Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (WI)
Rangers Rescue Capsized Teen Kayakers
On Tuesday, July 19th, rangers received a report that two kayakers
had capsized after becoming separated from the rest of their party in a
storm between Sand Island and the mainland. The nine paddlers consisted
of two guides, two adults, and five teenagers. They were taking a
day-paddle trip to the Sand Island Lighthouse and were on their way back
to the mainland when the storm cell reached them. The wind and waves
increased during the storm, causing the two teen paddlers to capsize.
The surface water temperature was forty 47 degrees F. One of the
capsized teens was able to get back in his boat after spending
approximately five minutes in the lake. The other teen lost contact with
his boat and spent 15 to 20 minutes in Lake Superior before he was
lifted out and laid across two kayaks lashed together. Both teens were
wearing wet suits. The other members of the party paddled back to Little
Sand Bay on the mainland and made contact with rangers. Rangers
responded by boat and found the two teens and their guide a half mile
from York Island, where they had drifted during the storm. The rangers
brought all three individuals and two kayaks on board and transported
them to Little Sand Bay, where they were treated by the Red Cliff
Reservation Ambulance Service and released.
[Submitted by Myra Foster, Acting Chief Ranger]
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Climber With Severe High Altitude Sickness Rescued
Last Friday morning, rangers were notified via cell phone of a
26-year-old Kansas man suffering from severe high altitude sickness
Boulder Field on Longs Peak. He'd become ill while summiting Longs Peak
the day before. Two members of a nearby park trail crew reached his
location within a half hour and determined that his illness was severe
enough to warrant evacuation by medical helicopter. A St. Anthony's
Flight for Life helicopter reached the scene shortly thereafter and flew
him to the Medical Center of the Rockies. Doctors later said that the
care given by the Flight for Life crew and the park trail crew likely
saved his life. High altitude sickness (also called acute mountain
sickness) occurs when you cannot get enough oxygen at high altitude. How
physically fit you are plays no role in whether you get altitude
sickness. Symptoms include a dull to throbbing headache, loss of
appetite, nausea or a feeling of being sick to your stomach, vomiting,
and feeling weak or dizzy. The best treatment for high altitude
sickness is to go to a lower elevation
[Submitted by Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Injured Man Evacuated From Longs Peak
A 68-year-old Boulder man who took a 30-foot sliding fall near the
top of Lamb's Slide on Longs Peak called rangers via cell phone on
Friday afternoon and reported that he'd been injured in the accident.
Two rangers reached him just after 4 p.m. and assessed his injuries. An
hour later, they began a tandem rappel and lowering operation and got
him down the slide to Mills Glacier. Other rangers joined them there and
helped the man down to the Chasm Lake Shelter. A total of ten rangers
were involved in the operation.
[Submitted by Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights
National Fire Activity - Preparedness Level 2
NIFC is at PL 2. Initial attack was light on Sunday. Eighteen uncontained large fires are burning nationwide.
Fire Weather Forecast
High pressure will remain over the central U.S. Scattered wet and dry thunderstorms will move across the Southwest into the southern Great Basin and central Rockies. A cold front, dropping into the northern Plains and upper Midwest, will bring cooler weather and produce scattered showers and thunderstorms across northern Montana and the Dakotas. Hot weather will continue across the South, with scattered showers and thunderstorms.
To see a NOAA map of today's critical fire weather areas, click on this link: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/fire_wx/fwdy1.html
Fire Summary (Five Day Trend)
|
Day |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Mon |
|
Date |
7/19 |
7/20 |
7/21 |
7/22 |
7/25 |
|
Initial Attack Fires |
189 |
198 |
198 |
174 |
138 |
|
New Large Fires |
3 |
7 |
2 |
8 |
3 |
|
Large Fires Contained |
5 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
|
Uncontained Large Fires |
17 |
21 |
19 |
23 |
18 |
National Resource Commitments (Five Day Trend)
|
Day |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Mon |
|
Date |
7/19 |
7/20 |
7/21 |
7/22 |
7/25 |
|
Area Command Teams |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
NIMO Teams |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Type 1 Teams |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Type 2 Teams |
4 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
NPS Fire Summaries
No updates on National Park Service fires have been received since yesterday.
Additional Information Links
- 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/fireInfo/nfn.htm
- InsideNPS Fire and Aviation - http://inside.nps.gov/fire
- InsideNPS Structural Fire - http://inside.nps.gov/fire/structuralfire
- NPS Fire and Aviation - http://www.nps.gov/fire
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs
Weekly Legislative Activities Report
The Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs puts out weekly reports on hearings, new legislation and other activities on the Hill. The following is the July 22nd summary.
In order to obtain the full text of any of the bills that appear below, click on the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/ . That will take you to Thomas, the Library of Congress legislative tracking system. Enter the bill number in the "Search Bill Text" block, being sure to also click on the "Bill Number" option below the block.
*****************
New Public Laws
Nothing to report.
Floor Action
Nothing to report.
Committee Activity
Nothing to report.
New Bills Introduced
The following bills of interest to the NPS were introduced:
- H.R. 2563 (Hall, R-TX-4) - To authorize a Wall of Remembrance as part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial and to allow certain private contributions to fund that Wall of
- H.R. 2584 (Simpson, R-ID-2) - Making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 2606 (Grimm, R-NY-13) - To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the construction and operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in the Gateway National Recreation Area, and for other purposes.
Upcoming Committee Activity
On July 28th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks will hold a hearing on the following bills of interest to the National Park Service. The hearing is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building:
- S. 264 (Cochran, R-MS) - A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the State of Mississippi two parcels of surplus land within the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway, and for other purposes.
- S. 265 (Cochran, R-MS) - A bill to authorize the acquisition of core battlefield land at Champion Hill, Port Gibson, and Raymond for addition to Vicksburg National Military Park.
- S. 324 (Cardin, D-MD) - A bill to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Development Act to extend to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission.
- S. 864 (Boxer, D-CA) - A bill to designate a Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California.
- S. 883 (Lieberman, I-CT) - A bill to authorize National Mall Liberty Fund D.C. to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor free persons and slaves who fought for independence, liberty, and justice for all during the American Revolution.
- S. 925 (Boxer, D-CA) - A bill to designate Mt. Andrea Lawrence.
- S. 970 (Coons, D-CT) - A bill to designate additional segments and tributaries of White Clay Creek, in the States of Delaware and Pennsylvania, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
- S. 1063 (Murkowski, R-AK) - A bill to allow for the harvest of gull eggs by the Huna Tlingit people within Glacier Bay National Park in the State of Alaska.
- S. 1134 (Klobuchar, D-MN) - A bill to authorize the St. Croix River Crossing Project with appropriate mitigation measures to promote river values.
*****************
For additional information, please visit the Legislative and Congressional Affairs Office website at http://www.nps.gov/legal/
[Submitted by LaTonya R. Ward, Legislative Specialist]PARKS AND PEOPLE
Natural Resource Stewardship and Science
Elaine Leslie Named Chief Of Biological Resources
Elaine F. Leslie has been selected as the new chief of the Biological Resource Management Division in the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate in Fort Collins, Colorado. Elaine has served as acting chief since February and will begin her new duties immediately.
The mission of BRMD is to provide the Service with expertise and leadership needed to preserve, protect, and manage biological resources and related processes in the National Park System. BRMD staff provide specialized scientific and technical assistance and expertise in conservation biology, wildlife health, natural resource partnership development and collaborations, wildlife management, social science, rare and endangered species, and integrated pest and invasive species management.
"In addition to the varied expertise that the cadre of scientists in BRMD routinely provides, the division has additional expertise to ensure that the parks and regions are provided with the tools and strategies to address restoration and adaptation as park resources face climate change and alternative energy challenges," says Elaine. "I am fortunate to work with these professionals that are so dedicated to the stewardship of natural resources in our parks."
Elaine is a 17-year veteran of the National Park Service. She has worked at Grand Canyon National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, and, since 2007, as deputy chief at BRMD. Prior to that, she retired from private industry after a nearly 20-year career as a senior wildlife program manager.
Elaine has degrees in wildlife biology and environmental science and brings nearly 40 years of park, field, and management experience to the position. Elaine can be reached at elaine_leslie@nps.gov or 970-267-2135.
[Submitted by George Dickison, george_dickison@nps.gov, 970-225-3597] More Information...Northeast Region
GS-2210-12 Information Technology Specialist
Dates: 07/22/2011 - 08/04/2011
Northeast Region has issued a vacancy announcement for an IT specialist. This is a term appointment, not-to-exceed 13 months. It can be renewed annually, not-to-exceed four years, contingent upon funding. See the announcement below for full details.
[Submitted by Sharon Sample, Sharon_Sample@nps.gov, 215-597-5814]
Northeast Region
GS-12 Chief Of Interpretation (Detail)
Dates: 07/22/2011 - 07/29/2011
Women's Rights National Historical Park is seeking a GS-11 (with one year in grade) or a GS-12 iInterpreter for a 60 to 120 day detail. Housing and per diem will be provided. The anticipated start date will be in mid-August. Applications must be submitted to Tammy_Duchesne@nps.gov. The park will be looking to fill this position permanently.
For more information, contact Tammy Duchesne at (215) 400-1480 or (215) 620-1386.
NPS serious incident submission standards can be found at the following web site:
http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id;=8728&lv;=2&pgid;=3504
All reports should now be submitted via this automated system.