and at this address if you're outside the NPS ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/). Note that not all articles that appear in the former make it into the latter: PMIS launches last of five on-line training courses: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4593" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4593 * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |