Alcatraz Weekly
Staff Meeting Notes - 28 August 2013
Weekly Discussion Topics
New Garden Exhibit has been installed in the band room. Let all of our guests know. The are volunteer artists who have come out and painted the island’s historic garden flowers.
Alcatraz Cruises has developed an app of the Alcatraz Photo Exhibit. Following up on links for "Alcatraz: The Day"; website address ishttp://alcatrazlastday.org/ the information is also available as an app for Android phones. They have submitted to the Apple App Store to include the app for iPhones. The "Alcatraz: The Last Day" short introduction video is available for download at https://vimeo.com/72061127 . The entire captioned video with Jim Albright is available here: http://vimeo.com/69056374
SIR Report. Courtney is entering interpretive program data. Don’t forget to write down your programs. A lot of the special programs are missing including the alumni programs, special VIP tours. Wendy to add those in.
I am starting work now with Alcatraz Cruises to install a series of outdoor speakers. This is to improve the quality of sound of interpretive programs and reduce the stress to presenters. I am checking to make sure that this is where we really want the speakers. Please give me feedback if any of the following locations are either not needed or another location is needed more.
1. Dock – speaker already in place
2. Sally Port
3. Officer’s Club
4. Electric Shop (If Night Staff needs it?)
5. Bldg 64 Cutoff
6. Water Tower Cutoff
7. Rose Garden/Officer’s Row
8. Cell House Audio Tour Entrance
9. Eagle Plaza
10. North Road (maybe)
Bridge Nominations: Deadline is coming up Sept 13! Marcus, Nancy, John, and Carla are all working on nominations.
The Bureau of Prisons: Dublin has offered us a tour. Dublin is a low security facility housing female offenders. The institution also has an adjacent administrative detention facility housing adult males on holdover or pre-trial status, and a minimum security satellite camp housing adult female offenders. Dublin is located 20 miles southeast of Oakland on the Camp Parks Army Reserve Forces Training Area (RFTA) Military Base. This is where the BOP Women workers who you have seen on the island come from. Carla to organize a tour.
Question of the day: How late were balls and chains used on the island? While AZ was a federal pen (1934-63), there were no balls and chains ever used on the island. They were, however, used during the military (mid 1860s to 1934) prison period up to the 1870's. We actually know very little from the military period. All records from that period were lost.
Alcatraz Engineers will start carrying PC radios. So if we need help with bathroom cleanup or any other custodial service, we can call them on the radio “AC Engineer”.
Dock announcements. The tram staffing is back up. Please announce that the mini tram is available upon request to take people to the west side or to the industries.
How many people do we need on OT for Living History Day? John, Cortney. Marcus?
Tori’s and Sarah’s schedule will be “wacky” in the next month. On any given day we may not have NR staff on the island.
Several areas closed to the birds are open again including: Model Industries Staging, area below the Sally Port.
Behind the scenes tours. There have been several cases when behind the scenes tours have gone past 6 pm complicating things for the sweep. We ask that you complete behind the scene tours by 6 pm to facilitate closing.
Carla and Tyler continue to make progress on dock evaluations. Cortney to help with several too.
Photo of our recent Ranger Training: How to Point 101.
Weekly Safety Message
SPUG/Ambulance Key: Because of misplaced keys, the SPUG truck keys will from now on be located n the window mounted lock box of the vehicle. Ask a ranger for the lockbox combination.
Ambulance. The tarp keeps flying off. If you see the gurney uncovered, please put it back on to keep it clean. Nancy will look into getting a new tarp.
Visitor Comments
8/16/13 “We truly enjoyed the night cruise. Teresa (?) was quite friendly and personable....thanks”
8/19/13 “Park volunteers were informative and outstanding!”
8/22/13 My wife and I were visiting family in California and my wife arranged for us to take the Alcatraz Tour. As a retired Baltimore City Police Officer , I was very excited to boat out and see the history. I was thoroughly impressed. The tour was excellent! If we are back in the area we will catch the tour again!
Thank you for a wonderful experience!
8/23/13 “I would like to have information on parking on the website. I would have liked to have known that food was not available on the island and planned accordingly. I would have liked to have known the programs and times ahead. I would have liked to have known the return ferry ride was open. I was disappointed by the level of disrepair and overwhelmed by the smell and presence of bird poo. I would have liked the island to be kept cleaner. I would have liked to have been forewarned that the gulls were very aggressive and would eat my lunch out of my hands. I would have liked to have a display on current trends in prison conditions including corporate prisons to go along with your display on restorative justice. I would have liked one of the park rangers to have been Native American to speak of the occupation.”
8/23/13 “Lori was not only a great help during my recent visit to the hospital, but followed up the hospital visit with an excellent, informative cell door demonstration, which was not only thoroughly enjoyed by my guests and I, but by another 100 or so visitors in the area at the time. Great work!!”
Upcoming Leave (Annual, Sick, Off-Site Training)
26 -30 August John AL
25-29 August Casler AL
4-6 Sept Marcus AL
6-9 Oct Nancy AL
18-31 Dec Marcus AL
Calendar of Events
8/29/13 Facilitated Dialogue Training: Carla , Wendy, Benny, Marcus. Lori only ranger on the island. Looking for volunteers to help on this day.
9/4/13 SPUG Training 10-11. George Durgerian coming to the island.
9/5/13 VIP tix set up for Whiskeytown Donors: Mr. and Mrs. Cash + 1. No VIP tour needed.
9/27/13 Outreach Ranger Truck at Hyatt. Shelagh, Tori. Carla.
9/28/13 Friends of Civil War – Living History Day.
10/1/13 RESCHEDULED Garden Conservancy Exhibit event. Need 2 Rangers for evening program 6-9 pm.
10/10/13 AZ Work Day (Maintenance)
10/14/13 WJE will be doing another annual monitoring of the rate of deterioration on the Cell house walls.
10/14/13 Sunrise Ceremony
10/21/13 Winter Schedule Starts
10/22-25/13 Interpreting Critical Issues Using Civic Engagement & Facilitated Dialogue Techniques-- This classroom course focuses on the front-line interpreter’s role as a facilitator of dialogue and discussion, and a range of ways to incorporate these techniques into new and existing park programming. Lori
10/23/13 Hosting East Bay Regional Parks Volunteer Coordinators. Lead is Lori Brosnan. Shelagh and Tori??
10/26/13 Alcatraz 40th Anniversary Event – Former Rangers on the island to reminisce. John Cantwell/John Martini.
11/1/13 University of San Francisco Eco-Tourism Students with Dr. Pavlίna Látková, Ph.D. Lead: Marcus.
11/2/13 Alcatraz Junior Ranger Day. Lead: Ranger Kelly.
11/9/13 Alcatraz Junior Ranger Day. Lead: Ranger Kelly.
11/14/13 Joint NPS/PC Staff Retreat. Location: SAFR. 9 Am – 3 Pm. Potential Topics include:
- How do we talk about Native Americans and the occupation?
- How do we make our behind the scenes tours more consistent?
- Methods of working with youth.
- How do we reach out to underserved communities?
- What are good ways of using humor to address sensitive or controversial topics?
11/19-20 Operational Leadership Training.
11/20/13 All Supervisors Mtgs 1-3 pm
11/28/13 Thanksgiving Sunrise Ceremony
12/11 or 1/15 All Interp Holiday Party.
2/2014 Health and Safety Week.
3/28-29/14 Bio-Blitz. All hands on deck to help out throughout the park.
Exhibit Calendar
Exhibit Calendar (*Approved by Arts in the Parks Committee)
Band Room:
2/15 – 8/28 Restorative Justice Comic and Table of Voices
8/28 - 12/31 Flower Painting Display*
2/14 – 8/14 Tentative: San Quentin Prison Arts Project*
5/15 – 9/15 Tentative: Community Works West*
New Industries:
3/21/13 - 3/20/14 Anniversary of Prison Closing Exhibit
7/15 – 12/15 Tentative: Prisoners of Age* by Ron Levine
Bldg 64 Casemates:
4/28 - ? Native Nationalism and Red Power: Historicizing the 1969 Alcatraz Occupation venue: Building 64/Theater/China Alley AZ lead: Teresa
Other Proposed Exhibits
Fall 2015 Proposed: We Players "Hamlet".
10/14 – 4/15 Proposed International exhibit. Various locations around the island.
Date TBD California College of the Arts Graduate Seminar. Artists on island at various time. Exhibits at various locations at end of Graduate Seminar. Lead: Patrick Gillespie.
Closures
Closures (Updated 8/28/13): Off limits areas include: Cell House Roof, Citadel, QM Lower Level, Bldg 64. Upper floors, area past cable by power house. All Bird Closure Areas including Agave trail, parade ground. Model Industries ground and below Sally Port now open.