- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, June 9, 1993
- Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Wednesday, June 9, 1993
Broadcast: By 0830 ET
INCIDENTS
93-334 - Yosemite (California) - Follow-up on Search in Progress
W.S. was found at 9 a.m. on June 7th when he walked into a camp
that had been set up for searchers at White Wolf. He was in good condition,
but was taken to the park's clinic for a thorough examination, treated for
dehydration, and released. W.S. had become separated from his hiking
partner, Devin Barlow, during a stream crossing. Barlow waited in the area
for an hour and a half, then hiked out to the Tioga Road and reported
W.S. missing. W.S. had crossed downstream of Barlow and had become
disoriented. He set up his tent and got into his sleeping bag to stay warm
and dry. He was able to start a fire on Thursday night, but not on Friday
due to rain and snow. On Saturday, he moved his tent to a small peak in the
White Wolf vicinity and stayed there over the weekend. On Monday, he saw
that the weather was clearing, so he packed up his gear and hiked downhill.
W.S. saw a picnic table across a small creek, moved toward it, and broke
into a bathroom in the White Wolf campground in order to obtain dry shelter.
Shortly thereafter, he heard a motor and went outside to investigate. It
was a snowplow being used to clear the campground road for a busload of
searchers. Two searchers were walking behind the plow and identified
W.S. as the missing hiker. He was then taken to the clinic. Almost 200
people were involved in the search on Monday, including seven dog teams, 110
ground searchers and three helicopters and crews. The search was run under
a joint Forest Service-National Park Service command, and was assisted by
Yosemite Park and Curry Company and volunteer search teams from throughout
the state of California. [Phyllis Cremonini, YOSE, 6/8]
93-339 - Harpers Ferry (West Virginia) - Rescue
On the afternoon of June 6th, R.C., 20, fell approximately 30
feet from a steep crevasse near the face of Maryland Heights. R.C. had
been free-climbing (unregistered) with friends when she lost her handhold
and fell backwards. She suffered severe lacerations to the head, back and
lower extremities and a possible fracture to the right arm. Rangers Bruce
Hasson, David Tucker and Jeff Carlisle were first on scene and began rescue
efforts. Members of Frederick County's advanced technical rescue team
provided assistance by setting up rescue lines and a Z rig enabling a hand
rescue to the top of the heights. Once at the top, R.C. was evacuated in
Eagle I, the Park Police helicopter. Pilot Ron Galey and rescue technicians
Kevin Chittick and Fred Davis conducted the evacuation in high winds and
were cited by the park for their excellent work in the rescue. R.C. was
taken to a nearby hospital for treatment; full recovery is expected. The
successful rescue was attributed to close cooperation between all
participating agencies. Hasson was the incident commander for the
operation. [Harvey Sorenson, CR, HAFE, 6/7]
93-340 - Chattahoochee River (Georgia) - Suicide
J.G., 47, of Marietta, Georgia, shot himself in the temple with a
handgun in the Sope Creek picnic area at 10 a.m. on the morning of June 4th.
The incident was witnessed by a park maintenance worker, who was
subsequently provided with a critical stress debriefing. Rangers and Cobb
County EMS personnel responded. J.G. was taken to Kennestone Hospital,
where he was pronounced dead. [Ken Garvin, CR, CHAT, 6/7]
93-341 - Gulf Island (Mississippi/Florida) - Special Event
Some 900 to 1,000 boats and almost 5,000 people descended on Ship Island on
June 6th to attend the second annual Mississippi Coast Boaters Rendezvous.
The rendezvous was advertised as a family event with a priest blessing the
recreational boating fleet. The event also featured a rock band, a hula-
hoop contest, and men's and women's swimsuit contests. The crowd
congregated within a narrow stretch of beach about two-thirds of a mile
long. The 90 degree temperatures, congestion and ample consumption of
alcohol contributed to a number of disturbances. Rangers and other officers
responded to six fights, hundreds of incidents of underage drinking, almost
100 boating violations, one SAR, numerous incidents of marijuana possession
and use, and a dozen minor and four serious medical problems. Another four
boating accidents were reported as people returned to the mainland some four
miles away. The Coast Guard, Mississippi Bureau of Marine Resources, and
Harrison County deputies assisted in the event. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS,
6/8]
93-342 - Rock Creek (D.C.) - Drug and Weapon Violations
Park Police officers stopped a car with a fraudulent temporary tag early on
the afternoon of June 2nd. The officers noted a narcotics violation; during
a pat down of one of the occupants, 19-year-old D.J., they came
upon and seized a loaded .44 caliber revolver. Another six rounds of
ammunition were taken from his person. Investigation revealed that D.J.
was a student at a local high school and was returning to school. D.J.
was taken into custody. [Lt. H.A. Berberich, USPP, 6/3]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 6/8 6/9 Status
AK NPS Denali B291 5,390 - MN
State Tanana Zone 332248 5,248 5,248 NEC
332265 550 550 NEC
332266 800 800 NEC
FWS Yukon-Delta Discovery - T2 20,480 23,437 NEC
BLM Steese-White
Mountains B262 700 700 NEC
NM USFS Gila Black Range
Complex - T1 6,500 6,500+ NEC
Brush 22,000 14,480 CN 6/21
Clear 3,000 3,000 NEC
FL FWS Okefenokee * Gnat Catcher - T1 - 500 NEC
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 8th:
* Cumberland Island - Fire danger is still extreme. Temperatures are
hovering around 100 degrees, with no relief in sight.
* Saguaro - Fire rekindled on the Duckbill burn on Monday night; about
30 acres were treated by the following morning. Smoke movement looked
good to the East. Only a few reports were received from Tucson.
4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack increased in the South yesterday, with one fire
escaping suppression efforts. Initial attack declined in Alaska;
significant gains were reported on confinement fires there.
5) PROGNOSIS - High temperatures and afternoon thunderstorms are forecast
for Florida and Georgia and will increase the possibility of initial attack.
Clear skies and warming temperatures with isolated thunderstorms are
forecast for the interior of Alaska. Thunderstorms are decreasing in the
Southwest, so initial attack should also decrease.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 6/8]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Badlands (South Dakota) - Black-Footed Ferrets
The NPS, Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service are seeking comments
from the public on a draft EIS describing the conditions under which
captive-raised black-footed ferrets would be released into the wild within
an area identified as the Conata Basin/Badlands area which is partly in the
park and partly in the Forest Service's Buffalo Gap National Grassland. The
draft EIS, which was published in the Federal Register on May 7th, calls for
designation of any released ferrets and their offspring as members of a
nonessential experiment population, thereby giving agency personnel the
necessary flexibility to manage the ferret population while allowing major
land uses to continue without restrictions. It also evaluates the effects
of reintroducing the ferrets into the area. Issues, concerns and
opportunities were identified through public meetings at the local and state
level, comments from the governor of South Dakota and national responses. A
series of possible options was presented; the preferred action proposes that
experimental techniques be developed, used and refined for the
reintroduction and establishment of a free-ranging population of black-
footed ferrets in the wild as part of a national recovery effort. Copies of
the draft EIS are available from Tim Reid at Badlands. Comments are due by
July 19th. [Bruce Bessken, CRM, BADL]
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 10
House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests
and Public Lands [Vento]: Markup of H.R. 433 and S. 80, to
increase the size of Big Thicket by adding certain units; H.R.
1347, to modify the boundary of Hot Springs; and H.R. 1944, to
provide additional development at War in the Pacific.
June 15
House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests
and Public Lands [Vento]: Hearing on H.R. 518, to designate
certain lands in the California desert as wilderness and to
establish Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and Mojave
National Monument.
June 16
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests [Bumpers]: Hearing on S.294,
to authorize the Secretary of Interior to formulate a program
for the research, interpretation and preservation of various
aspects of colonial New Mexico history; S.310, to amend title V
of PL 96-550, designating Chaco Culture archeological protection
sites; S.836 and S.983, to amend the National Trails System Act
to provide for a study of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro;
H.R. 698 and S.1049, to protect Lechuguilla Cave and other
resources and values in and adjacent to Carlsbad Caverns; and
other bills.
June 16
House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Subcommittee on Environment
and Natural Resources [Studds]: Hearing on habitat conservation
plans developed pursuant to the Endangered Species Act.
June 17
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests [Bumpers]: Hearing on S. 472,
to improve the administration and management of public lands,
national forests, units of the National Park System and related
areas by improving the availability of adequate, appropriate,
affordable and cost-effective housing for employees needed to
effectively manage the public lands; S. 742, to establish an
advisory commission for Kalo-Honokohau; S.752, to modify the
boundary of Hot Springs; S. 971, to increase the authorizations
for War in the Pacific and American Memorial; and other bills.
Witness: Associate Director for Planning and Development Denis
Galvin.
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: 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