INCIDENTS

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Redwood National and State Parks (CA)
Shots Fired At NPS Biologists

Three NPS biologists in a park vehicle were returning to the park's South Operations Center just before midnight on May 3rd following an evening of owl monitoring in the Bald Hills area of the park. As they traveled down the road, they encountered an SUV pulling a U-Haul trailer parked in the uphill lane of the road with its headlights on. As they slowed down to pass the vehicle on the right, they saw a man standing between the trailer and the SUV. They stopped approximately five car lengths downhill from the SUV, then started to back-up to see if the SUV was broken down or if the man needed any assistance. Just as the driver put the vehicle in reverse, the man began firing at them with a high-powered rifle, breaking out the back window and striking the vehicle numerous times. Once the biologists realized what was happening, they crouched down in their vehicle and sped off downhill. No one was hurt. They continued toward the office and contacted park dispatch by cell phone. Dispatch had just been notified by the California Highway Patrol about a vehicle matching the description of the SUV/trailer that had been involved in a shooting with their officers earlier in the day. A multi-agency search is underway; participating are Humboldt County deputies, California Highway Patrol officers, and Hoopa and Yurok tribal officers. The SUV was found on Highway 169 near Johnsons. The search continues.

 

[Submitted by Tom Bowling-Schaff, Park Ranger ]

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (TX)
Train Derailment Leads To Oil Spill

Two freight trains operated by the Union Pacific Railroad collided on a bridge crossing the San Antonio River about a half mile from the park around 4:30 a.m. on May 3rd. Two diesel locomotives and several freight cars fell into the river, and about 5,800 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the river when the tank on one of the locomotives ruptured. Municipal and state agencies have been engaged in cleanup operations, and park staff are monitoring park resources to determine spill impacts. So far, there have been none. Ranger/safety advisor Kurt Schoenberger has been designated as the park's incident commander.
[Submitted by Dan Steed, Chief Ranger]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report — Wednesday, May 5, 2004

Preparedness Level 1

Initial attack activity was again light yesterday, with 143 new fires reported.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Kansas, Indiana, Minnesota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

National Resource Commitments

Day	Wed	Thu	Fri	Mon	Tue	Wed
Date	4/14	4/15	4/16	5/3	5/4	5/5
Crews	7	7	6	27	58	91
Engines	46	36	100	84	267	415
Helicopters	7	9	13	5	16	17
Air Tankers	0	0	0	0	0	0
Overhead	76	100	258	70	180	370

National Team Commitments

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres 5/4	Acres 5/5	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
CA	ST1	Henson	Eagle Fire, Riverside Unit	---	5,000	30	5/6
CA	ST1	Anderson	Cerritos Fire, Riverside Unit	---	10,500	15	UNK
CA	T2	Walker	India Fire, Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps	---	1,900	85	5/5
CA	T2	Smith	Cachuma Fire, Los Padres NF	---	515	20	UNK

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Alaska Region
GS-13 Park Manager

Dates: 05/03/2004 - 05/07/2004

Looking for adventure, a challenging job opportunity, excellent work experience, and beautiful surroundings?  Check out the vacancy announcement for the superintendent at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (KLGO)!   This GS-13 position is being advertised on USAJOBS through May 10, 2004.  The vacancy announcement number is KLGO-04-45MP. 

KLGO headquarters is located in the small town of Skagway, Alaska. This area exploded into life with the discovery of gold along the Klondike River in 1896.   At the height of the Gold Rush John Muir described Skagway as "a nest of ants taken into a strange country and stirred up by a stick."   The park is home to the famous Chilkoot Trail, where thousands of hardy prospectors braved mountain passes and winter weather to seek their fortunes in gold.  The park also manages a portion of the White Pass Trail, preserves historic buildings from the Gold Rush era, and tells the stories of this fascinating area. 

The Chilkoot Trail has been officially designated by Canada and the United States as a component of the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park.  The Park Manager collaborates with the Canadian Government in managing the trail systems. 

Skagway is located in the pan handle area of southern Alaska, and is bordered by ocean and forest.  The pan handle area is often referred to as the "banana belt" of Alaska.   The climate is mild in comparison to interior Alaska.  The area offers spectacular outdoor recreation opportunities such as hiking, fishing, and kayaking.   Skagway is accessible by road through Canada, by air, and by ocean.

Other perks (in addition to a great job and beautiful surroundings!) —

Because of the higher costs associated with living in a remote location, employees in Alaska receive a non-taxable 25% cost-of-living allowance in addition to base pay.  

Tour renewal travel is provided to employees who relocate from outside Alaska to parks in Alaska.   This means that transportation costs are provided for round trip travel for employees & their immediate family to travel outside Alaska after completing 2 years of continuous service at the park.   (Entitlement is limited to 2 round-trips within the first 5 years of continuous duty in Alaska, and is based on the equivalent of round-trip costs between the employee's home of record and duty station in Alaska.)

Return rights are also provided to current career and career-conditional NPS employees who relocate from outside Alaska to parks in Alaska.  This policy is designed to help attract a larger pool of highly qualified employees to remote areas.   Under this policy, employees will be given the opportunity to return to the region they were in prior to accepting the position in Alaska.  To be eligible for return rights, the employee must complete a minimum tour of three calendar years at the Alaska park, and may elect a possible two year extension. 

If you're an adventurous individual with excellent communication/collaborative and management skills and a passion for working closely with people, please consider this vacancy.  The vacancy announcement is on USAJOBS (KLGO-04-45MP).  Internet resources to learn more about the parks and area include the park's web site (www.nps.gov/KLGO), Skagway's web site (www.skagway,org), the State web site (www.state.ak.us; click on Visit Alaska); and the Alaska community information website  (www.dced.state.ak.us/cbd/commdb/CF_CIS.htm).
[Submitted by Lindy Lawson, lindy_lawson@nps.gov, (907)644-3342] More Information...

Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.

Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.