- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, September 16, 1996
- Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, September 16, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-511 - East Coast Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Fran
Additional reports on the impacts of Hurricane Fran have been received:
o Moores Creek - The park remains closed due to continued flooding of the
battlefield and area roads and bridges. The water was still rising in
some locations on Friday; the Cape Fear River was expected to crest in
nearby Wilmington over the weekend.
o Harpers Ferry - The park remains closed. Employees are continuing
extensive clean-up and emergency repairs to the area and working
closely with town officials and businesses to reopen the park.
Railroad crews and heavy equipment are in the park repairing track; a
half-mile of rail bed was swept away by the Shenandoah River at several
locations within the park. Plans were to reopen the park on Saturday
except for those areas which remain too hazardous for public use. This
flood was six inches higher at Harpers Ferry than last January's flood.
Damage is extensive and will take months to repair.
o Antietam - All areas of the park are now open except for the Snavely
Ford trail in the Burnside Bridge area. Heavy rain from severe
thunderstorms late last week, coupled with continuing high water
levels, caused flash flooding on Antietam Creek and probably caused
additional damage to the trail.
o Monocacy - The Gambill Mill trail remains closed due to the loss of a
30-foot-long bridge which was washed away by the flood. Temporary
repairs have been completed elsewhere, and the remainder of the park is
open.
o Blue Ridge - All visitor services and facilities temporarily closed due
to the hurricane's impacts have now been fully restored and reopened.
The damage consisted of numerous downed trees and power outages,
primarily at the north end of the parkway.
The preliminary cost estimate for repairs to National Capitol Field Area
parks has reached $380,000, but does not include long-term rehabilitation and
restoration of roads, trails and museums. Damage at present does not appear
to be as severe as that inflicted by last January's flood. [Don Boucher,
FMO, NCSO; Ann Childress, CR, FOSU Group; Harvey Sorenson, CR, HAFE; Jim Fox,
BLRI]
96-529 - Mount Rushmore (South Dakota) - Larceny Arrest; Concession Employee
On September 10th, rangers arrested a park concession employee on a felony
larceny charge. Rangers had begun an investigation several days earlier when
the general manager of the concession reported that there had been a series
of shortages from specific cash registers over a period of a month or more.
Rangers quickly established a primary suspect; after two days of surveillance
with the assistance of rangers from other parks, they caught him in the act
of taking money and arrested him immediately. The employee had $232 in cash
when arrested, money which he admitted was stolen. A warrant search of his
dormitory room led to the recovery of an additional $4,000 in cash which he'd
hidden away. He will be arraigned before a grand jury tomorrow. The
investigation is continuing. Rangers Andy Fisher and Tim Phillips developed
the case with assistance from others. [Mike Pflaum, CR, MORU]
96-530 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - Suicide
On September 11th, a parkway contractor discovered the body of R.T.,
24, of Hillsboro, North Carolina, in a vehicle parked at the Lane Valley
overlook near Asheville. R.T. had died several hours earlier from an
apparently self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. The vehicle was locked
from the inside and a suicide note was found. [Jim Fox, BLRI]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Thu Sun % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 9/12 9/15 Con Con
OR Umpqua NF Spring T2 15,838 16,005 95 9/20
MT Lewiston District Alkali Creek -- 1,200 8,000 100 CND
Crow Agency * Sugar Beet -- - 800 40 9/15
UT Salt Lake District * Tabby Mountain -- - 5,500 75 9/16
WY Bridger-Teton NF Aspen Hollow T2 2,780 2,780 100 CND
NV Humboldt NF * Merritt Mtn. -- - 400 100 CND
AK Statewide 8 fires -- 342,723 154,568 -- LPS
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; LPS = limited
protection status
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FIVE DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Wednesday, 9/11 1 5 20 1 37 52 116
Thursday, 9/12 2 2 11 1 97 61 174
Friday, 9/13 0 12 22 0 62 187 283
Saturday, 9/14 1 2 7 0 69 49 128
Sunday, 9/15 1 11 3 0 24 12 51
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Wednesday, 9/11 181 183 79 7 1,166
Thursday, 9/12 152 207 70 3 985
Friday, 9/13 146 196 76 1 1,133
Saturday, 9/14 77 96 47 0 629
Sunday, 9/15 83 88 40 0 680
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack activity was moderate throughout Friday and Saturday, then
decreased yesterday. A sizeable portion of the West received considerable
precipitation, making it possible for firefighters to contain or control
fires. Resource mobilization through NICC remained minimal. The Type I team
assigned to Hurricane Fran recovery efforts was demobilized yesterday.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
Most of the West will be cool or mild, with rain or snow forecast for many
areas.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Workers' Compensation Case Management - The Rocky Mountain SSO, in
cooperation with the WASO Division of Risk Management and the Department, has
developed draft workers' compensation management guidelines which will soon
be going out for review and comment. These guidelines outline generic
procedures that focus on bringing employees who have experienced on-the-job
injuries or illnesses back to work as soon as medically possible. Highlights
include responsibilities of supervisors, personnel divisions and employees;
identification of "light duty" temporary work opportunities; an orientation
video to accompany the guideline; and an easy to use tracking system. These
guidelines will be the cornerstone of an FY 97 Servicewide workers'
compensation case management initiative which will include both short-term
and long-term case management. For further information, please contact
Shirley Rowley at 303-969-2643. [Dick Powell, Chief, DRM/WASO]
FLETC Update - A work group which met to review and make recommendations on
the National Park Service's basic curriculum completed its work last week and
submitted a report which will soon be forwarded to WASO Ranger Activities. A
second work group will convene next week to finalize the Service's field
training officer (FTO) program. As of last week, there were 30 NPS employees
in training at FLETC - 17 in the basic course, 16 in CIRS training, six in
the criminal investigators' school, and one in a firearms instructors'
course. [Paul Henry, Superintendent, NPS/FLETC]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
TRAINING AND WORKSHOP CALENDAR
Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains training courses and workshops, and a second, which contains
meetings, conferences and events. If you know of a conference, meeting,
workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and implications,
please send the information along. Entries are listed no earlier than FOUR
months before the event, EXCEPT in instances in which registration dates
close much earlier. Asterisks indicate new entries; brackets at end of entry
indicate source of information. Brevity is appreciated.
10/-- -- The Northeast Document Conservation Center is offering five
coordinated workshops to provide systematic training in
preservation management for small to mid-sized museums, archives
and libraries between October, 1996, and March, 1997. Cost: $450
for all five workshops. Applications must be submitted by
September 4th. Contact: NEDCC, 100 Brickstone Square, Andover,
MA 01810; 508-470-1010 (phone); 508-475-6021 (fax);
nedcc@world.std.com (Internet). [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
10/2* -- Underground Railroad Workshop, Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston,
SC. Held in conjunction with the 81st annual meeting of the
Association of the Afro-American Life and History, Inc. (ASALH).
The workshop will focus on the preservation and interpretation of
the underground railroad story within the NPS and Parks Canada
systems. Featured speakers will include representatives from
both systems, noted scholars and community activists. Rooms are
available at the Francis Marion (803-722-0600), the Hampton Inn
(803-723-4000), and Quality Inn (803-722-3391). Registration not
required for workshop. Contact: Vincent deforest, NCFA, 202-619-
7077 (phone) or 202-619-7159 (fax). [Barbara Tagger, NP-SERO]
10/15 -- Deadline for applications for NPS FY 97 Cultural Resource
Training Initiative. The initiative underwrites training in
history, architecture, archeology, anthropology, landscape
architecture, curation, interpretation, and other fields of
cultural resource preservation. Proposals for training
activities that promote the objectives of Section 101(j) of the
National Historic Preservation Act amendments of 1992 are
encouraged. The maximum amount awarded will be $25,000 per
training activity; approximately $400,000 to $450,000 will be
available for FY 97. Five copies of each proposal, complete with
supplemental materials, must be received by October 15th. The
application is available by electronic means. Contact: Michael
Auer, Heritage Preservation Services, 202-343-9594 (phone),
Michael Auer at NP-WASO-HPS. [Michael Auer, HPS/WASO]
10/15-17 -- "Sustainable Practices for Park Management: A Hands-On Workshop,"
Ocean Edge Resort, Brewster, MA. This three-day workshop will
use several real projects at Cape Cod National Seashore as
training exercises to teach participants how to apply
sustainability principles to such areas as landscaping, energy
use in park housing, retrofitting a visitor center, and using
alternative wastewater treatment systems. Fee: $100. Contact:
Sarah Peskin, NESSO, 617-223-5129 or via cc:Mail. [Sarah Peskin,
NESSO]
10/16-20* -- Colorado Fire Fighters Academy, Durango, CO. The conference will
be held from October 18th-20th; there will be pre-conference
training from October 16th and 17th. Fee for the latter is $100;
for the former, it is $200. Contact: San Juan Basin Vo-Tech
School, PO Box 970, Cortez, CO 81321, 970-565-8457 (phone), 970-
565-8450 (fax). [Steve Budd-Jack, MEVE]
10/22-23 -- "Implementing Renewable Energy Projects Workshop," Washington,
DC. Fee: $150. Contact: Karen Kimball, 202-737-1911 (phone),
202-628-8498 (fax). [John Gingles, FMD/WASO]
10/22-26 -- "A Sense of Place/A Sense of Space," National Interpreters'
Workshop, National Association for Interpretation, Holiday Inn,
Billings Plaza, Billings, MT. Contact: Registrar, Data
Corporation, 301-855-8811 (phone), 301-855-8579 (fax). [Mike
Gurling, OLYM]
11/3-5* -- "Choosing By Advantages," Sheraton Hotel, Corpus Christi, TX.
Sponsored by the Association of National Park Rangers. Training
on this management program, recently used by the NPS to
prioritize line item construction. Official NPS training.
Tuition: $100 for ANPR and ANPME members, $150 for non-members.
Contact: Bill Wade, 540-635-8809. Cutoff for registration is
October 16th. [Bill Wade, SHEN]
11/3-4 -- Pollution Prevention Training, Sheraton Hotel, Corpus Christi,
TX. Sponsored by Association of National Park Maintenance
Employees. The course will provide participants with the latest
information and regulations on developing a pollution prevention
program for maintenance operations in national parks. Field trip
to Padre Island. Cost: $125 for ANPME members, $200 for non-
members. Applications must be sent to ANPME, PO Box 388,
Gansevoort, NY 12381. Contact: Rick Shireman, Mesa Verde NP,
970-529-4465 or 882-2376 (phone) or Rick Shireman at NP-MEVE
(cc:Mail). [Steve Hastings, NERI]
11/13-15* -- NPS Geologic Resources Division Workshop, Denver, CO. Three
separate workshop sessions - geology, disturbed lands, and
minerals management - will run concurrently, with one or two
plenary sessions. The division is very interested in
participation by managers and professionals dealing with any of
these matters, and would like to hear from you as soon as
possible to determine your interest and needs. Contacts: Ed
Kassman, 303-969-2146; David Steensen, 303-969-2014; Judy Geniac,
303-969-2015. [Ed Kassman, GRD/WASO]
12/8-13* -- Managerial Grid: Phase I and Instructor Preparation Seminars,
Tucson, AZ. Phase I is a prerequisite for attending the IP
seminar. Sponsored by ANPR. Cost: $500 for members, $550 for
non-members. Deadline for applications is October 25th; they
should be sent to ANPR, PO Box 307, Gansevoort, NY 12831.
Contact: Ann Baugh, 520-638-2691, or Bill Wade, 540-999-3400.
[Bill Wade, SHEN]
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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