RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Monday, August 12, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-308 - Olympic (Washington) - Followup on Oil Spill
A storm centered off the Washington coast prevented overflights
to survey the oil slick Friday and Saturday, but aircraft were
scheduled to resume overflight operations yesterday. Skimming
operations were curtailed during the storm. Two tugs have been
contracted to assist in anchoring a heavy boom offshore around
the wreck site for skimming operations over the next few days.
The small Scorpio submarine (also known as a remotelyoperated
vehicle or ROV) brought to the site by the Canadian Coast Guard
was to be sent down to the Tenyo Maru yesterday to attempt to
pump oil from the wreck. No additional oil has been found on
beaches between Neah Bay and Toleak Point, but crews report a
scattering of tarballs above the high tide line at South Hobuck
Beach. Oil appears to have diminished at some previously
impacted areas. Heavy surf from the recent storm has apparently
"cleaned" some areas, and buried onshore oil at other locations
so that it is not visible. Most of the cleanup booms were torn
and pushed under rocks during the storm. Some bags of oiled
debris were washed off the shoreline at Petroleum Creek and
Yellow Banks. A total of 3,440 birds had been brought to care
centers as of Thursday evening. Only a third are expected to
live. Park biologists and crews will be on the beaches through
the current low tide series to continue sampling transects for
postoil assessments. All areas in the park are open except for
the coastline from the Ozette Indian Reservation to the Makah
Indian Reservation. [Telefax from Cat Hoffman, Information
Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/10]
91-385 - Glen Canyon (Utah/Arizona) - Rescue
On August 11th, W.H., 38, of Phoenix, Arizona,
scrambled and free climbed to a point several hundred feet above
a sandy beach area in the left fork of Kane Wash Canyon in Padre
Bay, but was unable to get down. A helicopter from Page,
Arizona, transported rangers Pete Dalton and Bern Huffman to the
landing site nearest to W.H., a thin rock finger which extends
out from Sit Down Bench. The rangers rappeled approximately 300
feet down to W.H.'s location, then lowered W.H. 150 feet in
two stages on a buddy rappel. Rangers subsequently learned that
W.H. had no rock climbing training or experience. [CompuServe
message from P.D. Hibbs, GLCA, 8/11]
91-386 - Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii) - Lightning Injury
J.F., 20, of Fern Acres, was struck by lightning upon
entering the U.S. Geological Service building in the park on
August 8th. J.F., who is an employee in a student program,
remained conscious, but was unable to speak. No burn marks or
entry or exit points were discovered on his body. When able to
talk again, J.F. complained of chest and back pains. He
was released in good condition following admittance and
observation in a hospital in Hilo. [Jim Martin, Cr, HAVO, via
CompuServe message from Steve Martin, RAD/WRO, 8/9]
91-387 - Upper Delaware (New York/Pennsylvania) - Drowning
On the afternoon of August 4th, 33-year-old C.B. of
Englewood, New Jersey, decided to conclude a day of tubing with
a swim at Lukes Landing, but soon slipped under the surface.
While rangers responded, the owner and an employee of Kittatinny
Canoes, a company operating at the landing, located C.B. and
brought her to the shore. CPR was immediately begun by EMS
personnel on the scene. She was taken to a local hospital where
she was listed in critical condition. Although she still had a
pulse, she expired later that evening. According to family
members, C.B. was not a good swimmer. She was from Columbia
and was not a United States citizen. [CompuServe message from
Barbara Perry, UPDE, 8/9]
91-388 - Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - Double
Drowning
F.S., 40, and R.M., 21, drowned about
100 yards downstream from a state park boat ramp while canoeing
on the Delaware River on the afternoon of August 8th. R.M.
was reportedly in one canoe with her husband, and F.S. was
in another with his wife. F.S.'s canoe capsized as they
were drifting through a relatively calm area with shallow water
(from two to seven feet deep). R.M.'s canoe then overturned
as they attempted to rescue F.S.. Neither F.S., a
nonswimmer, nor A.M. was wearing a life jacket. F.S.
was pulled from seven feet of water about 20 minutes later by a
visitor and a New Jersey state ranger and resuscitation efforts
were begun. He was transported to a local hospital, but
pronounced dead upon arrival. A.M.'s body was recovered an
hour later. [CompuServe message from Karl Theune, DEWA, 8/9]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) ACTIVITY LEVEL Planning Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 8/11 8/12 Status
OR USFS Deschutes NF * Cow Camp T2 254 280 CN
ID BLM Idaho Falls Dist. * Fossil Canyon 100 95 CL
UT BLM SLC Dist. *Cold Springs 450 CN 8/11
Notes:
Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report).
T1 and T2 indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
Status - The following abbreviations are employed:
NR No report received MS Modified suppression strategy
CN Contained MN Being monitored
CL Controlled NEC No estimate of containment
CS Confinement strategy DM Demobed
3) 1990/1991 COMPARATIVE ACTIVITY SUMMARY
Fires Acres
1990 (Year-to-date) 44,566 3,369,368
1991 (Year-to-date) 56,666 1,911,072
1990-1991 (% difference) + 27% 43%
4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack forces continue to be very
successful in suppressing new fires, but very high and extreme
indices continue to be reported throughout the West.
5) PROGNOSIS - Initial attack activity is expected to continue.
No problems are anticipated.
[Fire Management Situation Report, NIFCC Intelligence Section,
8/12]
CALENDAR
Asterisk (*) indicates new entry; plus (+) indicates revised
entry subsequent comments explain the revision. Brackets at
end of entry indicate source of information:
August 15-16 Swiftwater Rescue Technician II, New River Gorge
NR, Glen Jean, WV. Offered by Rescue 3 International. Cost:
$120. The course can be taken independently or in conjunction
with Swiftwater Rescue Technician I. For further information,
contact Dave Gale or Skip Heater of New River Adventures at
1-800-759-7238.
August 12-16 Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Boating Accident
Investigation Seminar, United States Coast Guard Academy, New
London, CT. Hosted by Division of Law Enforcement, Connecticut
Department of Environmental Protection. The seminar is intended
for experienced local, state and federal field officers and
marine investigators, and will provide specialized education in
properly documenting, analyzing and reconstructing recreational
boating accidents. Interested parties should contact Jack
Schamp in RAD at FTS 268-4209 (202-208-4209). [Jack Schamp,
RAD/WASO]
August 13-14 Second Annual Science Conference, Mammoth Cave NP,
Kentucky. This colloquium will feature research on area ecology
and air quality and provide updates on the park's water quality
monitoring program. Both plenary and concurrent sessions will
be held. Papers must be submitted no later than July 15th in
order to be accepted. For further information, contact Jeff
Bradybaugh at 502-758-2238. [Jeff Bradybaugh, MACA]
September 6-8 Fundamentals of Search and Rescue, Salt Lake
City, UT. For further information, contact the National
Association for Search and Rescue (703-352-1349). [Bill Pierce,
DETO]
September 7-9 SAR Planning Section Chief, Soldotna, AK. For
further information, contact the National Association for Search
and Rescue (703-352-1349). [Bill Pierce, DETO]
September 19-21 Managing the Search Function, Nashville, TN.
For further information, contact the National Association for
Search and Rescue (703-352-1349). [Bill Pierce, DETO]
* September 19-27 Managing the Search Function, Ely, MN. For
further information, call Vermilion Community College
(1-800-475-6666). [Hugh Dougher, VOYA]
September 27-28 "Perspectives on Parks, Politics and Policies",
symposium sponsored by Michigan State University, East Lansing,
MI. The symposium will bring practitioners, academics,
legislators, interest groups, students and others together to
explore and discuss shared interests in parks, politics and
policy. Interested parties should contact Dr. Betty Van Der
Smissen, Chair, Department of Park and Recreation Resources, 131
Natural Resources Building, Michigan State University, East
Lansing, MI 48824, or call 517-353-5190. [Dee Highnote,
Concessions/WASO]
* October 7-8 Crisis Intervention Skills Seminar, Tacoma, WA.
For further information, Call 206-591-5999. [Diane Wisley,
RAD/PNRO]
October 8-December 20 Basic Law Enforcement for Land
Management Agencies, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC.
For application procedures, contact your regional training
office. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
October 21-25 Archeological Resource Protection Training,
Artesia, NM. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC subject to availability of
FY 92 funds. For application procedures, contact your regional
training office. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
* October 21-25 Regional Chief Rangers' Annual Meeting, Boise,
ID. [Dick Martin, RAD/WASO]
October 23-26 Tenth Annual Cave Management Symposium, Bowling
Green, KY. Cohosted by American Cave Conservation Association
(ACCA) and Mammoth Cave NP. For further information, contact
Dave Foster (ACCA) at 502-786-1466 or Jeff Bradybaugh (MACA) at
502-7582-238. [Jeff Bradybaugh, MACA]
* November 12-15 "Fisheries Management: Dealing with
Development in the Watershed", symposium, Newport, RI. For
further information, contact John Boreman at the University of
Massachusetts (413-545-2842).
November 18-22 Archeological Resource Protection Training,
FLETC, Glynco, GA. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC subject to
availability of FY 92 funds. For application procedures,
contact your regional training office. [Carole Pfeifer,
LEEDC/FLETC]
November 18-22 Second National Park Service GIS Users'
Conference, Denver, CO. The conference will bring together all
NPS users of geographicdata technology for the first time in
over three years. All personnel involved in GIS should consider
attending. There will be poster and plenary sessions, panel
discussions and workshops. For more information, including an
announcement brochure and list of possible workshops, contact
Leslie Manfull, GIS Division (Denver), at FTS 327-2590 or
303-969-2590. [Leslie Manfull, GIS]
* November 19-22 Regional Recreation Fee Coordinators'
Training, Washington, DC. [Wes Kreis, RAD/WASO]
December 9-13 Archeological Resource Protection Training,
Marana, AZ. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC subject to availability of FY
92 funds. For application procedures, contact your regional
training office. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
* December 11-14 Annual convention, National Campground Owners
Association, San Diego, CA. NPS employees have been offered the
members' registration rate of $210 per person for the entire
convention, or $75 per day for the days when seminars will be
given. Lodging and some meals will be extra. The educational
program will focus on operations and maintenance; the trade show
will feature the latest in equipment and services. Call
703-471-0143 for registration information, or Priscilla Baker at
202-208-4917 or FTS 2684917 for further information. [Priscilla
Baker, Tourism]
(Calendar appears in the morning report every other Monday. If
you know of a conference, meeting or training session with
Servicewide interest and implications, please provide the
specifics to Bill Halainen in Ranger Activities).
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief (Acting): No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Coffey on annual leave
(8/12-8/16); Schamp at semiautomatic weapon evaluation task force
meeting, Arlington, VA (8/13-8/15); Marriott in SER (8/13-8/15).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Bristol at computer specialist
management information meeting, Seattle, WA (8/12-8/14); Norum on
trip to approve research sites, Fairbanks, AK (8/16-8/26); Botti
at Western Region budget formulation meeting, San Francisco, CA
(8/13-8/14); Erskine on annual leave (8/12-8/16); Broyles on
annual leave (8/12-8/14).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
SEAdog: 1/650