- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, November 7, 1996
- Date: Thurs, 7 Nov 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, November 7, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-652 - Golden Gate NRA (California) - Follow-up on Oil Spill
Cleanup efforts are continuing on waterfront areas within the park. Most
beaches have been reopened, with the exception of one area which has not been
cleaned yet due to the logistics of moving equipment on and off the beach.
Volunteers from the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary are
still monitoring the effects of the oil on wildlife. On November 5th, they
sighted 398 oiled, live birds and three oiled, dead birds on park beaches.
Wildlife rehabilitation centers have received a total of 42 oiled, live birds
(including 14 endangered Brown pelicans) and eight oiled, dead birds since
the incident began. [Bill Oswald, IC, GOGA]
96-657 - Biscayne NP (Florida) - Ship Grounding
The 400-foot German freighter "Igloo Moon" ran aground in the park around 5
a.m. on Wednesday, November 5th. The ship's outer hull has definitely been
breached, and the inner hull may have been as well. The ship contains a
cargo of butadiene, a highly flammable petroleum product used in the
manufacture of synthetic rubber and plastics. The ship's hull is hard
aground in 23 feet of water in the park's northeast corner, an area
characterized by a combination of hard and soft corals and seagrasses.
Resource managers are on scene and working closely with the Coast Guard's
Marine Service Office (MSO) in assessing the damage. There are no apparent
imminent health or safety concerns for employees. The scene has not been
federalized because the ship's owners responded appropriately and efficiently
to minimize impacts, but MSO has taken the lead in the incident command
structure and is monitoring the situation closely. The exact cause of the
incident is as yet unknown. There is concern that the void between the
ship's two hulls may contain a viscous mixture of petroleum products which
could leak out. A contingency plan to contain any such spills is being
implemented now. The three areas of imminent concern are:
o physical damage to the immediate site and surrounding reef
resulting from the impact;
o potential damage to the seagrass beds to the south and west of the
site; and
o potential release of the aforementioned petroleum products and
impacts on the park's mangrove forests.
Resource management chief Pat Lynch is the on-scene representative to the
incident management team. [Gary Bremen, IO, BISC]
96-658 - Great Smokies NP (Tennessee/North Carolina) - Suicide
A park visitor reported the discovery of a body at an overlook on the western
end of Foothills Parkway on the morning of October 31st. Ranger Mike Farley
responded and found the body of F.H., 38. Preliminary
investigation indicates that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
[John Mattox, GRSM]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Notes pending.
MEMORANDA
No memoranda.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
* * * * *
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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