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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, October 31, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Biscayne NP Park Closes In Preparation For Tropical Storm Noel Due to the approach of Tropical Storm Noel, currently forecast to pass near or over southeast Florida on Thursday, the park has put its hurricane plan into effect. All park facilities (including those on Boca Chita, Elliott and Adams Keys), the mainland area at Convoy Point, boat tours, and visitor services were shut down yesterday afternoon. Park waters, though, will remain open for vessel transit. The closure will remain in effect until further notice. The park is also securing and shuttering buildings and moving its entire fleet of boats (over 20 vessels) to an inland location. [Susan Gonshor, Chief Interpreter] Gettysburg NB Lightning Damage To Major Monument Estimated At $100K The park is in the process of assessing the extent of the damage inflicted by an October 9th lightning strike to the 6th New York Cavalry monument, but early estimates are that it will cost in the vicinity of $100,000 to repair. The monument, located near the center of Buford Avenue, dates to 1889 and is composed of rough hewn and smooth granite, standing 26 feet high on a 14 by 10 foot base. It has a tower with turrets at each corner, horse heads capping its pilasters, a bronze relief on its west face, and an information tablet on its east side. Components of the stonework were blown free by the strike, and many others were displaced when mortar joints failed. The park's preservation experts have stored loose pieces of the monument and plan to stabilize it for the winter season using straps and possibly tarps. According to Vic Gavin, the head of the park's monument preservation branch, “the damage may be even worse inside the structure, where lightning superheated the moisture that is naturally present in the stone and mortar.” The monument may have to be totally disassembled and reconstructed, possibly using a private sector restoration firm. A park neighbor reported hearing the sharp thunderclap associated with a lightning strike near the monument during the storm. The last known lightning strike on a Gettysburg monument was in the 1930s on the 58th New York monument, located nearby. [Katie Lawhon, Public Affairs Officer] Shenandoah NP Search In Progress For Missing Man Rangers are engaged in an extended search for C.B., a 40-year-old Fredericksburg area man who has been missing since October 28th. Operations have centered on the Route 211 corridor through Shenandoah, but it's possible that C.B. may have left the park. The search began after 6 p.m. on Sunday, when the park received a report from C.B.'s fiancé saying that he was despondent and had walked off into the woods near the Panorama area. C.B. is described as a Caucasian male, with short sandy-brown hair, 5' 11” tall and weighing approximately 220 pounds. He was last seen wearing khaki pants and a yellow T-shirt. Over 35 employees and volunteers, including ground searchers and dog teams, are currently involved in the search. National Park Service personnel are being assisted by Dogs East Search and Rescue, Blue and Grey Search and Rescue Dogs, Virginia Search and Rescue Dogs Association (VSRDA), and the Page County Sheriff's Department. Anyone with any information about C.B. is asked to call 1-800-732-0911. For additional information about the search and rescue operation, call 540-999-3300. [Karen Beck-Herzog, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on InsideNPS: Yellowstone NP - Scientists say a new bacteria species discovered in Yellowstone's thermal pools could improve the use of bacteria to produce ethanol. HYPERLINK "http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Oct29/0,4670,YellowstoneBacteria,00.html" http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Oct29/0,4670,YellowstoneBacteria,00.html Great Basin NP - Cindy and Wayne Nielsen, who together have 55 years of service with the National Park Service, are both retiring. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1729" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1729 Northeast Region - Northeast Region is again accepting nominations for its two standing registers of employees interested in details and temporary promotions to various permanent positions throughout the region. One is for employees from GS-5 to GS-12, the other for those GS-13 and up. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Jobs&id=3017" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Jobs&id=3017 HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Jobs&id=3018" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Jobs&id=3018 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828). --- ### --- |