National Parks Gallery - Park News

Parks Watch Hurricane Ike, Await Developments

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:43 -0600

Parks in South Florida are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Ike, waiting to see what course it takes. Two have closed down temporarily:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP – The two parks continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Ike. Both have now completed preparations for the storm. As of Sunday, the National Hurricane Center was continuing to forecast probable impacts to the Dry Tortugas, so the park is closed and will remain closed until conditions permit reopening. Evergl...

Tropical Storm Hanna Causes Some Closures, Little Damage

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:43 -0600

Reports have been received from parks along the Eastern seaboard regarding this past weekend’s passage of Tropical Storm Hanna, which brought only modest winds but heavy rains:

Cape Hatteras NS – The park reports no structural damage – mostly limbs and branches down, along with a few small trees. All roads are open. Full assessments are being conducted to determine when operations will be restored.
Moores Creek NB – The park was closed, but reopened Sat...

Hurricane Gustav Recovery Continues

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:42 -0600

Two areas spent the balance of last week dealing with the damage created by Gustav’s passage:

Natchez Trace – The parkway is now open to traffic from milepost 0 in Natchez to milepost 87 (I-20) near Clinton, both towns in Mississippi. Numerous trees fell on the parkway, causing the closure of much of this lower section of the road. Maintenance crews worked diligently to remove trees and debris, making it possible to reopen the road on Friday. The Jeff Busby and Rocky ...

Weekly Legislative Activities Report

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:41 -0600

The Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs puts out weekly reports on hearings, new legislation and other activities on the Hill. The following is the September 5th summary. Note: The House is in recess until September 8th. The Senate was in pro forma session this week. In order to obtain the full text of any of the bills that appear below, click on the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/ . Tha...

NPS, CPM Join In Management Excellence Project

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:39 -0600

The National Park Service and the Center for Park Management (CPM), an independent consulting unit within the National Parks Conservation Association, have entered into a multi-year collaborative agreement to conduct a series of systemwide projects to promote management excellence in the Park Service at all levels. Work will focus on developing management tools and strategies that will aid NPS in support of two of the ...

HURRICANE UPDATES FOR THE SOUTHEAST REGION- Sept. 6

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:00:12 -0600

Hurricane Gustav Reporting on park units affected by Hurricane Gustav is now complete. The Western NPS Incident Management Team is assigned to the Mississippi District of Gulf Islands. All other Gustav Parks are in the clean-up and recovery mode, with most parks re-opening except Louisiana’s Jean Lafitte and New Orleans Jazz. All employees are accounted for. Gulf Islands for Emergency Stabilization . The Southeast Regional Assessment Team has also been ordered for Gulf Islands. Additi...

Reservations now being taken for the Historic Candlelight Tour - Chickasaw National Recreation Area

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:01:36 -0600
Chickasaw National Recreation Area Superintendent Bruce Noble would like to invite the public to the park’s Historic Candlelight Tour during school fall break, on October 18, 2008. Tours will begin every twenty minutes from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM. The tour will focus on the story of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 808 and the...

National Park Service recognizes environmental achievements

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:01:34 -0600
For Immediate Release: September 04, 2008

National Park Service employees honored for cultural resources work

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:01:32 -0600
For Immediate Release: September 03, 2008

HURRICANE UPDATES FOR THE SOUTHEAST REGION

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:01:28 -0600
HURRICANE GUSTAV This will be the last report for Gustav Parks. The Western NPS Incident Management Team is now assigned to Gulf Islands for Emergency Stabilization . The Southeast Regional Assessment Team has also been ordered for Gulf Islands

Help to limit flood and storm damage of family heirlooms

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:01:25 -0600
For Immediate Release: September 05, 2008

Living History Weekend at Steamtown NHS - Steamtown National Historic Site

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:00:14 -0600
Scranton, PA – Railroads impacted everyone’s life in the years when steam powered locomotives were king, and no more so than in Northeastern Pennsylvania. On Saturday, September 27, and Su...

Visitor’s Life Saved Through CPR, Prompt Use Of AED - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:03:55 -0600
Park dispatch received a report via cellular phone late on the morning of August 31st that CPR was in progress on a man on a boat at Oak Bay on Lake Powell. Several rangers responded from Dangling Rope Marina, approximately 10 miles away. Rangers Chad Hunter and Seth Palmer were first on scene. Hunter located the speedboat and found the man lying in the stern. Hunter immediately applied an AED and delivered one shock, restoring the 67-year-old man’s pulse and breathing. A pediatric emergenc...

Two Concession Employees Arrested For Burglary - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:03:53 -0600
Concession managers at the Lodgepole Market reported that an estimated $1,848 in quarters had been stolen from their coin-operated shower stalls over the course of a week in late August. On the night of August 25th, rangers Steven Powell and Chris Waldschmidt set up surveillance of the shower area from the roof of the Lodgepole Visitor Center directly across from the showers. Around 2:30 a.m., they saw two people quickly enter the shower area with a bucket, presumably to hold quarters, and in...

Injured Hiker’s Life Saved Through Prompt Action - Yosemite National Park

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:03:50 -0600
On the afternoon of Sunday, August 31st, rangers received a report that a man had taken a significant fall off the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. Helicopter 551 was ordered for a rappel and/or short-haul mission, while rangers and SAR site personnel blitzed up the trail. A second 911 caller reported that the man was still alive but had sustained multiple injuries. Rangers Jack Hoeflich and Keith Lober rappelled onto the trail and were joined by ranger Rob Lewis, who had blitzed up the trail in r...

Web Seminars Continue On Climate Change In Parks

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:03:41 -0600
The Natural Resource Program Center series of web seminars on climate change in the national parks continues this fall with “webinars” in September, October and November. The first of these will be next Thursday. NRPC, in collaboration with the Alaska Regional Office, will present the second webinar on climate change on Thursday, September 11th, at 2 p.m. EDT. Information on registration appears below. The presentation will be by Dr. Max Boykoff of the University of Oxford an...

NPS GIS Specialist Has Photo Exhibit At DOI Museum

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:03:35 -0600
Judd Patterson loves Walt Whitman’s descriptions of the prairie, but it is author William Least Heat-Moon who describes the photographer’s attitude about the lay of the land in North America. “How do you know the prairie has become a part of you?” Heat-Moon asks in his tale, PrairyErth. “When you consider a tree an eyesore.” “That’s pretty much it,” said Patterson, a 26-year-old GIS specialist at the National Park Service’s South Florida Caribbean Network in...

Draft Law Enforcement Manual Out For Comment

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:03:28 -0600
The latest draft of RM-9, the reference manual for law enforcement, is now available for review. Due to the size of the document, it has been posted on the web at http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=2&prg=61&id=7580 . This draft represents a tremendous partnership with the parks and regions, which have already provided extensive input and editing. A special thanks to the RM-9 work...

National Park Service Seeking Comments on Future Operation of Train Service within Grand Canyon National Park - Grand Canyon National Park

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:02:35 -0600
Grand Canyon, Ariz. – The National Park Service (NPS) is now accepting public comments on the future operation of train service within Grand Canyon National Park. The NPS proposes to allow up to three round-trip passenger trains per day from Williams to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and one round-trip evening train ride per day from the South Rim to a short distance outside of the park. The purpose of this action is to provide a viable alternative for vehicle access to...

Update On Hurricane Recovery And Preparations

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:00:52 -0600
Several more reports have been received on the impacts that Hurricane Gustav had on parks in the south central states:

Natchez Trace Parkway – The parkway remains closed to traffic from milepost 0 in Natchez to milepost 87 (I-20) near Clinton because of the impacts of Hurricane Gustav. This closure will remain in effect until further notice. Rocky Springs and Jeff Busby campgrounds also remain closed.

Gulf Islands NS – All employ...

National Park Service employees honored for cultural resources work

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:00:44 -0600
For Immediate Release: September 03, 2008

Search For Missing Hiker Scaled Back - Glacier National Park

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:01:58 -0600
Due to a lack of clues regarding the whereabouts of hiker Yi-Jien Hwa, who’s now been missing for two weeks, the park has significantly scaled back its search operation pending the emergence or discovery of information that might explain his disappearance. Searchers have committed more than 2,500 hours in the effort to find him in difficult terrain and challenging conditions. Beginning on August 20th, the day after Hwa was reported missing by his family, the park sent teams of hikers and pr...

Permitted Special Event Held By United Native Americans - Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:01:57 -0600
This past Friday, August 29th, marked the 38th anniversary of the occupation of Mount Rushmore by members of the United Native Americans (UNA) to reclaim the Black Hills of South Dakota for the Lakota people. In remembrance and healing, the UNA obtained a First Amendment permit to honor the “historic event,” to recognize women of the Red Power movement, and to provide an opportunity for younger tribal members to experience living history in the oral tradition from elders who were part of ...

Rangers Rescue Injured Man from Bailey Range - Olympic National Park

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:01:57 -0600
A 41-year-old Auburn man was airlifted from the Bailey Range on Sunday, August 31st, after falling about 150 feet down a steep slope. Trevin Lambert sustained multiple injuries, but was able to walk, with assistance from rangers, to a helicopter. He was flown to Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles, then transported via ambulance to Olympic Memorial Hospital. Rangers were alerted to Lambert’s injury at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Sunday morning when the park’s dispatch center w...