Part 3 features a roundup from the Department of the Interior:
- The Bureau of Reclamation expects to release a projected additional 3.33 million acre-feet (maf) of water from Lake Powell in Utah and Arizona to Lake Mead in Nevada, thus averting water shortages in the Lower Basin.
- The Vice President and Interior Secretary Salazar honored former Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole for his longtime support for veterans and instrumental role in establishing the World War II Memorial in a ceremony on the national mall.
- Secretary Salazar will join Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Dr. Christine King Farris, Dr. King’s sister; and Martin Luther King III to celebrate the completed renovation of Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Heritage Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall on Friday, April 15. The church, where Dr. King served as pastor, was a focal point of the civil rights movement and is now part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic site, managed by the department’s National Park Service.
- Links to all the National Park Service webcams.
Department of the Interior, April 12, 2011:
Additional Water to be Released from Lake Powell to Lake Mead, Avoiding Shortages in Lower Basin in 2012
WASHINGTON, DC — The Department of the Interior announced today that over the next six months, the Bureau of Reclamation expects to release a projected additional 3.33 million acre-feet (maf) of water from Lake Powell in Utah and Arizona to Lake Mead in Nevada. This new projection, boosted by a significant snowpack in the Upper Basin of the Colorado River, supplements the previously projected release of 8.23 maf—for a total of 11.56 maf—to fulfill the guidelines of the historic agreement reached between the Department and the seven Colorado River Basin States in 2007.
“Drought conditions over the past 11 years had raised the possibility of water shortages in the Lower Basin over the next year, but thanks to good precipitation, wise planning, and strong collaboration among the states, we are able to release additional water and avert those shortages,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
After an intensive public review process, in 2007 the Department of the Interior approved the Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and the Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead to address operation of the lakes, particularly under low-reservoir conditions. These Guidelines provide detailed rules that determine the amount of water released from Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams each year and are based on an operational framework agreed to by the Basin states. The Guidelines represent an important example of the ongoing collaborative partnership between the federal government and the seven states on Colorado River management issues.
“The Colorado River is an important resource for seven states in the Southwest as well as Mexico,” said Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science Anne Castle. “Continued engagement between the seven Colorado River Basin states and the Department of the Interior has ensured the management process continues to function as planned and will continue to be essential. Today’s announcement demonstrates the importance of having operational rules in place to guide management of the Colorado River under varying conditions.”
In noting that total releases in Water Year 2011 (which ends September 30, 2011) are now projected to total 11.56 maf, Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor pointed out that the current April-through- July inflow forecast for Lake Powell from the spring runoff is 9.5 maf, which is 120 percent of average. This is also an increase of 300,000 acre-feet over the March 2011 inflow forecast.
“The Colorado River Basin has experienced historic drought, and while this winter’s snowpack will benefit river flows, we cannot say that the drought is over,” cautioned Commissioner Connor. “Given the potential for extended dry years, and the effects of climate change on snowpack and runoff in the Colorado Basin, we must continue to work with the states, tribes and other stakeholders in the Basin to meet the water needs in the future.”
Under the terms of the operational guidelines, the snowpack conditions and expected inflows triggered what are called “equalization operations” under which the current annual release volume of 11.56 from Lake Powell has been projected. The projected annual release will be updated each month through the end of September 2011 to reflect changing hydrology. As a result, Lake Powell is expected to be at similar levels as last year, peaking in July at about elevation 3,643 feet above sea level. The additional water will increase Lake Mead elevation levels by more than 20 feet since October 2010, ending September 2011 at 1,105 feet above sea level.
Because of the continuation of spring storms and cooler temperatures in the Upper Basin, runoff will continue into the late spring. At the present time, Lake Powell is 52 percent full with 12.7 maf of water in storage. Forecasters warn that at this point in time, a rapid increase in temperatures may lead to very high flows once the runoff begins with the possibility of some localized flooding in the Upper Basin states.
NOTE: A fact sheet with additional specific information related to the coordinated operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead is available upon request.
Department of the Interior, April 12, 2011:
Bob Dole Honored For Support of Veterans, World War II Memorial
WASHINGTON – Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today honored former Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole for his longtime support for veterans and instrumental role in establishing the World War II Memorial. In a ceremony on the national mall, Vice President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Secretary Salazar and a host of Dole’s friends and family, dedicated a plaque in his honor that will be placed on the World War II Memorial.
“Bob Dole’s valor on the battlefield in the mountains of Italy was no different than the moral courage in his public life,” said Vice President Biden. “I learned from Bob Dole, going all the way back to 1972, that, although we have multiple obligations as a nation, we have only one truly sacred obligation. That is to prepare and equip those we send into battle with everything they need, and to care for these warriors and their families when they return.”
“Bob Dole has given much to our country, both on the battlefield and in public office, where his work on behalf of our nation’s veterans is unparalleled,” Secretary Salazar said. “Today, we dedicate a plaque in his honor at the very memorial that he was so instrumental in creating. From now on, visitors to this hallowed site will be reminded of the contributions of a truly great American.”
"I'm truly honored to receive this recognition,” said Senator Dole. “But in reality today I represent all veterans, particularly my generation of World War II veterans who preserved liberty and freedom for us and for millions of others around the world.”
Joining the Bidens and Salazar at the ceremony were U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, Former Senator Elizabeth Dole, Former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, Former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Tom Brokaw, who emceed the event.
The bronze plaque is 14” wide and 10” high and will be placed on a main access path to the World War II Memorial, near the visitor contact station.
Senator Dole, the longest serving Republican leader in the nation’s history, served as chairman of the national campaign that raised private contributions that largely funded the construction of the World War II Memorial.
During the Second World War, Bob Dole was a platoon leader in the legendary Tenth Mountain Division in Italy. In 1945, he was gravely wounded on the battlefield and was decorated for heroic achievement, receiving two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster.
The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million men and women who served in the armed forces during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from home. Flanked by the Washington Monument to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west, the World War II memorial was first opened to the public on April 29, 2004.
For more information about visiting the memorial, please visit the National Park Service Web site at http://www.nps.gov/....
Department of the Interior, April 12, 2011:
Salazar to Join Relatives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Celebrate Renovation of Ebenezer Baptist Church
ATLANTA —Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Dr. Christine King Farris, Dr. King’s sister; and Martin Luther King III to celebrate the completed renovation of Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Heritage Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall on Friday, April 15.
The church, where Dr. King served as pastor, was a focal point of the civil rights movement and is now part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic site, managed by the department’s National Park Service. The Heritage Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall will be open to public for the first time since 2007 when they were closed for a major restoration project to restore them to their 1960’s appearance.
Prior to the 1pm celebration at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Secretary Salazar will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at 12pm at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Tomb.
WHO:
Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior
Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service
Bernice King, daughter of Dr. King
Dr. Christine King Farris, sister of Dr. King
Martin Luther King III
WHAT:
Celebration of Renovation of Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Heritage Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.
WHEN:
Friday, April 15, 2011
12pm EDT Wreath-laying ceremony at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Tomb
1pm EDT Ceremony at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church
WHERE:
Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church
407 Auburn Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30312
Department of the Interior:
DOI Webcams
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park has a rich human history that includes Native Americans, European settlers, artists, conservationists, and more. Each group has made its mark on what is today Acadia National Park. Explore this section to discover the people and stories of Acadia.
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a land of borders. Situated on the boundary with Mexico along the Rio Grande, it is a place where countries and cultures meet. It is also a place that merges natural environments, from desert to mountains. It is a place where south meets north and east meets west, creating a great diversity of plants and animals. The park covers over 801,000 acres of west Texas in the place where the Rio Grande makes a sharp turn - the Big Bend. Authorized June 20, 1935; established June 12, 1944. Designated a United States Biosphere Reserve, 1976.
Denali National Park
Denali’s dynamic glaciated landscape supports a diversity of wildlife with grizzly bears, caribou, wolves, Dall sheep and moose. Summer slopes are graced with birds and wildflowers. Visitors enjoy sightseeing, backpacking, mountaineering, and research opportunities. Whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America’s highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320 foot Mount McKinley.
Glacier National Park
The power of glaciers is evident throughout this view of Mt. Wilbur and Swiftcurrent Lake. Imagine giant tongues of ice, filling the valleys on either side of the peak and then joining together where the lake sits today. Bowl shaped amphitheaters (called cirques) sit at the heads of the valleys, the results of thousands of years of quarrying by ice. The cirque right behind Mt. Wilbur holds Iceberg Lake, one of the most popular destinations in the park.
Grand Canyon National Park - Yavapai Point
Located entirely in northern Arizona, the park encompasses 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
The tallest dunes in North America rise at the base of the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Alpine tundra, forests, massive dunes, grasslands, and wetlands are all protected as elements of the Great Sand Dunes geological system.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Ridge upon ridge of endless forest straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the largest protected areas in the Eastern United States. World renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, and the depth and integrity of its wilderness sanctuary, the park attracts over nine million visitors each year.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution — processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with unique ecosystems, and a distinct human culture. The park highlights two of the world’s most active volcanoes, and offers insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and views of dramatic volcanic landscapes.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is immense, nearly 800,000 acres, and infinitely variable. Two deserts, two large ecosystems whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation, come together at Joshua Tree National Park. Below 3,000 feet, the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree.
Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave National Park was established to preserve the cave system, including Mammoth Cave, the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin rivers, and a section of south central Kentucky. This is the longest recorded cave system in the world with more than 360 miles explored and mapped.
Mammoth Hot Springs
The Mammoth WebCam shows a real-time still picture of Mammoth Hot Springs as viewed from the second floor of the Albright Visitor Center. You are looking over the visitor center parking lot, across a lawn area that was once used as a drill field by the U.S. Cavalry stationed at Fort Yellowstone. Beyond the fenced area, that warns visitors of a location where the surface limestone has collapsed creating a large hole, appear the white travertine deposits of the Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces. Occasionally the camera will not be aimed at the scene described above, but rather at some elk or another subject of interest in the Mammoth area.
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park was established on March 2, 1899, and encompasses 235,625 acres, ranging in elevation from 1,610' to 14,410' above sea level. The "mountain" is an active volcano encased in over 35 square miles of snow and ice, surrounded by old growth forest and stunning wildflower meadows. The park is also rich in cultural resources and was designated a National Historic Landmark District as an outstanding example of early park planning and NPS rustic architecture.
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Before its violent eruption in 1980, Mount St. Helens was known as "the Fuji of America" because its symmetrical beauty was similar to that of the famous Japanese volcano. The graceful cone top, whose glistening cap of perennial snow and ice dazzled the viewer, is now largely gone. On May 18, 1980, the missing mountaintop was transformed in a few hours into the extensive volcanic ash that blanketed much of the Northwestern United States and into various other deposits closer to the mountain. The U.S. Geological Survey monitors the site for volcanic activity.
North Cascades National Park
Few fully know the intense and rugged beauty of the North Cascades - jagged peaks, deep valleys, cascading waterfalls and over 700 glaciers. North Cascades National Park Service Complex contains the heart of this mountainous region in three park units which are all managed as one and include North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. Each area offers different experiences and contains wilderness.
Old Faithful
The Old Faithful WebCam sends a new real-time photo of Old Faithful Geyser approximately every 30 seconds. Old Faithful is not the largest or most regular geyser in the park. It has become a popular destination because it erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers. All times mentioned on this page are Mountain Time.
Olympic National Park
Glacier capped mountains, wild Pacific coast and magnificent stands of old-growth forests, including temperate rain forests -- at Olympic National Park, you can find all three. About 95% of the park is designated wilderness, which further protects these diverse and spectacular ecosystems. Olympic is also known for its biological diversity. Isolated for eons by glacial ice, and later the waters of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Peninsula has developed its own distinct array of plants and animals. Eight kinds of plants and 15 kinds of animals are found on the peninsula but no where else on Earth.
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges. Native land mammals number about 37 species and marine mammals augment this total by another dozen species. The biological diversity stems from a favorable location in the middle of California and the natural occurrence of many distinct habitats.
Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park
These parks are home to giants: immense mountains, deep canyons, and huge trees. Thanks to their huge elevational range, 1,500' to 14,491', they protect stunningly diverse habitats. The Generals Highway climbs over 5000 feet from chaparral and oak-studded foothills to the awe-inspiring sequoia groves. From there, trails lead to the high-alpine wilderness which makes up most of these parks. Beneath the surface lie over 200 fascinating caverns.
St. Mary Visitor Center
This view from the St. Mary Visitor Center looks southwest to Red Eagle Mountain, the largest peak in the middle of the picture. Below the mountains lies Saint Mary Lake. In the afternoon sunlight reflects off the surface of the lake, making it easier to see. Watch for elk, which are sometimes visible in the meadows near the road. If the picture looks particularly fuzzy with lines like in a television, it is due to wind. This part of the park is notoriously windy most of the year.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
The colorful North Dakota badlands provides the scenic backdrop to the park which memorializes the 26th president for his enduring contributions to the conservation of our nation's resources. The park contains 70,448 acres divided among three units: South Unit, North Unit and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. In the park you will find badlands, open prairie, hard wood draws, bison, prairie dogs and other wildlife, the Little Missouri River, and a past history that includes Theodore Roosevelt.
Washington D.C.
National Capital Parks-Central (NACC) is responsible for over 1,000 acres of the most significant natural and cultural resources in the United States. The sites of NACC are cherished symbols of our nation, known worldwide and depicted on everything from currency to the nightly news. Located in the core of the nation's capital, NACC administers, interprets, maintains and preserves the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House, the National Mall, East and West Potomac Parks, Constitution Gardens, 60 statues, and numerous other historic sites, memorials, and parklands. NACC is responsible for significant maintenance and preservation support for the White House as well as the U.S. Navy Memorial.
Washington, DC - Cherry Blossom
The blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. has come to symbolize the natural beauty of our nation's capital city. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the nation and around the world come to the Nations Capital to witness the spectacle, hoping that the trees will be at the peak of bloom for the Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, D.C.'s rite of spring.
List of all National Park Service Web Cameras
The National Park Service operates digital cameras at many parks to help educate the public on air quality issues. These cameras often show the effects of air pollution such as visibility impairment.