NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

INCIDENTS

Eastern Areas

Hurricane Cleanup And Repairs Continue

Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts enter their 23rd day today. Currently working with the team overseeing operations are 442 National Park Service employees from 98 parks. Today's update follows:

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - Crews on Ellis Island continued cleaning up the administration building, the mechanical building and the entrance station.

Governors Island - Gas has been restored to the monument and employees have returned to work. Telecommunications have not been restored to headquarters.

Gateway - Reports have been received on the following areas:

Jamaica Bay - Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Frank Charles Park and Hamilton Beach have all been reopened. Debris has been cleared from the parking lot.

Fort Tilden - Electrical repairs have been 45% completed in five buildings. Road and trail clearing is 40% complete.

Riis Park - Road and trail clearing is 40% complete.

Great Kills - Ferry service has begun; 250 people visited on Monday. Debris removal from parking lots is 60% complete; sand redistribution is 25% complete.

Miller Field - Sand redistribution at Miller Field is 40% complete; debris removal from parking lots is 60% complete. Work continued on water heaters and water lines.

Fort Wadsworth - Debris removal at Seabee Park is 65% complete.

Sandy Hook - Crews are working on providing heat to sewer treatment plant buildings, repairing water system and sewage pump stations, removing debris from basements, and removing piles from roadsides and the Gunnison Beach/Plaza area. Teams are conducting HVAC/boiler and electrical assessments in buildings. Cultural resources and interpretive staff are working on inventory, cleaning and drying of historical archives. A sand relocation plan is being developed with assistance from resource advisors. An inspection of damage at Ferry Landing area was conducted.

Fire Island - Crews continued with boardwalk removal within the park's wilderness area, breach and overwash assessments, hazardous materials removal at the Keepers Quarters, and restoration of the lighthouse annex and Patchogue garage.

More information on the response can be found at these websites:

Hurricane response and recovery - A HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=1168&lv=3" webpage with current information on the NPS response to Hurricane Sandy.

Resource needs shopping list - A HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=1168&id=10935" ”shopping list” HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/SHOPPING%20LIST%2011-5.pdf" of incident management team positions that still need to be filled, updated daily.

Hurricane Sandy relief fund - E&AA has set up a HYPERLINK "http://www.eparks.com/_" relief fund web page where you can make donations in support of employees who were affected by the storm.

Facebook - A HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/HurricaneResponseNPS" Facebook page managed by the IMT with updates on the response.

Twitter - A HYPERLINK "http://mobile.twitter.com/NPS_Sandy?" Twitter page managed by the IMT with updates on the response.

Flickr - A HYPERLINK "http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandyresponsenps/sets/72157631954446291/" Flickr page managed by the IMT with images of the response.

Note: National Park Service employees have overwhelmingly supported the request for uniform donations for employees affected by Hurricane Sandy. So many have been received that there is no longer a need for donations. The employees affected by the hurricane greatly appreciate your generosity.

Grand Teton NP

Grizzly Bear Shot And Killed In Park

A party of three hunters participating in the park's elk reduction program encountered, shot and killed an adult male grizzly bear around 7:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day morning. The bear reportedly charged the hunting party, which was comprised of three men from Wyoming. None of the hunters was injured. The incident occurred along the east side of the Snake River between Schwabachers Landing and Teton Point Overlook. A team of law enforcement rangers, park biologists and park science and resource management personnel are conducting an investigation into the incident. A cow elk carcass was discovered near where the incident occurred. A half mile area closure around the carcass is in effect until further notice. This was the 51st known or probable incident of grizzly bear mortality in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem this year according to a tally maintained by the interagency grizzly bear study team. In recent years, an average of about a third of annual grizzly bear mortalities are hunting related. This is the first hunter-caused bear death in Grand Teton National Park. Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. [Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, 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/):

Kaloko-Honokohau NHP - On November 15th and 16th the park hosted a Hawaiian Cultural Festival for approximately 500 fourth grade students from local schools in the Kona area. This annual event, held every November, also commemorates the start of the Makahiki season, a time of peace and celebration in the Hawaiian culture.

Eastern Areas - Employees are still needed for a variety of incident assignments on the NPS Hurricane Sandy recovery effort. An itemized listing is provided.

Great Basin NP - The park's interpretive staff has launched a new video series entitled “Ranger Minutes” that will be produced and offered over the next three years. A link is provided to the first two videos.

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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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