Road paving in Lewis Mountain Campground area

Shenandoah National Park celebrated its 75th anniversary this past summer and visitors were treated to a smooth ride over fresh pavement for the ceremonies. Denver Service Center recently completed $31.5 million in road construction projects that enhanced the roads, parking areas, campgrounds, and maintenance areas at Shenandoah National Park.

“Through the efforts of many, Shenandoah National Park was able to complete a tremendous amount of work that will provide benefits to the visitors of the park for many years to come. Without the influx of the project funding, Skyline Drive, its associated overlooks, and many other roads in the park would have fallen into serious disrepair in a short time. The timing of the investment was perfect,” said Steve Herzog, the park’s chief of facility management.

The construction work involved road repairs and asphalt overlay of nearly 70 miles of Skyline Drive and 32 of its 69 adjacent overlooks, including total reconstruction of 16 overlooks. The work took more than two years to complete. The projects also included repaving two campgrounds, both of the park’s large maintenance areas, Big Meadows and Skyland developed areas, and most of the parking and access roads within the park’s central district. The construction work was accomplished through nine separate contracts to five different general contractors, providing a valuable economic boost to the local contracting community.

Survey documents at Gateway NRA were one of the many items scanned and archived by the DSC Technical Information Center

Denver Service Center's Technical Information Center (TIC) staff completed a four-year archiving and scanning project at Gateway National Recreation Area. Gateway required ready access to their construction drawings throughout their geographic locations at the Staten Island and Jamaica Bay units in New York and the Sandy Hook unit in New Jersey. TIC services provided the solution.

TIC staff members spent two weeks each year for the past four years at the park’s main plan room appraising, inventorying, and preparing the drawings. The drawings were shipped to Denver for processing. Metadata records were created for each set, National Archives approved records retention status applied, and the drawings were scanned. Upon completion, the drawings were returned to the park for archiving. More than 1,800 drawing sets containing 8,836 individual sheets will now be just a few “clicks” away. In addition to drawings, 183 Gateway reports were processed.

Demolition of the Elwha Dam at Olympic National Park

In FY 2011, Denver Service Center successfully managed $1.8 billion in project work—the highest volume of project work in its history. The significant work volume is due to the substantial amount awarded in fiscal year 2010, a total of $716 million. In FY11, many of the projects awarded in FY10 were under construction. In addition, DSC awarded $255 million with a 82% obligation rate in FY11.

“Denver Service Center continues to manage an unprecedented workload while maintaining our high standards for customer service and quality. I’m so proud of our staff and their continued accomplishments this year,” said Sam Whittington, the center’s director.

In FY12, DSC will continue to work on nationally significant projects, including the Elwha River restoration at Olympic National Park, life and safety upgrades at Statue of Liberty National Monument, the humpback bridge on George Washington Parkway, rehabilitation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, and construction of a new border crossing facility at Boquillas at Big Bend National Park.

Visitors at (t-b) Mesa Verde National Park,
Buffalo National River, Arches National Park &
Zion National Park

A new organization called the Interagency Visitor Use Management Council, recently chartered by the NPS, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, has been established to provide consistent guidance on visitor use management by developing effective and legally defensible implementation tools for assessment, planning, and management. The Council's efforts will help improve visitor use management being applied on public lands.

Confusion regarding terminology and methodologies associated with visitor use management and visitor capacity on federal lands has led to inconsistent implementation and litigation. There is need for clear and consistent guidance concerning visitor use management. Interagency collaboration through the Council will enable shared investment in tools and training development, along with raised awareness of and commitment to a professional and scientific approach to managing visitor use on public lands.

The Council will offer:

• Unified and legally defensible planning and management frameworks, communication protocol, and assessment techniques that are applicable across agencies.
• Tools and trainings concerning visitor use management.
• Facilitation for both external and interagency communication and collaboration concerning visitor use management on public lands.
• Interagency initiatives and work group development related to visitor use management.

For more information, please contact one of the NPS representatives on the Council:

• Patrick Gregerson, Chief, Park Planning and Special Studies, 202-354-6972
• Kerri Cahill, Visitor Use Management Team Lead, Denver Service Center, 303-969-2261
• Denis Davis, Utah State Coordinator, Intermountain Region, 801-741-1012 x101

Transportation Scholars, DSC staff, and invited guests on a field trip at Rocky Mountain National Park


Larry Gamble, Chief of Planning at Rocky Mountain National Park, discusses the park's visitor shuttle system with scholars

The Denver Service Center Transportation Division hosted a Transportation Scholars orientation workshop June 13-17. The purpose of the workshop was to offer career development opportunities for transportation professionals and graduate students.

The workshops included a keynote address by John Albright, retired NPS employee and Colorado State University faculty member. In addition, attendees discussed four transportation case studies in Zion National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, and Mount Rainier National Park. As part of the workshop, attendees visited Rocky Mountain National Park to discuss transportation challenges within the park. In addition to meeting with park staff, the scholars met with a representative from the town of Estes Park about gateway community transportation activities and business community perspectives.

This year, five scholars were selected into the program and will be placed at five separate parks - Arches National Park, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, National Capital Region/George Washington Memorial Parkway, North Cascades National Park, and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Assignments begin on or about June 20 and last either 6 or 12 months.

The National Park Transportation Scholars Program, a partnership among the National Park Foundation, National Park Service, Eno Transportation Foundation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Technical Assistance Center, provides transportation specialists a unique opportunity for career development and public service. This program places transportation professionals and graduate students in the fields of transportation, engineering, and planning in national parks to develop transportation solutions that preserve resources and enhance the visitor experiences.

Joe Hart, APA Federal Planning Division president presenting award to Susan Spain
photo courtesy of Federal Planning Division

The Outstanding Federal Planning Project award was presented to the National Park Service on April 8 in recognition of the quality urban design, innovative problem solving, and coordinated planning process evidenced in its plan for the restoration of the National Mall. The award was presented by the American Planning Association (APA) at its meeting in Boston.

For more than 200 years the National Mall has symbolized our nation's democratic values," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "Developing a long-term vision for respectfully rehabilitating, refurbishing, and sustainably perpetuating this great symbol of our democracy took a highly engaged citizenry, great partners like the Trust for the National Mall, and a superb planning team of National Park Service professionals. It is an honor to have the hard work, transparency, and extensive outreach of this process recognized by the American Planning Association."

Public engagement was a key component from the start of the planning process in 2006. The planning team partnered with over 20 federal and local agencies and the national park's nonprofit fundraising partner, the Trust for the National Mall, to reach as many people as possible. Newsletters, open houses, emails, postcards, onsite information, surveys, flyers, and social media, generated more than 30,000 public comments. The National Mall Plan received final approval in November 2010.

In the award, the Plan was cited as "an extraordinary combination of high-quality contextual research, intensive analysis, comprehensive assessment, effective public engagement process, superlative graphics, and outstanding production."

"The Trust for the National Mall is thrilled that National Mall Plan received the Outstanding Federal Planning Project from the American Planning Association. The National Park Service team led an extremely open process engaging comments from hundreds of local and national groups," said Caroline Cunningham, President of the Trust for the National Mall. "As a result, the Mall Plan is a visionary blueprint for the restoration and improvement of America's Front Yard. The Trust for the National Mall looks forward to working with the Park Service to implement the Plan with the same high standards of sustainability and openness that the team set."

Ribbon cutting at Natchez Trace Parkway

The Denver Service Center Transportation Division received the Natchez Trace Parkway Superintendent's Award for their work on a multi-use trail project. The award was presented to Bob Welch, transportation planning branch chief, at a ribbon cutting ceremony held January 21. The new 5.3 mile-long section of the trail connects Old Canton Road to the Reservoir Overlook and Highland Colony Parkway to Livingston Road.

The $10 million project was funded by the Federal Lands Highway Program, and is designed to provide an enjoyable recreation experience while preserving the scenic cultural landscape of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The trail is graded for wheelchair users and is heavily used by visitors and residents of the Jackson, Mississippi Metropolitan Area.

An additional 5.5 miles of new multi-use trail are under construction south of the newly opened section, and are due to be complete in fall 2012.

(l-r) Daniel Hanaher, Regional Administrator for Region 8; Greg Lopez, Colorado SBA District Director; Rosemary Ortiz, DSC Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Specialist; Dolly Fernandez, DSC Chief of Contracting Services

The Denver Service Center held its 8th annual small business trade fair on February 15.  This year 32 small businesses participated in this networking event by hosting a booth to meet DSC contracting officers, project managers, and members of the DSC management team.  Each business representative is also invited to hear from guest speakers at the event who share their small business successes and how to best utilize small business programs.   Many of these companies who attend secure government contracts throughout the course of the year, and the small business trade fair serves as a great opportunity for face-to-face interactions and networking.

In FY10, nine new contracts, totaling more $32 million, were awarded to small business firms that attended the DSC small business trade fair. In addition, three new indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts (not to exceed $50 million) were awarded to small business trade fair participants.

The event is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, and was attended by the Regional Administrator for Region 8, the Colorado Small Business Administration Director, the Chief of the Colorado District 8(a) Program, the local Colorado Procurement Center representative, and several Colorado Small Business Development specialists.

The success of this mini-trade fair contributes to the overall success of the Denver Service Center small business program.  Each year, the Denver Service Center meets or exceeds most of its small business goals.

In addition to this small business trade fair, the Denver Service Center will host its first mini-trade fair exclusively for Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses on March 22.

DSC Director Sam Whittington presenting award
to Chris Enyedy (DSC CFC Chair)

The Denver Service Center once again participated in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) that ran from October-November 2010. This year, the CFC had a goal for the Denver Service Center to raise $36,855, while the DSC internal goal was to raise $55,000, based on past office performance. Not only did we reach both goals, but we ended up raising just $58,000, 157% of CFC's goal for DSC, and 105% of our internal goal. The Denver Service Center was recognized for this achievement with a Combined Federal Campaign Gold Award. In addition, we had a 29% participation rate with 92 of our 315 employees contributing, which is considered high for an organization of our size.

The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost-efficient, and effective in providing all federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all.,/

CFC is the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with more than 200 CFC campaigns throughout the country and internationally to help to raise millions of dollars each year. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (September 1st to December 15th) support eligible non-profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world. The Director of OPM has designated responsibility for day-to-day management of the CFC to its CFC Operations office.

Commander Tracy Gilchrist, U.S. Public Health Service

Commander Tracy Gilchrist, U.S. Public Health Service, was recently selected to receive the 2010 Department of the Interior (DOI) Engineer of the Year award by Public Health Service officials working within the DOI. Commander Gilchrist was selected for his outstanding performance as a project manager for the National Park Service Denver Service Center and for his humanitarian activities.

As the DOI award winner, Commander Gilchrist is entered into the competition for the Public Health Service Engineer of the Year and the National Society of Professional Engineers, Federal Engineer of the Year. All awards will be presented in Washington, D.C. in February 2011, during the 2011 National Engineers Week.

In June 2009, Commander Gilchrist transitioned his duties from project specialist to project manager with the immediate responsibility for seven National Park Service projects. His accomplishments on those projects include: expediting design and award on two boat ramp projects—both with extremely compressed schedules; managing completion of two entrance stations and a design-build contract for a new maintenance facility at Lake Mead National Recreation Area; and successfully managing a high-profile American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 project at Olympic National Park.

“It is an honor to be selected out of a group of outstanding U.S. Public Health Service Engineer Officers that serve in this Department. I hope that my efforts continue to reflect well on Corps and the work that we accomplish for the National Park Service and the other agencies within the DOI,” said Commander Tracy Gilchrist.

In addition, Commander Gilchrist is a member of the Board of Directors for the Bancroft-Clover Water and Sanitation District, providing guidance on the operations and management of the District which provides water and sanitation services to 40,000 customers locally. He is also an Assistant Scout Master for a local Boy School Troup, providing leadership and guidance to young men through participation in weekly troop meetings and outdoor trips ranging from a weekend to two-week long backcountry trips.

Commander Gilchrist maintains his membership in the Society of Military Engineers and the Military Officers Association of America.

(l to r) DSC Deputy Director Ray Todd; DSC Director Sam Whittington; Award Recipient Barbara J. Johnson; Steve Whitesell, Associate Director, Park Planning, Facilities, & Lands

The Denver Service Center is pleased to present Barbara J. Johnson with the first Denver Service Center Diversity Leadership Award. This award is presented to a Denver Service Center (DSC) employee who is committed to achieving diversity in the workplace.

Barbara was selected to receive this inaugural award because of her dedication to creating a socially and economically diverse workforce that better reflects America’s changing demographics, and planning for workforce turnover due to societal demographic shifts and an aging workforce.

Barbara is Chief of the DSC Planning Division. Under her leadership in 2010, the division increased the racial diversity of its employees, thanks in part to the opportunities presented and pursued within the Department of the Interior Youth Internship Program (YIP). The performance of the YIP program participants was so outstanding that DSC has converted one of the YIP interns to a Federal Career Intern Program participant. Christina Hirschfeld, former participant in the Youth Internship Program, notes how valuable the program was to her:

“I gained so much from the National Park Service Youth Internship Program and I know future students will continue to benefit from the program and guidance of the DSC employees. I am very thankful for the opportunity, experience, skills and knowledge I gained during these few weeks and hope to use them to maintain the efforts of the National Park Service,” said Christina.

Barbara has fostered an environment of collaboration with people who hold diverse interests by encouraging her employees to attend diversity training, specifically relating to planning projects where interactions with Native Americans or Alaskan Natives are an integral part of the project.

Barbara’s efforts in diversity are not only reflected in DSC’s internal workforce, but also in her commitment to engaging all segments of the American public. Under Barbara’s guidance, the DSC Planning Division has been active in reaching diverse audiences by providing foreign language documents for several planning projects, providing translation services in public meetings, and utilizing new media to reach out to over 50,000 individuals directly.

Barbara’s actions exemplify her acceptance and respect of individual differences, and the strength that comes from the range of perspectives that is offered by a diverse workforce. Steve Whitesell, Associate Director, Park Planning, Facilities, & Lands, DSC Director Sam Whittington, and DSC Deputy Director Ray Todd presented Barbara with a glass pedestal globe and Star Award November 4, 2010.

Congratulations Barbara!

DSC was responsible for the contracting and project management for the rehabilitation of the Bandelier NM Historic Landmark District Visitor Center.
The $3.1 million line item construction project was completed in August 2010.

The Denver Service Center (DSC) had the most productive year in its history in Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) with more than $715 million in awards and tripling its normal workload. With the additional work from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) projects assigned to this office, DSC managed over 900 projects in FY10, with work ongoing in more than half the NPS park units with a total value of $1.6 billion.

The Service Center exceeded all ARRA performance targets by obligating 100% of its assigned projects, a total of over $500 million. DSC was also instrumental in the overall NPS success of the ARRA program.

“What’s most impressive about this past year is that we were able to complete this challenging and complex workload without diminished customer service or quality,” said Sam Whittington, DSC Director. “The success of this office is based on the team approach we share for project execution while maintaining a strong focus on common goals and objectives. I applaud each and every employee of the DSC for an outstanding job.”

All functions of the Service Center had outstanding accomplishments in FY10. The DSC planning program had its most productive year to date, working on 142 projects with a value of $15.5 million. DSC accomplished its largest transportation program workload ever, with 260 projects totaling $427 million (this includes DSC-managed projects and projects accomplished in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration). DSC-contracted transportation Federal Lands Highway Program awards (non-ARRA) totaled $25.2 million, and the ARRA workload totaled $61.5 million in DSC-contracted transportation projects.

DSC’s Information Management Division ensured that all data for all ARRA projects was available on demand for use by DSC, regions, the NPS Comptroller's Office & other executives. The division developed the system, managed & maintained a web-based dashboard project tracking & reporting system (Panorama) for the entire ARRA program of the NPS. In addition to awarding more than $715 million in FY10, the Contracting Services Division performed 2,505 contracting actions, a record high for the DSC.

The Denver Service Center is now averaging over a million dollars a day in construction outlays through April 2011. The overall DSC workload remains high throughout Fiscal Year 2011 with a projected workload of 300% of DSC average.

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded a $12,107,735 contract at Mesa Verde National Park September 9, 2010 to PCL Construction Services, Inc. (PCL) of Edwards, Colorado. PCL will construct the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center.

The Visitor Information Center and the Research/Museum Collection Facility, contracted and managed by the Denver Service Center of the NPS, will be constructed to form a single building – The Visitor and Research Center. The building will implement sustainable design features, high efficiency, with an emphasis on alternative energy systems, and include all associated site work/infrastructure and native landscaping. The building has been designed to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Platinum certification. The Visitor Information Center component will consist of orientation exhibits, tour ticket sales, and the cooperating association bookstore. The Research and Museum Collection Facility building will replace the deteriorated temporary buildings and storage facilities with a consolidated, efficient and sustainable facility.

The new building will be located at the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park along Highway 160. Construction is expected to begin soon and be completed by July 2012. The exhibits will then be installed, with the target of opening the new Visitor and Research Center in October 2012.

“We were very pleased with bid results as now the National Park Service can move forward with construction. The project has been in the planning and design stage for a very long time. Soon, we will have a new building which will improve access to and study of more than 3 million artifacts, archives and library collection. In addition, it will provide critical visitor services at the entry to the park,” stated Cliff Spencer, Superintendent, Mesa Verde National Park. Deputy Superintendent Bill Nelligan added that the park was pleased and appreciative for the assistance from the Mesa Verde Foundation for land acquisition near the park entrance.

“Zero-waste” picnic organizers with compost bags
(l-r) Eileen Izzo, Rhonda Minard, & Jay Boisseau
NPS photo by Frank Henson

The annual Intermountain Regional Office and Denver Service Center NPS Founder’s Day picnic was a “zero waste” event this year, reducing nearly 100 percent of the usual stream of trash through recycling, reuse, and composting. The picnic, held August 25, was attended by about 350 NPS employees and alumni at a municipal park in Lakewood, a suburb of Denver.

The picnic demonstrated how advance planning and an interest in sustainability can be a lesson for the future. All food and beverages were served up with plates, cups, and eating utensils molded out of compostable corn starch. Along with food scraps, this biodegradable dishware was collected in special bags for high-temperature composting to break down the materials and kill any pathogens.

“All told, about 145 pounds of picnic waste was diverted from landfills,” said Jay Boisseau of the Intermountain Region’s environmental management program. He estimates that the picnic’s “zero waste” strategy cut greenhouse gas emissions by 163 pounds.

“It took a bit of extra planning up front, but collecting the materials was easy and it generated a lot of employee interest and awareness,” Boisseau said. “It is important for the Park Service national and regional offices to lead by example and promote sustainability in ways like this. We had great support from upper management, including John Wessels, our new regional director, and Sam Whittington, director of the Denver Service Center. Our employees want to fight climate change, and they did’t mind using compostable picnic utensils and refillable water bottles.”

The compostables were turned over to Eco-Cycle, a Boulder group that promotes composting, recycling and other “green” practices. Eco-Cycle will take it to a facility that grinds and composts the waste into soil-amending material suitable for farms, municipal parks and even home gardens. Picnic recyclables such as aluminum cans and plastic bottles also were collected. Many employees brought their own water bottles to the picnic; another “green” measure that helped cut the waste stream.

The “zero waste” concept can divert landfill-bound waste through a combination of better resource management and pollution prevention, industrial composting, recycling and reuse of some materials. Composting of organic materials is especially important as a climate-change strategy. In landfills, the breaking down of such materials produces methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

The NPS Denver Employees Association, the regional office, Denver Service Center, the picnic’s caterer, and Eco-Cycle enthusiastically supported the event. Rhonda Minard, Denver Service Center Administrative Specialist and member of the NPS Denver Employees Association helped with the picnic. “What better way to promote ‘zero waste’ than within the National Park Service. There was a great deal of interest from the people that attended picnic. With a little extra effort, we can make a huge difference. I’m glad I could be a part of it,” said Minard.

Boisseau got the idea for the picnic after attending a tennis tournament in Boulder last spring that used the “zero waste” model. “I remember last year how many garbage cans we filled up,” Boisseau said of the annual picnic. “I thought, ‘Why are we doing this?’”

For more information about the “zero waste” approach and sustainable practices, please visit http://www.ecocycle.org/zero/index.cfm and http://imr.nps.gov/comm-ps/ps_sustain.html.

Barnard Construction Company of Bozeman, Montana has been selected as the contractor to remove the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Olympic Peninsula’s Elwha River. The National Park Service’s Denver Service Center announced award of the $26,939,800 contract today. Dam removal will begin approximately 13 months from now, in September 2011.

“This is a historic moment,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin. “With award of this contact, we begin the countdown to the largest dam removal and one of the largest restoration projects in U.S. history.”

The contract includes removal of the 108-foot high Elwha Dam, completed in 1913, and the 210-foot high Glines Canyon Dam, completed in 1927, in the nation’s largest dam removal to date.

Removing the two dams will allow fish to access spawning habitat in more than 70 miles of river and tributary stream, most of which is protected inside Olympic National Park.

The 45-mile long Elwha River is the historic home of all five species of Pacific salmon and has been legendary as one of the Northwest’s most productive salmon streams. Because neither dam provided passage for migratory fish, salmon and other fish have been restricted to the lower five miles of river since dam construction.

“This story is about the fish,” explained Frances Charles, Chairwoman of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. “The Tribe looks forward to the return of the Chinook, and the abundance of fish from the stories our ancestors have been telling us about since the dams went up. We used to have salmon and other species out there, and we want them back and revived for our children, and our children’s children.”

“The award of this contract represents tangible progress toward the completion of what I believe will be one of the most exciting and biologically-significant initiatives ever launched by the federal government,” said U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, who represents Washington’s 6th District which includes the Olympic Peninsula. “The removal of the two dams and the restoration of this unique and largely-protected habitat will demonstrate how these historically-abundant fish runs can recover when we ‘turn back the clock.’”

Once underway, the removal process will take up to three years. Dam removal will release large amounts of sediment now impounded in reservoirs behind both dams, so stoppages will be built into the work schedule to limit the amount of sediment released at any given time, particularly when adult fish are in the river.

“Now that we know who the contractor is, we can begin discussions about how much public access can be provided during dam removal,” remarked Gustin. “Our primary objective is safe removal of the two dams, but as much as possible, we would like to provide opportunities for people to safely visit the area and see this project for themselves.”

A number of preparatory projects have already been completed, or are underway now. Facilities to protect the Port Angeles drinking and industrial water supplies were completed early this year. Improvements to flood protection levees are underway and a fish hatchery on the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s Reservation is now under construction to replace the tribe’s existing hatchery. The new hatchery will help maintain existing stocks of Elwha River fish during dam removal and produce populations of coho, pink, and chum salmon and steelhead vital to restoration.

“As we have been appropriating funds for this project over many years, I have been encouraged that it received the consistent support of four administrations from both parties,” said Dicks, who has served for his entire career on the House Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment which funds the National Park Service. He said another $20 million was included in the appropriations bill that the Interior subcommittee approved in late-July for the next fiscal year.

“There have been many Klallam people, including previous Tribal councils, who have worked hard toward reaching the milestone of removing the Elwha dams,” said Charles. “The Tribe’s actions toward dam removal are only following in the footsteps of our ancestors and former Tribal leaders requests’ and have included many trips to Washington D.C. The Tribe takes pride in the protection of our environment in honor of our ancestors, Elders, and future generations.”

The Elwha River Restoration project is possible through the support and participation of many partners, including the Bureau of Reclamation which was the lead agency in designing dam removal and sediment management strategies and currently operates and maintains the dams.

This landmark project includes:

Removing Elwha & Glines Canyon Dams
The largest dam removal in U.S. history will free the Elwha River after 100 years. Salmon populations will swell from 3,000 to more than 300,000 as all five species of Pacific salmon return to more than 70 miles of river and stream.

Renewing a Culture
The returning salmon and restored river will renew the culture of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, who have lived along the Elwha River since time immemorial. Tribal members will have access to sacred sites now inundated and cultural traditions can be reborn. The NPS and the Tribe are primary partners on this project.

Restoring an Ecosystem
This project creates a living laboratory where people can watch and learn what happens when salmon return after a century to a still wild and protected ecosystem. The return of fish will bring bear, eagles, and other animals back to an ecosystem that has been deprived of this food source for a century.

Economic Benefits
Just as the dams played a vital role in the history and development of the area, removing them will create new opportunities for growth and regional vitality.

Restoring the Coast
Removing the dams will reestablish the natural flow of sediment from the mountains to the coast—rebuilding wetlands, beaches and the estuary at the river’s mouth.

More information about Elwha River Restoration is available at the Olympic National Park website http://www.nps.gov/olym or at the Elwha River Restoration Facebook page.

Information about the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe can be found at http://www.elwhainfo.org/people-and-communities/lower-elwha-klallam-tribe or the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Facebook page.

Alameda Parkway building

The Alameda Parkway Building has been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for achieving a LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Standard for Existing Buildings. This is the first LEED™ EB in the National Park Service to obtain the gold rating.

The Alameda Parkway Building currently houses 685 NPS employees, contractors and volunteers from the Intermountain Regional Office, Denver Service Center, and serveral WASO-based organizations including Commercial Services and the Construction Program Management Division.

The LEED™ for Existing Buildings Rating System assists building owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. LEED™ for Existing Building addresses whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs and landscaping, and system upgrades. To achieve LEED™ certification, documentation demonstrating that the building has met the sustainable design and performance criteria set forth within the LEED™ Green Building Rating System was submitted, reviewed and approved by the USGBC this past June. The building achieved a score of 53 points out of a possible 100.

This 166,745 square foot building is a GSA lease, began as a build-to-suit for the NPS in 1987, Major areas that received points were Alternative Commuting Transportation, Indoor Plumbing Fixture and Fitting Efficiency, Optimized Energy Efficiency Performance, Sustainable Purchasing, Green Cleaning, Solid Waste Management (Recycled/Donated Goods).

Specific achievements included recycling 170 electronic items on Earth Day in 2010; recycling 95% of all paper brought into the building; recycling almost 65% of all materials (compared to the national average of 12.4%); upgrades to the EMS (energy management system) with web based capabilities; and personal trash cans being emptied two times a week saving the amount of plastic trash liners going into the landfills by approximately 57,600 bags annually. The Alameda Parkway Building also holds an ENERGY STAR rating of 97.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The Bat Cave Draw and Visitor Center rehabilitation project at Carlsbad Caverns National Park was selected as one of the first landscape projects to participate in a pilot program testing the nation’s first rating system for sustainable landscape design, construction, and maintenance. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) announced Carlsbad Caverns, along with 150 other U.S. projects from 34 states and sites from Canada, Iceland, and Spain, to be part of the new SITES rating system.

The Bat Cave Draw and Visitor Center rehabilitation project, managed by the Denver Service Center, is a unique project affecting 1.75 acres that has required years of collaboration and planning to develop. The project includes removing existing parking areas that adversely impact the cavern and rehabilitating the area to its natural state using vegetation native to the region. The team will also collect and treat runoff in new parking areas to protect the cave.

SITES selected the Bat Cave Draw and Visitor Center rehabilitation project based on its extensive environmental restoration elements, including correcting surface runoff that adversely effects the cavern environment, using native plants, providing ways to monitor propagation efforts, preserving historic walls, and creating educational opportunities.

“We are proud to have the projects at Carlsbad Caverns National Park included in this pilot program. While improving and updating existing facilities was one goal of these efforts, ensuring park resources are well cared for future generations is always a primary aim,” said Superintendent John Benjamin.

The SITES pilot phase runs through June 2012. Feedback from this and other selected pilot projects will be used to revise the final rating system and reference guide by early 2013.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) is an interdisciplinary partnership led by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden to transform land development and management practices with the nation’s first voluntary rating system for sustainable landscapes, with or without buildings. For more information, please visit http://www.sustainablesites.org/.