- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, May 15, 1996
- Date: Wed, 15 May 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, May 15, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
*** SPECIAL NOTICE ***
All flags are to lowered to half staff today, Wednesday, May 15, 1996, in
recognition of Peace Officers Memorial Day. In 1994, President Clinton
signed P.L. 103-222, requiring the American flag to be lowered to half staff
every May 15th as a special tribute to the more than 14,000 law enforcement
officers who have died in the line of duty. Flags will return to full staff
on May 16.
INCIDENTS
96-204 - U.S.S. Arizona (Hawaii) - Oil Spill; Park Closure
An estimated 16,000 gallons of number six fuel oil, a heavy crude oil, was
accidentally released from an eight-inch, above-ground pipeline at the
Chevron refinery at the north end of East Lock in Pearl Harbor on the
afternoon of May 14th. The oil coated about 700 feet of park shoreline, and
fumes in the visitor center and administrative area were reported to be
strong. The park was accordingly temporarily closed. The Navy has placed
booms around the Arizona and around Ford Island. Vessel traffic in and out
of the harbor has been curtailed until further notice. Cleanup crews were en
route at the time of the reports. [Kathy Billings, Superintendent, USAR;
Kevin Tennyson, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, DOI]
96-205 - Timpanogos Cave (Utah) - MVA with Fatality
M.F., 29, and Paul Snyder were riding their motorcycles on SR 92
through the park at 3 a.m. on May 8th when M.F. hit a six-inch curb on a
corner and lost control of his Honda RS-6. M.F. was flipped over the
handlebars; both he and the motorcycle travelled about 90 feet through the
air before hitting the ground and sliding into the American Fork river.
Acting chief ranger Mike Gosse and county and state SAR units responded. The
motorcycle was soon found about 175 yards downstream from where it entered
the river, but the search for M.F.'s body had to be suspended after three
hours due to rugged river conditions and lack of daylight. The search was
resumed at 10 a.m. and his body was found outside the park in a log jam about
a mile downstream from the point where the accident occurred. [Michael
Gosse, Acting CR, TICA]
96-206 - Appalachian Trail (Eastern States) - Body Found
A trunk containing the body of a dead male was found on May 13th at Potomac
Wayside, an area administered by the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The
trunk was not there when rangers from nearby Harpers Ferry closed the area at
5:30 p.m. that evening. A county deputy found it while on patrol about five
hours later. The investigation is being handled by the county and the FBI.
[APPA Project Office]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire IMT 5/14 5/15 Con Con
AK State Kazakof Bay T2 1,500 1,200 100 CND
Hidden Creek T2 3,000 4,000 0 NEC
Bear Mountain -- 150 150 100 CND
CA Angeles NF Bouquet -- 300 100 100 CND
Riverside RU Pony -- 1,038 1,038 80 5/13
* Lake -- - 650 0 NEC
FL Ocala NF * Major #1 -- - 250 0 NEC
Heading Notes
Unit -- Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire -- * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
strategy
IMT -- T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con -- Percent of fire contained
Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 1 22 1 0 166 9 199
Acres Burned 0 17 0 0 2,790 14 2,821
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 34 58 17 2 88
Non-federal 18 19 6 5 12
CURRENT SITUATION
Fire activity continued yesterday in Alaska and southern California. Very
high fire indices were reported in some of the southern units in the eastern
Great Basin, Colorado, and southern California. Over half of the reporting
units in the Southwest had very high to extreme fire danger.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has issued a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for gusty winds and low relative
humidity in northern Arizona.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/15]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Reports pending.
MEMORANDA
"Procedures to Permit the Siting of Mobile Services Antennas on National Park
Service (NPS) Property," signed on May 10th by Deputy Director Reynolds and
sent to all WASO offices, the field directorate and superintendents. Because
of the number of questions that have been raised about this issue, the full
text appears here. This is an INFORMATIONAL copy only. Technical questions
should be directed to Frank Weed, chief of radio frequency management in
Denver (Frank P. Weed at NP-FOTSC); permitting questions should be directed
to Dick S. Young, NPS special park uses coordinator, duty stationed at
Colonial (Dick S. Young at NP-COLO):
"On February 8, 1996, President Clinton signed Public Law 104-104, the
Telecommunications Act of 1996. The act contains a provision relating to the
siting of new telecommunications services, including mobile services
antennas, on Federal lands. The President directed the General Services
Administration to 'develop procedures by which Federal agencies may make
available on a fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory basis, property,
rights-of-way, and easements under their control for the placement of new
telecommunications services that are dependent, in whole or part, upon
utilization of Federal spectrum rights for the transmission or reception of
such services.' These procedures are to be completed within 180 days of the
enactment date. The act also authorizes agencies to charge providers of such
telecommunications services reasonable fees for the use of property, rights-
of-way, and easements.
"This directive does not supersede any existing laws, regulations or rules,
but is intended to provide interim guidance until final procedures are
adopted. Superintendents are advised to proceed cautiously following the
procedures outlined in this memorandum before entering into any right-of-way
agreement.
"The issuance of any permit is still discretionary on the part of the
superintendent, and will be guided by the same rules and principles as found
in NPS-53 (Special Park Uses Guideline). The authority for issuing right-of-
way permits for telecommunication purposes is found in 16 U.S.C. 5. Requests
for communication antenna sites should be treated the same as those for any
other utility line in the park and subjected to the same scrutiny for
derogation of values, including provisions of NEPA and cultural resource
compliance. A technical review by the Chief of Radio Frequency Management,
FOTSC, Denver, will be required of all requests for communication antenna
sitings.
"A significant increase in the number of requests to allow commercial use of
Service lands has come from advances in communications technology.
Specifically, NPS lands are generally considered to be prime locations for
telecommunications service provider sites (e.g., a cellular telephone
facility site).
"The siting of communication antennas has the potential for high impact to
park values. It is imperative that each area develop language in its
planning documents to deal with this impact. If a proposed site is located
within a critical viewshed, either inside the park or outside the boundaries,
the park should enter into an agreement with the interested parties (i.e.,
county, municipal, State, Federal and private landowners) to determine an
effective response to these requests.
"Park areas will be proactive in identifying a zone of influence outside and
adjacent to the park boundary where intrusion by non-conforming uses such as
cellular towers, impacts in-park resources. Within this zone, park managers
will strive to develop agreements with appropriate authorities that allow the
park to review proposals within this zone before decisions are made.
"Park managers may anticipate NPS and/or public benefits will be derived by
authorizing the use of NPS lands for communications purposes; however, the
decision to approve or disapprove an application should not be based on such
potential benefits. Also, NPS policy does not adequately evaluate such
potential benefits in terms of compensation for use of NPS lands.
"The superintendent will make the initial decision whether or not the
proposal is in derogation of park values, based on a review of submitted
material including site plans and consultation, if needed. If the project is
initially approved by the superintendent, he/she will consult then with the
Chief of Radio Frequency Management, FOTSC, Denver, for technical review. If
the project receives technical approval, it will then be returned to the
superintendent, who will ensure that all necessary natural and cultural
resource compliance requirements are met and proper documentation provided,
and once this is completed, is responsible for drafting the permit documents.
"This permit, along with a copy of all further approvals required, is
forwarded to the field area special park use coordinator to ensure policy
compliance and legal sufficiency as with any other utility right-of-way
request. Upon satisfactory completion of the various review processes
described above, the permit is submitted to the Field Director for approval
and signature.
"In addition to compliance with 36 CFR Part 14 and NPS-53, the following NPS
procedures must be addressed before concurrence is sought:
1. From the initial request for the project through final approval and
signing of the permit, the superintendent will insure all procedures
are followed according to policy, regulation and law.
2. A right-of-way permit will be the only permitting document used to
authorize telecommunications antenna sites on Service lands. The
provisions of this memorandum should be reflected as conditions in the
permit. The maximum term of the agreement will be for 10 years,
subject to competition, renegotiation or renewal at the end of the
term.
3. The application must include all required structural space, power
requirements, and vehicular access including proposed measures to
mitigate impacts to natural, cultural or scenic resources. 'Before' and
'after' projections of the topography for the total proposed
installation will be furnished, together with appropriate NEPA and
cultural resource compliance documentation.
4. National Environmental Policy Act and cultural compliance approval and
documentation is required for each project. The permittee will also
submit copies of any approved Federal, State, county or local licenses,
permits or other clearances as applicable.
5. There will be no derogation of the values and purposes for which the
parkland was set aside.
6. Park management must have determined that the proposed use is
compatible with the public interest.
7. Park management may derive benefits from the installation.
8. The decision process will be fully documented and made part of the
written administrative record.
9. The obligations of each party to the other must be a part of the
written agreement.
10. The Field Director will be the approving official, with additional
distribution to follow procedures outlined in NPS-53. An additional
copy must be sent to the Chief of Radio Frequency Management, FOTSC,
Denver.
11. The permittee will take stringent steps to minimize or prevent visual
impact.
12. Fees and other compensation to the United States will be based on
fair market value. The compensation package will be comparable to that
which would apply to a similar development on equivalent nonfederal, or
other Federal property nearby.
13. The permittee must obtain an FCC authorization for the facility and
must comply with hazard marking requirements, if applicable, including
FAA standards.
14. Upon termination of the agreement, the site will be fully restored to
preexisting conditions or the improvements thereon will transfer to the
NPS, at the superintendent's discretion. A bond may be required to
guarantee restoration.
15. The NPS will retain the right to have full access to any building space
or land covered by this right-of-way. The use of any building and/or
tower constructed as a part of this right-of-way for additional
antennas and other government owned facilities will be permitted, if
feasible. Such Government use will be provided for in the permit
document.
16. The permittee agrees not to issue any additional permits for use of,
on, or within lands and appurtenances as described herein other than as
agreed upon by the Service.
"In the cover memorandum requesting approval of new facilities, include full
documentation of the decision process as per NPS-53, the status of NEPA and
106 compliance process, the benefits to be derived by the Government, and a
draft of the provisions to be included in the right-of-way.
"To facilitate the initial acquisition of documentation on this matter,
please forward to the Chief of Radio Frequency Management FOTSC, Denver, a
copy of all current (i.e., completed) agreements made within the last 5
years."
EXCHANGE
Rental Agreement - Horseshoe Bend is trying to work out an arrangement
whereby they can provide a deputy sheriff with a rent free park residence in
return for alarm response, patrol and other forms of law enforcement
assistance. They are looking for a similar agreement from another park to
use as a model. Contact Jim David at NP--SER.
Library Shelving - The Midwest Archeological Center is seeking decent but
inexpensive sources of book shelves for their library. Contact either Holly
Hampton or Anne Vawser at NP-MWAC.
OBSERVATIONS
"A national park, preserved in all its beauty and at the same time made
accessible to the public for all time, is as grand a heritage as it is
possible to leave to future generations."
Robert Bradford Marshall, from
"Quotable Quotes: Relating to
Conservation in General and the
National Parks in Particular,"
Department of Interior, March, 1951
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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