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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, November 16, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS San Francisco Bay Area Parks Oil Washes Ashore At More Park Beaches On Thursday, November 15th, several additional beaches were closed at Point Reyes and Golden Gate as more oil washed ashore from the collision of the container ship Cosco Busan with the San Francisco Bay Bridge on November 7th. At Point Reyes, oil was found yesterday morning on Wildcat Beach and Limantour Beach, and the park closed both beaches to protect park visitors from contamination. In Golden Gate, the northern section of Ocean Beach (from Stairwell 28 to the Cliff House), which had been previously left open, was also closed yesterday due to oil washing ashore. Thursday's closures bring the total number of closed beaches to 19 in Golden Gate, two in San Francisco Maritime, and three in Point Reyes. The oil spill has affected 127 miles of NPS shoreline and 230 acres of beach. The National Park Service has 131 employees assigned to the incident. Through the NPS Western incident management team, currently led by Eddie Lopez, the parks continue to coordinate response and cleanup efforts with the unified command, which consists of the US Coast Guard, California State Fish and Game, and a contract incident management team retained by the responsible party. Interest in the incident remains high among media, visitors, and political representatives. Congressional subcommittee hearings about the oil spill are scheduled to begin on Monday. Among the general public, the volunteer spirit is overwhelming. On Wednesday, crowds packed an EPA-sponsored "short course" in hazardous materials cleanup in San Francisco. The Western IMT is working on a plan to integrate volunteers into cleanup activities on NPS beaches this weekend. Over 1,500 oiled birds have been collected - approximately two-thirds of them alive and the rest dead. In addition to the environmental damage caused by oil contamination, visitor activities have also been curtailed by the spill. Both swim clubs at Aquatic Park in San Francisco Maritime remain closed, although the park's educational program resumed activities in small boats on the water yesterday. Boardsailing, surfing, sea kayaking, and outrigger canoe paddling are currently prohibited at beaches in Golden Gate. [Rudy Evenson, Public Information Officer] Richmond NB Woman Seriously Injured In Horse-Riding Accident On the morning of Saturday, November 10th, a 35-year-old woman was riding her horse with two other riders south along Battlefield Park Road within the park's Fort Harrison unit. The horse went into a trot out of sight of the other two riders and onto Picnic Road. When her friends caught up, they found the woman on the ground, bleeding but moving. Henrico County Fire and EMS personnel and rangers responded. The woman was taken to the Medical College of Virginia Hospital, where she remains in the intensive care unit with head and shoulder injuries. Investigation revealed that the horse had passed through a small group of trees on Picnic Road, causing the woman's head and shoulder to strike one of the trees. She'd obtained the horse just a few weeks earlier, but had some prior experience riding in the same area. [Tim Mauch, Chief Ranger] Colorado NM Special Event: Rim Rock Run On November 10th, 225 runners competed in the 15th annual Rim Rock Run, a 37k (22.6 mile) foot race held within the park. Rim Rock Drive, the main road through the park, was limited to one-way traffic during the event, with vehicles utilizing one lane while the runners used the other. A commissioned ranger from Black Canyon and several deputies from Mesa County Sheriff's Department assisted Colorado NM rangers with the event. Race officials are contemplating a full marathon for next year's Rim Rock Run. The race would extend several miles outside of the park towards the town of Fruita. [Phil Akers, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on InsideNPS (internal) or NPS Digest (external): Grand Canyon NP - A ceremony celebrating the life of Eric York was held at Grand Canyon National Park yesterday. The ceremony was held at sunset at Yaki Point on Grand Canyon's South Rim. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1747" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1747 Olympic NP - Bill Laitner will retire on January 3rd after nearly 38 years of federal service, 34 in the National Park Service. He has worked in ten NPS areas and served as superintendent of three of them. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1744" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1744 Glacier NP - Mick Holm is retiring from the National Park Service on January 3rd after almost 33 years of service. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1746" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1746 Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by both the NPS and its partners across the nation. Added today are five law enforcement training courses, all at FLETC - two on physical security and one each for driving instructors, physical fitness coordinators and control tactics instructors. 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 are entries for the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, the annual meeting of the Society for American Archeology, and a national conservation summit being organized and hosted by the Student Conservation Association. 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 ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828). --- ### --- |