NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
INCIDENTS
Gulf Coast Parks
Gulf Oil Spill Response Preparations Continue
The incident management teams coordinating the NPS response to the Deepwater Horizon spill continue to prepare for the possible arrival of the oil plume at one or more Gulf Coast parks. This update covers oil spill response activities for the following parks - Padre Island, Jean Lafitte, Gulf Islands, and the South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades):
Padre Island NS - The park continues to plan its precondition assessment, which will include photo points and soil and water sampling. The survey is expected to begin today and conclude on Friday.
Jean Lafitte NHP - Located in the upper part of the Barataria Estuary, about 35 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, the park faces no immediate threat of oil from the Deepwater Horizon release. Park staff continue to monitor developments and prepare to conduct a field assessment of water chemistry, submerged vegetation, soils, and aquatic invertebrates to serve as a baseline for comparison in the event that oil eventually reaches the Barataria Preserve.
Gulf Islands NS - All beaches and park sites remain open and operational. No closures are in place. Weather and currents are keeping the oil away from the park. As of yesterday evening, the NOAA forecast still showed the oil plume well south of the park. Aerial surveys were conducted yesterday that indicated additional booming is needed in some areas. Some booming was put in place today, with more scheduled for tomorrow. At Fort Massachusetts, a Civil War-era brick fort built on Ship Island, contractors secured a rehabilitation project to stop work temporarily to prevent oil damage to construction equipment. Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment (SCAT) teams, which included NPS representatives, conducted trial runs to check procedures.
South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - The south Florida national parks' Type III IMT continues to make preparations for potential impacts from the oil spill. Internal procedures for the team were finalized, including a template for incident action plans and a delegation of authority from all five park superintendents. US Coast Guard Sector Key West hosted a meeting to discuss plans to address the potential impacts of the spill in the Key West area. In addition to the NPS and the Coast Guard, meeting attendees included representatives of the State of Florida, the Navy, NOAA, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Monroe County, and the cities of Key West and Marathon. Based on the path of the Loop Current, Dry Tortugas National Park and the Marquesas in the Florida Key National Wildlife Refuge appear to be the area in South Florida that is most vulnerable at this point in time. An environment team, including a representative from the National Park Service, was established to focus specifically on resource impacts and resource condition assessment. Public information personnel have responded to an increasing number of media inquiries. In response, incident PIO contact information has been established for distribution to interested media. Information officers can be contacted at 305-741-4342, or by email at HYPERLINK "mailto:SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com_" SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com. This contact information is expected to stay constant throughout the duration of the incident.
For more information on the overall spill response, including images and videos, please see the overall Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response website at HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com" http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com . [Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
Zion NP
Climber Rescued From Pine Creek Canyon
Park dispatch received a report of a climber in distress in Pine Creek Canyon just before 7 p.m. on April 30th. The caller said that a member of his canyoneering party had lost control during the final 100 feet of a rappel and was hanging upside down and unable to right himself. Rangers immediately recognized that this was a life threatening situation. A hasty team responded to a gallery window in the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel, where two rangers were lowered to the climber. The rangers were able to get him right side up and connect him to the rescue system. Personnel in the tunnel window then raised all three to a safe location. From initial report to completion of the rescue took just 56 minutes. The fast response is credited with saving the man's life. Only one person in the party of eight finished the last rappel; due to darkness and the inexperience of the climbers, it was determined that raising all party members to the tunnel window was the appropriate course of action. One lane of traffic was closed in the tunnel for rescue vehicles. A large haul team was required to raise the seven members of climbing party and their two rescuers through five raising evolutions. Nineteen park personnel participated in the operation. The IC was ranger Andrew Fitzgerald. [Cindy Purcell, Chief Ranger]
New River Gorge NR
Stolen NPS UTV Recovered, Theft Investigation Continues
On April 8th, rangers Sandy Shuck and CW Mitchem began an investigation into the theft of a 2008 Kawasaki Teryx UTV (utility terrain vehicle) that had been stolen from the park headquarters facility in Glen Jean that morning. The crime scene investigation revealed that the thieves had cut and entered the security fencing around the HQ maintenance yard and had tampered with a number of park work vehicles inside. While doing so, they successfully started a Kawasaki Teryx side-by-side UTV and stole it from the lot. Numerous leads were followed, with suspect interrogations and witness interviews conducted in an attempt to locate the UTV. The week-long investigation led the rangers to the communities of Mossy and Pax, both outside the park, where two suspects were identified and contacted. On April 18th, the rangers received an informant tip that the UTV had been abandoned in a remote area along a state road. The vehicle was located and confirmed to be the one that had been stolen from the park. The UTV was subsequently processed by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department forensics team, who searched for latent prints and other evidence. The investigation continues, and charges are being considered. The U.S. Attorney's Office has been contacted. It's believed that the daily, persistent pressure applied by rangers in their investigation prompted the thieves to ditch the UTV prior to being caught with it. [Frank Sellers, Park Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
National Parks Institute - Former President Jimmy Carter addressed the participants and special guests at the National Parks Institute's inaugural seminar on the campus of the University of California, Merced, on Monday.
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP - On Friday, April 30th, the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield and Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park celebrated the completion of a restoration/exhibit project at Ellwood Manor on the Wilderness Battlefield. Photo.
Conservation and Outdoor Recreation - Each year, trail enthusiasts nationwide take time to celebrate National Trails Day on the first Saturday of June. It's not too late to host an event at your park. Photo.
Pacific West Region - Twice a year, Green Voice reports on how parks throughout the Pacific West Region are pursuing and teaching sustainability. The most recent edition is now out; a link is provided.
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/notify" http://inside.nps.gov/notify
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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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