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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, November 2, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Biscayne NP Park Reopens As Tropical Storm Noel Moves East Since Tropical Storm Noel has taken an easterly course away from the south Florida coast, the park will reopen today. The Dante Fascell Visitor Center, the headquarters building, the grounds at Convoy Point, and the concession operation are to open at 8 a.m., with park facilities located on Boca Chita, Elliott and Adams Keys reopening at noon. For further information, call the park's visitor center at 305-230-PARK (7275) or log on to the park website at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/bisc" www.nps.gov/bisc. [Susan Gonshor, Public Information Officer] Mount Rainier NP Flood Recovery Reaches One Year Milestone On November 6-7, 2006, Mount Rainier National Park received 18 inches of rainfall in a 36 hour period. Flood waters devastated infrastructure throughout the park, resulting in an unprecedented six-month closure. The damage was extensive and extraordinary: Landslides and major washouts severed access to each major park road. Old growth trees were uprooted. Much of Sunshine Point campground washed away. Rivers and creeks changed channels, cutting new paths and leaving old ones dry. Trail damage occurred throughout the park, as raging water wiped out bridges, thousands of felled trees blocked access, and in some places trails were stripped to bedrock. A year later, the park has made tremendous progress in the recovery process. Throughout the winter and spring of 2007, park crews worked tirelessly to repair roads and restore all utilities in the park, and the park reopened its gates to visitors again on May 5th. Throughout the summer and fall, park staff continued to work diligently to restore dozens of damaged sites. The Wonderland Trail, a 93-mile trail circling the park, reopened in August, and, by mid-November, the major road repair projects in the park will be complete. Recovery efforts at Mount Rainier have made tremendous headway thanks in large part to the support of Congress and the help of over 1,700 volunteers, a park record. Individuals, businesses and organizations united through the Northwest Storm Recovery Coalition and the Student Conservation Association to contribute 84,000 hours of volunteer labor to the park this year at a value of nearly $1.6 million. Much work is still to be done. Superintendent Dave Uberuaga estimates that the majority of park recovery projects will be complete within the next year. Attention is now focused on shoring up flood protection for the rainy season to protect park infrastructure and the historic assets of the park. The trails system, however, may take years to fully rehabilitate. Decisions are still on the horizon as the park is developing alternatives for how to provide public access to the Carbon River Road area and to undertake major trail rerouting projects on the Carbon River and Glacier Basin Trails. Additional images and details of the flood can be found at the Mount Rainier National Park website at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/mora/parknews/november-2006-flooding.htm" http://www.nps.gov/mora/parknews/november-2006-flooding.htm . [Alison Bullock, PIO] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on InsideNPS: National Capital Parks East - Gayle Hazelwood, superintendent of National Capital Parks - East, has received the Fran Mainella Award, conferred every two years for sustained and innovative achievement by a woman in the management of North America's natural, historic or cultural heritage. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1733" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1733 Glen Canyon NRA - Kitty L. Roberts, superintendent at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, will retire on December 3rd after 28 years with the National Park Service. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1736" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1736 Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by both the NPS and its partners across the nation. Added today are a structural fire driver-operator course at Big Bend in December, a search management course to be held at Zion in March, wilderness first responder and wilderness first responder refresher courses in Tennessee in January and February, and ARPA training sessions in Maine and Florida in April. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=775" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=775 Events Calendar - Today's listing of upcoming NPS and NPS-related events across the nation. New on this week's calendar is a presentation next week at Brown vs. Board of Education on the desegregation crisis at Central High in Little Rock. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=776" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=776 * * * * * 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). --- ### --- |