NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, July 2, 2010

INCIDENTS

Gulf Coast Parks

High Seas Push More Oil Ashore At Gulf Islands

High seas from now dissipated Hurricane Alex have pushed more oil ashore at Gulf Islands. Padre Island has reopened with the storm's passage. Here are the details:

Gulf Islands NS - Waves up to ten feet high washed over the berm at Gulf Islands National Seashore yesterday and deposited golf-ball-sized tar balls along a 50-foot section of the Fort Pickens Road between parking lots known locally as Lots 21 and 22. NPS crews responded with scoop shovels and hard bristled brooms to remove the tar balls and residue tar on the asphalt. An absorbent boom was placed on the side of the gulf side of the road; a small sand berm was constructed to prevent water from washing under the boom. Local media interest was high on the status of Ship Island. NPS crews have not been able to assess the location by air or water due to the storm, but the USCG has confirmed oil on the southern side of both East and West Ship Islands.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto, Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - No new developments.

Jean Lafitte NHP&P - No new developments.

Padre Island NS - The park will reopen to the public today. Beach access may be limited. Visitors are advised to use caution when driving on South Beach, as the flooding may have rearranged the natural debris, such as logs, and created crossover channels.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites:

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" NPS Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" DOI Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/" National Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957" Oil Spill Safety Training

HYPERLINK "http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/" GeoPlatform

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=1006&id=9336" NPS ICS 209 Incident Status Summaries

HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/NPS%20-%20Public%20Health%20Notice%20SIGNAGE%206-26-10.pdf" Gulf Islands Public Health Precautions Notice

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/OilSpillSafety/index.htm" Public Health Service Oil Spill Safety Video

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/" Oil Spill Media Page

[Lynne Murdock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Joshua Tree NP

Search Continues For Missing Hiker

Efforts by search and rescue personnel to locate missing hiker William Ewasko entered their sixth day on Thursday. Teams of agency and volunteer ground searchers continue to comb the Quail Mountain area of the park in an effort to locate the Georgia man, who was first reported missing last Friday. Teams responding to the search on Thursday included Desert Search and Rescue from Riverside County and Sierra Madre Mountain Rescue from Los Angeles County. Teams from San Bernardino County included Morongo Basin Search and Rescue and RIMSAR from the Big Bear/Lake Arrowhead area. Joshua Tree Search and Rescue, affiliated with Joshua Tree National Park, also contributed volunteer ground searchers. National Park Service and Riverside County Sheriff's Office personnel continue to coordinate the search effort, with additional support from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office. Thursday's objectives called for ground search teams to work the highest priority sectors of Juniper Flats and Quail Springs, located to the east and north of the Quail Mountain summit. To date, over 100 volunteer searchers have contributed 1,100 ground search hours - in addition to efforts by trained dog teams, equestrian searchers, and helicopters from the California Highway Patrol and Riverside County Sheriff's Office. Hundreds of additional man-hours have been dedicated to the search effort by support staff. [Joe Zarki, Public Information Officer]

Grand Teton NP

Rangers Rescue Two Boaters On The Snake River

Rangers rescued two local men from the Snake River on Tuesday after their fiberglass drift boat capsized when it hit an uprooted tree that was recently lodged in the stream. Brothers D.W. and K.W., both residents of Moran, Wyoming, launched their craft from Pacific Creek Landing and floated the Snake without incident until they encountered the midstream obstruction. They were apparently unable to avoid the uprooted tree due to the swift current. The two men were uninjured and able to swim safely to shore; neither was wearing a life vest at the time of the accident. The Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received a call reporting the accident at 2:45 p.m. and rangers later located the men, who were safe but stranded on the riverbank near the accident site. Rangers then floated the two men down river to the Moose Landing. This is the first significant accident on a reach of the Snake River in the park this season, and rangers remind river users that the Snake is a powerful river with strong currents and cold water temperatures. Due to its tangle of channels and constantly shifting logjams and downed trees, boaters are advised to have the proper equipment—as well as the knowledge and experience—to accurately read the river's current and navigate away from natural obstructions in the streambed. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]

Rocky Mountain NP

Injured Hiker Rescued From Longs Peak

Yesterday afternoon, the park received a cell phone call reporting that a 28-year-old Colorado man had fallen 150 feet down a slope south and west of The Narrows on Longs Peak. A ranger was flown to the summit by helicopter and hiked down to the man, reaching him around 4 p.m. He had numerous injuries, but was conscious and stable. Rangers employed a short-haul helicopter and a team from Grand Teton NP that had been assigned to the Cow Creek Fire to evacuate the man from the peak. He was short-hauled to the Boulderfield on at 7 p.m., where a Flight for Life helicopter picked him up and took him to St. Anthony's Hospital. There were approximately 30 rescuers involved in this incident, including members from Rocky Mountain Rescue who were on standby in case assistance was needed for a ground evacuation. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]

OTHER NEWS

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

Director's Office - Listen in as Director Jarvis talks with two seasonal employees from National Capital Region about their jobs and the National Park Service. Photo.

The White House - The protocol for lowering United States flags to half staff in commemoration of the death of Senator Byrd has been revised by order of the President. It will fly at half staff through Saturday, return to full staff on Independence Day, then be returned to half staff until sunset on Tuesday.

America's Great Outdoors Initiative - Young people joined with representatives from conservation, tourism and recreation groups at the America's Great Outdoor listening session on June 25th in Annapolis, Maryland. Photo.

Denver Service Center - Career NPS employee John W. Henneberger passed away on Thursday, June 24th, in Corvallis, Oregon. Photo.

Servicewide Training Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation. Added to this week's listing are three Fundamentals II training sessions at Albright this coming winter.

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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