- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, June 7, 1993
- Date: Mon, 7 Jun 1993
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Monday, June 7, 1993
Broadcast: By 0830 ET
INCIDENTS
93-323 - Gateway (New York) - Illegal Aliens; Fatalities
Just before 2 a.m. on the morning of June 6th, Park Police officers heard
people calling for help from the ocean near Fort Tilden and came upon
numerous illegal Chinese immigrants swimming to shore from the Golden
Venture, a small freighter which was grounded on a sandbar 200 yards off
shore. By 3 a.m., 250 police officers, 52 ambulances, four helicopters and
scores of firefighters had assembled on the beach to pull swimmers from the
53 degree water. At least seven died. Twenty-nine others were taken to
area hospitals suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion, and 295 were
treated and released into the custody of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service (INS). Police are still searching for an estimated 25 people who
managed to reach the beach and escape capture. The Indonesian captain of
the Honduran-registered freighter and 10 crew members were taken into
custody and are scheduled to be charged with immigration violations in
hearings this morning. Most of the immigrants were from Fujian, a poor,
agrarian province, and had been on the ship since it left that province 112
days ago. INS officials believe that dozens of ships have delivered illegal
aliens from China to the U.S. in the past year as part of a multi-million-
dollar smuggling operation based in Manhattan's Chinatown. [John Lynch,
NARO, 6/6; Dale Dickerhoof, RAD/WASO, 6/6; Washington Post, 6/6]
93-324 - Wrangell - St. Elias (Alaska) - Aircraft Accident
Just before noon on June 5th, an NPS Cessna 185 crashed while landing at the
Gulkana Airport. Neither the pilot, ranger J.H., nor his three
passengers - G.M. of Alaska DNR and park FIREPRO seasonals K/F/
and T.L. - was hurt. The plane's right wing struck the
ground and the aircraft did a ground loop. The Cessna suffered an estimated
$35,000 in damages. OAS has been advised and is investigating. [Steve
Holder, ARO, 6/5]
93-325 - Saguaro (Arizona) - Attempted Kidnapping
On the morning of May 25th, a female park volunteer was collecting litter on
Sandario Road when a man driving a grey vehicle stopped and approached her.
When he got closer, he began chasing the volunteer. She immediately ran to
her vehicle and locked herself inside just before the man reached the car.
He attempted to forcibly open the car door; when he failed to get in, he ran
to his vehicle and fled the area at a high rate of speed. The man is
believed to be the same one wanted by the Pima County sheriff's department
for a violent sexual assault which occurred on May 5th. In that incident,
the victim was abducted at gunpoint outside the park and driven to a
location near Saguaro, then violently assaulted for several hours. Rangers
and Pima County deputies are conducting a joint investigation of the
incident. [RAD/WRO, 6/4]
93-326 - Appomattox Court House (Virginia) - Severe Thunderstorms
The park was hard hit late on June 4th by severe thunderstorms and/or small
tornadoes. Although hundreds of trees were uprooted or toppled, including
more than a score in the village itself, no buildings were damaged. A large
locust tree fell directly in front of the McLean House, but fell exactly
parallel to the front porch steps. The park was without power for over 36
hours. Many fences were badly damaged. It will take several days to assess
the total damage and weeks to clean it up. [APCO, 6/5]
93-327 - Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) - Severe Thunderstorms
A line of severe thunderstorms which passed through south-central Kentucky
on June 4th produced extremely heavy rain, hail and damaging winds.
Electricity, telephones and the park's repeater system went out almost
immediately. About 300 visitors were on tours below ground at the time.
Ten of the eleven park entrance roads were closed by downed trees, and
operations of the park's two ferry boats were curtailed due to debris in the
Green River. Several sites in the headquarters campground were closed due
to broken and dangling limbs. While hundreds of trees snapped off or were
uprooted, there was a noticeable difference in developed areas and along
roadsides where recent efforts to reduce hazard trees had occurred. Damage
to facilities was minimal. Emergency operations plans, managed under the
incident command system, were immediately implemented. Park staff evacuated
all visitors from the cave system within two hours after the storm's
passage. All roads were cleared and opened by park crews by nightfall.
Power outages in surrounding areas were severe; as of Sunday, June 6th,
utility crews had yet to even begin efforts to restore power. Visitors are
being given refunds for tours, which have been curtailed except for one no-
cost lantern tour per day. The student dining hall at the Job Corps center
is being powered by generator and remains in operation. The park's
concession facilities were hard hit. Guests who stayed were treated to
meals grilled outdoors. A major loss of all perishable foods is
anticipated. Park residents have rotated use of one generator to maintain
freezers and refrigerators. [Dave Mihalic, Superintendent, MACA, 6/6]
[More pending incident reports tomorrow]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II
One geographic area experiencing high fire danger. Numerous Class A, B, and
C fires occurring and a potential exists for escapes to larger (project)
fires. Minimal mobilization of resources from other geographic areas
occurring. The potential exists for mobilizing additional resources from
other geographic areas.
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 6/4 6/7 Status
AK State - * B222 - 17,000 NEC
Tanana Zone * 332248 - 650 NEC
* 332265 - 550 NEC
* 332266 - 350 NEC
FWS Yukon-Delta * Discovery - T2 - 20,000 NEC
BLM Steese-White
Mountains * B262 - 700 NEC
NM BLM Las Cruces Escondido Comp:
- Martin 1,870 1,870 CND
- Mashed O 19,000 37,000 CND
- 3 others 10,000+ 13,630 CND
Roswell Jal #2 9,000 19,610 CND
USFS Gila * Black Range
Complex - T1 - 8,770 NEC
State - * Bulls - 200 NEC
AZ USFS Tonto * Trailhead - 300 CND
State Catalina * CSP - T2 - 800 CND
TX Army Fort Bliss Trans Mountain 3,000 8,126 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 - The following are highlights from the NPS National
Wildland Fire Summary for June 7th (and verbal reports):
* Denali - A fire about 2,500 acres in size is burning near Kantishna.
* Cumberland Island - The park is still experiencing extreme fire danger.
A presuppression crew is on scene and will remain for a few more days.
* Carlsbad Cavern - The fire danger has dropped from extreme to high due
to rising humidity. A red flag watch posted yesterday was expected to
push the index back to extreme.
4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity has decreased in the Southwest due to
cooler weather, but high to extreme indices are still being reported. High
to extreme indices are also being reported in Florida and Georgia. Initial
attack continues in the Southwest and Alaska; some fires are escaping and
large fires are increasing in size because of winds.
5) PROGNOSIS - Initial attack activity should moderate in the Southwest with
the arrival of cooler temperatures, but will increase in Alaska because of
afternoon thunderstorms and the possibility of dry lightning. It will
continue in the South.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 6/7]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Cape Lookout (North Carolina) - Alligator Relocation
On the morning of June 2nd, several local fishermen discovered a seven-foot
alligator on the beach of Shackleford Banks, one of three barrier islands
comprising the seashore. The alligator was transported to a local marina,
where a state wildlife officer picked it up, took it to Newport River, and
released it in an area hospitable to alligators. The American alligator is
an endangered species in North Carolina and are extremely rare on the outer
banks. [John Sherman, CALO]
CALENDAR
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. Entries are listed no earlier than four months before the
event. Asterisks indicate new entries; brackets at end of entry indicate
source of information:
June 15 - 17 -- Global Positioning Systems, training course, University of
Montana, Missoula, MT. Call 406-243-4623.
June 17 -- Wetlands Recognition and Delineation Field Trip, Western
Forestry and Conservation Association, Issaquah,
Washington. Contact: 503-226-4562. [Karen Taylor-
Goodrich, CODA]
June 20 - 23 -- Annual Conference and Workshop, Association of Natural
Resources Enforcement Trainers, Sheraton Cavalier Hotel,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Contact: John D.
Edwards, Provincial Enforcement Training Coordinator,
Saskatchewan DNR, at 306-953-2992 (fax: 306-953-2999).
[Bob Martin, SHEN]
June 21 - 25 -- Conference on Inventorying and Monitoring Techniques to
Respond to Catastrophic Events, Pennsylvania State
University, University Park, PA 16802. Contact: Steve
Fairweather, 814-865-1602. [Kathy Jope, PNRO]
June 22 - 25 -- "Conservation in Working Landscapes", 20th Annual Natural
Areas Conference, University of Maine, Orono, ME.
Contact: Hank Tyler, Maine State Planning Office, Station
38, Augusta, ME 04333 (207-624-6041). [Steve Cinnamon,
MWRO]
June 21 - 25 -- "Managing the NEPA Process and Writing Effective
Environmental Documents", training course, Denver, CO.
The second in a series of three courses on environmental
law and policy being offered over the coming year. For
application procedures, contact your regional employee
development office. [Jake Hoogland, EQD/WASO]
June 26 - 29 -- Effects of Human-Induced Changes on Hydrologic Systems:
Annual Symposium of the American Water Resources
Association, Jackson Hole, WY. Contact: David Naftz,
USGS, 1745 West 1700 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104.
[Janet Wise, RMRO]
June 30 -- Deadline for papers and abstracts for 55th Midwest Fish
and Wildlife Conference, to be held in St. Louis, MO, from
December 11th to the 15th. Contact: DeeDee Darrow, 314-
751-4115. [Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]
July '93 - June '95 -- Preservation and Skills Training Program (PAST). Trainees
and mentor applications accepted. Contact your regional
training officer or Susan Escherich, Preservation
Assistance Division, WASO, at 202-343-9591. [Chris Perry,
EDD/WASO]
July 7 - 9 -- EO for Supervisors and Managers, training course, Mather
EDC, Harpers Ferry, WV. Funded by benefitting accounts.
For application procedures, contact your regional employee
development officer. [EDC/STMA]
July 12 - 15 -- "Sustaining the Ecological Integrity of Large Floodplain
Rivers: Application of Ecological Knowledge to River
Management", Lacrosse, WI. Contact: Dr. Kenneth Lubinski,
Environmental Management Technical Center, 575 Lester
Avenue, Onalaska, WI 54650. [Janet Wise, RMRO]
July 12 - 16 -- Workshop in Park Operations Evaluation, Mather Employee
Development Center, Harpers Ferry, WV. Nominations must
be in to Mather NLT May 27th. For application procedures,
contact your regional employee development officer. [Deke
Cripe, WASO]
July 12 - 15 -- onference on Sustainable Ecological Systems, Northern
Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ. Contact: DuBois
Conference Center, PO Box 15003, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5003,
602-404-0234. [Kathy Jope, RAD/PNRO]
July 25 - 30* -- Managerial Grid - Phase I/Managerial Grid Instructor
Preparation Seminar, Richmond, VA. The two courses will
run concurrently. Sponsored by ANPR. Applications or 10-
182's must be submitted by June 11th and should be sent to
Debbie Gorman, ANPR, PO Box 307, Gansevoort, NY 12831.
[Bill Wade, SHEN]
July 27 - 31 -- First International Bison Conference, Lacrosse, WI.
Topics include genetics, disease, nutrition, ecology,
phenotype, cultural issues, management, and seminars on
marketing and meat processing. There will also be a trade
show. Contact: Ronald Walker, 605-255-4515 (phone) and
605-255-4515 (fax). [Bruce Bessken, BADL]
July 31 - Aug 3 -- Annual Meeting, Ecological Society of America, University
of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. The NPS CPSU at the University
of Wisconsin will be hosting a reception for NPS personnel
and researchers interested in working in NPS areas.
Contact: Jim Bennett, 608-262-9937. [Joe Meyer, GIS/MWR]
August 1 - 5 -- 44th Annual Meeting, American Institute of Biological
Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Contact: AIBS,
730 11th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001-4521. [Steve
Cinnamon, MWRO]
August 1 - 14 -- Summer School in Applied Deep Ecology, Shenoa Retreat
Center, Philo, CA. Contact: Institute for Deep Ecology,
303-939-8398.
August 3 - 5 -- Engineering for Wetlands Restoration, Adams Mark Hotel,
St. Louis, MO. Contact: Cheryl Lloyd, 601-634-3711.
August 12 - 15* -- 66th Pecos Conference: Southwest Archeology, Casa Malpais
NHL, Springerville, AZ. Themes will include PaleoIndian,
Archaic, Anasazi, Mogollon, Hohokam, MesoAmerican,
Entrada, Historic, or Method and Theory. Contact: Dr.
John Hohmann, Louis Berger and Associates, 5343 N. 16th
St., Suite 260, Phoenix, AZ 85016 (602-234-1124; fax 241-
1561) or Brian Kenny, Arizona State Land Department (602-
506-4608; fax 506-4882). [Cal Cummings, Anthropology/WASO]
August 24 - 26 -- Creating a Forestry for the 21st Century, Portland, OR.
Sponsored by Olympic Natural Resources Center, College of
Forest Resources, University of Washington. Contact: 800-
942-4978 or 509-335-3530.
August 30 - September 1 -- Historic Landscape Maintenance Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Registration for the conference will be $55, and the
course will be limited to approximately 140 participants.
More detailed information and registration forms will be
sent to all parks and regions in early June. Contact:
Lucy Lawliss, historical landscape architect, at 404-730-
2275. [Lucy Lawliss]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Brady at personnel specialists' workshop (6/8-6/9) and on AL
(6/10-6/11).
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Gale at NWCG meeting to review ICS task books
(6/8-6/11); Farrel at wildland/urban interface initiative fire landscaping
meeting (6/8-6/11).
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