NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, March 16, 2012

INCIDENTS

C&O Canal NHP

Construction Tug Sinks In Potomac River

A tugboat that was being used as part of the Big Slackwater reconstruction and stabilization project near Hagerstown, Maryland, sank on Wednesday night. It was tied to the work dock at the time. It was recovered from the Potomac River yesterday afternoon by the contractor, C., Inc., using the on-site crane. Officials from the park and Maryland Natural Resource Police monitored the recovery effort. The tugboat, which sank in approximately 20 feet of water, was carrying 200 gallons of diesel fuel. Two containment booms were placed around the tug's perimeter to control any spillage and the contractor surveyed the water between the accident scene and Dam Number 4. Fortunately, none of the diesel fuel was spilled and a potential environmental hazard was averted. The reconstruction of the towpath at Big Slackwater has been underway since late summer 2010. This project will restore a section of the C&O Canal towpath that was destroyed by flooding in 1996. [Peggie Gaul, Public Affairs Officer]

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/):

Independence NHP - Over 100 scholars, students and museum professionals attended a symposium in the park in February entitled “American Slavery: Bringing Wider Perspectives to Museum Interpretation.” The objective was to generate conversation and new ideas about how slavery has been -- and could be -- interpreted in museums.

Vicksburg NMP - Quick reaction by park maintenance worker Ellis Jones made it possible for city police to retrieve a stolen purse and apprehend the thief.

Yellowstone NP - Nancy Ward has been named Yellowstone's chief of maintenance. Ward had been acting in that position since April 2011 and replaces Steve Iobst, who is now Yellowstone's deputy superintendent.

Servicewide Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training.

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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).

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