- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, June 14, 1995
- Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, June 14, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
95-294 - Yosemite (California) - Accidental Death of Employee
Barry Hance, 43, the Mather District roads foreman, died of injuries suffered
yesterday morning in an avalanche that occurred near Olmstead Point on the
Tioga Road. Hance was in a bulldozer removing snow from the road's shoulder
when the dozer was hit by the avalanche. He was extricated from the bulldozer
and transported by helicopter to Yosemite Valley, where he was pronounced dead.
Park and county road crews have halted plowing operations, and work has been
suspended indefinitely. Investigators are currently on the scene and the
entire road corridor will be assessed for additional hazards. It's not yet
known when work will resume. An opening date for the Tioga Road has not been
established. Further details will appear in tomorrow's morning report. [Kris
Fister, Hal Grovert, YOSE, 6/14]
95-295 - Yosemite (California) - Search; Drowning
A raft crewed by four professional river guides capsized on the Merced River
near El Portal on June 29th. The Merced was running at a high flow rate at the
time due to runoff from a near record winter snow pack. Three of them swam to
shore, but 36-year-old J.U. was carried down the river. Rangers
initiated a hasty search and notified the Mariposa County SAR team, which took
over command of the search operation. The park continued to provide personnel
and other logistical support, including the park helicopter, through that night
and the following day. J.U.'s life vest was located on the afternoon of
June 30th; his body was later found a mile downstream from the point last seen.
Initial reports indicate that he died from drowning. A contributing factor may
have been his life vest, which provided only 12 pounds of flotation and was not
Coast Guard approved. [Mary Coelho, YOSE, 6/13]
95-296 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Multiple Incidents; Two Fatalities
An extremely wet, cool spring has resulted in a snow pack that is 200% of
normal. For the first time in 14 years, Trail Ridge Road did not open on
Memorial Day weekend, and only 15% of the park's backcountry sites are free of
snow. The park and adjacent agencies have developed response plans for
possible flooding. These unseasonal winter conditions caused several accidents
and two fatalities. On June 6th, M.P., 68, was hiking on snow above
Bear Lake when she slipped and was injured; a litter rescue resulted. On June
8th, 21-year-old J.H. attempted to snowboard two-and-a-half miles from
Gore Range overlook to Milner Pass in poor visibility and whiteout conditions.
When he failed to show up as planned, a search was launched. J.H. was found
about a half mile below the overlook, suffering from the initial stages of
hypothermia. On June 10th, a vehicle containing the bodies of A.F.,
19, of Maryland, and F.S., 19, of Delaware, was found 700 feet below
the Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Road. The vehicle apparently went off the road two
days previously. Technical SAR techniques were utilized to stabilize the
vehicle and prevent it from rolling another thousand feet down the steep scree
slope while recovering the victim's bodies. [Dispatch, ROMO, 6/13]
95-297 - Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - Bomb Threat; VC Evacuation
Around 11:20 a.m. on June 10th, an anonymous caller reported that the
Oconaluftee visitor center would be blown up at noon. Rangers evacuated the
building and associated parking areas and rerouted traffic on a nearby section
of Newfound Gap Road. There were assisted by the Cherokee fire and police
departments. No bomb was found, and all areas were reopened to the public
within two hours. There's no indication that the incident was related to
recent threats and assaults against federal employees. [Jason Houck, CR, GRSM,
6/13]
95-298 - Golden Gate (California) - Rescue
On June 10th, South District rangers responded to a report of two uninjured
individuals stranded on a 150 foot high coastal cliff at Eagles Point, two
miles west of Golden Gate Bridge. A technical cliff rescue was conducted and
the two were retrieved. [CRO, GOGA, 6/13]
95-299 - Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii) - MVA with Fatality and Serious Injury
K.L.-T., 26, of Hilo, was killed, and Wanda Louis, 28, also of
Hilo, was seriously injured in a single vehicle accident on Highway 11 on the
evening of June 5th. Preliminary investigation indicates that K.L.-T.
was attempting to overtake other vehicles when she lost control of her car.
[Scott Hinson, PAAR, 6/6]
95-300 - Natchez Trace (Mississippi/Alabama/Tennessee) - MVA with Fatality
On June 11th, E.W., 37, of Florence, Alabama, was heading south on the
parkway when his vehicle left the road for no apparent reason and struck a
bridge retaining wall. E.W. was ejected from his vehicle, landed on a road
below the parkway, and was killed. [Gordon Wissinger, CR, NATR, 6/11]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level I
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Area Fire IMT 6/13 6/14 Con Con
AZ Phoenix District * Stove T2 - 2,000 0 NEC
State * Owens -- - 270 100 CND
ID Boise District * Priest Ranch -- - 250 100 CND
HEADING NOTES:
Fire * = newly reported fire (on this report). Cx = complex.
IMT T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST1 = state Type 1; ST2 = state Type 2.
% Con Percent of fire contained.
Est Con Estimated containment date. NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report.
3) FIRES YESTERDAY -
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 5 5 8 1 67 20 106
Acres Burned 30 4 2,660 75 717 16 3,502
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 8 34 9 4 0
Non-federal 5 4 1 0 0
5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1995 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires 40,291 35,418
Acres Burned 586,155 572,339
6) SITUATION - Fire activity in Canada remains high. Fourteen interagency
hotshot crews are assisting suppression efforts there. Fire activity increased
yesterday in the Southwest, southern California, Alaska, and the eastern Great
Basin.
7) OUTLOOK - A fire weather watch has been posted in northwest Arizona for
strong winds and low relative humidity. The Southwest and Alaska may see
increased initial attack activity.
[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/14]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Arches (Utah) - Significant Rock Fall
On May 16th, a small piece of 306-foot-long Landscape Arch fell to the ground.
The rock fall, estimated to be the size of a two-person dome tent, was
witnessed by several visitors. Park staff closed the trail that travels
beneath the arch the following day. On June 5th, a much large section,
measuring approximately 24' by 4' by 2', peeled off and fell next to the closed
trail. According to eyewitnesses, the fall was preceded by distinctive and
very loud popping and cracking sounds. The fall occurred during a time of
unusually wet weather. No related seismic activity was recorded in the area.
In September, 1991, a 60-foot section of the arch fell, causing concern that
the entire arch might collapse. The falls are part of the erosional process
that created the arch in the first place, and the events reduced the weight of
and stress upon the arch, which vies with Zion's Kolob Arch as the world's
longest. [Jim Webster, ARCH]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
CROSS-REFERENCE
The following cc:Mail publications, print newsletters or program bulletin
boards are available to interested employees. Listings appear monthly.
Information on other Servicewide, field office or park newsletters is solicited
and should be sent to this address.
Washington Office
* "The NPS Electric Courier", produced biweekly by WASO Public Affairs.
Contents: News from the Washington Office and around the System.
Contact: Editor, Electric Courier, via cc:Mail at Courier Editor or at
303-969-2500.
* "National Register Bulletin", produced periodically by the Interagency
Resources Division, WASO. Contents: The bulletin series is a group of
technical publications about the National Register. The newest bulletin
is entitled "Defining Boundaries for National Register Properties." The
bulletins are available in print ONLY. Requesters should send complete
mailing addresses. Contact: Tanya Velt via cc:Mail (by name).
* "Wildlife and Vegetation Division Monthly Report", produced by WASO
Wildlife and Vegetation Division. Contents: Up-to-date information on
division activities, programs, deadlines and other matters that affect
resource managers. Contact: Tim Goddard via cc:Mail (by name).
* "Clear Text", produced monthly by WASO Ranger Activities Division.
Contents: Significant divisional program activities, job openings
(principally in park ranger divisions), park ranger operational
activities. Contact: Bill Halainen via cc:Mail (by name or WASO Ranger
Activities).
* "National Green Alert", produced monthly by Servicewide recycling
coordinator, WASO. Contents: Exchange of ideas and information on solid
waste management and recycling efforts, together with updates on
hazardous waste program. Ideas and information welcome. Contact:
National Green Alert INBOX on cc:Mail.
* "Water Resources Division Monthly Report", produced by WASO Water
Resources Division. Contents: Information on park water resource issues,
division activities, training and travel. Contact: Judy Rouse via
cc:Mail (by name).
* "Air Quality Division Monthly Report", produced by WASO Air Quality
Division. Contents: Information on monitoring activity in the parks;
federal state and outreach activities; visibility and biological effects;
permit review and coordination with other federal land managers regarding
air quality issues. Contact: Diane Diedrichs via cc:Mail (by name), or
at 303-969-2070.
* "Federal Archeology", published quarterly by the Archeological Assistance
Division in WASO. Contents: Each issue features a theme as well as
regular columns on archeological protection, repatriation, public
education, technology, and international news. Upcoming issues focus on
the Mississippi Delta, curation, underwater archeology, and international
trafficking in artifacts. Available in print only. Contact: David
Andrews via cc:Mail (by name).
* "Technical Briefs", published throughout the year by the Archeological
Assistance Division, WASO. Contents: Past topics have included
sponsoring a state archeology week, training volunteers for field work,
using archeology in the classroom, and the role of archeology in the
National Historical Landmark program. Available in print only. Contact:
David Andrews via cc:Mail (by name).
* NPS Curatorial Bulletin Board, managed by WASO Curatorial Services
Division. Contents: Information on special projects, events, meetings,
publications, training and more for central offices and field personnel
involved or interested in the management of museum collections and
archives. Contact your local cc:Mail post office administrator or
regional cc:Mail hub coordinator and ask to have your name added to the
mailing list. Send articles and news notes for publication to Virginia
Kilby via cc:Mail (by name).
* "Mining and Minerals Branch Monthly Report", produced by the WASO Mining
and Minerals Branch. Contents: Information on in-park mineral
development issues, including NPS use of sand, gravel and similar
construction materials; federal and state minerals planning and leasing
near parks; coordination with external agencies regarding adjacent
mineral permitting; and abandoned mineral site safety and reclamation
issues. Contact: Norma Clark via cc:Mail (by name).
* "Multi-Agency Fire Training Schedule", produced monthly by the Branch of
Fire and Aviation Management, NIFC. Contents: Listings of all currently-
scheduled wildland fire training courses, with nomination deadlines,
course dates, locations, course coordinators, and phone numbers, and
more. New inputs by regional fire management staffs. Contact: Paul
Broyles, Darlene Larrondo, or Sheila Williams via cc:Mail (by name), or
call 208-387-5200.
Field Offices and Parks
* "PNR Natural Resource Management News", a monthly bulletin produced by
PNR Division of Resource Management. Contents: Update on PNR resource
management activities. Contact: Kathy Jope via cc:Mail (by name at NP-
PNRO).
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
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY: 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843