The Morning Report

Monday, August 17, 2015

INCIDENTS


Yosemite National Park (CA)
Two Killed By Falling Tree Limb

A limb from an oak tree fell in Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley around 5 a.m. Friday morning, striking a tent in which two young people were sleeping.

Rangers responded to the campground to provide medical assistance, but found that both had died.

The names, ages, and places of residence of the victims are not being released. The incident remains under investigation.

[Submitted by Scott Gediman, Public Affairs Officer]


Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Brothers Rescued From Middle Teton

Rangers conducted a short-haul rescue of two uninjured but considerably fatigued climbers from the Middle Teton last Tuesday evening.

N.C., 64, and his brother E.C., 57, both from Palm Beach, Florida, decided that they were not able to continue their climb after getting off route while attempting to ascend the 'Dike Route' on the Middle Teton. Unable to locate the top of the Dike Pinnacle, a prominent feature of the route, the C. brothers began down climbing and rappelling towards the South Fork of Garnet Canyon.

Due to their uncertainty about the terrain they encountered, combined with their state of exhaustion, the C.'s called park rangers at mid-afternoon to request a rescue from their predicament.

Upon receiving the first call for help at approximately 3:45 p.m., rangers made several attempts via cell phone to direct the brothers into easier terrain so they could continue their descent. Those efforts failed due to the climbers' level of fatigue and their inability to keep moving. Continued requests by the climbers for a rescue, combined with concern regarding their mental and physical state, prompted rangers to determine that the best option for their safety would be to short-haul the pair off the mountain.

A Teton Interagency contract helicopter was summoned, and the ship arrived at the Jenny Lake Rescue Cache at 5:00 p.m. One ranger was inserted via short-haul to prepare the climbers for an aerial rescue by placing them in an evacuation harness. The climbers were then flown in separate trips and delivered to the rescue cache at Lupine Meadows. The rescue mission concluded at 7:40 p.m.

Short-haul is a rescue technique where an individual is placed in either an evacuation harness or a rescue litter and suspended below the helicopter on a 100 to 200 foot rope. This method is often used in the Teton Range where conditions make it difficult to land a helicopter due to the rugged and vertical terrain.

Although many climbers consider the Dike Route—rated 5.5 — 5.6 on the Yosemite Decimal System—to be an easy route, those attempting this option should note that it includes almost 3,000 vertical feet of climbing through complex terrain. Parties descending the route from points other than the summit of the Middle Teton (elevation 12,804 feet) must be prepared for attentive route finding through loose rock that is much more challenging and complicated than the standard descent route via the Southwest Couloir.

The C. brothers told rangers that they have 39 years of climbing experience in the Teton Range.

[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]


FIRE MANAGEMENT


NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights

National Fire Activity

NIFC is at PL 5, the highest of five preparedness levels. Ninety-five uncontained large fires are burning nationwide, up 24 from Friday. Current resource commitments appear below, with changes from Friday's numbers in parentheses:

  • 43 incident management teams, including two area command teams (up 7)
  • 616 crews (up 90)
  • 29,574 firefighters and overhead (up 5,675)
  • 1,939 engines (up 284)
  • 189 helicopters (up 25)

Fire Weather Forecast

A broad zone of westerly flow will remain along the U.S.-Canada border. Breezy conditions will increase over the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains in advance of a shortwave trough approaching the northwestern U.S. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will form over the central and southern Rockies, the central Plains and the Midwest. Diurnal thunderstorms will also from along the Gulf coast. Temperatures will remain very hot over California and the desert Southwest. Very warm conditions will continue across most of the rest of the nation except the northern Rockies and northern Plains where cool weather will persist.

For more information:

NPS Fire Summaries

Crater Lake NP — The National Creek Complex includes two fires — the Crescent Fire in Crater Lake National Park and the National Fire burning on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The fires have burned 5,136 (up 2,165 acres from Friday) and are 10% contained:

  • National Fire — The fire remains at 119 acres as crews continued to mop-up (extinguish all hot spots) near containment lines. Excess fire hose and equipment have been removed. Some firefighters are establishing primary and indirect contingency fire line locations to the west of the National Fire to tie in with State Highway 230 should they be needed for containment of the Crescent Fire.
  • Crescent Fire — The fire increased in size by over 300 acres on Saturday due to planned burnouts and some fire perimeter growth. Late in the afternoon a test fire was ignited south of the dozer line to determine if conditions are right to meet their burnout objectives. The vegetation burned as expected and crews implemented burnout operations on Saturday night. Crews also responded to and suppressed another spot fire north of Highway 230. Brushing along State Highway 138 between the newly constructed dozer line intersecting with Highway 138 to the north entrance road to Crater Lake National Park was continued on Saturday.

Yesterday, fire crews worked to improve Highway 230 for use as a containment line in both the east and west direction from where the spot fires crossed the highway. If burning conditions permitted, crews planned to ignite vegetation south of the highway to further strengthen that important containment line. Burnout operations were planned along the dozer line south of Diamond Lake yesterday evening with a swing shift of firefighters. Hand crews will also continue to brush out or remove vegetation along the north park entrance road in preparation for use as a containment line to the east. A structure protection group, supported by initial attack resources, is working in the Diamond Lake area to protect structures. Forest Service Road 3703, on the Umpqua National Forest near the border of the two forests, south and west of Diamond Lake, will continue to be brushed and improved to function as a contingency fire containment line. Warmer and drier temperatures are expected during the next few days. The weatheron TuesdayandWednesdayis expected to create very active fire behavior conditions that fire managers are planning for. Contingency plans are being made to reflect these conditions and concerns to safely engage fire suppression activities. Crater Lake National Park remains open. New area closure orders have been issued for the Rogue River-Siskiyou and Umpqua National Forests near Diamond Lake. Maps and descriptions of the trail and area closures are online athttp://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4463/. State Highway 230 is closed(ODOT Tripcheck). There are trail closures in the national park and on the Rogue River-Siskiyou and Umpqua National Forest. DiamondLakeArea is under a Stage 1 evacuation notice; the "ready" stage in "ready, set, go".

Glacier NP — There are two large fires burning in the park:

  • Thompson Fire — The fire has burned 13,680 acres. It is located in a remote south-central backcountry area of the park about 15 miles east of the West Glacier entrance and 12 miles southwest of the Saint Mary entrance. The fire is burning in the Thompson Creek and Nyack Creek drainages west of Medicine Grizzly Peak where the Flathead and Glacier Counties border follows the Continental Divide.No structures have been lost or damaged to date and no injuries have been reported. Crews worked in the Nyack Creek area on Sunday.A helitack crew worked on cooling any remaining hot spots around Upper Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabin to provide additional structure protection. Other crews began constructing a wet line along avalanche chutes on the west side of the fire's perimeter to contain the fire. Fire personnel in the Two Medicine and Cut Bank drainages continued their structure assessment for possible protection if the fire crosses the Continental Divide. They are also monitoring for any fire that might cross the Divide. Although buffeted by windson Friday, the fire remains west of the Divide and has not made any advance to the east. Without spread east of the Divide, the fire poses no threat to communities around East Glacier and St. Mary. Limited growth of the fire was seenon Saturdayon the west side in Nyack Creek. Weather will remain unsettled throughtonight with the passage of a weak disturbance. This provides an opportunity for afternoon thunderstorms and a slight chance of rain, especially along the Divide. A high pressure ridge will begin buildingon TuesdaythroughThursdaybringing warmer and drier conditions. This will bring increased fire spread on the ground with isolated tree torching. As fuels in the burn area dry, there will likely be an increase in smoke production that may be seen from local communities on both sides of the Divide. For the most up-to-date information on trail and area closure statuses, visithttp://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/infobull/closures.cfm. For more information on the fire, go to http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4468/

Additional Information

For additional information on all fires, check the following web sites:


NEWS AND NOTES


Fire and Aviation Management
Director Issues Memo On Wildland Fire Preparedness Level 5

Memorandum

August 14, 2015

To: Regional, Associate, and Assistant Directors

Attention: Park Superintendents and Program Managers

From: Director
/s/ Jonathan B. Jarvis

Subject: Wildland Fire Preparedness Level 5

The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) increased the National Fire Preparedness Level (PL) to its highest point, PL-5 on August 13, 2015. The PL ranges from one, indicating minimal activity, to five, which signals very high activity.

Wildfire activity has escalated in recent days after thunderstorms, many with little or no moisture, moved across parts of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, sparking hundreds of new fires. This year, 39,254 wildfires have burned nearly 6.4 million acres in the United States. The number of wildfires in 2015 represents about 80 percent of the ten-year average. However, the number of current acres burned represents about a 38 percent increase over the ten-year average at this point in the year.

Given the current and predicted situation and the potential for continued wildland fire resource shortages, I encourage all parks, offices, and programs to take the following actions: Make those employees with critically needed qualifications available for dispatch. Handcrews, Felling Bosses, Equipment Managers, Helicopter Managers, Security Personnel, and Safety Officers are particularly in demand now.

The safety of our employees and the public is a core value that governs our decisions and actions. Monitor fatigue in all resources, and provide additional R&R as needed. It has been a long fire season, and many resources will need additional rest following multiple difficult assignments.

Take precautions to prevent any unwanted fires that would add to the workload.

Thank you for your continued assistance during this challenging wildland fire season.

[Submitted by Dan Buckley, dan_buckley@nps.gov, 208.387.5225]

More Information...
Office of Communications
Director Jarvis To Hold Webchat Today

Just a reminder that the webchat with Director Jarvis is today at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, will join Director Jarvis to talk about Call to Action success stories and our upcoming birthday--Founders' Day--on August 25th.

To submit questions, feedback, and future webchat topic ideas, please email DirectorWebchats@nps.gov; anything emailed today will be considered for the following webchat. Questions can also be submitted during the webchat via the Livestream chat function.


This is an open forum with the director, and, as in previous webchats, there will be time for the director to answer questions submitted by employees.

Click this link to access the chat just before 3:00 p.m. (or click "Webchat" on the right side of InsideNPS). For those employees who are not on the VPN and not on the network, please access the webchat from http://apps.doi.gov, choose InsideNPS and click on the "Webchat" link on the homepage. If you're not close to a computer during the live event, you can dial in to a listen-only conference line: 1-888-455-3802, passcode 4151340.


Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Division
American Hiking Society Volunteer Crews Available

If a trail or trails in your park need to be constructed, rehabilitated or maintained, American Hiking Society wants to send you hardworking and dedicated volunteers. American Hiking is accepting crew requests until October 9th for the 2016 AHS Volunteer Vacations schedule.

For more than 35 years, Volunteer Vacations has supplied the brains and brawn for week-long trail building/maintaining projects all over the country. For more information regarding hosting a volunteer crew or to request a crew on-line, visit the AHS Website. All submissions will be contacted in October, 2015.

If your project request has been accepted you will be asked to confirm final trip details and sign the 2016 Host Agreement. Any National Park or Friends group can request a crew. For more information, contact Libby Wile at 800-972-8608 ext. 704 or LWile@AmericanHiking.org.

[Submitted by Helen Scully, helen_scully@nps.gov, 202-354-6910]

More Information...
Centennial Office
Help Choose A Commemorative Centennial Badge

Director Jarvis needs your help in choosing a new commemorative Centennial Badge for 2016.

Employees will be able to purchase the badge later this fall, and uniformed employees will be able to wear the badge during 2016.

All employees are invited to review and rate the portfolio of badge designs. Click here to be counted.

The poll closes on August 30th.


Colonial National Historical Park (VA)
Ranger Jerome Bridges Brings History To Life

Windsor Fry enlisted in the Rhode Island militia when he was just 16 years old. He and his regiment would go on to witness several key events of the Revolutionary War, including the siege of Boston, Washington crossing the Delaware and the Battle of Yorktown.

Fry's adventurous spirit and presence at milestone moments in the American Revolution are what first inspired Jerome Bridges to bring him back to life through historical interpretation.

The result of his interest is a new program about Fry and his time as a member of the Rhode Island Light Infantry, which premiered at Yorktown Battlefield on July 25th and will run through September 5th. The attack by Fry's company on Redoubt 10, a heavily protected portion of the British defenses at Yorktown, played a major role in the Battle of Yorktown. The capture of the redoubt allowed the Americans to complete their siege line and ultimately expedited General Cornwallis' surrender.

Bringing the story of this daring initiative to life is Bridges' current passion project, but he spent years honing his skills as both a researcher and actor to get to this point. Bridges, who lives in Williamsburg, has been a park ranger and historical interpreter for more than 30 years. He worked for Newport News Park for 32 years, during which he had his first experience with historical interpretation.

Seeing his passion and aptitude for portraying a Civil War-era black soldier, his supervisors at the park encouraged him to develop his skills through workshops and continued practice. Though Bridges' main responsibility was still the law enforcement aspect of being a park ranger, he found himself increasingly drawn to the interpretation side.

Bridges' enthusiasm for researching and portraying historical figures coincided with what he describes as a growing effort by National Park Services to include the stories of a more diverse range of people.

"I love educating people about the little-known facts of history," Bridges said. "We know all about the generals and the higher-ups, but I'm more interested in the grunts who actually got the work done."

In addition to enjoying bringing lesser-known stories to light, Bridges also feels a responsibility to give voice to black Americans, whose contributions as important players in the course of U.S. history have often been marginalized and overlooked.

"As an African-American, knowing people from your culture did take a part in important events is very meaningful," Bridges said. "When African-Americans come to a National Park and see their culture reflected, it means a lot."

[Submitted by Elizabeth Hornsby]


CAREER OPPORTUNITIES


United States Park Police
GS-0343-11/12 IMARS Program Manager

An announcement has been issued for an IMARS program manager for the US Park Police.

Click on the link below for a copy of the announcement with full details on duties, area information, and procedures for applying.

It closes on August 25th.
More Information...


Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park (VT)
GS-12 Chief Of Visitor Services (Lateral)

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and Saint-Gaudens National Historical Site is seeking qualified GS-12 applicants interested in a lateral reassignment for this two-park collaborative position as the Chief of Visitor Services, Interpretation and Education. This is a permanent, full-time position. Announcement closes August 26, 2015.

The incumbent provides leadership and instruction in the decision making process for Visitor Services, Interpretive, and Educational programs, both on-site and off-site; and supervises a cadre of National Park Service employees, interns and volunteers. The incumbent will be responsible for leading a collaborative approach for interpretation, visitor services and education between the two parks, working extensively with local and regional partners.

In addition, the incumbent will serve as member of the NPS Stewardship Institute team, which is based at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP, and works nationally with national parks and partners to advance leadership, innovation and collaborative conservation for the stewardship of the national system of parks and special places.

The parks seek a candidate that is highly collaborative, has experience in working with partnership-based program development and implementation, and brings a strong skillset and vision for 21st Century Interpretation and Education practices (as promoted in the 21st Century Interpretive Skills Vision Paper and Achieving Relevance in Our Second Century report).

Government housing is available for qualified applicants. Payment of moving expenses will be authorized.

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is located in the year-round resort community of Woodstock, Vermont (pop 3,050) — an area of great natural beauty in the foothills of the Green Mountains. The park opened to visitors in 1998 and is dedicated to the theme of conservation history and the changing nature of land stewardship in America. The park includes the early 19th century Billings/Rockefeller mansion and grounds complex, a collection of over 116,000 items including a significant number of Hudson River School paintings, a 500-acre Mount Tom forest that is the oldest continuously managed forest in the United States, and a striking network of carriage roads and trails that offer opportunities for hiking, nature study, and cross-country skiing. The park works in collaboration with the Billings Farm & Museum and community and educational partners to offer a diverse portfolio of public and school programs and teacher professional development opportunities. www.nps.gov/mabi

Saint-Gaudens NHS is located in Cornish, New Hampshire (pop 1,640), which is a rural area on the slopes of the Connecticut River with striking landscapes that have inspired many notable artists. The park preserves the home, gardens and studio of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America's foremost sculptors. The park includes the largest collection of Saint-Gaudens work in the world, including over 100 sculptural pieces on exhibit throughout the picturesque grounds, studio, and exhibit buildings. Working with the Saint-Gaudens Memorial and other partners, the park offers diverse visitor experiences including summer concerts, nature walks, sculpture workshops with an artist-in-residence, and educational and teacher programs. www.nps.gov/saga

Both parks operate a core visitor season that starts Memorial Day weekend and runs through the end of October, and includes special programs, events and school visits throughout the winter months.

The Stewardship Institute is a collaborative organization composed of NPS employees and partners that advances leadership, innovation and collaborative conservation for the stewardship of the national system of parks and special places. The genesis of the Institute was an outgrowth of the promise made by the founder of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP, Laurance Rockefeller, who championed a vision for collaborative conservation which lives on at the Institute. Many of the Institute's projects derive from NPS and DOI national priorities; and in the past have included, among other projects, evaluation and support for youth intake programs, partnership-based approaches to teacher professional development, community engagement, and relevancy, diversity, and inclusion. www.nps.gov/csi

The parks are located approximately 20 miles apart in an area known as the Upper Valley (of the Connecticut River). The Upper Valley is an outdoor enthusiasts dream, offering extensive opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, kayaking/boating, and all manner of winter sports. Cultural opportunities are also plentiful with well-established art organizations and cultural centers. The region includes the usual amenities, i.e. hospital, churches, lodging, stores, restaurants, etc. Temperatures range from -25 F to +40 F in the winter and +50 F to +95 F in the summer. For more information about the region, visit town websites at: http://www.woodstockvt.com/ , http://townofwoodstock.org/, http://www.cornishnh.net/, http://www.windsorvt.org/

If you are interested in this opportunity send application packets to Tammy Goodwin, Human Resources, North Servicing Human Resources Office. Packets can be emailed to tammy_goodwin@nps.gov. For specific job information, contact Christina Marts, Assistant Superintendent at 802-457-3368 x31 or Christina_marts@nps.gov.

Submit the following:

  • A resume detailing work history, supervisory experience, educational background, any special qualifications or training and a list of professional and personal references, including contact info;
  • A current SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting permanent competitive civil service status, title, series and grade. DO NOT SEND AWARD SF-50's as they do not document needed information.
  • A copy of your latest performance appraisal. If you don't have one, explain in your resume why.

Applications/resumes must be received electronically by the close of business on the closing date.


National Capital Region
GS-00025-14 Superintendent (Detail)

Dates: 08/14/2015 - 08/24/2015

Detail/Temporary Promotion Opportunity

Announcement Number: NPS-NCR-CATO-15-20-JO

Position: Park Manager (Superintendent), GS-00025-14

Location: National Park Service, National Capital Region, Catoctin Mountain Park, Thurmont, MD

Eligibility: Qualified permanent National Park Service, National Capital Region, Washington Office (WASO), and the Northeast Region employees

Candidates will be evaluated based on how their experience and training reflect the duties and responsibilities of the position.

This is a detail/temporary promotion opportunity not to exceed 120 days, although it may be terminated sooner depending on management needs. The employee will be expected to assume the duties of the position within two weeks of being selected.

Detail: A detail is a temporary assignment of an employee to a different position for a specified period with the employee returning to their regular duties at the end of the assignment. While on detail, the employee continues to hold his/her official position from which detailed and keeps the same status and grade.

Temporary Promotion: A temporary promotion is the temporary assignment of an employee to a higher graded position for a specified period of time, with the employee returning to his/her permanent position at the expiration of the temporary action.

Candidates will be evaluated based on how their experience and training reflect the duties and responsibilities of the position.

The duties and responsibilities include the following:

The incumbent of this position serves as the Park Manager (Superintendent) for Catoctin Mountain Park, located in Thurmont, MD. The employee carries out a continuing management program which includes administration and support, interpretation and visitor services, maintenance, resource management and development.

The incumbent is responsible for the overall supervision and coordination of park operations. The incumbent plans, directs, coordinates leadership to all park management programs. He/she is responsible for coordinating the activities of subordinates managers, evaluating performances and maintaining and effective, efficient organization. He/she monitors and evaluates the operating and effectives of all the phases of park operations. The incumbent is responsible for the annual operating budget and staff of the park. The incumbent is responsible for the on-the job safety and health of all the employees and visitors for the Park.

Area Information: Located in a rural forested area, Catoctin Mountain Park contains the first catch and release stream in the country and has an annual visitation of about 700,000. There are two campgrounds and three residential camps located within the park. Several nearby communities provide high quality educational and medical facilities with a rich cultural tapestry and a small town atmosphere. Washington, DC and Baltimore are each less than two hours away and other cultural/recreational areas are available within a few hours' drive. For more information about Catoctin Mountain Park, visit nps.gov/cato.

Conditions of Employment:

Temporary Quarters will be paid by the Agency.

Park housing is not available.

A valid State vehicle or District of Columbia operator's permit is required.

Occasional telework may be available.

The incumbent is required to wear the prescribed NPS Class A uniform.

Incumbent may be subject to shift changes of lieu days and may be required to work weekends, overtime and holidays.

Qualifications:

For the GS-14 level: Candidates must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service

Specialized experience is experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but not limited to: Park Guide or tour leader; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development implement of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations.

How you will be evaluated:

You will be evaluated to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications required and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledges, skills, and abilities associated with this position as defined below.

When describing your knowledge, skills, and abilities, please give examples and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of the people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc.

  1. Knowledge of park management and outdoor recreation policy, principles, procedures, regulations, public laws, and executive orders addressing a broad range of subject matter related to cultural and natural resource protection and park management including land use planning and zoning, interpretive activities and visitor services, administrative practices and personnel management, and environmental and historic compliance processes to ensure the protection of park values and integrity of park resources.
  2. Ability to inspire, motivate and supervise the activities of subordinate staff members in diverse functional areas, guiding the direction of their efforts, setting priorities, allocating resources, setting standards, evaluating performance in the context of encouraging and facilitating an effective and efficient organization that models excellence in cooperation, collaboration, pride, trust, employee safety and group identify.
  3. Ability to communicate in a succinct, organized, and clear manner in writing to diverse audiences addressing a range of ideas, issues, and circumstances. Ability to maintain effective working relationships within and outside the Service and to effectively communicate needs, ideas, and policy.
  4. Knowledge of budget and financial management principles and methods sufficient to develop a park budget, efficiently undertake financial forecasting and budgetary program formulation and execution while balancing competing demands of park resources.

In order to apply, applicants should submit their OF-612 or resume, a copy of latest

SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), and an approval form (attached) signed by their supervisor to the following address:

National Park Service

National Capital Region

Servicing Human Resources Office

1100 Ohio Drive, S.W., Room 244

Washington, DC 20242

Attn: Jeanette Organ

Application information may also be faxed to (202) 619-7240 (Attn: Jeanette Organ) or Email: ncr_jobs@nps.gov

If you have questions, please contact Jeanette Organ, Human Resources Specialist at (202) 619-7234.

National Capital Region

Detail/Temporary Promotion Opportunity

Nominee Name: _________________________ Title ________________________

Grade & Series ____________________ Park/program ________________________

Please have your supervisor concur with your possible selection for this temporary detail/temporary promotion not-to-exceed _______ days or _____ year(s).

Supervisor's approval obtained: ______Yes ______No

Supervisor's Name: ________________________ Title _________________________

Park/program: __________________________________

_________________________________________

(Supervisor's Signature)

_____________________________________

(Candidate's Signature)

[Submitted by Jeanette Organ, ncr_jobs@nps.gov, 202-619-7240]