NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
INCIDENTS
National Park of American Samoa
Incident Management Team Winds Up Operations
The Western Incident Management Team is in the process of transitioning tsunami recovery operations back to the National Park of American Samoa. Cleanup operations will be scaled back and the park, with outside assistance, will take over management of operations. The cultural resource team was able to recover a substantial percentage of the collections and files originally thought beyond recovery. Park crews have made significant progress in removing debris from five partner villages, assisting many residents and several schools. The tsunami was a horrific event for all who experienced it. The critical incident stress management team was able to provide support to park staff and crews affected by the event. The emergency is over, but the people of America Samoa will be dealing with the impacts for years to come. [Patti Wold, Information Officer]
Chattahoochee NRA
Post-Flood Cleanup Operations And Repairs Continue
Fallers, swampers, heavy equipment operators, engine crews, and a safety officer were requested last week through the Southern Area Command Center to aid in flood debris cleanup. Eleven people subsequently arrived from Everglades NP, Shenandoah NP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, and Kennesaw Mountain NBP and began clean up this past Tuesday. During the course of the week, over 150 hazardous trees blocking roads and trails were cleared. Mud and silt covering roadways, bridges, boat ramps, and some trails were removed and hosed clean. Water monitoring samples show the river has cleaned itself, returning to pre-flood E. coli levels. Repairs will continue this week as the park works to restore gravel roadways and parking lots damaged by flood waters. The remaining three park areas still closed should be reopened by the end of the week. [Scot Pfeninger, Chief Ranger]
Whiskeytown NRA
Several Marijuana Plantations Found And Eradicated
Law enforcement rangers at Whiskeytown have been actively assisting Shasta County deputies with discovering and eradicating marijuana on public lands in and around the park. In late June, rangers assisted deputies in the eradication of over 90,000 plants. During the operation, which was primarily on Forest Service lands in Shasta County, two undocumented Mexican nationals were also arrested. In early August, rangers from Whiskeytown, Redwoods and Yosemite joined deputies and CAMP task force officers in the eradication of over 6,000 plants in the Crystal Creek drainage in Whiskeytown and another 1,700 plus plants on lands immediately adjacent to the park. During cleanup operations two weeks later, rangers found more plants in a complex not previously discovered. They returned to the area with task force members and removed more than 1,500 plants and 50 pounds of processed marijuana. Rangers utilized newly-approved helicopter short hauls to safely access these remote sites. All of the areas showed evidence of cultivation by highly organized Mexican drug cartels. Rangers continue to search for additional cultivation sites. Ranger Gary Bias was NPS lead for the operations. [Jim Richardson, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
Office of Public Affairs - On the heels of the PBS presentation of “America's Best Idea,” a documentary on the national parks by Ken Burns, the National Park Service has developed a website to help visitors find activities, events and commercial services at NPS areas during the fall, winter and spring month.
Natural Resource Program Center - Air quality has become an issue for many national parks. The Service is working to monitor and understand the impacts of air pollution at many sites. Learn more by watching an Air Resources Division podcast. Photo.
Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service.
Office of Public Affairs - Director Jon Jarvis has announced the appointment of Dr. Gary Machlis as the first ever science advisor to the director. The science advisor will play a key role in advancing science within the NPS and advising the director on science policy and programs. Photo.
Carlsbad Caverns NP - Sandra Tanner, who worked at Carlsbad Caverns National Park from 1969 to 1999, died on October 12th following a long illness.
To see these and other stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter): NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index ; non-NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/
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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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