Park News August 5,2008

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Between July 21st  and July 30th, the NPS structural fire brigade at Wahweap responded to four incidents – a boat fire, a vehicle fire, and two near fires:

• On the evening of July 21st, a houseboat in Wahweap Marina caught fire while the family on board was cooking dinner.  The fire spread quickly and involved the kitchen area of the boat.  Concession employees were able to do some initial suppression on the fire and get the houseboat untied from the marina. The park brigade responded with a fire boat and pulled the houseboat away from the marina to avoid collateral damage to other vessels.  Initial attack was conducted and the fire was contained to primarily the interior of the houseboat.  A large 300 gallon gas tank and two propane tanks were on the roof of the houseboat. Firefighters cooled the gas tank immediately to reduce the risk of explosion. The ignition source was probably electrical in the kitchen area and ignited either propane fumes from the tanks directly above, or possibly from an overflow on the 300 gallon gas tank which vented gasoline during the high temperatures that day. The boat suffered extensive damage to its interior but was not destroyed. Captain Jared St. Clair was the IC.


• On the evening of July 26th, a fire started in a camper parked in one of the parking lots near the NPS fire station at Wahweap. The fire burned quickly and soon spread to two vehicles, one on either side of the camper. During the response from the NPS structural fire brigade, the propane tanks in the camper exploded, as did several other small camping propane cylinders.  Fire captain Jared St. Clair was first on scene, followed by captains Shawn McNally, Eric Scott, Chris Cook and firefighter Scott Larson. Initial attack was made using two attack lines with foam and water.  A fourth vehicle, a new Chevrolet 4x4, was damaged from the heat but was saved.  The other brigade members involved in the suppression and mop-up activities were Grant Stolhand, Chad Hunter, Craig Janicki, Ben Davis, and Jeff Wilson.  The Page Fire Department also responded with an engine.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the preliminary findings are that the fire may have been started by leaking propane in the camper. There were no injuries, but three vehicles were completely gutted by fire.  The investigation is being jointly conducted by NPS rangers and the Coconino County Sheriff's Office. Jared St. Clair was the IC


• On July 29th, the Wahweap fire brigade responded to a report of a 32-foot vessel with fuel in the bilge. The NPS fire boat responded and the vessel was escorted to the Stateline launch ramp, where the fuel was pumped out of the bilge without incident.  Vessels with fuel in the bilge often catch fire quickly if the persons on board do not recognize the problem immediately and shut off their engines and all electrical power.


• On the morning of July 30, the Wahweap fire brigade responded to a report of a trailer fire in the Wahweap trailer village.  The fire had apparently been extinguished by the concession employee occupants with a garden hose when the NPS engine arrived on scene.  The fire was on the bottom exterior of the trailer and had apparently been started by a cigarette butt thrown on the ground amongst some dead grass and debris.  There were many other cigarette butts on the ground in this same location.

 

Zion National Park

On Wednesday, July 30th, Kaitlyn Bohlin, 23, a backcountry volunteer in Zion (not an SCA as was originally reported), was canyoneering with a friend on her day off in Pine Creek Canyon, a popular route that she had completed in the past.  As she attempted the route’s final 100 foot rappel, Bohlin fell the entire distance of the rappel.  Bohlin’s canyoneering companion immediately contacted park dispatch using Bohlin’s park radio, which had been left at the top of the rappel. Responding paramedic rangers Lisa Hendy and Brandon Torres from the Grand Canyon rappelled from a window in the Zion Tunnel to reach Bohlin, where they found her being cared for by another canyoneering group who had not seen but had heard the fall.  Bohlin was able to talk to her rescuers, but was severely injured and could not recall exactly what had happened. The paramedic rangers provided advanced life support treatment while additional rescuers rappelled into the canyon.  Bohlin was packaged, placed in a litter, and carried about a quarter mile to an area in the canyon where an Air Force Blackhawk helicopter could safely lift her and Air Force medics into the hovering craft.  She was then transported via helicopter directly to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas.  Bohlin remains in intensive care in critical condition with multiple severe traumatic injuries, but is showing signs of improvement. In addition to Zion and Grand Canyon personnel, rescuers and responders included personnel from Yellowstone, Glacier Bay, Guadalupe Mountains, and the US Secret Service who were all attending a US Secret Service Dignitary Protection training class that was being hosted by the park.  An investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing.

 

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Park staff continues regular monitoring of the batture (the area between the levee and the river bank), but no additional oil has been seen and no cleanup crews have yet to be assigned to park lands. The damaged barge has not yet been salvaged; an additional 2,500 gallons were released when it shifted on July 30th.

 

Alaska Region

Diane Jung will retire from the NPS on September 2nd after more than 33 years of service. She has accepted the position of fundraising coordinator with Montana Conservation Voters and will leave for Billings sometime in late September or early October.

Diane began her career in 1975 as a park technician at Independence National Historical Park just prior to the 1976 bicentennial celebration of the Declaration of Independence. Subsequent assignments included positions at Hot Springs National Park, Manhattan Sites, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace NHS, Gateway NRA, the Southwest Regional Office in Santa Fe, Williamsport Preservation Training Center (now Historic Preservation Training Center), the Washington Office, and the Alaska Regional Office.

Diane also served in details as acting superintendent at Salem Maritime and Fort Smith and on other temporary assignments at Mather Training Center and in the Southwest Region's Equal Opportunity Office. She has changed careers numerous times and worked in interpretation and education, training, cultural resources management, park management, and partnerships.

"I have been very fortunate to stay with the NPS for 33 years, yet enjoy diverse and challenging career opportunities," she said." NPS managers have been especially supportive of my graduate studies in historic preservation at Columbia University and in philanthropy and development at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. The decision to leave Alaska has been a very difficult one for me, but I hope to thrive in a new career and look forward to making new friends and contributing to a new community."

When asked about her favorite/most challenging projects, Diane cites the year-long celebration of the 125th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt's birth; a multi-million dollar historic property leasing project at Hot Springs NP; revising the national cooperating association guideline (NPS-32); the first electronic field trip (to Bering Land Bridge) in the Alaska Region; and a Department of the Interior international assignment to Morocco to work on a USAID-funded rural tourism project.

Jung hopes to remain in touch with her colleagues in the NPS and has already extended an invitation to anyone passing through Billings to stay in her new (yet to be purchased) home in the "Gateway to Yellowstone."

 

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon is recruiting for rangers to work in several park areas – the South Rim, River District, Canyon District, Desert View Subdistrict and the North Rim. 

Please take time to look at the web page created by rangers for rangers at:  http://www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/vrp.htm . 

The announcements are listed on USA Jobs at both the 7 and 9 level under GRCA 2008-133 and GRCA DEU-08-71 respectively.  Both can be obtained by clicking on the link below.

Call or email John Evans at 928-638-7833 or john_evans@nps.gov for more information.



 More Information...

 

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is looking for a qualified individual interested in a lateral reassignment as a permanent, subject-to-furlough, GS-0025-9 interpretive ranger.

Joshua Tree is a 794,000-acre, largely wilderness park that straddles two desert ecosystems- the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert. Though having a large wilderness land base, the park is situated geographically at the eastern edge of continually growing southern California urban population centers. Numerous communities border the park on the north in the Morongo Basin (aggregate population of 75,000-80,000) and on the south in the Coachella Valley (population 350,000-400,000). All services and amenities found in medium-sized towns to growing cities are present. There is no government housing available, but a wide range of homes and apartments are available for rent or purchase in surrounding communities at a moderate cost by California standards. Joshua Tree National Park is in the Los Angeles wage area.

This position offers a wide range of interpretive duties ranging from traditional in-park programs and services to off-site programs and community outreach. The park has two full-service visitor centers, one partner-owned, NPS-staffed visitor center in the community of Joshua Tree, and one contact station/nature center at Black Rock. Joshua Tree has a large curriculum-based education program that serves more than 20,000 students annually. The park also operates a guided tour, fee interpretation operation at the historic Keys Ranch.

The park is looking for an individual wh

• 
  Has strong field interpretive skills


• 
  Is committed to providing high levels of customer service for our visitors.


• 
  Enjoys working in a rapidly changing, multi-cultural environment


• 
  Speaks conversational Spanish


• 
  Has experience working with historic interpretation, including costumed interpretation and living history


• 
  Has good leadership and team-building skills


• 
  Has experience with, or the ability to learn, how to operate a variety of audiovisual and sound equipment

The many hats you will wear include:

• 
  Visitor services team leader—lead a staff of seasonal employees, interns, and volunteers in day-to-day visitor center, interpretive, fee collection and roving operations.


• 
  Coordinator of the Keys Ranch guided tour and fee interpretation operation.


• 
  Interpretive park ranger—presentation of formal interpretive programs including talks, guided hikes and special events within Joshua Tree National Park as well as in surrounding communities.


• 
  Tracks and maintains audiovisual equipment at park amphitheaters and visitor centers.


• 
  Park community representative – engages in a planned program of community outreach and constituency building in multi-cultural communities including those with high Hispanic populations.


• 
  Serves on various park committees and other collateral duty assignments.

The person in this position has a primary duty location of the Oasis Visitor Center at park headquarters in Twentynine Palms, but normal daily work assignments may occur anywhere throughout the park.

Joshua Tree is one hour from Palm Springs and approximately 3 hours drive from Los Angeles and San Diego. Commercial air service is available at Palm Springs, Ontario, and Los Angeles. Many other public lands recreation opportunities are available in the California Desert region including national parks, state parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, and some 70 BLM wilderness areas. A wide range of museums, theaters, and other cultural amenities abound in the area. Schools from kindergarten through the university level are found within the local commuting area. The Pacific Ocean and the Colorado River offer a full-range of water-based recreation opportunities within 3-hours drive. For area information contact Chambers of Commerce for the following communities: Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley, Palms Springs, Palm Desert, Indio. An Internet search will lead to community information for towns that surround the park

To apply, please submit the following:

• 
  Resume, OF-612, Optional Application for Federal Employment, or SF-171, Application for Federal Employment – fully describing your interpretation/visitor service experience, training, accomplishments relevant to the GS-0025 series.


• 
  A current SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, clearly showing your current title, series, grade and step documenting permanent competitive civil service status. You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to show your highest (permanent) grade ever held, if different.


• 
  Copy of your latest completed performance appraisal.


• 
  Professional references - these should be provided along with your application package. You should also indicate if it is permissible for the hiring official to contact your present employer. Note: You would be contacted first, if it is necessary to contact your present employer before a firm job offer can be made.


• 
  OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment; click on http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf


• DI-1935, Applicant Background Survey (optional); click on http://www.doi.gov/diversity/di1935.pdf

Applications should be received in the park personnel by Friday, August 23rd. Mail them to National Park Service, Joshua tree National Park, Attn: Personnel Office, 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, CA  92277. They can also be faxed to 760-367-6392, but note that the general park fax machine is limited in receiving large quantities of pages; your application may not be received at all, or the pages may be illegible. You will not be contacted to verify the condition of your faxed application, or if the application has been received. The recommended method to ensure your application is received in complete form is to send via the US Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx with tracking or delivery confirmation. We do not accept application materials sent via e:mail.
For further information, please contact the Joshua Tree National Park Personnel Office at 760-367-5511, or 760-367-5519.

 

Natural Resource Program Center

The NPS Natural Sounds Program, located at the WASO Natural Resource Program Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, is looking for a GS-9 administrative professional for a three-month detail, beginning either September 22nd or October 6th. The office will cover travel costs, per diem and salary.  This is a relatively new and bustling office with approximately six FTE and five partner research associates and it would be a great opportunity for someone looking to advance their career with direct WASO experience.  Anyone interested should contact Karen Trevino at 970-225-3563.