Court-ordered computer blackout a headache for Yellowstone




BILLINGS (AP) - Yellowstone National Park officials have solved some of the problems created by a federal judge's order closing the Interior Department's computer system.


But the blackout illustrates just how useful computers have become and how much they are relied on. Take e-mail, for example.




With e-mail out, staffers have had to make do with phone calls and faxes, which makes them less efficient, said Dan Kirschner, a special agent with the National Park Service.




If a car burglar was working the park, for instance, Kirschner normally would alert area law enforcement agencies with an e-mail and ask for information. Not now.




"What causes me the most grief is that now I have to make 25 phone calls instead of striking out one message and hitting everyone," he said. "It's a waste of time."




After security breaches were found in Interior's online Indian trust account records, a federal judge ordered the department's computer system shut down until it can be secured. The shutdown on Dec. 7 applied to all of the department's agencies including the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management.




Yellowstone suddenly had no access to payroll records, said Joanne Timmins, chief of administration.




"We had to fill out time and attendance records by hand for about 500 employees, then Fed Ex them to the payroll office," she recalled.




The park has regained that access, but payroll employees had to scramble just before Christmas, she said.




The park also was temporarily locked out of its budget systems, unable to program the budget and monitor expenses. Now Timmins' staff is about two months behind.




The park also cannot access federal laws, rules, regulations and policy, Timmins said




"This is crucial because this information is necessary for all contracting and resource work," she said.