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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Wednesday, August 2, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Fort Pulaski NM Update On Oil Spill A new assessment of the oil spill that coated part of the park's shoreline and other areas along the Savannah River has raised the estimate of the amount released from 5,000 to 22,000 gallons. The new estimate is based on extensive scientific shoreline assessments conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Approximately two miles of Cockspur Island's south shoreline along the river's North Channel was heavily impacted, with some areas of the Spartina and Salicornia vegetation 100% covered with oil. The sun has evaporated the lighter chemicals within the oil and has left a very sticky remainder on the vegetation. Fiddler crabs have been affected in these areas, which has raised concerns for the wildlife that feed on them. The source of the spill has not yet been identified, but the search has been narrowed to a few possible sources. The Coast Guard has detained vessels in New York Harbor, Hampton Roads and as far away as Barcelona, Spain, to take samples from their bilge and ballast tanks and compare them with samples of the spill. Cherry Green, Southeast Region's wetland ecologist, has been called in for further evaluation of the Spartina and Salicornia vegetation and has made recommendations on immediate actions for the park to take, including keeping the south shoreline closed to public access for the protection of visitors and to ensure that the marsh habitat is not further impacted. Additional recommendations also include intense monitoring of the affected habitat and acquiring low aerial, high resolution photography of the site in order to document vegetative changes. Rick Dawson, regional program manager for damage assessment, was also called. He has contacted the Coast Guard and has been given approval to proceed with a natural resource damage assessment. [Charles E. Fenwick, Superintendent] Grand Canyon NP Body Of Missing Hiker Found In River Rafters on a private river trip found a woman's body in an eddy along the Colorado River just below Ruby Rapid around 6 p.m. on July 30th. The discovery was reported to park dispatch via satellite phone. Rangers recovered the body the next day and transferred the remains to the county medical examiner's office. The victim was subsequently identified as I.S., who has been the subject of an intensive search since she was last seen by her hiking partner on the evening of Sunday, July 16th. The body was found about nine miles downriver from the point where she was last seen and where tennis shoes matching the type she was wearing were found over a week ago. [Maureen Oltrogge, Public Affairs Officer] Coronado NM Flooding Closes Park, Causes Major Damage The park sustained heavy damage when more than eight inches of rain fell on the surrounding area last Sunday night and Monday morning. Parts of a paved road were washed away and the unpaved road to Montezuma Pass was made impassable by boulders and other debris. According to superintendent Kym Hall, an estimated "several millions (of dollars)" will be needed to repair the facility. "It's bad, we got wiped out," Hall said. A trail to the popular cave area and another well-used path were also lost as rain pushed debris down the mountainous terrain. Large trees and mud filled the picnic area and the park's potable water system was destroyed. The park has accordingly been closed. An engineering study will be needed to determine how much work will have to be done before the it can reopen. Debris was being removed on Monday by park staff and a small group of soldiers from the Kentucky Army National Guard. The soldiers of the 201st Engineering Battalion's Headquarters Company were heading through the park to go over Montezuma Pass to work on a project for the U.S. Border Patrol on the west side of the Huachuca Mountains. Since they couldn't get past the visitor center, they asked for and received permission to help the park's small staff. [Sierra Vista Herald] Canaveral NS Sharks Bite Visitors In Two Separate Incidents On the afternoon of Saturday, July 22nd, a 13-year-old boy who was standing in waist-deep water at Playalinda Beach with his mother was bitten on the leg by a shark. The Kennedy Space Center received a 911 call reporting the incident and notified protection rangers; other visitors told park lifeguards what had happened. Lifeguards bandaged the wound and an ambulance from the space center took the boy to Parrish Medical Center, 16 miles away in Titusville. Doctors determined that the foot and leg injury needed additional care, so the boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He's expected to make a full recovery. A week later, on July 29th, a 15-year-old boy on his surfboard at the same beach was bitten on the top of one of his feet by a three- to four-foot black tip shark while waiting for some good waves. Fellow surfers confirmed the identity of the shark and said that they're a common sight at this time of the year. The boy was taken to Parrish Hospital, where he received eight stitches on his foot. He was then released and is reportedly doing fine. [Eric Lugo, Chief Ranger] Gateway NRA Two Drownings In Jamaica Bay Unit Two visitors to the park's Jamaica Bay Unit drowned last week - one on Thursday, the other on Saturday. On the evening of July 27th, a 40-year-old man entered the ocean at Jacob Riis Park after lifeguards had gone off duty. A 911 call from a companion brought a response from New York City officers and firefighters and from US Park Police officers. Off-duty Gateway lifeguards also responded. The man was found about 15 minutes after the first call was received. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two days later, a 13-year-old boy who was a member of a group using the overnight campgrounds at Floyd Bennett Field drowned in Jamaica Bay after he and others from the group entered an area that is not designated for swimming. A 911 call again prompted an NPS/NYC response, including an NYPD scuba unit stationed at the field. The boy was found and rushed to a Brooklyn hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. [Brian Feeney, Public Affairs Officer] 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: NIFC - News article entitled “National Fire Center Prepares For The Worst,” which says it all. * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |