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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, September 2, 2011 INCIDENTS East Coast Areas Hundreds Continue Working On Hurricane Recovery Operations Hurricane Irene recovery operations continue in parks in Northeast and Southeast Regions. Today's status reports follow. As of yesterday morning, a total of 242 NPS employees were committed to these efforts. Here are updates from parks reporting significant issues, as of yesterday: Cape Lookout - The park is being assisted by the Midwest IMT (Jim Hummel, IC) and a regional assessment team. Eighty-two people are committed to the recovery operation. Today's update: Cape Lookout lighthouse is open on a first-come, first serve basis. All ferry operators were personally visited regarding the opening of Shackelford and the Cape. Community member appreciated the information and were interested in what the NPS is doing to bring the park back to full operations. Emergency repairs to the headquarters roof were completed and 80% of electrical work completed. Almost all of the horses on Shackleford have been spotted and are in good health The reconstruction of the dock at Shackleford is 60% complete. A total of 17 turtle nests have been found and marked to date. Water testing and pressure testing of cabins was undertaken at Great Island. One cabin needs water and septic replacement The most damage in the park was at Long Point. The dock, ranger station, restrooms, water systems, fuel compound all need major reconstruction. Assessment teams continued their assessments at Portsmouth and were joined by a historic architect. Assessments were completed. Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 112 people are currently committed to the recovery operation. The park has reopened beaches and many ramps, but access to Hatteras and Ocracoke islands remains open only to residents already on the islands due to damage to roads and other infrastructure in this area. For updated beach access information for the park see the latest HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm" Google Earth beach access maps. The Oregon inlet campground and all other campgrounds remain, but Coquina Beach and all its facilities and many ramps have also reopened. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial are open and have resumed normal hours of operation. Bodie Island Lighthouse and facilities and all park facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands remain closed, including airports. For more information, contact 252-473-2111. Meanwhile, the incident IMT reports the following actions undertaken or completed yesterday: Bodie Island - Coquina Beach opened and is fully operational. Resource management completed duck blind assessments - 12 of 20 are missing, six are functional and two were moved a distance of 16 to 50 feet from their original positions. Debris lean up and saw operations continued at the visitor center and started at the campground; 35 hazardous trees were trimmed or removed. The lift station at Oregon Island Fishing Center was fixed. Seasonal quarters 117 and 118 were evaluated by the electrician and can be used for housing again. A small fire was reported on Boneyard Road that was started due to a downed power line. Hatteras Island - Another ramp was opened. The group supervisor coordinated and facilitated transportation for an assessment team and gave a FEMA representative a tour. Cleanup was begun of the Frisco pier parking area, employing heavy equipment. Superintendent Murray conducted a site visit and held an all employees meeting. Ocracoke Island - Debris clean up and saw operations occurred around the lighthouse and visitor center. The group supervisor coordinated and facilitated transportation for a cultural assessment team and is interacting with local emergency management on a daily basis. A lighthouse assessment was conducted - cracks were observed requiring evaluation by an engineer. A radio tech evaluated the repeater and determined a new antennae is required. Air Operations - Forty-two passengers were transported yesterday. Employee Assistance - Transition occurred to a new group supervisor. Three employee homes were checked on Hatteras. Resource Advisors - Checked on tree cutting operation at Wright Brothers. Assessed cultural features around areas of flooding at Bodie Island. Assessment Team - The eight members of the team flew to Hatteras Island and conducted assessments of all facilities and assets and then began to process the information at the office. Delaware Water Gap - The entire length of U.S. Route 209 through the park reopened yesterday. Local, township-maintained feeder roads between SR 2001 and Route 209 reopened with Route 209. Since Monday, National Park Service crews have concentrated on clearing trees, repairing damaged shoulders, and removing silt and debris to make the road safe for travel. MetEd utility workers arrived on Wednesday to replace a broken power pole and dangling power line that blocked one lane of Route 209 north of PA 739. On the New Jersey side of the park, Old Mine Road has reopened between Route 560 and U.S. Route 206. The Sixty-four NPS personnel are presently dedicated to managing and carrying out the damage assessment and cleanup operations in the park. The efforts of park employees are aided by two four-person trail crews from Acadia National Park (Maine) and Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) and a seven-person facility assessment team. All are making a concerted effort to open park roads, trails, visitor centers, and recreation sites as quickly as possible. Most closures noted in yesterday's edition still stand. For updated information on the status of park facilities, roads, and trails, go to the park's website ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/dewa" www.nps.gov/dewa), Facebook ( HYPERLINK "http://www.facebook.com/DelWaterGapNPS" www.facebook.com/DelWaterGapNPS), and/or Twitter ( HYPERLINK "http://www.twitter.com/DelWaterGapNPS" www.twitter.com/DelWaterGapNPS). Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. [Bill Halainen, Editor] Glacier NP Search For Missing Seasonal Employee Continues The search continues for missing seasonal employee J.“J.”R. Several crews endured rainy and cold conditions as they camped overnight in the search area. Snow was reported at approximately 6,400 feet and low cloud cover limited aerial operations until later in the day on Thursday. Ground crews, in addition to the crews that camped overnight, searched throughout the day. A small piece of red plastic was found in the search area, but it is has not been determined if it is related to J.R.. It is unclear what the plastic is or where it may have come from. Investigators do believe that J.R. may have in his possession, or may be wearing, a green Flylow jacket. The search area is located between the Ole Creek and Park Creek drainages in the southern end of the park. Crews are searching in very steep and rugged landscapes. The search effort will continue today. Flathead Valley Search and Rescue and Flathead National Forest are assisting with the effort. Posters with J.R.'s photo and key information have been posted in the park and other locations. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist] North Cascades NP Climber Rescued From Mixup Peak Around midnight on August 25th, rangers received a 911 call reporting that a climber had taken a 60-foot “leader” fall near the summit on the east face of 7,440-foot Mixup Peak. Two members of the group of six climbers went for help and reported that the injured climber had sustained a potential head injury and broken lower leg. Meanwhile, the three remaining climbers lowered the injured climber to a shallow, down-sloping ledge that was nearly 2,000 feet above the glacier below. Rangers organized a rescue for the next morning after a reconnaissance flight determined that a helicopter short haul operation was the safest and most efficient recovery method to use. Two rangers were short hauled to the site to stabilize and package the patient, who was then short hauled to an ALS ambulance at the closest trailhead. Kelly Bush, Wilderness District Ranger, was incident commander. [Kinsey Shilling, Chief Ranger] Whiskeytown NRA Marijuana Cultivation Sites Eradicated Rangers and the resident special agent at Whiskeytown have been investigating marijuana cultivation activity in and adjacent to the park for many months. Investigative information led to the identification of the growing sites which were raided by rangers, the NPS agent, and officers from the Shasta County Sheriff's Department and the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP), with assistance from the California National Guard. The Grover 1 site was raided on August 10th, with officers eradicating 104 plants. The Tahiti and Monarch sites were raided on August 23rd, with officers seizing 5,716 plants, 42 pounds of processed marijuana, and a loaded 9mm pistol. Five suspects were seen but could not be caught when they ran from the area. On August 24th, officers seized 3,000 plants at the Mad Ox site, while others on a simultaneous raid of the Iron Mountain site confiscated 6,759 plants. Two suspects ran from the site but could not be caught by the officers. The total estimated value of the marijuana seized from all sites came to $46,863,000. At all sites there was evidence that the cultivation activity was being undertaken by a criminal drug trafficking organization from Mexico. Rangers and the NPS agent have also been assisting with drug raids on USFS property within Shasta County, which is one of the top producing counties in the nation. Additional marijuana cultivation activity is under investigation at Whiskeytown. [Jim Richardson, Chief Ranger] Cape Cod NS Woman's Body Found After Extended Search Rangers working during the early morning hours of August 21st were informed of a missing person report that came back to a registered owner of a vehicle that had been run by rangers earlier. The vehicle was parked at the Nauset Light Beach parking lot overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the town of Eastham. The missing person, identified as R.C., 37, had attended a local high school and grown up within two miles of the parking lot. A two-day search took place. The NPS was the lead agency and received assistance from Eastham police, state police, and the Coast Guard. The search covered both land and ocean areas and entailed the use of helicopters, a vessel with a dive team, dog teams and ground search teams. After two days, the search was scaled back and entailed ATV patrols along the beach, cadaver dog work near the parking lot, and a vessel with a dive team working the water. R.C.'s body was found around noon by boaters on August 24th, about 11 miles from the Nauset Light Beach parking lot off the town of Chatham. The Office of the Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine cause of death. [Craig Thatcher, Acting Chief Ranger] 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/): Vicksburg NMP - On the morning of Tuesday, August 30th, the United States Mint released the Mississippi “America the Beautiful" quarter at Vicksburg National Military Park, with over 2,500 spectators and participants present to celebrate the occasion. Park Facility Management Division - The July/August issue of Park Facility Management Division Update is now out and available on line. NPS/FLETC - The National Park Service at FLETC is accepting applications for the Ranger Honor Guard until September 26th. Several positions may be filled from this applicant pool. Photo. Servicewide Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training. Added this week are two new online wilderness training courses and six new FLETC training classes. * * * * The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced with the support of the Office of the Assistant Director for Information Resources and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). --- ### --- |