NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

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INCIDENTS

Buffalo NR

Major Flood Closes River

A large storm tracking over northwest Arkansas over last Tuesday and Wednesday dumped from six to nearly twelve inches of rain on the Buffalo National River watershed. This rainfall caused the Buffalo River to rise rapidly, bringing it to levels exceeding all measuring equipment at the major monitoring points at the Highway 7, Highway 65, and Highway 14 bridge crossings. This flood appears to be near record in its volume, bested only by the record-setting flood of 1982. All access points along the 135-mile river were impacted by the rising waters, some measured by visual observation at 50 feet above normal flow. High water closed all park campgrounds on March 18th and the river was temporarily closed because of the extreme danger from the swift-moving water and debris. Park visitors on the river before the rain began falling were assisted in getting off the river. No complications or fatalities resulted from this serious situation. Park concessioners did not put visitors on the river during the closure. Some campgrounds are open this week along the upper river, which was less impacted by the flooding, but it will be some time before the water recedes from the lower reaches of the river near Buffalo Point and cleanup of park facilities can begin there. Camping reservations have been curtailed and will resume again in April. The extent of the damage will take some time to evaluate. Some roads have been lost - taken by the river - and numerous restrooms, parking, launch, and access facilities will need extensive cleaning and repair before they can be used by the public. The river is open, however, when and where it can be reached. [Bob Maguire, Chief Ranger]

Hawaii Volcanoes NP

Halema'uma'u Gas Plume Becomes Ash-Laden

There is now a continuous emission of ash from the new gas vent in Halema`uma`u Crater, turning the formerly white cloud of fume a dusty-brown color. The top of the ash plume, which is currently being blown to the southwest of the crater, reaches from a half mile to one mile above ground level. On Sunday night, small incandescent particles were observed erupting from the vent below the Halema`uma`u Overlook. A few particles were ejected with sufficient velocity to be deposited on the rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater. On Monday morning, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists reported finding Pele's hair (thin strands of volcanic glass drawn out from molten lava named after the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes), Pele's tears (small bits of molten lava that cools quickly and solidifies into glass shaped spheres or tear drops), and spatter (clumps of molten lava) in the overlook area, indicating that particles ejected overnight included molten lava - the first erupted from the new vent, which is now 30 to 35 meters (100 feet) wide. The largest fragments of spatter, or blobs of molten rock, found on the crater rim are 10 centimeters (four inches) in size. The amount of lava erupted from the vent was small, but it represents the first lava erupted from anywhere in Halema`uma`u since 1982. Previous eruptions included lava flowing into the crater from fissure eruptions on its southwest rim in 1974 and 1971 and an eight month eruption in Halema‘uma‘u in 1967 and 1968 that created a lake of lava that covered the entire crater floor. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to monitor the activity. View the plume on the Halema'uma'u webcam on USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at HYPERLINK "http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam3/_" http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam3/ .The park and the Western IMT continue contingency planning. More information is available on Inciweb at HYPERLINK "http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1171/_" http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1171/. [Patti Wold, Information Officer]

Big South Fork NRRA

Successful Anti-Poaching Operation Concludes

Over the past two big game hunting seasons, protection rangers have employed intelligence and information gathered from field contacts to conduct focused anti-poaching operations in areas of the park that have been heavily poached over the years. Action plans were developed and operations were conducted throughout the park. Tactics included wildlife decoy operations, hunter checkpoints, and surveillance. Since the park is under concurrent jurisdiction, local Kentucky and Tennessee game wardens and a Tennessee state park ranger assisted in the operations. Also participating were recent FLETC graduates who were completing their field training assignments at the park. During these operations, rangers and wardens made a total of 24 illegal hunting cases. Nearly 50 violation notices were issued, 19 weapons were seized, and almost $5,000 in restitution was paid into the park's resource protection fund. The money was used to purchase specialized equipment and to pay ranger overtime. All the operations were conducted safely under the park's SOP for anti-poaching details. [James Barna, Operations Coordinator]

Everglades NP

Fish Poaching Conviction

R.K. of Naples, Florida, recently pled guilty to a single count of taking protected saltwater fish species in the southwest section of the park. R.K. illegally harvested four goliath grouper and five undersize, out-of-season snook from the Gopher Creek area. Rangers received an anonymous tip about the fish, investigated, and ended up charging R.K.. The court ordered R.K. to pay $1,850 in fines and restitution and banned him from the park for two years. He's currently serving a one-year prison sentence on unrelated charges. There have been other recent poaching events in the Gopher Creek area and rangers are aggressively pursuing these. Possession of illegal fish in the park is a Class B misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of $5,000 and six months in prison for each charge. The Lacey Act is invoked, however, when the poached species has a commercial value greater than $350. A violation of the Lacey Act is a felony which carries a maximum fine of $20,000, five years in prison, and forfeiture of vessels and vehicles involved in transporting the illegal harvest. Under state law, poachers can also lose their hunting and fishing privileges in Florida as well as 23 other states which have signed a cooperative wildlife violator compact. [Linda Friar, Public Affairs Officer]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories (among others) can be read on InsideNPS:

Haleakala NP - On March 18th, the National Park Service announced that the moratorium on commercial downhill bicycle rides within the park will continue pending a full evaluation of all impacts from the activity in the park's commercial services plan.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6322" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6322

Harpers Ferry - The March edition of HFC onMedia is now out. Learn about HFC's new exhibit development process and read how it's influenced the planning and design of exhibits for the Barrier Island Visitor Center at Assateague Island.

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=6320" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=6320

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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).

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