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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, April 18, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Fire Island NS Park Hit By Nor'easter Although the severe nor'easter that struck the East Coast on Sunday and Monday moved a substantial amount of sand along the south shore of Long Island, it appears at present that damage to park facilities and resources has not been significant. Piping plovers, which have been in the area for about a month, have not yet begun to nest, so have not been seriously affected. Seventeen preexisting communities lie within the boundaries of the park. Several oceanfront homes within those communities have been threatened, as more than 30 feet of sand was eroded from the beach in many places. High surf also cut into the dunes and caused overwash in a number of locations. Park management is involved in working collaboratively with the Corps of Engineers and with state, county, and local agencies to address mutual concerns and issues related to shoreline protection. [Paula S. Valentine, Public Affairs] Death Valley NP Motorcycle Accident Results In Death, Serious Injury D.B., 54, of Cypress, California, was killed in a motorcycle accident on the afternoon of April 14th. D.B. and his wife, P.B., 60, were traveling with a group of motorcyclists when the accident occurred. Their motorcycle left the road, hit a rock, and rolled at least one time, ejecting both B.s. Visitors performed CPR on D.B. for a half hour, but he was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. Rangers assessed P.B. and provided medical care. She was then flown to a hospital in Las Vegas, where she remains in critical condition. [Nancy Wizner, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: White House - President Bush has ordered all flags lowered to half-staff in memory of those killed in the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Flags will remain at half-staff until sundown on Sunday, April 22nd. Office of International Affairs - In hopes of eventually being placed on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List of the world's most significant cultural and natural treasures, 36 sites throughout the country - including several NPS units - have applied for inclusion on the new candidate list of U.S. World Heritage nominations. Yellowstone NP - A two-year project to restore the Artist Point overlook and improve roads and parking areas along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is set to begin on Monday, July 9th, after the busy July 4th holiday. Chief Information Officer - The recipients of this year's NPS Exceptional IT Service Awards have been announced. To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |