Park News September 17,2008

Midwest/Intermountain Regions

Parks are continuing to recover from the hurricane. Some areas have reopened, but others are awaiting restoration of power and other services:

Big Thicket NP – Massive search and rescue operations are continuing in Texas, especially in the coastal area, which has been destroyed. The Texas Emergency Operations Center is still requesting that those displaced by Hurricane Ike before and after the hurricane’s landfall stay put and not return to their homes. Fuel, water, food, and services remain limited over a large area of southeast Texas.  The park’s primary focus continues to be the safety of its employees and their families.  The park has prioritized employees’ houses in order of their damages and has started work on securing and stabilizing structures.  The goal is to make them livable so that employees can return to work. The first two phases were completed on Sunday and Monday. Resource damages are still being assessed.  A damage assessment report will be sent to the regional office when completed. The Central IMT is now at the visitor center ICP.  Communications and internet service have been restored to the visitor center.  Yesterday, nine boats, working under the auspices of FEMA, patrolled the Neches River, the park’s main waterway.

William Howard Taft NHS – The park is closed. The superintendent reports that the local power company is transporting workers from North Carolina to Ohio to assist in restoring power to over 500,000 area residents affected by the outage. The area is dealing with limited fuel availability and long lines at gas stations. The majority of park staff requested leave yesterday and some are staying in local hotels and assisting neighbors and church members during the power outage. The superintendent continues to monitor the situation and will make a determination about opening the park today.

Dayton Aviation NHP – The Huffman Prairie Unit is now open; the Cycle Shop Unit remains closed.

Lincoln Boyhood NM – The park remains open but has no power. The staff is clearing large trees that were blown down in the 60 to 70 mph winds sustained during the storm.  Several trails are affected.

Cuyahoga Valley NP – The park is open but has very limited internet and phone service.

Jefferson NEM – The park continues to experience phone difficulties.

James A. Garfield NHS – All communications were restored late on Monday.

 

Big Bend National Park

Due to significant rainfall from Pacific Tropical Storm Lowell in west Texas and northern Mexico, the Rio Grande is at flood stage. Mexican officials continue to release water from reservoirs into the Rio Conchos, which, combined with rain, has caused flooding and evacuations along the Rio Grande – including within the park. Big Bend has established an incident command post and has activated its incident management team. Fourteen employees and family members and four concession employees and family members have been evacuated from the Rio Grand Village area. Water was expected to reach the housing area yesterday. The river is due to crest on Friday and water levels are expected to be six to eight feet over pre-flood levels.  There is a potential for a dam to breach on the Mexico side, with unknown consequences. Also at risk are an endangered species of fish which resides in a pond located in the area.  Resource crews are working to relocate these fish to a safe location. Four employees from Ft. Davis have been sent to Big Bend to assist the park. If flooding is significant, cleanup issues may include both water and sewage contamination and damage to employee housing and a gas-station and general store.

 

George Washington Memorial Parkway

On Sunday, September 14th, officers form the Park Police District 2 Station, in conjunction with the Virginia State Police and the Arlington County Police, conducted a motorcycle safety checkpoint on the southbound lanes of the parkway in the area of Reagan National Airport. Over 4,000 vehicles passed through this checkpoint, which was conducted between 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. During the course of this enforcement action, 75 motorcyclists were stopped.  Of the motorcyclists stopped, eight operators had no driver’s licenses, eight operators had registration violations, seven motorcycles were found to have safety inspection issues, one operator had a revoked permit, one operator was in violation of a learner’s permit, and three motorcycles were impounded. Twenty-six citations were issued as a result of the above findings.  The goal of the checkpoint was to enforce existing laws and educate riders through motorcycle safety tips brochures.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 4,810 motorcyclists were killed in 2006 – an increase of five percent over the 4,576 motorcyclists killed in 2005. There were 88,000 motorcyclists injured during 2006. Also, per mile traveled in 2006, a motorcyclist is approximately 37 times more likely to die in a crash than someone riding in a passenger car. Due to the overwhelming success of this enforcement action, it will be repeated in the future.

 

Gateway National Recreation Area

Protection rangers, lifeguards and park EMTs were dispatched to Area F in the Sandy Hook Unit for a medical emergency on September 3rd. They found a 57-year-old man in full cardiac arrest, but were able to restore his pulse with CPR and an AED. A bag valve mask and oxygen were employed to restore his breathing. The man was taken to Monmouth Medical Center, where he is currently recovering in the cardiac rehabilitation unit.

 

Northeast Region

Dates: 09/16/2008 - 10/06/2008





































This position is located at Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, Rhode Island. Roger Williams National Memorial is a 4.56 acre urban park which commemorates Roger Williams as an early statesman and champion of the idea of freedom of religious conscience. The person selected will serve as the chief of visitor services for the park and is the principal advisor to the executive director, who is located at the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.   


 More Information...

 

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Dates: 09/12/2008 - 10/10/2008





































The Denver Service Center has issued a vacancy announcement for a GS-0023-11/12 outdoor recreation planner. This position is located in the Planning Division of the Denver Service Center. The division provides expertise in park planning and related environmental compliance to National Park Service offices and park units throughout the national park system. These positions are being announced as both merit promotion – NPS-WASO-CO-08-54-JM-M – and to all qualified candidates – NPS-WASO-CO-08-55-JM-D.

The announcements close October 10th

 

Pacific West Region

Paul DePrey has been chosen as the next superintendent of the USS Arizona Memorial. He is expected to arrive at the park in October and will immediately begin planning the December 7th commemoration and the groundbreaking for the new visitor center.

“I have great confidence in Paul,” said regional director Jon Jarvis in making the announcement.  “He works closely with park staff, community groups and the military, making solid decisions based on a thorough understanding of the issues.”

DePrey will replace acting superintendent Frank Hays, who will resume his duties at the NPS central office in Honolulu as its Pacific Island area manager.

“I am proud to honor the lives and families of the sailors and marines who lost their lives on December 7, 1941,” DePrey said.  “I look forward to working productively with our many partners, citizens, and park staff as the Pearl Harbor area begins the process of improving the experience of our visitors.”

DePrey will be moving from Joshua Tree National Park in California, where he is chief of resources management.  He has worked to highlight the impacts that climate change may have on National Park Service sites and has developed a professionally staffed program that encourages innovation in resource management.  DePrey has partnered with a number of Department of Defense agencies in the desert southwest on resource projects.

He has served as acting superintendent of Great Basin National Park in Nevada during a critical period in the public process for an intricate water resources plan for the region.

He also has worked as chief of natural resources and fire at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in California.  Prior to working in the NPS, he worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Department of Agriculture and the US Forest Service in Washington and Oregon.

DePrey has an MA in anthropology from Western Washington University and a BA in history and anthropology from the University of Maine, where he grew up.  He will be relocating to Oahu with his wife, Cari Kreshak, a cultural resources specialist, and their two young sons.

The NPS manages the Halawa Landing and shore side visitor center, slated for reconstruction beginning this year, the USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island and the USS Arizona Memorial.

 

United States Park Police

In the summer of 2007, the United States Park Police was contacted by the State Department, which was looking for an expert in horse mounted patrol who could support the development of a Horse Mounted Patrol (HMP) Unit in the Law Enforcement Division in Tibilsi, Georgia.

With the support of the chief of police, an instructor from the Horse Mounted Unit was selected to travel to Tibilsi, Georgia, to evaluate the status and needs for the developing of a mounted patrol unit in the Republic of Georgia.  Officer W. Eric Evans was selected.

In November 2007, Evans traveled to Georgia and met with officials of the State Department, the Republic of Georgia, and members of the developing Horse Mounted Patrol. While there, he evaluated the status of the mounts and facilities, along with the training needs of the officers.

Upon his return to the United States, it was determined that some members of the new HMP Unit would benefit from traveling to the United States and attending the 10-week basic U.S. Park Police horse mounted patrol officer training that began last February  25th.  

The Park Police have been providing HMP training to law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.  The training is conducted at the Edgewater Training Facility in Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC.  This comprehensive course has been developed to train both riders and non-riders, so that at the end of the 10-week course the students are able to safely ride and patrol in a variety of environments, to include city streets, wooded trails, and during demonstrations.   The training barn is staffed by sergeant Robert Hartnett and officers Mariea Clowers, Pancho Gonzales and Paul Padberg. This was the first time the horse mounted training staff tackled international multi-lingual training. To support this training and the Georgian officers attending, officers Evans and Ronald Markland were added to the HMP training staff.  Also assisting were officers Thomas LoCascio and Janet Kim of the U.S. Park Police and officer John Ardovini of the Maryland National Capital Park Police (MNCPP), Prince Georges County Division.

The training was conducted for 12 students – seven from the U.S. Park Police, three from the MNCPP, and two from the Republic of Georgia.  The two Georgian officers selected to attend were master sergeant Levan Pantsulaia and sergeant Irakli Markozashvili.  This training provided the structure and ground work for future training of the Georgian HMP officers.  

Both Pantsulaia and Markozashvili arrived at the training with impressive riding skills.  Even so, during the training they acquired the knowledge of how to train other riders, how to utilize the horse as a law enforcement tool, and how beneficial a horse mounted unit is for maintaining crowd control.  The State Department provided two interpreters, Ia Meurmishvili and Anna Kalandadze, to interpret verbal and written information during the training.  The largest challenge over and above the basic translation issues was that terminology germane to horse mounted riding did not translate into their native language.   The interpreters, with no prior horse experience, helped create Georgian terminology for future training sessions.

The training was a huge success, graduating Park Police officers Rebecca Russell,  Denise Maradiaga, James Murphy, and Jeffrey Schneider, MNCPP officers Damon Atwater, Hector Reyes and Shane Skeete, and the two Georgians.  The graduation occurred on May 2nd. In attendance were Charles Snyder, deputy assistant secretary, State Department; Erin Barclay, director, State Department; Malkhaz Mikeladze deputy chief of mission for the Georgian Embassy; and David Stover, deputy chief, U.S. Park Police.

Soon after the Georgian officers returned to Georgia, they were followed by Evans and Markland, who were selected to travel to the Republic of Georgia because of their expertise.  They provided on-site HMP training specializing in public relations and crowd control.  Both officers spent approximately three weeks in the country training the Georgian HMP Unit. 

Due to the success of this training, the State Department invited Stover to address the heads of the country in ways to utilize the HMP Unit to improve community and public relations. 

The United States Park Police Horse Mounted Unit is honored to have had the opportunity to assist another nation in establishing their horse mounted unit.  This training reflects on the proud history and professionalism of the United States Park Police.