NPS Visitor and Resource Protection
The Morning Report
Friday, September 10, 2004


INCIDENTS

Southeast Region
Recovery from Frances, Preparations for Ivan

Recovery from the intense rains and more modest but strong winds of Hurricane Frances continues. Preparations for Hurricane Ivan, a Category 5 storm that the National Hurricane Center has characterized as "extremely dangerous," have begun in south Florida parks. The center is forecasting a high probability of landfall somewhere in that area by early next week.

Here are the reports received yesterday:

Blue Ridge Parkway — The parkway between Asheville and Mount Mitchell State Park to the north and Mt. Pisgah to the south reopened yesterday, as park staff continued to evaluate and repair damage caused by double-digit rainfall and strong winds associated with Frances. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, closures from rock and mudslides remained in effect from milepost 317 near Linville Falls to mile 325, from mile 344 at NC 80 near Marion to mile 355 at Mt. Mitchell State Park, and from mile 412 at US 276 south of Mt. Pisgah to mile 443 at US 23/74 near Waynesville. Maintenance crews hope to clear the slide at mile 429 between NC 215 and US 23/74 near Waynesville by sometime today. This would allow that section to be open for weekend travel.  The other five slides are more severe and will take an extended period to clear and repair, especially those north of Mt. Mitchell, which may take up to a year.  Parkway staff are also evaluating damage to trails, restrooms and the small visitor center at Linville Falls, which were flooded by the Linville River. Those planning to travel to or from the Parkway via US 276 should be aware that this highway is currently closed both east and west of its intersection with the parkway. NC 215 is closed to the west. Other state and federal highways in western North Carolina crossing the parkway have also been damaged and the public is encouraged to check with local transportation or law enforcement authorities to be sure roads that intersect the parkway are open. The Folk Art Center remained closed yesterday, but will reopen when water service is restored.  The small visitor center at Craggy Gardens, closed yesterday because of water damage, is now open.  The much more heavily damaged center at Linville Falls is not likely to reopen this year. The Pisgah Inn and restaurant reopened on Thursday. The motor road and all visitor facilities are now open from Linville Falls north to the northern end of the parkway near Waynesboro, Virginia.

Timucuan E&HP/Fort Caroline NM — All public use areas remain closed to visitation. Power remains out at both Fort Caroline and Kingsley. Damage assessments are nearing completion. Cleanup operations continue, but some hazard trees can't be removed except by professional contract crews — and there's a three week waiting period for these contractors.

Canaveral NS — The South District (Kennedy Space Center) end of the park opened for normal operations on Wednesday morning. The North District remains closed due to public utility outages and downed lines outside the park. Widespread phone and electrical outages still exist across the barrier island. Due to the projected course of Hurricane Ivan and the status of numerous employee residences (roofs are still exposed due to damage from Frances), the park is tentatively planning to shutdown visitor operations at the close of business today. NASA remains closed.

Biscayne NP — The park advises that the Keys are under a mandatory evacuation order for visitors and all people in mobile homes, and expects that more mandatory evacuation orders will be issued today. Many staff are heading out of state.

Big Cypress NP — The park has accelerated its preparations. The incident management team met on Thursday and planned on being buttoned up by close of business. Park staff are again working closely with Florida State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff on issuance of a closure notice to hunting in this area (as well as throughout the state). The storm is causing a good deal of concern among park employees, particularly regarding evacuation. Traffic was a considerable problem with the Hurricane Frances evacuation and it still hard to get gasoline in many areas along the evacuation routes. Motel accommodations throughout north Florida are already booked by other residents of south and central Florida who are not taking any chances with hurricanes after Charley and Frances.

Reports from Ken Garvin, SERO; Phil Noblitt, BLRI; Linda Canzanelli, Superintendent, BISC; Carol Clark, Acting Superintendent, BICY/Larry Belles, FMO, BICY; Brian Loadholtz, TIMU/FOCA; Timothy Morgan, CANA.



Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Exposure Fatality and Two Rescues

On Saturday, September 4th, Sudheer Averineni, a 26-year-old Indian national, attempted a climb of the Keyhole route on Longs Peak, the park's popular "Fourteener" (a "Fourteener" is any mountain over 14,000 feet — Longs Peak is 14,259 feet high). The Keyhole route is still classified as "technical" due to snow and ice conditions, only the second known year since the early 1920's that this route has remained technical throughout the entire summer season. While attempting the summit, Averineni's two companions turned back near the Keyhole formation around 13,000 feet due to deteriorating conditions. Averineni continued on, though, and was last seen a short distance below the summit just after noon. When he failed to returned that evening, a search was begun. Conditions on Longs Peak from Saturday afternoon through Sunday were severe — fresh snow, rime ice, recorded winds in excess of 60 mph, and temperatures well below freezing. Averineni's body was found on the summit around 1 p.m. on Sunday. He was dressed in sneakers, jeans, a cotton shirt, and a cotton sweatshirt. A cell phone was found in his pocket. The cause of death has been determined to have been exposure. This was reportedly Averineni's third attempt on Longs Peak this year. The recovery of his body was delayed until Monday due to weather and winds. The summit of Longs Peak remained closed to public use until that time. Rangers also dealt with two other rescues early this week. A 13-year-old girl on an organized group outing with Cheley Camp of Estes Park was evacuated by air ambulance from the north side of Longs Peak on Monday. She was experiencing difficulties associated with a pre-existing medical condition. She was flown to Children's Hospital in Denver, where she experienced — but survived — sudden cardiac arrest. That evening, a man in his early 20's was evacuated by horse from the south side of Longs Peak. He sustained a lower leg injury while climbing, but was able to "self-rescue" over difficult terrain until he met up with rangers on the Sandbeach Lake trail.

[Submitted by Mark Magnuson, Chief Ranger]




FIRE MANAGEMENT

NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Friday, September 10, 2004

Preparedness Level 2

Initial attack was moderate in the eastern Great Basin and light elsewhere. One hundred new fires were reported. Three large fires were contained.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

Weather Forecast

High pressure will continue to be in place today over much of the West, providing mainly dry conditions and very warm temperatures. However, some thunderstorm

activity will take place today especially near the border region between California, Nevada and Arizona. Tonight, high pressure in the West will give way to a low pressure system moving into the Northwest. As a result, showers will cover western sections of Washington after dark. In the Caribbean, Ivan is expected to cross over Jamaica with extremely dangerous wind of up to 150 mph. The track past Saturday is very uncertain due to decreasing steering winds.

Warnings and Watches

No warnings or watches have been issued for today.

NPS Fires

For a brief supplemental narrative on each fire, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/news

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National/State Team Commitments

Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Changes in the status of a fire (type of team, change from a fire to a complex, etc.) are also noted in boldface.

Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name.

State

Agency

Team

IC

Fire/Incident and Location

9/9

9/10

% Con

Est Con

FL

FEMA

ACT

Mann

Hurricane Frances, Orlando

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

T1

Kearney

Hurricane Frances, NAS Jacksonville

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

T1

McCombs

Hurricane Frances, Atlanta, GA

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

T1

Oltrogge

Hurricane Frances, West Palm Beach

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

T1

Studebaker

Hurricane Frances, Lakeland

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

T1

Vail

Hurricane Frances, Homestead

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

T1

Whitney

Hurricane Frances, Ocala

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

2

Beauchamp #

Hurricane Frances, Indian River County

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

2

Crane #

Hurricane Frances, St. Lucie County

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

2

Graham #

Hurricane Frances, Okeechobee County

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

2

Hill #

Hurricane Frances, Martin County

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

2

Jones #

Hurricane Frances, Orlando

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

FL

FEMA

2

Kline @

Hurricane Frances, Lakeland

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

AK

State

2

Blume

Camp Creek Fire, Delta Area

175,315

175,315

65

9/30

AK

State

2

Kurth

Taylor Highway Complex, Tok Area Forestry

1,305,252

1,305,252

NR

10/1

CA

USFS

2

Rios

Trimmer Fire, Sierra NF

125

125

100

CND

CA

USFS

2

Walker

Runway Fire, San Bernadino NF

1,007

1,193

100

CND

CA

NPS

FUM

Weldon

Bluff Fire, Lassen Volcanic NP

2,628

3,148

N/A

N/A

# Florida state team
@ Georgia state team

National Resource Commitments

Day

Sat

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Date

9/4

9/5

9/6

9/7

9/8

9/9

9/10

Crews

152

164

169

139

152

144

110

Engines

276

368

371

287

335

350

217

Helicopters

39

55

64

47

49

51

36

Air Tankers

0

1

2

1

2

2

2

Overhead

762

971

1,074

866

851

733

1,234

Further Information

This report is meant to present just highlights of the current fire situation. Two other NIFC sites provide much greater detail:

Full NIFC Situation Report (PDF file) — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
National Fire News — http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html

Information on NPS Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) and on park fires can be found at:

FAM — http://www.nps.gov/fire
Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news




OPERATIONAL NOTES

Servicewide
Upcoming Conference/Meetings Calendar


This listing is updated every Friday. Please submit information to Bill_Halainen@nps.gov. . New listings and revisions are in bold face.

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November 15 — November 19

27th Ranger Rendezvous, Association of National Park Rangers, Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center, Rapid City, South Dakota.

The theme of this year's Rendezvous is "Following in the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark — Exploration, Partnerships and Preservation." The objective of this annual forum is to exchange ideas that further the preservation and management of the National Park Service and the National Park System. This professional conference brings together people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines to exchange ideas, provide training, and listen to operational or governmental updates from agency leaders. For more information on the Rendezvous, a tentative agenda, and registration information, go to www.anpr.org.

November 16 — November 18

Third Mojave Desert Science Symposium and Poster Session, University of Redlands, California.

Registration is now open for the symposium, which is hosted in part by the National Park Service. Federal employees may take advantage of the early registration rate deadline of October 8th by registering using a training authorization or purchase order number. For more information, visit http://www.dmg.gov/mdss/, or email MDSS@qbsevents.com, or call 928-638-2200 (Pacific time).

March 6 — 10

Annual Convention, Association of Partners for Public Lands, Portland, Oregon.

The theme for this year's convention, Portland Pathways, was selected "to move us forward along our lines of learning and commitment to an increasingly connected systems of parks, forests, refuges, waters, open spaces and historic places." Basic registration is open through January 10th, regular through February 18th, and late thorough March 5th. For more information, call APPL at 301-946-9475 or go to www.appl.org

March 14 — 18

George Wright Society Biennial Conference on Parks, Protected Areas and Cultural Sites, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 
The theme of this year's convention is People, Places and Parks: Preservation for Future Generations. Proposals are being accepted in all areas of natural and cultural resources. The deadline for abstracts is October 8th. Details on the conference can be found at http://www.georgewright.org/2005.html. For further information, contact the society at 1-906-487-9722, or via conferences@georgewright.org.



Servicewide
Upcoming Training Calendar

This listing is updated every Friday. It is not meant to replace any of the various training center calendars — just to augment them and provide a heads-up on new training courses. Please submit information to Bill_Halainen@nps.gov. New listings and revisions are in bold face.

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September 13

NPS Recreation and Reservation Programs, TEL event: 2 p.m. — 4 p.m. EDT.

In this TELNPS interactive television (ITV) course, employees learn about NPS programs that help states and local communities preserve natural, cultural and recreational resources outside of park boundaries. Among topics addressed are the Historic American Buildings Survey; the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA); and the National Historic Preservation Act. This is the second part of the NPS Fundamentals I, Module 4: NPS National Recreation and Preservation Programs. Go to www.nps.gov/training/tel

September 15 — September 16

"You Should Hear What They Are Missing: Hearing Prevention Loss Program," TEL event: 1 p.m. — 4 p.m. EDT, September 15, and 1 — 2:30 p.m. EDT, September 16.

This two day interactive workshop is designed to enable park leadership, safety officers and supervisors to understand how to properly implement a hearing loss prevention program. Participants must be prepared to attend on both days and complete a field activity between sessions. This workshop is part of an NPS Risk Management office effort to assist parks in implementing hearing loss prevention (HLP) programs. The workshop is designed to help participants understand what it takes to implement a successful HLP program, regulatory requirements regarding HLP and how to conduct an accurate sound level survey in a work environment. Go to www.nps.gov/training/tel

September 16

"Preventing Hearing Loss — It Sounds Good to Me," TEL event: 3 — 4:30 p.m. EDT.

This course is designed to help employees understand what noise induced hearing loss is and the actions they can take to prevent it. OSHA requires parks to provide annual training to employees who are exposed to harmful noise levels. Parks may use this course to meet the annual training requirement when supplemented with supervisor-lead discussion of park-specific noise hazards and policies. Go to www.nps.gov/training/tel

October 4 — October 5

Taser Instructor Course, Vicksburg NMP, Mississippi.

The park has confirmed that the taser instructor course will be held. The cost is $195. The new generation of tasers meet the RM-9 definition of an electronic control device. In order to sign up, go to www.taser.com. For more information, contact John Wilkins at 601-636-0583 or 601-831-1873 (cell).

October 4 — October 8

Law Enforcement Supervisor Refresher Training, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona.

The park is hosting a 40-hour LE in-service training designed specifically for LE and emergency services supervisors. Topics covered will include leadership through understanding behavioral diversity, situational leadership, work-related stress, ethics and values, and an LE supervisors' lessons learned forum. The training is presented by the FLETC Management Institute and IMR law enforcement and human resources staff. Tuition is $150. To register or for more information, contact South Rim shift supervisor Karyl Yeston at 928-638-7805 by September 24th.

October 18 — October 22

Survival Shooting Training (XP-SSTP-501), HIDTA Training Facility, Tucson, Arizona.

This course is not an FITP refresher — it is an export version of FLETC's survival shooting class that normally runs for nine days. This session will be 40 hours long, with each student shooting 3,000 rounds. The objective is to bring current NPS firearms instructors up to date with the same shooting skills and techniques that rangers attending the basic NRITP course are receiving. Nominations are due by COB on September 23rd. For more information, contact either Pat Gavin, IMR RLES, at 303-969-2642 or Bruce Hasson, FLETC, at 912-261-3762.

November 1 — November 5

ARPA Training (XP-ARPTP), Tallahassee, Florida.

This is the FLETC course, developed in conjunction with the NPS, Forest Service and BLM. The closing date is October 1st. One page nominations should be emailed or faced to FLETC. For more information, call the center at 912-267-2246 or call JR Tomasovic at 912-554-4694.

November 1 — November 5

Annual Law Enforcement Refresher Training for Supervisors: Challenges of Leadership, The North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, NC.

This refresher program is designed to assist first and second line supervisors with providing leadership to the law enforcement patrol function. Tuition Is $75. Nominations must be submitted by October 1st. For more information, contact John Garrison at BLRI at 828-271-4779 x 240.

November 9 — February 1

Criminal Investigator Training (CITP-506), FLETC, Glynco, GA.

Basic criminal investigator training. Nominations are due by October 5th. For further information, contact either Wiley Golden (912-267-2246) or JR Tomasovic (912-554-4694) at FLETC.

November 15 — November 19

National Wildlife Origin and Cause Determination (XP-WFOCD-503/FI-210), Casa Grande, AZ.

Training on wildland fire investigation based on NWCG certification standards and training program. Nominations are due by October 5th. For further information, contact either Wiley Golden (912-267-2246) or JR Tomasovic (912-554-4694) at FLETC.

January 9 — February 5

Park Medic Training, University Medical Center, Fresno, Ca.

The course is designed to refresh the student's knowledge of basic life support and to provide instruction in advanced life support pre-hospital care. Certification: NREMT, Intermediate EMT, Park Medic. Tuition is $1,400 per student before December 3rd, and $1,600 thereafter. Applications are due by December 3rd. For more information, contact Skip Miller, Acting Branch Chief, Emergency Services, WASO, at 202-513-7093 or via email.




PARKS AND PEOPLE

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (NY)
Chief of Preservation and Maintenance

Dates: 09/08/2004 - 09/21/2004
The incumbent is responsible for providing Preservation and Facility Management for Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, home of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, located in Oyster Bay, New York. One of four division chiefs reporting directly to the Superintendent, the incumbent oversees all park maintenance operations, park design and development activities, facility repair and rehabilitation, historic structure preservation and cultural landscape management at the site. This position manages a multi-faceted  organization through the management of subordinate staff, multi-year/operational budgets, and the utilization of new information technologies. These duties provide stewardship of assets/facilities ensuring, visitor use and enjoyment as well as the protection of natural and cultural resources.[Submitted by Gay Vietzke, gay_vietzke@nps.gov, 516-922-4271 x11] More Information...




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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.