San Francisco Bay Area Parks
Oil Spill Cleanup Continues On Park Beaches
On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 20th, management of the Cosco Busan oil spill incident reverted back to the three involved parks — Golden Gate, Point Reyes and San Francisco Maritime. Six beach and/or water access areas in Golden Gate still remain closed due to the need for additional cleanup. Municipal Pier in San Francisco Maritime is the most recently reopened site (November 26th). Over the holiday weekend, Golden Gate hosted three volunteer cleanup days, co-sponsored by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management at Ocean Beach (Thanksgiving Day) and by the Marin County Fire Department at Stinson Beach (Saturday and Sunday, November 24th and 25th). Additional oil is expected on area beaches over the next few weeks so some closures may have to be reinstated. Fishing in all park areas affected by the spill is prohibited until December 1st, by order of the governor of California. [Submitted by Rich Weideman, Public Affairs Officer]
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Hiker Killed By Falling Tree
Two 68-year-old men hiking on the Sandbeach Lake trail in Wild Basin on Tuesday afternoon were hit by a falling tree during a period of high winds. One was stunned by the hit, the other was killed. Winds that afternoon were in the 20 to 30 mph range, with gusts as high as 50 mph. A dead Douglas fir tree about 30 feet off the trail broke off 15 feet above the ground and fell on the two men. The hiker who was stunned found that his companion was unresponsive, so hiked two miles to the trailhead and reported the accident with assistance from the staff at Wild Basin Lodge. Park dispatch was notified around 3:30 p.m. and rangers hiked from Estes Park to the location of the accident. Upon arrival, the rangers, who were joined by a nurse/paramedic who is a member of the Allenspark Fire Department, determined that the second hiker had suffered fatal injuries. Eleven rangers and members of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group hiked in to recover the body and carry it to a waiting coroner's vehicle. The first hiker was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Hospital for observation. Jim Sanborn was incident commander; Patty Shafer is the investigating ranger. [Submitted by Larry Frederick, Chief of Interpretation and Education]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Pickup Driver Killed In Parkway Accident
On the morning of Saturday, November 24th, rangers were dispatched to a fatal motor vehicle accident at milepost 268 on the parkway. Local fire and rescue units were on scene when they arrived and confirmed that the driver — D.B., 45, of Purlear, North Carolina — had been killed in the accident. Evidence indicated that the vehicle had drifted off the road and gone over an embankment, then traveled almost 300 feet before striking a 14-inch diameter tree with enough energy to break the trunk more than 11 feet up from its base. Christmas presents and decorations and windshield glass were scattered for a distance of over 60 feet in front of the spot where the pickup came to rest. The entire cab was completely crushed. Based on interviews with D.B.'s wife and evidence at the scene, investigators determined that the accident had actually occurred sometime during the previous night. It was discovered on Saturday morning by two nearby residents who were out taking a morning walk. Speed and alcohol appear to have been contributing factors. Ranger Eddy Cartaya is the lead investigator, assisted by field trainee Michael Garner and assistant chief ranger Steve Stinnett. [Submitted by Brent Pennington, Highlands District Ranger]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Morristown National Historical Park (NJ)
GL-0025-7/9 Protection Ranger
The park has issued an announcement for a GL-0025-7/9 protection ranger. It closes on December 19th. For a copy of the announcement, click on the link below.
More Information...
National Capital Region
GS-13/14 Park Superintendent
Dates: 11/14/2007 - 12/04/2007
National Capital Region has issued a vacancy announcement for a GS-0025 park ranger or GS-0340 program manager to serve as superintendent at Manassas National Battlefield in Manassas, Virginia. It is open to status and non-status candidates and is a permanent, full-time position. The announcement number is NPS-NCR-08-07. Click on "More Information" below for a link to the announcement and application instructions.
[Submitted by National Capital Region HR Office, Jeanette_Organ@nps.gov, 202-619-7234]
More Information...
Glacier National Park
GS-1101-7/9 Supervisory Fee Program And Permit Specialist
Dates: 11/19/2007 - 12/07/2007
This job announcement has been extended to December 7th.
Glacier National Park is soliciting applications for a GS-1101-7/9 supervisory fee program and permit specialist. The announcement number on USA Jobs is GL 155339. It's open Servicewide to current permanent employees of the National Park Service. A complete description of duties and details on the application process can be found on the announcement, available at "More Information" below.
[Submitted by Chris Tesar, chris_tesar@nps.gov, 406-888-7832]
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.