Golden Gate National Recreation Area (CA)
Man Arrested For Attempted Rape Of Hiker
A hiker contacted park dispatch on Monday afternoon to report that she'd been assaulted by a man on the Oakwood Valley trail. She said that she'd seen him earlier on the trail, that he'd grabbed her from behind and dragged her into the brush, and that she'd fought him off and called for help. Rangers, Park Police officers and Marin County deputies responded and set up a containment area. Supervisory ranger Kurt Veeck drove his patrol car along a fire road close to the main trail and spotted the man, identified as 21-year-old S.V.I. Veeck detained him until ranger Annie Leone could arrive on scene with the woman. She positively identified S.V.I. as her attacker. S.V.I. was placed under arrest and taken to the Marin County Sheriff's Office substation, where he was interviewed by Leone and a Marin County detective. After a two-and-half-hour interview, S.V.I. confessed to the assault with the intent to commit rape. Bail has been set at $2,000,000. Additional charges are also pending. The incident is being jointly investigated by Golden Gate rangers and the Marin County Sheriff's Office. [Submitted by Kim Coast, Operations Supervisor]
Mount Rushmore National Memorial (SD)
Woman Rescued From Face Of Monument
On July 16th, a park guest who had just descended from the monument's face slipped on lose pine needles and rocks and tumbled a short distance, breaking her leg in two places. Rangers, other park employees and members of the park's technical rope team responded. The woman was stabilized and taken down the mountain without incident. She was part of a group being lead by an employee that was descending down the mountain after visiting the top of the sculpture. After being successfully rescued from Mount Rushmore, she was transported by ambulance to the Rapid City Regional Hospital, where she was released pending surgery in Denver. [Submitted by Mark Gorman, Acting Chief Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights
National Fire Activity — Preparedness Level 5
Initial attack was moderate on Thursday, with 279 new fires reported. There are now 37 large uncontained fires burning nationwide, down from 69 last Friday.
Fire Weather Forecast
Windy conditions are expected over portions of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming today. Drying is expected over California and Nevada with most of the thunderstorm activity along and east of the Rockies. There is also a chance of thunderstorms in northeast Washington, northern Idaho and northwest Montana.
Fire Summary (Five Day Trend)
|
Date |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
|
Day |
7/14 |
7/15 |
7/16 |
7/17 |
7/18 |
|
Initial Attack Fires |
136 |
186 |
155 |
143 |
279 |
|
New Large Fires |
3 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Large Fires Contained |
1 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
|
Uncontained Large Fires |
57 |
55 |
47 |
42 |
37 |
National Resource Commitments (Five Day Trend)
|
Date |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
|
Day |
7/14 |
7/15 |
7/16 |
7/17 |
7/18 |
|
Area Command Teams |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
NIMO Teams |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Type 1 Teams |
16 |
13 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
|
Type 2 Teams |
14 |
14 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
|
FUM Teams |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
NPS Fire News
No updates on National Park Service fires have been received since yesterday. br>
For additional information on all fires, check the following web sites:
- Archived fire news — http://www.nps.gov/fire/public/pub_firenews.cfm?archive=true
- Map of fire locations — http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/lg_fire2.php
- Details on all current major fires — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
- Fire news and fire year in perspective - http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm
- InsideNPS Fire and Aviation - http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=73&lv=2
- InsideNPS Structural Fire - http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=358&lv=3
- NPS Fire and Aviation - http://www.nps.gov/fire
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Superintendents Summit '08
Speakers Offer Guidance On Dealing With Change
Leaders in collaboration and partnerships advised superintendents to use the Centennial Challenge as a trigger to change the way their parks do business and improve their methods in building capacity at the Snowbird, Utah, summit on Thursday.
Kurt Aschermann, president and chief operating officer of Charity Partners, LLC, called the Centennial "an opportunity like no other" to make their organizations more effective at taking advantage of new opportunities. He offered a list of lessons learned in turning around a non-profit that could be applied to the tasks that lie ahead for superintendents:
- Park managers were advised not to delay in pursuing opportunities. "Just do it" was Aschermann's central message once an opportunity has been identified.
- Park management should consider everyone with whom there is contact to be a potential donor or supporter.
- The world, not just the United States, "is greening," Aschermann said, and this development presents an opportunity for parks to take the lead in an important and growing movement.
- Parks could have a broad and lasting impact on the health and fitness of children, whose use of technology and television could be mitigated through park programs.
- Build partnerships by approaching each opportunity with new tools. One method that proved especially effective in Aschermann's work was the use of teams rather than individuals to work with partners. Fielding experts to manage each aspect of the relationship provided more stability, he said.
- Listen more closely to what your partners say they need to work more effectively with you. Work continually for clarity about what each partner brings to the table, what each needs to take from the collaboration, and what the limitations are for each partner.
- Think about how everything you do might be perceived by the public.
- Use the Centennial to inform your efforts to revise whatever does not seem to be working.
During a panel discussion, leaders in other aspects of partnering and collaborating with the parks offered additional observations for managers in their efforts to build capacity.
Steven H. Lockhart chairman of Yosemite National Institutes, spoke of "nature deficiency disorders" in children as an important target for parks. Think about the kinds of relationships you want for children and instructors, the sense of place that parks can impart to children, and the increasing importance of taking into account the needs and opportunities presented by an increasingly diverse public are lessons that emerged from his presentation. These will be key in succeeding through the century, he and Aschermann noted.
A community marketing executive, Quinton R. Martin of The Coca-Cola Co., told superintendents who might be concerned about demands from potential corporate donors that corporations are quite aware of the unpopularity of "excessive flash" among consumers. "Fears about over-commercialism are the same ones we have," he said.
Improving an organization's ability to get across its enthusiasm for its work, determining how to measure its success, building strong working relationships, and bringing opportunities to each other were offered as other key lessons learned at North Cascades Institute, according to its executive director, Saul Weisburg.
[Submitted by Norma Sosa]
Superintendents Summit '08
Summit Closes With Focus On The Future
What things would you place in a time capsule? What would be of use when historians "ask whether we as a Service achieved what we planned?"
That question by Director Bomar led to an emotional closing of the Superintendents Summit in Utah Thursday afternoon as she and members of the National Leadership Council talked of objects, memories and hopes that they would pass to a new generation of leaders.
Placed in the capsule? A photo of the emerging leaders who attended the summit; a copy of the Constitution to remind a future Service that all documents and beliefs need amending over time; a copy of the NPS Organic Act; and an alarm clock to be a symbol of a Service that must wake up and more aggressively lead the nation in critical issues were among the suggested treasures to pass along.
And Director Bomar offered a quote to future historians, one known by many in the Service: "There are special places that unite us all as Americans, and national parks are those special places."
That theme of special places had resonated earlier in the afternoon with a screening of several short segments from "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," the upcoming Ken Burns and Florentine Films' six-part, 12-hour series for PBS.
"The park idea is an American idea… the Declaration of Independence mapped over our land," said Dayton Duncan, who wrote the screenplay and co-produced the series. The production, which will air in the Fall of 2009, is "a labor of love for many of us, and we hope it shows."
The programs will trace the national parks from their early mid-1800 origins, through the establishment of the Service in 1916, and into the 1980s. Additional productions are also planned, including web-based media, educator resources, shorter thematic pieces, and a Spanish language version of the series, Duncan said.
The second day of the two-day gathering of about 500 NPS superintendents and leaders in Utah also featured presentations by Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary Lyle Laverty, and Deputy Directors Lindy Harvey and Dan Wenk.
[Submitted by John Quinley, Public Affairs, Alaska Regional Office]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Carlsbad Caverns National Park (NM)
GL-0025-9 Protection Ranger
Carlsbad Caverns National Park has issued an announcement for a GL-0025-9 protection ranger. The announcement closes on Wednesday, July 23rd. The announcement number is CAVE-08-64MP(A). A copy can be obtained by clicking on "More Information" below.
More Information...
Guadalupe Mountains National Park (TX)
GL-0025-9 Protection Ranger (Lateral)
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is actively recruiting for a GL-0025-9 protection ranger with a Level I commission interested in a lateral reassignment.
This is a permanent, full-time, 6c covered position. Primary duties include the full range of law enforcement in an area of concurrent jurisdiction — resource protection, wilderness management, emergency medical services, structural and wildland fire, search and rescue and visitor services. Collateral duties might include such activities as SAR, EMS coordinator, structural fire coordinator, fees, special use permits, etc. The person in this position will serve as one of four permanent GL-9 protection rangers working on the Pine Springs side of the park.
Guadalupe Mountains NP is located in West Texas, 55 miles south of Carlsbad, New Mexico, and 110 miles northeast of El Paso, Texas. This is a remote park with the nearest community, Dell City, 45 miles to the southwest. It has bus service for school grades K-12. The climate is a semiarid, with warm summers, mild winters, abundant sunshine, low relative humidity and approximately 21 inches of rainfall per year. Grocery and department stores, hospitals, doctors, dentists, churches, banks, motels, restaurants and recreational facilities are found in Carlsbad and El Paso.
This is a required occupancy position, with government housing in Pine Springs, Texas.
Rising more than 3,000 feet above the Chihuahuan Desert, the park contains the three highest points in Texas — upwards of 8,700 feet. Authorized by Congress in 1966 to preserve "an area possessing outstanding geological values together with scenic and other natural values of great significance", the park contains three internationally significant geological stratotypes and is one of the world's finest examples of ancient marine fossil reef. (Stratotypes are outstanding examples of exposed rock that represent a certain period of geological time.) Primary public facilities consist of more than 80 miles of trails, ten (10) back country-wilderness, campgrounds, two front country campgrounds, two public horse corrals with accompanying camp sites, picnic areas, a visitor center, maintenance and housing area complex and six miles of state highway. Visitation for the park is approximately 186,000 annually.
Interested candidates should contact acting chief ranger B J Ratlief at 915-828-3251 x109. To apply, send an OF-612 federal application or equivalent resume, along with a copy of your most recent performance appraisal and a current SF-50, t Human Resources Office, Re: GUMO 9-LE, 3225 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220.
Applications should be received by close of business on August 8th.
Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)
GS-5 Dispatcher (Detail)
The CommCenter (dispatch office) at Denali National Park is a full-service law enforcement and emergency services dispatch center. During the summer season, the CommCenter operates from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. It is a busy and complex operation. In addition to servicing Denali, the center provides automated flight following (AFF) and other services to other NPS units in Alaska.
Normally, five employees work in the office. Recent and unexpected resignations and a transfer have dropped the staffing level to two. This presents an acute staffing shortage in a critically important operational program at the worst possible time of the year.
Denali is seeking a full-performance NPS dispatcher for a four- to six-week detail to the CommCenter. Exact time length of the detail is negotiable. The park will pay all salary, travel, and per diem costs. In addition, backfill is authorized for the home unit. This detail represents a great career development opportunity for a qualified employee and a chance to see and experience a crown jewel national park in Alaska.
Qualified employees, with supervisory approval, should contact CommCenter supervisor Sean Fielding at 907-683-9555 or chief ranger Pete Armington at 907-683-9521.
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.