- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, June 1, 1993
- Date: Tues, 1 Jun 1993
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Tuesday, June 1, 1993
Broadcast: By 0830 ET
INCIDENTS
93-288 - Olympic (Washington) - Search in Progress
The search for 39-year-old S.M., which has been underway since
she was reported missing on May 25th, is being scaled down because of the
lack of clues. On May 26th and 27th, over 100 searchers, a helicopter and
seven dog teams looked for S.M. in the Quinault subdistrict. Because of
the number of searchers and the limitations imposed by terrain and water,
it's believed that S.M. would have been found by now if she was in the
area and on land. The search was accordingly scaled back to about 20
searchers, a helicopter and four dog teams on the 29th, and was to be
further reduced to nine searchers and a criminal investigator later in the
weekend. Search efforts are focusing on the margins of the Quinault River,
which is running high and fast and is filled with numerous log jams. [Larry
Nickey, OLYM, 5/29]
93-295 - Yosemite (California) - Aircraft Crash; Four Fatalities
Late on Friday, May 28th, Civil Air Patrol officials notified the park that
an ELT signal had been received from a point near Mt. Lyell. It was too
late to send search aircraft to the area, but a helicopter was dispatched at
first light on Saturday morning. The helicopter's crew found aircraft
wreckage at 11,800 feet about a quarter mile southeast of the mountain
shortly thereafter. Rangers arrived on scene at 10 a.m. and determined that
four people had been killed in the accident. Because of the heavy volume of
Memorial Day activity in the park, Dare County officers served as coroners
at the scene. The aircraft was on its way from Sequoia Fields to Columbia,
California, at the time of the accident. No further specifics are currently
available. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation
Safety Board have been advised and are responding. [Mike O'Neil, RAD/WRO,
and Dispatch, YOSE, 5/29]
93-260 - Canyonlands (Utah) - Drownings
On May 29th, three men - P.S., 77, D.B., 70, and W.C.,
40 - put in on the Green River for a flatwater "friendship cruise" down the
Green to its confluence with the Colorado, then up the Colorado to Moab.
The trio missed the turn at the confluence, however, and descended the
Colorado through Cataract Canyon. P.S. and D.B. drowned when the boat
overturned on Little Niagara falls, but W.C. survived. A search is
currently underway for the bodies. [Dick Powell, RMRO, 5/31]
93-261 - Yosemite (California) - Falling Fatality
D.H., 39, of Manchester, England, nicknamed "The Human Fly" because
of his standing as one of the world's top free climbers, was killed in a
fall from 3,000-foot Sentinel Rock sometime before the morning of May 29th,
when his body was found at the foot of the rock. [Seattle Times, 5/31]
93-262 - Olympic (Washington) - Rescue
Two women were rescued from the Skokomish River in the Staircase subdistrict
on the evening of May 28th. H.S. and M.C. put in near the
Staircase campground bridge and planned to raft the two miles of the river
from that point to the causeway bridge at the headwaters of Lake Cushman.
Their boyfriends were to pick them up at the lake, but the two women failed
to arrive at the appointed time. Just after 8 p.m., a ranger on patrol
heard cries for help at a point between the two bridges and found H.S. and
M.C. in the river. A rescue team consisting of five rangers and several
members from the local fire district were able to get the two safely out of
the river and up to the road by 11 p.m. The two had been in the water for
nearly 20 minutes before being rescued and were suffering from hypothermia;
H.S. also suffered a probable broken leg either when the raft flipped or
when she was trying to untangle herself from it. The women were taken to a
hospital and it appears that both will fully recover from the incident.
Rivers at Olympic are currently flowing fast and cold due to snow melt-off
and recent rains. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 5/29]
93-263 - Denali (Alaska) - Falling Fatality
C.C., 40, of Seattle, Washington, was killed while descending Mt.
McKinley at 11 p.m. on May 30th. C.C. was descending the Orient Express
when he fell from the 18,500-foot level to the 15,200-foot level. There
were two other climbers in the group, but no other injuries have been
reported. The group has been described as reasonably experienced. D.G.,
an air taxi operator, is removing the body from the mountain. At
the time of the report, there were 550 people on McKinley. [Scott Taylor,
ARO, 5/31]
93-264 - White Sands (New Mexico) - Search and Rescue
Just before noon on May 27th, the park received a report that 15-year-old
J.T. was missing. J.T. was barefoot and wearing a T-shirt,
shorts and a baseball cap; she had no water, and was overdue for medication
for hyperactivity, without which she was subject to increased disorientation
and agitation. J.T. had last been seen heading north into the Heart of
the Sands. A search was begun within minutes. J.T. was spotted about a
mile and a half north of the picnic area, but soon disappeared. Rangers
found numerous tracks and followed them north; by 2 p.m., however, they
could no longer track her, and summoned a helicopter. Rangers on board the
Army helicopter which responded searched the northeast section of the park
and found J.T. just before 3 p.m. She was found approximately three miles
north of her last seen location, but had walked an estimated eight to ten
miles in an attempt to return to her group. She was very thirsty,
disoriented and confused, but otherwise in good condition. Ranger Kathy Lee
administered medications and calmed J.T. down until she was transported
back by helicopter. [Bob Appling, CR, WHSA, 5/27]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 5/28 6/1 Status
AZ USFS Gila Whiskey 700 700 CND
BLM Phoenix * Santa Claus - 2,000 CN 5/31
State - * Tom Mix - 1,500 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
CND - Contained CN (date) - Expected date of containment
3) PARK FIRE REPORTS - No reports today.
4) ANALYSIS - Activity increased in the Southwest yesterday due to lightning
and human-caused fires. High temperatures, single-digit relative humidity
readings, and high to very high indices continued in the area. Although
very high to extreme indices continue in southern California, there was
little initial attack activity there.
5) PROGNOSIS - A red flag watch continues for winds and low relative
humidity for all of Arizona except the southwest deserts. Activity is
expected to continue because of lightning and holiday recreational
activities. An increase in initial attack operations is expected in
southern California as temperatures and winds increase.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 6/2]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
UPCOMING IN CONGRESS
The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming
weeks on matters pertaining to the National Park Service. If you would like
further information on any of these hearings or bills, please contact Dottie
in WASO Legislation at 202-208-3636.
June 8
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related
Agencies [Byrd]: Hearing on the FY 94 budget request for the
Department of Interior. Witness: Secretary Babbitt.
June 9
House Small Business Subcommittee on Procurement, Taxation and
Tourism [Bilbray]: Follow-up hearing to accept public sector
perspectives on unfair competition in the camping and
recreational vehicle industry from national parks and federal
lands. Witness: Assistant Director for Visitor Services David
Moffitt.
June 22
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee [Glenn]: RESCHEDULED:
Hearing on the failure of the federal government to provide
adequate budgeting for its own environmental programs, focusing
on the Department of Interior.
June 24
Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs [Inouye]: Hearing on
American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Witness: Associate
Director for Cultural Resources Jerry Rogers.
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Martin on AL (6/1-6/4); Berkowitz
at ARPA conference (6/1-6/4); Sisto at commercial use license meeting (6/1-
6/4).
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Spruill consulting with Big Bend staff on
aircraft selection (6/1-6/4); Gale at NASAR conference (6/1-6/6); Botti at
meeting on post-fire emergency rehabilitation of cultural and archeological
resources (6/1-6/4).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-4874
Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5572
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-6756
Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5977
cc:Mail: Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY (numeric message) - 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843
SkyTalk: Emergencies ONLY (voice message) - 1-800-759-8255, PIN 2404843