The White House
Flags To Be Lowered To Half Staff Today
President Bush has directed that flags be flown at half staff today
in commemoration of Patriots Day and in memory of September 11, 2001.
Click on "More Information" for a copy of the proclamation.
More Information...
INCIDENTS
Mid-Atlantic Parks
Tropical Storm Gabrielle Blows Through
Tropical Storm Gabrielle, which made landfall at Cape Lookout NS, brought some wind and rain but had little impact on the region. Two parks have sent along follow-up reports:
- Cape Lookout — Damage was limited to minor flooding in the visitor center. The park resumed normal operations yesterday.
- Cape Hatteras — Damage assessments were still being conducted yesterday, both by ground and air.
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Two Idaho Men Found Drowned In Shoshone Lake
Two elderly Idaho residents drowned after their canoe overturned in Shoshone Lake late last week. The victims have been identified as 74-year-old F.K. and 80-year-old C.P., both of Boise, Idaho. The men had fishing permits and a backcountry permit for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights at three different campsites along the shore of Shoshone Lake, located in the backcountry southeast of Old Faithful. Just before 7 p.m. on Friday night, a group camping along the lakeshore used a cell phone to report finding an overturned red canoe, but added that they'd been unable to find the occupants. A second party retrieved the canoe and brought it to shore. Rangers from Grant, the South Entrance and Old Faithful immediately responded to the location on foot and by canoe and kayak. They had to suspend their search shortly after arriving because of nightfall. A search of the recovered canoe led to the discovery of a partial backcountry permit, which helped rangers focus their search on Saturday. The first victim was discovered in the water near the eastern shore of the lake around noon, and the second was found further out in the lake about an hour later. F.K. and C.P. were experienced canoeists and were both wearing life jackets. Windy conditions had been reported on the lake. Moving between campsites would have required the pair to make several open water crossings of the lake. Both the date and the cause of the accident remain under investigation. These are the first accidental deaths in the park this year, and the first drownings in the park since July 2005. [Submitted by Public Affairs, Yellowstone National Park]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Employee Attacked And Injured By Bear Outside Park
A park employee was attacked by a bear early last Sunday morning near Gardiner, just north of the park. Ken Meyer, the park's safety manager, was hunting for black bear when he was mauled by what is believed to have been a female grizzly bear with cubs. Meyer sustained injuries to his arms, legs and chest. He subsequently underwent surgery at Livingston Memorial Hospital. Meyer was apparently walking near or along Little Trail Creek, which is north and west of Gardiner, early Sunday morning when he came upon what he said was a grizzly. The bear attacked him, retreated at some point, then attacked again. Meyer said he shot the bear with his rifle, possibly wounding it, before he walked out of the woods and called for help. Gallatin National Forest officials closed the area after the attack, fearing a wounded bear might be apt to injure others. Members of the Forest Service, Park Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks searched for the bear on the ground and from the air for much of Sunday. A spokeswoman for the forest said that a team of three or four people were "aggressively charged" by a grizzly during the search, but it was not believed to be the bear involved in the earlier mauling. The closure includes the area up to one mile on either side of Forest Service Road 1701 from its junction with Travertine County Road, commonly called Travertine Bench, and one mile on either side of Little Trail Creek outside the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness boundary. The area includes Maiden Basin, Little Trail Creek Trail 49 and Lower Little Trail Creek Trail 319 and the Travertine Bench. [Submitted by The Billings Gazette]
Great Falls Park (VA)
USPP Helicopter Employed To Rescue Teenager From Potomac
"Eagle," the US Park Police helicopter, flew to Great Falls on the Potomac River last Saturday afternoon to assist with the rescue of an 18-year-old man who'd fallen into the river's swift-flowing waters. Although he managed to get to a rock in the rapids, he was unable to return to the shoreline. Fairfax County firefighters threw him a life vest and helmet, but decided that hazardous river conditions precluded a rescue by boat. The only alternative, therefore, was to extract him via a helicopter hoist. Pilot Keaton Wright brought "Eagle" to a hover 60 feet above the falls and rescue technician Chris Perkins lowered a Billy Pugh rescue device to the man. He was hoisted safely in the helicopter and brought to shore. [Submitted by Sergeant Robert Lachance, Public Information Officer]
Mount Rushmore National Memorial (SD)
Arrest For Illegally Entering Closed Area
A 20-year-old man illegally entered a closed area near the mountain sculpture on the morning of Tuesday, September 4th. The park's security system detected the intrusion and set off an alarm. Dispatchers watched the man on a surveillance camera as he took some photographs, then left the area. A ranger contacted him shortly thereafter while he was still inside the restricted area. When confronted, the man fled, resulting in a chase and search through rugged backcountry and along roadways for the next hour. The chase and search involved five rangers, a Pennington County deputy, and park maintenance personnel. Careful observations and investigative work quickly linked the man with an unattended pickup truck parked at Profile Viewpoint. Rangers staked out the truck and eventually contacted two 17-year-old men who'd been keeping in touch with the suspect via text messaging by cell phone and had come to drive the truck away. They eventually lead rangers to a small abandoned building just outside the park's north boundary where the man was hiding out. Rangers, accompanied by the deputy, arrested him without incident, charged him with six CFR violations, and took him to the Pennington County jail. As part of his plea agreement before the U.S. magistrate, he pled guilty to two violations — illegally hiking into the closed area and interfering with an agency function by violating a lawful order — and the four other charges were dropped. He was assessed fines totaling $1,000, plus court fees. His primary motive appears to have been obtaining unique photographs. The photographs that he took with a digital camera were seized and will not be returned. The safe and successful conclusion of this incident came about through great teamwork, the physical fitness of responding personnel, and outstanding observations and investigation in a short timeframe. [Submitted by Mike Pflaum, Chief Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights
National Fire Activity — Preparedness Level 3
Initial attack was once again light yesterday — there were 120 new starts, three of which became large fires. Twelve incident management teams are committed nationwide, down from 26 a week ago.
Further information on the national situation can be found at http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm
Fire Summary
|
Date |
Thu |
Mon |
Wed |
Thu |
Sun |
Mon |
|
Day |
8/30 |
9/3 |
9/5 |
9/6 |
9/9 |
9/10 |
|
Initial Attack Fires |
206 |
236 |
162 |
142 |
140 |
120 |
|
New Large Fires |
3 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Large Fires Contained |
4 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
|
Uncontained Large Fires |
32 |
39 |
35 |
30 |
27 |
24 |
National Resource Commitments
|
Date |
Thu |
Mon |
Wed |
Thu |
Sun |
Mon |
|
Day |
8/30 |
9/3 |
9/5 |
9/6 |
9/9 |
9/10 |
|
Area Command Teams |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
NIMO Teams |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Type 1 Teams |
5 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Type 2 Teams |
9 |
15 |
13 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
|
FUM Teams |
5 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
The full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report (a PDF file) can be obtained at http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
Fire Weather Forecast
Warmer and drier conditions in combination with higher Haines Indices in the Great Basin and eastern portions of Washington and Oregon. Cooler conditions as well as higher relative humidity is expected today with a return to onshore flow along the West Coast. The Southeast will see shower and thunderstorm activity.
NPS Fire News
For brief supplemental narratives on fires listed below, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/public/pub_firenews.cfm
| Park | State | Fire | Type | Acres | Percent Contain |
Est. Full Contain |
| Yosemite National Park | CA | Babcock Fire | Wildland Fire Use | The Babcock fire is currently at 230 acres, and is in a smol... See below for more... | N/A | N/A |
 |
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| Yosemite National Park | CA | Bald Fire | Wildland Fire | As of September 10, the fire was 425 acres in size. The init... See below for more... | 100 | September 10, 2007 for containment and for control, the 14th of September. |
|
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For more information, go to the NPS Fire and Aviation Management at http://www.nps.gov/fire/index.cfm
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs
Weekly Legislative Activities Report
The Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs puts out weekly reports on hearings, new legislation and other activities on the Hill. The following is the September 7th summary.
*****************
Upcoming Hearings
On September 11th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources S/C on National Parks (Akaka) Subcommittee will hold a hearing on:
- S. 127 (Allard), a bill to amend the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000 to explain the purpose and provide for the administration of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge;
- S. 327 and H.R. 359 (McCain/Solis), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada Chavez and the farm labor movement;
- S. 923 (Kerry), a bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the New England National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes;
- S. 1051 (Dodd), a bill to authorize National Mall Liberty Fund D.C. to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia at Constitution Gardens previously approved to honor free persons and slaves who fought for independence, liberty, and justice for all during the American Revolution;
- S. 1184 and H.R. 1021 (Kennedy/Frank), a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas in Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes;
- S. 1247 (Lieberman), a bill to amend the Weir Farm National Historic Site Establishment Act of 1990 to limit the development of any property acquired by the Secretary of the Interior for the development of visitor and administrative facilities for the Weir Farm National Historic Site, and for other purposes;
- S. 1304 (McCain), a bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Arizona National Scenic Trail;
- S. 1329 (Collins), a bill to extend the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission, to provide improved visitor services at the park, and for other purposes;
- H.R. 759 (Engel), to redesignate the Ellis Island Library on the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the "Bob Hope Memorial Library"; and
- H.R. 807 (Gohmert), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the feasibility and suitability of establishing a memorial to the Space Shuttle Columbia in the State of Texas and for its inclusion as a unit of the National Park System.
On September 18th, the House Natural Resources S/C on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Grijalva) Subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing on the "Operation of the Statue of Liberty National Monument" at 10:00 a.m.; Room 1324 Longworth. DOI witness: Dan Wenk, Deputy Director, NPS.
On September 27th, the House Natural Resources S/C on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Grijalva) Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the following bills, at 10:00 a.m.; Room 1324 Longworth. DOI witness not yet determined:
- H.R. 830 (Young), to authorize the exchange of certain lands in Denali National Park in the State of Alaska;
- H.R. 2094 (Moore), to provide for certain administrative and support services for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, and for other purposes; and
- H.R. 3111 (Miller, George), to provide for the administration of Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial as a unit of the National Park System
PARKS AND PEOPLE
United States Park Police
Captain Kelcy Stefansson Retires
Kelcy M. Stefansson is retiring from the United States Park Police after more than 23 years of distinguished service.
After earning a bachelor's degree in biology from Seton Hill College, she tried several different jobs before coming to the United States Park Police. Her exciting career with the Park Police began in January 1984 at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center as a recruit. Upon completion of the academy, she was assigned as a patrol officer on the National Mall, Rock Creek Park, the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park, where she handled a variety of law enforcement duties. She had specialized training in hostage negotiations and crash reconstruction that were used during her time in patrol.
In 1988 she earned the opportunity to become the first female motor officer, where she continued her law enforcement duties and added the honor of providing police escorts to the President of the United States. She provided the same police escorts to many other heads of state and officials such as General Norman Schwarzkopf and General Colin Powell during the 1991 Gulf War.
In 1993 she was promoted to the rank of sergeant and was selected for the Violent Crime Task Force, working with the Metropolitan Police Department combating crime within the District of Columbia.
In 1997 she attained the rank of lieutenant with assignments to the Shift Commander's Office, back to the Violent Crime Task Force, as the Station Commander of the George Washington Memorial Parkway Station, as the Executive Officer to the Chief of Police, and finally as the commander of the Special Protection Detail for Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton Of note during her time as the George Washington Memorial Parkway Station Commander, she oversaw the construction of the new United States Park Police Station located at Turkey Run off the parkway. During her time as lieutenant, she attended the FBI National Academy. In 2006 she was promoted to captain and took her final assignment as the regional law enforcement specialist for Northeast Region.
Other interesting points in her time with the Force include when she was selected, along with now retired SWAT Officer Robert Chesley, as the "poster officers" for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Their likeness is portrayed on the official coins and literature for the memorial. She was also a member of the honor guard for 10 years, during which time she presented the colors during numerous ceremonies, funerals, and other functions with distinction.
[Submitted by Sergeant Robert Lachance, Public Information Officer]
Big Cypress National Preserve (FL)
Lateral Reassignment Opportunities
Dates: 09/06/2007 - 09/21/2007
Big Cypress National Preserve has lateral reassignment opportunities for an administrative assistant in the ranger division and for several park rangers:
- The administrative assistant works closely with the chief ranger and chief of interpretation in providing administrative support, managing the office, and overseeing budget and finance functions. Other duties include working with the chief ranger on special park uses/permits and the fee program, which involves both campgrounds and an off-road vehicle permit system.
- The rangers will be engaged in the full range of law enforcement operations, mostly in the backcountry. Big Cypress is a field training park, so applications would be welcome from current or prospective FTR's. These positions will be announced soon on USA Jobs. If interested in them as lateral reassignments, though, please contact the park ASAP.
The park consists of 729,000 acres of mostly wet backcountry areas, ranging from sawgrass, creeks and rivers at the southern end to progressively higher ground dominated by stands of cypress, pine and oak as you head north. Rangers must be willing and able to travel in the backcountry by foot, 4WD vehicle, swamp buggy, ATV, jon boat, airboat, helicopter and fixed wing aircraft. The area is home to the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians. Both tribes have reservations on the park's boundaries as well as permitted dwellings and traditional practices within the park. Rangers also monitor over 200 in-holdings, ranging from front country residences, a commercial campground, commercial alligator farm and airboat tour operation to traditional hunting camps scattered throughout the backcountry. The park actively manages hunting, fishing and the largest off-road vehicle program in the NPS. The Florida National Scenic Trail runs through the park and is jointly managed with the USFS. A large number of Native American and recent cultural resource sites are located throughout the park. The park also has developed frontcountry areas with boardwalks, campgrounds, employee housing and a visitor center, providing protection rangers with the opportunity to conduct traditional law enforcement duties in both front and backcountry. Criminal activity includes drug and human smuggling, poaching, trespass camps and marijuana growing operations as well as all the routine LE activities normally associated with campgrounds and other frontcountry areas.
The administrative Assistant position does not include housing. The ranger positions are required occupancy positions providing affordable, decent housing inside the park. The community of Naples is 35 miles west and has ample employment opportunities for those with significant others seeking employment. Additionally, Everglades National Park, the USFWS Florida Panther and 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuges, and various state and county parks are located in the commuting area.
If interested or for additional information, Ed Clark, the park's chief ranger, at 239-695-1108, district ranger Drew Gilmour at 239-695-1214, or district ranger Ryan Levins at 239-695-1161.
Projected EOD's are negotiable. The closing date for the administrative assistant application is September 21st, after which it will be announced competitively. Parties interested in lateral reassignment to ranger positions must contact us prior to the position announcement in USA Jobs.
[Submitted by Ed Clark, edward_clark@nps.gov, 239-695-1108]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.