NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

INCIDENTS

Kalaupapa NHP

Key Trail Reopens Following Storm Damage Repair

The Kalaupapa Pali Trail has reopened following the recent completion of major trail repairs. The trail was officially closed on April 13th due to heavy rains that caused a catastrophic landslide and washed away part of the trail and bridge. Repair of the trail was a top priority in Pacific West Region because it is the only overland connection for visitors and residents to travel to Kalaupapa. The cost of the repair work was nearly $400,000 and involved trail crews from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Haleakala National Park, and employees of Kalaupapa Guided Mule Tours. The bridge replacement work required sophisticated engineering and geo-technical studies prior to installation. Historically, this portion of the trail has been the most hazardous and prone to washouts. Previous bridges installed over the past 25 years were temporary solutions and a more stable solution was needed to ensure the safety of visitors and mule trains along the trail. The new bridge, made of strong, light-weight aluminum, is supported by two solid footings that are literally bolted into the sheer cliff face at each end. [Stephen Prokop, Superintendent]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Office of Communications - Tomorrow is Veterans Day. In recognition of current and former servicemen and women, all national parks will wave entrance fees on November 11th.

Gateway NRA - Over 45,000 runners gathered at Gateway NRA's Fort Wadsworth for the start of the 41st New York City Marathon last Sunday. Photo.

Cultural Resources - Twenty-eight participants from units across the National Park Service learned how to plan an oral history project, conduct in-depth interviews, archive and preserve recordings, and interpret oral history sources in a training course held in Yosemite in late October. Photo.

Pacific West Region - Karen Beppler-Dorn has been named the new superintendent of Pinnacles National Monument. She will report to the park in early January. Photo.

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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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