Chickasaw National Recreation Area (OK)
Continued High Water Leads To More Closures
Park staff continue to deal with the aftermath of heavy rains and flash flooding in the park. As of Friday afternoon, Lake of the Arbuckles was more than seven feet above normal and expected to keep rising. Traffic control continues at the Point Launch Ramp to keep swimmers in the parking lot separated from visitors launching boats. Many day use areas, unpaved roads, and approximately 35 campsites in the Buckhorn campgrounds are closed. In the Platt District, the day use areas east of Sycamore Crossing, including Little Niagara and Travertine Island, are still closed due to erosion and debris caused by flashing flooding that occurred on Tuesday, July 10th. Sycamore, Black Sulphur, and Rock Creek low water crossings will be closed as necessary. More closures may be necessary depending on the amount of rain that falls on the area — heavy thunderstorms were predicted for this past weekend. [Submitted by Susie Staples, Public Information Officer]
Gateway National Recreation Area
Unified Command Employed In Preparing For Major Event
Using an incident commander from the Midwest Region, the superintendent and staff of Gateway's Jamaica Bay Unit, together with the U.S. Park Police and the NY Police Department, employed a unified command system for the first time ever in order to prepare for and deal with a potentially dangerous and destructive public gathering within park boundaries. Members of the Guyanese-American community of New York City have gathered at Jacob Riis Park or Floyd Bennett Field for several years to celebrate Guyana's Independence Day. With crowds growing beyond the capacity of the park to provide a safe and healthy environment, Gateway officials attempted to manage the situation through a standard permit process last year. Event organizers did not abide by permit conditions which limited attendance to 1,500 participants due to safety concerns, though, and over 40,000 people subsequently jammed park roadways for the one-day event, putting attendees at risk and causing destruction of park resources. Negotiations failed to find a solution to the problem this year, so the unified command system was put in place to create a proactive incident action plan in the event the group gathered this year despite a permit being denied. Substantial outreach and a public relations campaign are also credited with averting a repeat of the previous illegal gathering. [Submitted by Brian Feeney, Public Information Officer]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Pacific West Region
Death of Chuck Odegaard
Charles "Chuck" H. Odegaard died in Seattle, Washington, on July 9th after complications from a stroke. He was 79.
Odegaard spent more than 40 years encouraging youth, families, bureaucrats, and politicians to get out and enjoy their public lands, according to former National Park colleague Bill Walters.
"Chuck had a winning way," Walters said in describing Odegaard's 18 years with the National Park Service. "He pushed the Service to look beyond the islands of the iconic national park areas to see contributions made by cities, counties, and state partnerships. It was a renaissance thought that is practiced today."
Odegaard retired in 1997 as regional director in the Service's Pacific Northwest headquarters in Seattle. Prior to this post, he served as the regional director in the Service's Midwest Region. These leadership positions shaped the direction and management of the national park system and focused on the most important issues affecting the Service.
Odegaard always was a voice for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the essential funding source for stateside historic preservation, outdoor recreation, and partnership programs, Walters said.
His state legacy is the leadership of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission for which he was Director from 1963 through 1979. During this period he administered a diverse system of 170 properties including day use and camping parks, swim beaches, heritage sites, environmental learning centers, ski areas, golf courses, scenic highways, safe boating and winter recreation programs, and a youth conservation program.
The current director of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Rex Derr, worked with Odegaard during some of his State Park years. "He was a dynamic individual with vision, and he was at the helm of the state parks system during a tremendous time of growth," Derr said. "I have good memories of those times and great feelings of respect for him. It was a short but very rewarding mentorship for me."
"He deeply cared about parks and the visitor," said Yosemite National Park superintendent Michael Tollefson. "He provided insight and wisdom to many of today's managers. The parks are better because of his stewardship."
Recognized around the world for his experience in partnering and park management, he lectured extensively—from the Far East to Europe—even co-authoring with Grant and Wenonah Sharpe, the seminal textbook, A Comprehensive Introduction to Park Management, still referred to today in many colleges. Odegaard taught management classes at the University of Washington and Oregon State University.
He was past president of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, the National Association of State Park Directors, the National Society for Park Resources, and the American Youth Hostel. He was a district representative for the National Recreation and Park Association for the five western states as well as the three western provinces of Canada from 1958 to 1963.
In 1985 and 2006, his lifelong interest in parks and outdoor recreation was recognized by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) when they presented him with their Distinguished Professional Award. Winning the sought after Gold Medal Award given to the best state parks and recreation agency from the NRPA, and receiving the prestigious Pugsley State Medal Award from the Academy of State Parks and Recreation during the time he was the director of State Parks were some of the highlights of his career.
A man of boundless energy and vision, he had a wall and desk full of notable achievements and awards. Still, he remembered with fondness starting out in 1952 as Director of the Parks and Recreation Department for Marinette, Wisconsin, fresh from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse and his bachelor of science degree in Parks and Recreation. He later received a masters of science in Urban Studies from the University of Nebraska.
He was a veteran of World War II. He was a member of the West Precinct Police Advisory Committee, Tillicum Village at Blake Island State Park advisory board, and various organizations to keep downtown Seattle clean and safe.
"The love and time given to his family was known by all who knew him," said Evelyn, Odegaard's wife. "We shared many years of joy. Being around him was just plain fun. He was a gentle man and his goodness, infectious smile, and sense of humor will always be remembered. Charles' good manners, character, and strength never left him."
In addition to his second wife of 31years, Evelyn, he is survived by one brother, Richard; three sons, David, John, and Bill; four Odegaard grandchildren; three stepchildren, Steven Masley, Brooke McWhorter, and Susan Thomas, and six Masley grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions for the Washington Parks and Recreation Association Endowment Committee be made in memory of Charles H. Odegaard. They can be sent to 4405-7th Avenue SE, Suite 202, Lacey, WA 98503.
[Submitted by Holly Bundock, Public Affairs Officer]
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
GS-11/12 Safety and Occupational Health Manager
Great Smoky Mountains is recruiting for a GS-11/12 safety and occupational health manager. The announcement number on USA Jobs is GRSM0718 and it closes on August 2nd. For a copy of the announcement, including duties and application procedures, click on "More Information" below.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in the states of North Carolina and Tennessee and encompasses 800 square miles, 95 percent of which are forested. The headquarters is located near the city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Smokies are within a day's drive for about a third of the U.S. population and thus attract 9 to 10 million visitors annually, making it the most visited national park in the system. The climate is moderate, with average lows in the summer in the 60's and highs in the 80's and 90's and average lows in winter between 20 and 30 with highs in the 50's. Snowfall averages range from 5 inches in Gatlinburg to 11inches in Bryson City, North Carolina.
More Information...
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type;=Announcements&id;=3363
All reports should be submitted via email to Lane Baker in the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services in the Washington Office and to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with copies to your regional office.