COURIER - National Park Service History

JEAN LAFITTE NHP, LA—OnJanuary 8, 1815, Major-General AndrewJackson stood together with his troopsbehind an earth and wooden rampart,constructed along the Rodriquez Canal.Here, they would make their standagainst the British onslaught and try tokeep them from entering the City of NewOrleans. As the line waited and watched,the British troops advanced across theopen sugar cane field on the plains ofChalmette. The cold and foggy weatherwas not enough cover for the British invasion,and in an early morning battle,the victory for the U.S. was decided.The plains of Chalmet saw yet anotherinvasion, 172 years later, as 8,000 visitorsbraved the cool temperatures to see theBattle of New Orleans observance. Inpreparation for the anniversary, JeanLafitte NHP (Chalmette Unit) staff sentout invitations and coordinated withvolunteers around the country.A total of 31 schools also responded,with just over 2,000 students. Throughoutthe weekend, a 15-Star Flag, on loanfrom Fort McHenry, flew over the battlefield.On the last day, in a specialceremony, the various units gathered toretire the Colors and march off the field,bringing the Battle for New Orleans Anniversaryto a close for yet another year.Tammy BensonNARO—Tower Mountain Lodge inthe western Berkshires provided a retreatfor the first meetings of the newResource Management Skills Team(RMST). A group of park and regionaloffice staff gathered in this rural settingto begin forging themselves into a teamof instructors and coordinators for theresource management training needs ofthe North Atlantic Region. The team isthe actualization of an idea that beganmore than three years ago. In 1983,Nora Mitchell, regional resourcemanagement specialist, attended a classat Mather Training Center where theideas for regional skills teams werepresented by course coordinator MichaelWatson. "Since that time there havebeen Interpretive Skills Teams (1ST)formed, but, to my knowledge, this isthe first Resource Management SkillsTeam in the National Park Service," saidMitchell.The team worked hard to develop anagenda for fiscal years 1987 and 1988, aswell as to design the basic elements ofseveral classes planned for this year. Forexample, a segment on resource managementskills is being developed for lawenforcement refreshers, since the teamhopes to encourage the long tradition ofresource management activities by thegeneralist ranger. In February the RMSTco-sponsored a servicewide trainingclass, with WASO, on Historic OrchardManagement.The members of the NAR team havea variety of backgrounds, includingnatural resources, cultural resources,visitor protection, maintenance, administration,and interpretation. Teammembership accurately reflects the interdisciplinarynature of most park resourcemanagement programs. It is animportant goal of this team to illustratethe paramount importance of resourcemanagement as the charge of every NPSemployee. For more information contactNora Mitchell, NARO; or Jim Gott,Superintendent, Saugus Iron WorksNHS.John DonahueCATOCTIN MOUNTAIN PARK,MD—Often we think of establishing fieldresearch plots far away from public useareas to keep them undisturbed. This wasnot possible at Catoctin in dealing withour experimental attempts to restoreblighted American Chestnut trees. Thebest specimens are located adjacent to amajor picnic area.Resource Manager Paul Strider andPark Naturalist Jim Voigt developed thestudy area so that it serves as a selfguidinginterpretive exhibit, communicatingto the public the chestnut restorationprogram. The perimeter of the 1/2 acrestudy area has been marked with a wirefence, having two entrances to allowvisitor access along an old trail butdiminish visitor compaction in the studyarea.EVERGLADES NP, FL—"Take Pridein America": that's what more than 250residents of south Horida did during theEverglades/Big Cypress clean-up day.Help came from all sides. Schools held acontest to design a publicity poster. Areamerchants donated soft drinks. Localresidents baked cookies. County roadcommissions provided dumpsters andtrash trucks to haul away the debris.Local banks purchased plaques torecognize the weirdest, the most useful,and the largest volume of trash collectedin a team effort. As a result, the old looproad, free of the blight of trash, looksnatural, clean, and inviting. As for theawards . . . The most energetic teamaward went to the group that collected168 large trash bags of litter in theirassigned one-mile section. The most reusablelitter was determined to be adollar bill, which many tried to claim,but none could positively identify. Andthe award for the weirdest trash went toa 4-foot tall, wet and dirty stuffedbanana pillow with a lopsided smile.Dave KronkA sign of distinctionSAGUARO NM, AZ—Volunteers atSaguaro National Monument have recentlyfound a way to increase theirvisibility. They have developed amagnetic sign in the shape of a largeNPS Volunteer patch. The sign can thenbe temporarily affixed to a volunteer'sprivate vehicle for use as needed at interpretivestations and trailheads. Thesign identifies the driver of this vehicleas a knowledgeable and qualified parkspokesperson. Locally made in Tucson,the cost of four signs was less than $150.Gregory GnesiosWASO—Director Mott and Bureau ofLand Management Director Bob Burfordhave signed an agreement to coordinateplanning and other programs, an agreementhailed as an important step forwardin the promotion of park protection. Theagreement pledges both agencies to consultwith each other early in the planningprocess, consider potential impacts ofdecisions on neighboring lands, cooperatein resource management, and assist eachother in providing visitor services. Theagreement also encourages steps to anticipate,avoid, and resolve potential conflictsin agency plans, operations, andprotection strategies as well as developmentdecisions.Director Mott has asked regionaldirectors, superintendents, and WASOdivisions to develop more detailedagreements as necessary to addressspecific issues such as mineral leasing,archeological resources, grazing, backcountryuse, and air or water quality. Atthe Washington level, Deputy DirectorGalvin will continue to meet periodicallywith BLM Deputy Director Dave O'Nealto monitor implementation of the agreement.For further information, contactWarren Brown or Cynthia deFranceaux inthe WASO Division of Park Planningand Special Studies (343-9377).COURIER/May 1987 19