- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, July 26, 1994
- Date: Tues, 26 Jul 1994
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, July 26, 1994
Broadcast: By 0930 ET
INCIDENTS
94-399 - Yosemite (California) - Follow-up on Car Clouts
During the afternoon and evening of July 12th and in the early morning hours
of July 13th, Yosemite Valley was hit ten times by auto burglars. On July
20th, the park was again hit by car clouters, who broke into seven
vehicles - five in the Valley, one at Mono Meadows, and one at Wawona Hotel.
The MO matched the previous week's burglaries in which windows were opened
with a pry tool that left marks consistent with a large, flat head
screwdriver. All the vehicles in this round of break-ins were Ford Aerostar
mini-vans. Later that night, Valley District rangers staked out several
parking lots. Around 1:30 a.m., a 911 call came in of a vehicle break-in at
Curry Village. While plain clothes rangers continued to watch this lot for
suspects, ranger Chris Pergiel set up a check point on the only road leading
to the area. The fifth vehicle to arrive at the check point was driven by a
man wearing batting gloves. As Pergiel spoke with him, he noticed a large
screwdriver on the floor at the driver's feet. Further examination of the
car revealed property stolen in the earlier burglaries. The driver, M.H.,
and the passenger, J.J., were arrested for possession of
stolen property. Both are from the Bay Area. M.H. has an extensive
criminal history, including felony convictions for arson and burglary;
J.J. has no history. Under counsel of the federal defender, J.J. agreed
to assist the investigation in return for prosecutorial consideration. A
search warrant is being sought for M.H.'s residence based on information
provided by J.J. Also in the car at the time of the arrest was a credit
card reported stolen from a Ford Aerostar van at Point Reyes on July 19th.
[Dan Horner, CI, YOSE, 7/25]
94-418 - Chickasaw (Oklahoma) - Homicide
On the morning of July 24th, an abandoned Ford pickup truck was found stuck
along a road leading to the park's Breezy Point area. At about the same
time, a park visitor looking for a place to fish found the body of a man
lying beneath a tree near the lake. Investigation revealed that the victim,
subsequently identified as B.S., 29, of Mesquite, Texas, had received
multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body, and that he was the owner of the
truck. The FBI and Murray County sheriff's office joined rangers in the
investigation. A warrant was issued for the suspect in the murder, J.C.,
34, B.S.'s half brother. J.C. is believed to be armed with a
.22 automatic pistol that was found to be missing from B.S.'s truck.
J.C. was released from prison in 1985, where he'd served a ten-year
sentence for armed robbery. He is considered armed and dangerous and is
thought to still be in the area. [Butch Hill, Acting CR, CHIC, 7/25]
94-419 - Statue of Liberty (New York) - Oil Spill
On the morning of July 20th, the park reported an oil sheen in the Ellis
Island ferry slip to the Coast Guard, which dispatched a pollution response
team. Investigation of the incident by OSHA- certified rangers and Coast
Guard team members revealed that the oil was emanating from the sunken
ferry, S.S. Ellis Island, which sank in the slip in August, 1968.
Preliminary research indicates that the ferry could have as much as 5,000
gallons of number four oil on board. Containment booms were deployed and
research into the oil tanks is underway to determine the method of spill
remediation that will be used. [Scott Pfeninger, CR, STLI, 7/25]^,
94-420 - Isle Royale (Michigan) - SCUBA Diving Fatality
On July 22nd, twenty-three year old K.E. of Owatana, Minnesota, went
diving on the Emperor, a wreck located off the park's northeast shoreline,
along with others diving from a charter vessel, The Royal Diver. When K.E.
surfaced from the 130-foot dive, he became unconscious and his breathing and
circulation stopped. A paramedic aboard the Royal Diver immediately began
CPR and administered oxygen. Park rangers were notified by marine radio of
the accident and arrived at the accident site at approximately about an hour
later. Rangers continued advanced life support measures while transporting
K.E. by boat to Passage Island for helicopter rescue transport to Thunder
Bay, Canada via Bandage III, an emergency medical air rescue unit. K.E. was
pronounced dead at the Passage Island helipad. The accident is being
investigated by rangers. [CRO, ISRO, 7/25]
94-421 - War in the Pacific (Guam) - Special Events
On July 23rd, Western Region's all risk incident management team completed
its assignment to assist the park with the 50th anniversary commemoration of
the liberation of Guam. Eight events occurred at seven parks sites over the
course of three days. Total estimated visitation at all events was about
7,000, including 2,000 returning veterans and their spouses. Despite
temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s and very high humidity, no medical
problems were encountered. The incident was jointly managed by the NPS,
military, Guam police and civic agencies, and respective village mayors and
was highly successful. That success was evident in subsequent request from
the governor's office and from the Navy for information and assistance on
other events they will be planning and conducting. [WAPA, 7/24]
94-422 - Olympic (Washington) - Special Event
The Kalaloch Subdistrict hosted a dedication ceremony for the establishment
of NOAA's Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary on July 16th. Attending
were several dignitaries, including the governor of Washington and the
Secretary of Commerce. The park worked closely with a number of
organizations on event management, including NOAA agents, state police, the
county sheriff's office, the Quinault tribe, ARA Services, and local
communities. Rangers from Mount Rainier, Coulee Dam, Crater Lake, North
Cascades and Fort Clatsop provided additional law enforcement support during
the event. Contacts were made with members of Earth First!, the
environmental group, who were discouraged from staging a planned
demonstration. Protestors from an unknown local group placed a sign saying
"Log O.N.P." outside the park boundary. Despite the presence of these two
opposing factions, the event went over with no significant problems. [Curt
Sauer, CR, OLYM, 7/21]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - III
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/25 7/26 Status
NM USFS Gila NF Pigeon 6,250 6,250 CN 7/31
CA USFS Klamath NF Dillon Complex - T1 3,223 3,700 NEC
Six Rivers NF Blue/Salmon 412 ?? NEC
WA USFS Wenatchee NF * Tyee Complex - T1 - 680 NEC
* Hatchery Complex - T1 - 4,700 NEC
Okanogan NF * Poorman - T1 - ?? CN 7/27
Colville NF * Republic Complex - T2 - 100 CN 7/28
OR USFS Siskiyou NF Mendenhall - T1 680 680 NEC
BLM Burns Dis. Red Point 4,000 ?? NEC
NV BLM Elko Dis. Goose Creek - T2 10,000 13,560 CN 7/27
Rain Fire - T1 10,000 12,000 CN 7/28
Winemucca Dis. Buttermilk 150 150 CND
State - Tabor Creek 200 200 CND
USFS Humboldt NF Big Table - T2 3,000 2,517 CN 7/25
UT State - Bullock 1,000 1,200 CN 7/27
ID USFS Payette NF * Walters - 150 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 NEC - No estimate of containment
CND - Contained CN/CS (date) - Expected date of containment
3) FIRE HIGHLIGHTS -
* Rain Fire, Elko District - The fire is threatening private ranches, a
maine, powerlines, Interstate 80 and the town of Carlin. Erratic winds
caused significant runs yesterday.
4) FIRES YESTERDAY -
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 23 13 38 0 226 378 678
Acres Burned 8 333 23,250 0 6,253 7,489 37,341
5) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 140 218 17 19 935
Non-federal 56 102 7 0 263
6) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1994 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires 54,212 43,543
Acres Burned 1,711,414 1,470,433
7) SITUATION - Lightning-caused fires led to an increase in initial attack
activity in Washington, Idaho and Montana yesterday. Several fires in the
Northwest and northern Idaho escaped initial attack. Three Type I teams
were mobilized. Very high to extreme indices are being reported in most
areas; several have fire restrictions in effect.
8) OUTLOOK - Hot and dry conditions persist over most of the West, and fire
activity is expected to increase. Competition for resources continues due
to the increase in initial and extended attack operations in the Northwest
and northern Rockies.
[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/26]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
NCR Parks (Virginia/Maryland/D.C.) - Bald Eagle Habitat
A bald eagle habitat suitability study has been completed for the George
Washington Memorial Parkway, southern sections of C&O Canal, and National
Capital Parks East. All three active nest sites in the area were visited
and analyses of aerial photos and field spot checks were conducted. Initial
review indicates that much of the Potomac River shoreline from Great Falls
to Mount Vernon provides valuable foraging, perching and nesting habitat. \,
-
-
-CCAlthough all of these activities presently occur, much of the habitat is
compromised by human activities. Fishing and foot traffic along most of the
length of both shores may cause more disturbance to eagles than aircraft and
vehicle traffic. Dr. Jim Frasier of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, who
conducted the study with a graduate student, was recently highlighted on CNN
as a spokesperson for people engaged in bald eagle research. He expressed
concern that the Chesapeake Bay population of eagles will be included in the
federal listing change from "endangered" to "threatened." Research by Dr.
Frasier and others in the region has established some long term trends in
habitat loss throughout the Chesapeake Bay that will likely reverse recent
population increases. Habitat loss is resulting from development on private
property and increased activity on public lands. New management strategies
by agencies such as the National Park Service, which manage these lands,
will be increasingly important in maintaining and providing areas for
redistributing these recently recovered populations. [Dan Sealy, GWMP]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
MEMORANDA
No memoranda.
IN CONGRESS
The following activities have occurred recently or will be taking place in
Congress during coming weeks on matters of interest or consequence to the
National Park Service. If you would like further information on any of
these hearings or bills, please contact Mary in WASO Legislation at 202-208-
3636.
Upcoming Hearings
7/27 -- House Public Works and Transportation's Subcommittee on Aviation
(Oberstar): Hearing on legislation and regulations affecting
scenic overflights above national parks.
7/28 -- House Natural Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests
and Public Lands (Vento) - POSTPONED TO LATER DATE (TBA): Markup
of H.R. 3408 and S. 1586, to establish the New Orleans Jazz
National Historical Park, LA; H.R. 4642, to provide for the
restoration of Washington Square in Philadelphia and for its
inclusion within Independence National Historical Park.
-- Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests (Bumpers): Hearing on S. 2121,
to promote entrepreneurial management of the National Park
Service.
-- House Natural Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests
and Public Lands (Vento): Hearing on H.R. 793, Bramwell National
Historical Park Act of 1993; H.R. 4720, Hudson River Valley
American Heritage Area; H.R. 4692, Appalachian Coal Heritage
Area; and S. 1980, Cane River Creole National Historical Park
and Cane River National Heritage Area.
8/2 -- Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests (Bumpers): Hearing on S. 1222,
to revise the boundaries of the Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor; S. 1342, to establish the Essex Heritage
District Commission; S. 1726; East St. Louis Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial Architectural Design Competition Act; S.
1818, to establish the Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage
Corridor as an affiliated area; S. 1871, to establish the New
Bedford Whaling National Historical Park; S. 2064, to expand the
boundary of the Weir Farm National Historic Site; S. 2234, to
amend the Mississippi River Corridor Study Commission Act of
1989.
8/9 -- Senate Environment and Public Works' Subcommittee on Clean
Water, Fisheries and Wildlife (Graham): Hearing on endangered
species conservation on public lands.
Recent Actions
House -- The Committee on Natural Resources' Subcommittee on National
Parks, Forests, and Public Lands has approved the following
bills for committee action: H.R. 359, to improve the
administration of the Women's Rights National Historical Park;
H.R. 4448, to amend the Act establishing Lowell National
Historic Park; H.R. 3898, to establish the New Bedford Whaling
National Historical Park; and H.R. 4158, to establish the Lower
East Side Tenement Museum National Historic site.
Senate -- Senator Campbell (CO) has introduced S. 2284, to redesignate the
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument as a national
park, to establish the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National
Conservation Area, to establish the Curecanti National
Recreation Area, and to include the Gunnison River in the
Nation's Wild and Scenic River System.
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax: 202-208-6756
cc:Mail: WASO Ranger Activities
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY: 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843