NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

INCIDENTS

Biscayne NP

Rangers Manage Annual Columbus Day Weekend Event

The park came through the recent Columbus Day weekend - traditionally one of the busiest and most dangerous of the year - relatively unscathed. An estimated 700 to 800 boats gathered in the clear shallow waters off Elliott Key beginning as early as Friday night. The park was enforcing its so-called “Five Boat Rule,” which limits to five the maximum number of boats tied together and requires a minimum of 100 feet in between rafts of boats and individual, non-rafted boats. The separation allows for emergency access while at the same time decreasing interaction among attendees in the crowded anchorage.

This year marked a return to a focus on the park's resources and a considerably stronger NPS presence in planning, coordination, enforcement and public education. Recent years had seen a lessening of all of those things in favor of allowing partner agencies to take on much of the responsibility for what was happening in the park, with little change in reducing the actual impacts on the park's resources.

Wayne Rybeck, incident commander over the weekend, says that early enforcement and strong coordination among participating agencies are being credited with the fact that there were few injuries and no deaths this year (six people have died at the event over the past ten years). Notable incidents included a woman who was removed by helicopter after falling on her chin while pole dancing and a man who received CPR from a ranger at one of the marinas that empties into the park. Ranger Gretchen Messa had just received CPR training two weeks earlier when she was called to assist the man who was lying unconscious in the bottom of his boat. Paramedics took over, and the man was taken away by ambulance. Messa reports that the man arrived back at the marina by taxi two hours later, ready to rejoin the party.

Other significant incidents include 12 boating under the influence (BUI) arrests, four unauthorized commercial operations cases, and multiple incidents of minors in possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, violations of the Five Boat Rule and excessively loud music. There were also several drug seizures, including cocaine, Ecstasy and over ten pounds of marijuana, the largest drug haul in the history of Columbus Day weekend in Biscayne National Park. In total, over 200 cases were pulled in the four days.

A multipronged public information campaign in the weeks leading up to the event included a heavy ranger presence at marinas to distribute information to boaters, a Facebook series on what is appropriate in a national park, and tripling the presence of NPS staff at the annual news conference, which was held in the park this year rather than at the Coast Guard Station in Miami Beach. Large flashing traffic signs at two of the marinas summarized the regulations while boaters waited to launch. Staff searched the internet for commercial operators advertising trips into the party, and contacted the operators before they arrived.

Another addition this year was a trial run of water quality testing. If the tests show increased levels of ammonia, fecal coliform and other indicators of water pollution, the park will seek to do additional testing next year.

The park is indebted to the US Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary, Customs and Border Protection, the Florida Fish and Game Commission, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, and rangers from Everglades, Big Cypress, Canaveral, and Gulf Islands for their assistance in keeping the event under control and protecting park resources.

One particularly bright spot occurred early Monday morning when approximately ten visitor boats combed the anchorage collecting trash and lost valuables, such as anchors, sunglasses, jewelry and the like from the sea grass beds.

More background on Columbus Day Weekend in Biscayne National Park is available on the park's website at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/bisc/planyourvisit/columbus-day-weekend.htm" www.nps.gov/bisc/planyourvisit/columbus-day-weekend.htm.

[Gary Bremen, Park Ranger]

Yosemite NP

Missing Concession Employee Found

J.G., an employee of DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., has been found alive in the South Fork Drainage of the Merced River. J.G. was reported missing when she did not show up for work at the Wawona Hotel on Sunday, October 7th. She was found early yesterday afternoon by a member of the Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue Team less than two miles up the drainage, which is located in the southern portion of the park. Approximately 50 people were involved in the search and rescue operation yesterday, including six dog teams, 15 ground searchers, a ranger on horseback, the park helicopter, and other personnel. Yosemite National Park extends its sincere thanks to the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office, Madera County Sheriff's Office, Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, Fresno County Sheriff's Office, YoDogs (volunteers with search and rescue dogs) and the Marin County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in the search. [Scott Gediman and Kari Cobb, Public Affairs Office]

Glen Canyon NRA

Body Of Missing Swimmer Recovered

The body of a 40-year-old drowning victim was recovered from Lake Powell on October 3rd by the park's underwater recovery unit. He was found at a depth of over 100 feet using a HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remotely_operated_underwater_vehicle" remote operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with sonar and video. The 13-day search covered approximately three-and-a-half square miles in Gunsight Bay and included assistance from a Utah Highway Patrol dive team, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Kane County Sheriff's Office. The victim was reported missing on Friday, September 21st, after he went for a swim. Members of his group attempted to assist when he began calling for help, but were unable to find him after he slipped beneath the surface. [Denise M. Shultz, 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/):

Cesar Chavez NM - President Obama has established César E. Chávez National Monument at Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz in Keene, California, Chávez' home and the headquarters of the United Farm Workers of America. It is the Service's 398th unit.

Fire and Aviation Management - This week is Fire Prevention Week. Every person who works in a park - permanent employees, seasonal employees, partners, concessions employees, and volunteers - is part of the National Park Service structural fire management program. Small or big, you can make a difference.

National Capital Region - Bill Line, associate regional director for communications for National Capital Region, passed away on October 7th. He was 56.

Workforce Management - The transformation of the NPS to Servicing Human Resources Offices continues. An update is provided on recent developments and future plans.

Historic Preservation Training Center - Superintendent Tom McGrath is hanging up his tool belt on December 31st, marking the culmination of 35 years with the National Park Service.

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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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