- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, March 27, 1995
- Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, March 27, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
94-154 - Lake Meredith (Texas) - Follow-up on MVA with Serious Injuries
Last week, J.B. was found guilty of failure to maintain control of his
vehicle in federal magistrate's court in Amarillo. Charges against him stemmed
from an incident that occurred on April 3, 1994. J.B. was traveling to the
Harbor Bay area of the park early that morning to check on one of his vehicles,
which was stuck near the lake's shoreline. While driving on an undesignated
dirt road, he lost control of his vehicle, which then struck a Camaro, ran over
14-year-old J.F., who was in a sleeping bag, and struck 16-year-old
S.H. Both boys were camped in a campsite at the time. Witnesses
testified that J.B. was traveling too fast at the time, and that he apparently
tried to hit his brakes but pushed down on the accelerator instead. J.B. was
fined $500 and ordered to perform 20 hours of community service. The accident
is also the subject of civil litigation in state court. [CR, LAMR, 3/23]
95-119 - Dinosaur (Colorado) - Rescue
Just before midnight on March 28th, kayakers reported that three inexperienced
rafters were overdue from a run through the class IV, V or VI rapids (depending
on water level) in Cross Mountain Gorge on the Yampa River. The three-mile-
long gorge is on BLM lands nine miles east of the park. Snow, cold and
darkness prevented rescue efforts that evening, but an interagency rescue
operation was begun at the mouth of the canyon at 7 a.m. the following morning.
A helicopter flew the canyon and spotted the rafters stranded between two big
rapids about half way through the gorge. An NPS river ranger was flown to the
location. The ranger and the three rafters then roped the rafters' 1944-
vintage military surplus raft through the worst rapids and floated out the rest
of the way. All three had minor hypothermia; they were treated at the scene
and released. The rescue was paid by the Colorado Search and Rescue fund,
which is made possible by a $.25 fee on all Colorado recreation licenses. [Ed
Pontbriand, DINO, 3/21]
95-120 - San Juan (Puerto Rico) - Falling Fatality
On March 18th, the body of a young man was found in the ocean near the north
shore of Fort San Cristobal. Preliminary investigation indicates that the as
yet unidentified victim fell to the sea from some point within the park. No
witnesses have been located, and there were no reports of suspicious persons in
the area. An autopsy has been conducted and the investigation into his death
is continuing. [Madeline Yordan, CR, SAJU, 3/23]
95-121 - Coronado (Arizona) - Assist; Drug Smuggling
Early on the morning of March 17th, a vehicle illegally crossing the border
from Mexico into the United States just east of the park activated a sensor.
Responding Customs agents spotted the vehicle and began to follow it. A chase
ensued, during which two Customs vehicles were rammed. The agents asked
rangers for assistance, and they attempted to intercept the vehicle. The
driver was able to maneuver around the ranger vehicles, however, and escaped
back into Mexico. As the vehicle entered Mexico, Customs agents observed at
least five individuals armed with what appeared to be AK-47s just south of the
border. Once the vehicle crossed into Mexico, they ran south. During the
pursuit, the operator of the vehicle was observed talking on a portable radio,
and it's believed that he may have been contacting the armed men. [Bill Smith,
CORO, 3/23]
95-122 - Organ Pipe Cactus (Arizona) - Assist; Drug Seizures and Deportations
At the request of police on the Tohono O'odham reservation, rangers provided
assistance this month on a ten-day operation focused on drug interdiction on
reservation lands adjacent to the park's west boundary. The team seized over a
ton of marijuana and four vehicles, made nine arrests, and assisted in the
detention and deportation of 39 illegal aliens. This was the most productive
local joint operation to date. [Cheto Olais, CR, ORPI, 3/22]
95-123 - Dinosaur (Colorado) - Earthquake
The park was struck by a magnitude 4.1 earthquake just before 6 a.m. on March
20th. The epicenter was located two miles south of headquarters in Dripping
Rock Canyon. The quake shook the headquarters area, but caused no structural
damage or injuries. [Dan Moses, DINO, 3/22]
FIRE ACTIVITY
Indiana Dunes (Indiana) - The park has had a very active spring fire season.
Since March 10th, the park's fire crew has responded to 19 fires, including
mutual aid calls. The largest was a 253-acre fire in the Miller Woods area,
which threatened the Douglas Center for Environmental Education. The leading
causes for the fires have been sparks from passing trains and arson. [Bill
Gabbert, FMO, INDU]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
MEMORANDA
No memoranda.
MEETINGS/TRAINING 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 forward the listing to WASO Ranger Activities. Entries
are listed no earlier than FOUR months before the event, EXCEPT in instances in
which registration dates close much earlier. Asterisks indicate new entries;
brackets at end of entry indicate source of information:
4/3-4 -- "Protecting Educational and Cultural Assets", workshop, Holiday
Crowne Plaza, Union Station, Indianapolis, IN. Contact: American
Society for Industrial Security, 1655 North Fort Myer Dr., Suite
1200, Arlington, VA. 22209; 703-243-4954 (fax), 703-312-6346
(phone). [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
4/6* -- "Grantsmanship: Program Planning and Proposal Writing for the
Novice - Part I", Foundation Center Library, Washington, DC.
Contact: 202-331-1400. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
4/3-7 -- National Interagency Workshop on Wetlands, New Orleans, LA.
Contact: U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Wetland
Research and Technology Center, Attn: CEWES-EP-W, 3900 Halls Ferry
Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199; 601/634-2569. [Kathy Jope, PNRO]
4/13 & 4/20* -- "Grantsmanship: Program Planning and Proposal Writing - Part II",
Foundation Center Library, Washington, DC. Contact: 202-331-1400.
[Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
4/17-21 -- "Sustainable Society and Protected Areas", Eighth Conference on
Research and Resource Management in Parks and on Public Lands,
George Wright Society Meeting, Portland Marriott, Portland, OR.
The registration deadline is March 17th. Contact: George Wright
Society, 906--487-9722. [Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]
4/22-26 -- Tenth Annual U.S. Landscape Ecology Symposium, University of
Minnesota, MN. The symposium will critically examine landscape
ecology as a means of addressing ecological consequences of human
activity. Registration fees are $125. A $40 late fee will be
assessed for registrations received after February 1st. Contact:
Call 612-625-3850 or write the university at 1136 Registrar,
Professional Development, 235 Nolte Center, 315 Pillsbury Drive,
S.E., University of Minnesota, MN 55455-0139. [Steve Cinnamon,
MWRO]
4/24-28 -- "Introduction to Managing Museum Collections", Smithsonian Museum,
Washington, DC. Contact: 202-357-3346 (fax). [Diane Vogt
O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
4/25* -- "Strengthening Your Fund-Raising Using Collections Care: Strategies
for Libraries and Archives", NEDCC, Andover, MA. Fee: $45.
Contact: Clare Hansen, NIC, 202-625-1485. [Diane Vogt O'Connor,
CSD/WASO]
4/25-28 -- 1995 Department of Interior Conference on the Environment and
Safety, Colorado Springs, CO. Contact: Tracy Brown, Engineering
and Safety Services Division, WASO, 202-343-7036. Tracy Brown,
ESSD/WASO]
4/30-5/5 -- Training course on museum conservation, focusing on preventive
conservation for collections on display, in storage and in transit.
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Cost: $375. Enrollment by
April 18th. Contact: Jane Clay, Division of Continuing Studies,
204 Owen Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405; tel:
812-855-6329; fax: 812-855-8997. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
5/4* -- "Grantsmanship: Program Planning and Proposal Writing for the
Novice - Part I", Foundation Center Library, Washington, DC.
Contact: 202-331-1400. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
5/4-7* -- "The Urban/Natural Canyon Interface: Making Connections for
Visitors," National Association for Interpretation, Rocky Mountain
Regional Workshop, Snowbird Resort, Snowbird, UT. Contact: Kathy
Brown, chief of I&RM at Timpanogos Cave, at 801-756-5239 or by name
(Kathy B. Brown) at NP-TICA. [Kathy Brown, TICA]
5/11 & 5/18* -- "Grantsmanship: Program Planning and Proposal Writing - Part II",
Foundation Center Library, Washington, DC. Contact: 202-331-1400.
[Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
5/21-25 -- Annual meeting, American Association of Museums, Philadelphia, PA.
Scholarships are available (complementary registration and a
stipend of up to $500); applications for same are due by FEBRUARY
10th. Contact: Dean Phelus at 202-289-9113, or write to him at
AAM, 1225 Eye St., NW, Washington, DC 20005; fax: 202-289-6578.
[Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
5/21-27 -- First World Congress, International Ranger Federation, Kasprowy
Hotel, Zakopane, Poland. The agenda for the meeting includes guest
speakers; full day sessions on resource management, human
management and balancing conflicts between the two; a raft trip in
Pieniny National Park; and a banquet and dance. Contact (for
registration forms and informational brochures): Bill Halainen,
ANPR, 4032 Conashaugh Lakes, Milford, PA 18337, or by name on
cc:Mail. [Bill Halainen, DEWA]
5/22-26 -- Environmental Systems Research Institute Users' Conference, Palm
Springs, CA. A combination general purpose GIS conference and
Arc/Info users conference. Contact: ESRI, 909-793-2853, or your
regional NPS GIS Coordinator. [Joe Meyer, MWR GIS Coordinator]
5/23-26* -- Peer Counselor Training for Critical Incident Stress Management,
Residence Inn, Tucson, AZ. Introduction to providing stress-
related support services. Apply directly through your regional
training officer. Two final candidates will be selected per region
and their names will be forwarded to the training officer in NARO.
A final list will be provided to the chief ranger at Cape Cod.
Contacts: Rich Obernesser, 508-349-3785 ext 213; Bob Marriott, 202-
208-4206; Sherrie Collins, 602-638-7812; Tarsha Edwards, 202-208-
4874. [Bob Marriott, RAD/WASO]
6/6-10* -- Meeting, the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and
Artistic Works, St. Paul, MN. Contact: Tel: 202-425-9545; fax:
202-452-1322. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
6/12-23 -- "An Introduction to Archival Administration," Georgia Archives
Institute, Atlanta, GA. Cost: $450. Apply by April 1st. Contact:
Donald E. Oehlerts, School of Library and Information Studies,
Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA. 30314; Tel: 404-248-1322;
fax: 404-880-8702. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
6/18-29 -- Meeting, The Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents,
Madison, WI. The application deadline is MARCH 15th. Contact (for
forms): NHPRC, Room 607, National Archives, Arch I, Washington, DC
20408; 202-501-5610. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax: 202-208-6756
cc:Mail: WASO Ranger Activities
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