NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
INCIDENTS
Gulf Coast Parks
Spill Preparations Continue, Focus On Resource Assessments
Director Jarvis hosted a press conference at the Mobile unified command post yesterday afternoon. He was joined by Jon Andrew, chief of National Wildlife Refuge System for the Southeast Region, and Rick Clark, Gulf Islands National Seashore's chief of science and resource management. Superintendent Nina Kelson and Jereme Phillipps, refuge manager for Bonsecour National Wildlife Refuge, were also available to answer questions. The press conference focused on the role of the Department of the Interior in responding to the oil spill by providing expertise to the unified command in evaluating public health risks, planning shoreline cleanup and wildlife recovery. Director Jarvis is acting as incident commander for the DOI.
Padre Island NS - The park's baseline assessment continues.
Jean Lafitte NHP&P - The park continues to work towards its objectives by coordinating with local partners and the Western IMT at Gulf Islands.
Gulf Islands NS - No oil, tar, or oiled animals have been found in the park. All park sites are open and operating as usual. The most recent projections place the Mississippi District islands within the area of possible surface oil no earlier than Wednesday morning. However, it is possible for tar balls to travel below the water surface in advance of the surface oil plume. Four staff members from the NPS Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) will arrive in the park today to develop two teams to do archeological site assessments in the Mississippi and Florida Districts. BP has provided 30 additional radios to DOI staff to improve field communications. Hazardous materials training continued for NPS staff. SCAT team assessments continued in both the Mississippi and Florida Districts. Park biologists have also been assigned to teams tasked with responding to reports of oiled sea turtles and marine mammals. Maintaining booms continues.
South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - Final baseline condition assessment plans for four of the five south Florida parks have been completed. Assessment plans have been adapted to cover a variety of ecosystems. Pre-impact sampling of sediment and tissue will begin today at DeSoto and Dry Tortugas, followed by Everglades, Big Cypress, and Biscayne (in priority order) at a date yet to be determined. The natural resource assessment branch is currently determining trigger points at which to execute plans for Everglades, Big Cypress, and Biscayne. A cultural resource assessment was conducted at DeSoto on Sunday. Incident commander Rick Anderson spent the day with state and local officials at the Broward County Emergency Operations Center. Superintendent Dan Kimball traveled to the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg incident command post to serve as the lead official for the Department of Interior under a unified command. Additional resources are being requested to assist. Local media interest is currently low. A public information team has updated each park's website to include a page specific to the incident. The team has also developed park-specific fact sheets that address the incident. Everglades' information can be accessed at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/ever_" http://www.nps.gov/ever. A communications center has been established with three information officers. They can be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com__" SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com.
For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following:
NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm
DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm
National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com" http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957
[Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
Hawaii Volcanoes NP
Man Sentenced For Vehicle Break-in
On April 12th, A.L., 31, was sentenced in United States District Court to nine months in federal prison and three years supervised release and ordered to pay $632 in restitution to the victims of his crime. A.L., of no permanent address, was convicted of felony unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle with intent to commit a crime for breaking into a visitor's rental car on January 1, 2008 at the popular Kilauea Iki Overlook parking lot. Skilled and determined investigation by park rangers and a special agent led to A.L.'s arrest and conviction. “Our park rangers and special agent were unwavering in the investigative efforts that led to the successful prosecution of this case,” said Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “A purpose of the park is to provide for enjoyment of this wondrous resource by residents and visitors. We have zero tolerance for those who victimize others.” [Mardie Lane, Park Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
WebRanger Program - The National Park Service's WebRanger program marked Earth Day by unveiling its first climate science activity for kids. “Investigating Global Connections” is the first of up to three activities that will introduce young people to climate change and its potential impacts on their families, their neighborhoods, and their national parks through guided exploration.
Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services - Employees going to the Gulf to work on the oil spill incident should complete basic safety orientation training before they arrive. This training is now availalble online and will meet BP and OSHA requirements for this specific response. A link is provided.
Boston Harbor Islands NRA - Local, state and national dignitaries joined Boston Harbor Island Alliance staff and board members and National Park Service rangers on May 4th to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion. Photo.
George Washington Memorial Parkway -On May 5th, the NPS, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands jointly sponsored a ceremony to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Netherlands Carillon. Photo.
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/
NPS serious incident submission standards can be found at the following web site: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/notify" http://inside.nps.gov/notify
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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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