NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, February 1, 2010

INCIDENTS

Canyon de Chelly NM

Park Staff Assist In Providing Support In Snow Emergency

On January 21st, Navajo Nation president Joe Shirley Jr. declared a state of emergency for the Navajo Nation due to severe weather. Heavy snowfall had stranded many Navajo families in rural and isolated areas. The Navajo Nation began an emergency response entitled “Operation Snowfall 2010” and Canyon de Chelly was asked by the local Chinle Chapter to assist with delivery of food, water, medical supplies, hay, firewood, and coal to stranded Navajo families. The park staff in the visitor and resource protection, maintenance, natural resources, and interpretation divisions provided assistance to the emergency effort alongside personnel from Navajo Nation Police Department, Indian Health Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Apache County, and church groups. The park utilized its 4x4 pickup trucks and two deuce-and-a-half trucks to provide delivery into remote areas with up to three feet of snow. Park staff also assisted in areas adjacent to the park in the Tsaile and Wheatfields Chapters and in the Black Rock, Spider Rock, and Del Muerto communities. In the past, the park has assisted the local community four other times with severe weather emergency efforts. [William Yazzie]

Gila Cliff Dwellings NM

Cliff Dwellings Remain Closed Following Flooding

A week and a half after the north approach to the West Fork bridge on New Mexico Highway 15 was damaged by flood waters the bridge and Gila Cliff Dwellings a half mile beyond them remain closed. Continued rain and snow for the past week have kept state highway crews busy just keeping area roads open and a 17-mile section of Highway 15 was closed over the weekend of January 23rd and 24th as crews could not keep up with all of the snow plowing needs. Monument staff are working on options for temporary vehicle or foot access over the damaged approach, but do not expect to have a plan approved and in place until early this week and must then secure either a portable military bridge for vehicles or gangway from a marina operation for pedestrian access. Long-term repairs by the state highway department are under discussion, but no determination is expected for several weeks due to issues with continued high water levels in the Gila River and a need to find a more flood-proof means to repair the approaches to the bridge than have been undertaken in years past. Once the ground in the area dries out, monument will evaluate the feasibility of guided tours at the TJ site to provide visitors with a chance to see some of the monument's archaeological resources. [Steve Riley, Superintendent]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

Yosemite NP - The increase in popularity of hikes to the top of Half Dome via the cables placed there from May to October has led to significant safety, resource impact and visitor enjoyment concerns. In an effort to address these issues, the park will institute an interim program that will require a day use permit to hike the cables on Half Dome on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, starting in May.

Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service.

Legislative and Congressional Affairs - Kirsten Talken-Spaulding and David A. Smith began work in the U.S. Congress on January 19th after being chosen in December by Director Jon Jarvis as the two Bevinetto Congressional Fellows for 2010-2011. Photo.

Denver Service Center - Long-time Denver Service Center employee Margaret DeLaura passed away on January 4th. Photo.

To see these and other stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter):

NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index

Non-NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/

NPS serious incident submission standards can be found at the following web site: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504

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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. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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