- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, June 15, 1992
- Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1992
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Monday, June 15, 1992
INCIDENTS
92-269 - Little Bighorn Battlefield (Montana) - Area Closure
On the afternoon of Thursday, June 11th, the park road between the main
battlefield and the Reno-Benteen battlefield was blocked without permission
by participants in a sun dance which was sponsored by Indian rights activist
Russell Means on privately-owned land immediately adjacent to the park's
boundary. Following discussions between the park and the sun dance
participants, the superintendent agreed to cooperate with their request for
privacy by keeping the area closed until the dance was completed. The sun
dance arbor and site had been opened to tourists from Monday until just
before sunrise on Thursday, when the dance began. The ceremony was
reportedly being held to pray for peace on behalf of Native Americans. The
road was to have reopened yesterday. [Telefaxed reports from Barbara
Booher, SUPT, LIBI, 6/13]
92-270 - Everglades (Florida) - Firearms Violations Arrest
Following a month-long narcotics and firearms investigation, Everglades and
Big Cypress rangers joined ATF and DEA agents in an illegal weapons "buybust"
operation in East Everglades on June 11th. As agents swept in to
arrest B.K. of Frog City Airboat Tours after he attempted to
purchase 30 handgun silencers, rangers employed airboats to block any
attempted escape into the Everglades and spotted for the operation from an
aircraft with gyroscope dampened binoculars. B.K., who is
reportedly a part owner of a tourist stop and airboat tour operation on the
north edge of the new East Everglades addition, was charged with felony
transportation and exchange of unregistered firearms. [cc:Mail message from
Mark Lewis, LES, EVER, 6/12]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 6/14 6/15 Status
AK State Tok Area * 213225 - T2 20,000 25,000 NEC
* 213235 - 1,000 NEC
* A239 - T2 - 1,000 NEC
CA USFS Cleveland NF * Ysabel - 650 CND
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:
)0*0*0* NR - No report received MS - Modified suppression strategy
CL - Controlled MN - Being monitored
CS - Confinement strategy NEC - No estimate of containment
CN (date) - Expected date CND - Contained
of containment
3) FIRE NARRATIVES -
* Yellowstone - The Gibbon Fire has been suppressed and rain was reported
to be falling on three other fires in the park yesterday.
* Indiana Dunes - The park had seven fires on Friday - three caused by
railroads, two by fireworks, and two of uncertain origin. All were
under an acre.
4) FIRE WEATHER - A red flag watch has been issued for wind and low
relative humidity for New Mexico.
5) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity continues to be reported. Wet
weather has moderated fire activity across the Great Basin and
Northwest
6) PROGNOSIS - No resource shortages expected.
[NPS Wildland Fire Summary, 6/15; NIFCC Intelligence Section, 6/15]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Denali (Alaska) - Wolf Pack on Unprecedented Trek
One of the radio-collared wolf packs in the park suddenly left Denali around
May 19th and had travelled 140 miles to the southwest when last located on
June 11th. The wolves were being intensively monitored during the May
caribou calving season as part of research on wolf-caribou relationships, so
their unusual movements were well documented. The Little Bear Pack numbered
14 wolves in early May and inhabited an 800 square kilometer territory in
the middle of the park. Eleven of the 14 wolves, including three that are
radio-collared, began what has turned out to be a long trip out of the park,
across the Alaska Ranger and into the Skwentna River drainage. During their
jaunt, they moved through the territories of at least four other wolf packs,
made several caribou and moose kills, and killed a wolf from the McLeod Lake
Pack in the middle of its home range. One of the three Little Bear wolves
that was left behind was located June 5th apparently following about 100
miles behind the main pack, but it was not found on the latest location
flight. While wolf pack forays into other pack territories have been
observed regularly in Denali, movements of nearly all of a pack for such a
long distance have not been previously recorded there. Researchers are
speculating on whether or not the pack will return to the park. [Layne
Adams, Research Biologist, ARO]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Martin at oil spill response
meeting, Key Largo, FL (6/17-6/19); Lee on annual leave (6/19); Coffey on
detail to WASO Wildlife and Vegetation.
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd at aviation meeting in SERO, Atlanta, GA
(6/15); Spruill at aviation overview, Everglades and Big Cypress, FL (6/15-6/19);
Erskine on annual leave (6/8-6/19); Mattingly instructing S-230,
Hawaii Volcanoes, HI (6/14-6/22); Bristol at InciNet steering committee
meeting, Sacramento, CA (6/15-6/19).