- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, July 21, 1992
- Date: Tues, 21 Jul 1992
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Tuesday, July 21, 1992
INCIDENTS
92-298 - Cape Cod (Massachusetts) - Follow-up on Piping Plover Closures
Portions of the beaches at Race Point Lighthouse and North Beach and an SCV
camping area at North Beach are now open to ORVs. Two piping plover broods
are left between the two areas. One of these broods has fledged early, and
the other is due to fledge within the next few days. At that time, the
entire North Beach ORV corridor will be opened. There are currently 25
pairs of piping plovers that have finished nesting for the season on park
beaches. Together, they have fledged 58 young. Another 16 pairs still have
chicks, and two pairs are still on eggs. [Ginny Rousseau, RCR, RAD/NCRO,
7/20]
92-358 - Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - Car Clouting Arrests
On July 8th, rangers arrested J.C. of East Stroudsburg,
Pennsylvania, for a series of auto burglaries on the Pennsylvania side of
the park. J.C. has been indicted by a federal grand jury and, if
convicted, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A week
later, New Jersey state troopers arrested G.P. for auto burglaries
which occurred on the New Jersey side of the park following a joint
investigation by rangers and state police officers. G.P. has admitted to
three of the burglaries and has been implicated in several more. He will be
tried in New Jersey state court. These two arrests are expected to resolve
the majority of the auto burglary cases which have occurred in the park this
summer. J.C. and G.P. are believed to have operated independently.
[Doyle Nelson, CR, DEWA, 7/20]
92-359 - Natchez Trace (Mississippi/Alabama/Tennessee) - Hit-and-Run Fatal
K.M., 20, was struck and killed by a motor vehicle near milepost
166 at about 3:30 a.m. on the morning of July 19th. He was pronounced dead
at the scene and taken to Jackson, Mississippi, for an autopsy and blood
test. No physical evidence was found at the scene. The incident is being
treated as a felony hit-and-run accident at this time. An investigation is
being conducted in cooperation with the local county sheriff's office.
[Gordon Wissinger, CR, NATR, 7/20]
92-360 - Olympic (Washington) - Search
At about 11:00 p.m. on the night of July 15th, D.H., 14, notified
park rangers that his father, R.H., 51, had failed to return to
their camp at Deer Lake that evening. Earlier that day, the father and son
had hiked to the lake in the park's Soleduck area; after they'd set up camp,
R.H. went out for a short hike prior to dinner while his son stayed in the
camp. When his father had not returned by 11:00 p.m., D.H. contacted the
rangers. A search was begun the following day which employed 21 searchers,
two dog teams and a helicopter, but no signs of R.H. were found. Eleven
searchers and two dogs remained in the area overnight. A total of about 45
searchers, five dog teams and two helicopters were preparing to renew the
search on the morning of Friday, July 17th, when R.H. reappeared in Forks,
Washington. R.H. said that he became lost after he took an unmarked trail
that branched off above Deer Lake. After almost 24 hours spent bushwacking
through the Bogachiel drainage, he found the Bogachiel trail late Thursday
afternoon and contacted a camper later that evening. The two hiked to the
Bogachiel trailhead, then drove to Forks and notified the police. R.H.
and D.H. were reunited at park headquarters. [Lisa Perina, OLYM, 7/17]
92-361 - Catoctin (Maryland) - Shooting Incident
A Navy employee from Camp David living in a trailer park adjacent to Round
Meadow was shot and wounded early on the afternoon of July 20th in a
domestic incident. During an argument with her husband, the woman
threatened to call the police; when he tried to stop her, she shot him with
a .25 caliber handgun. She then took him to a hospital in Waynesboro, where
he is being treated. The trailer is in an area of exclusive jurisdiction.
The FBI has been notified. [Capt. Marvin Ellison, RAD/NCRO, 7/20]
92-362 - Glen Canyon (Utah/Arizona) - Helicopter Crash
During the early afternoon of July 18th, a two-passenger, 1989 Robinson R22
helicopter owned and operated by B.S. of San Diego, California,
crashed into Lake Powell at the edge of a small rock island northwest of
Padre Butte. Neither B.S. nor his passenger were injured. The small
helicopter had lifted off B.S.'s houseboat in Gunsight Bay and had only
flown a short distance when it lost manifold pressure. B.S. was
approaching the shore of the island when the helicopter settled on its side
on a small rocky ledge in the water. Both men were able to get their
seatbelts off and escape to the surface. The helicopter was retrieved by
the park concessioner the following morning. No appreciable amount of fuel
or oil was lost into the lake. Neither alcohol nor drugs are thought to be
a contributing factor. Rangers are being joined in the investigation by FAA
and NTSB. [Larry Clark, CR, GLCA, 7/21]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/20 7/21 Status
AK State Upper Yukon * A412 - 750 NEC
OR BLM Prineville Dist. Chicken Springs 5,760 9,880 CN 7/21
Buck Hollow 1,580 1,580 NR
Burns Dist. * Big Rock Creek - 1,100 CND
Vale Dist. * Table Rock - 2,700 CND
CA USFS Cleveland NF Loveland 1,550 1,550 CND
Angeles NF * Devil - T2 - 1,430 CN 7/21
ID BLM Boise Dist. Bald Mountain 200 200 CND
AZ USFS Tonto NF Ridge 130 130 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:
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 DM - Demob in progress
3) FIRE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS -
* Angeles NF - The Devil Fire is threatening structures at Paradise Ranch.
High winds, steep terrain, flashy fuels and low fuel moistures are
impeding suppression efforts.
4) FIRE ACTIVITY - 335 fires for 11,852 acres in past 24 hours.
5) ANALYSIS - Increased activity is being reported in the Northwest,
Southwest and southern California.
6) PROGNOSIS - No resource shortages expected.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 7/21]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - Native American Remains
The acting superintendent of the park and his staff met with representatives
from nine Native American tribes/organizations on July 16th to determine
what should be done with the Native American remains uncovered in the park
in April. Under Public Law 101-601, the "Native American Graves Protection
and Repatriation Act", the ownership or control of Native American human
remains excavated or discovered on federal lands shall be with the lineal
descendants of the Native American. In this case, the lineal descendants
are members of the Delaware tribe, now residing in Oklahoma. Two tribal
chiefs flew from Oklahoma to the park to be present at the meeting. After
consultation, the Native American representatives requested that the remains
be reinterred with appropriate ceremony. The actual site of the internment
will remain confidential. The tribal representatives said that they
appreciated the sensitive handling of the incident by park and regional
archeological staff. [Doyle Nelson, CR, DEWA]
THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS
The Congressional actions update which appeared in yesterday's morning
report was for the second week of July, not this week. We apologize for the
error. The following activities will be taking place in Congress this week
on matters pertaining to the National Park Service.
Wednesday
Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Public Lands,
National Parks and Forests [Bumpers]:
Oversight hearings on the Vail Symposium and the Presidio.
House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee [Miller]:
Mark-up of pending legislation.
Thursday
House Interior and Insular Affairs' Subcommittee National Parks and
Public Lands [Vento]:
Mark-up of HR-5021, to consider a segment of the New River for wild and
scenic river status; HR-5061, to establish Dry Tortugas NP; HR-534,
cooperative agreement with William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom.
House Post Office and Civil Service Subcommittee on Human Resources:
Hearing on the utilization of temporary employees in the National Park
Service and the National Forest Service.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) The closing date for applications for the health and fitness
coordinators' training session to be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, between
August 31st and September 4th has been extended to Thursday, July 23rd.
Those who are interested and will be involved with their park's health and
fitness program should consider applying. Please have your regional
training officer fax a one-page nomination form to Karen Gustin at Albright.
These forms should arrive in Albright NO LATER THAN July 24th. Albright is
funding the course. No telephone nominations will be accepted. [Jim Lee,
RAD/WASO]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Marriott at meeting at Lake Mead,
NV (7/20-7/22).
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Spruill at OAS meeting, Boise, ID (7/20-7/24);
Norum conducting fire reviews at Isle Royale, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Pictured
Rocks and Indiana Dunes (7/20-7/25); Clark at fire prevention planning
meeting, Anchorage and Fairbanks, AK (7/20-7/31); Farrel on annual leave
(7/17-7/25).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5572/5573 or 202-208-5572/5573
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO
cc:Mail Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation