- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, June 20, 1995
- Date: Tues, 20 Jun 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, June 20, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
95-310 - Glacier (Montana) - Hiker Injured by Bear
K.L., 20, an employee of Glacier Park, Inc. (GPI), a park concessioner,
sustained four puncture wounds to his left side in an encounter with a bear of
an unidentified species about two miles up the Cracker Lake trail on the
morning of June 19th. As K.L. and three other GPI employees rounded a bend
in the trail, they saw the bear about 40 yards away. The bear immediately
charged them. K.L. and a companion dropped onto the trail while the other
two hikers stepped off the trail before dropping to the ground. The bear bit
K.L., then left the area. He was taken to a hospital in Browning, where he
was treated and released. Though the hikers were making noise, they said that
they felt that the bear had been surprised. Rangers are monitoring the area,
but no management action is planned because of the apparent surprise nature of
the encounter. The trail and campground have been closed until further notice.
[Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/19]
95-311 - Mojave (California) - Vandalism: Threats
During the night of June 15th, the park superintendent's garage and vehicle at
his residence in Barstow were vandalized with threatening statements. A person
or persons wrote the following on both: "COPS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, PIGS AND YOU",
followed by a target and the number "187", the section of the California penal
code that deals with homicide (and commonly used in graffiti). The vehicle's
windows were also broken out. The superintendent is often in uniform and in
association with BLM and NPS rangers involved in the transition of the park
from BLM management. It's believed that the attack was directed towards him
because of this association. Local law enforcement officers took the
preliminary report and are conducting an investigation in conjunction with the
NPS and BLM. [Bill Blake, CR, MOJA, 6/15]
[More pending incidents tomorrow...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Area Fire IMT 6/19 6/20 Con Con
NM Cibola NF Turkey -- 240 240 95 CN 6/19
* Milligan -- - 600 30 CN 7/10
AK Delta Area 512307 T2 800 800 93 CN 6/19
CA San Bernadino RU Pole -- 4,800 4,800 99 CN 6/19
San Diego RU * Butterfield -- - 900 0 NEC
FL Florida NF * Smurf -- - 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 1 17 3 0 31 16 68
Acres Burned 0 5 8 0 136 35 184
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 18 29 16 3 28
Non-federal 24 26 5 6 42
5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1995 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires 40,775 36,706
Acres Burned 620,597 616,887
6) SITUATION - Large fire activity occurred yesterday in the Southwest,
California and Canada.
7) OUTLOOK - Moderate fire activity is expected in southern California, the
Southwest and the East.
[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/20]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) NPS Budget - In response to field concerns and questions regarding the
proposed budget for the Service for the coming fiscal year, the Deputy Director
has issued the following statement:
The House budget resolution proposes a 10% cut in ONPS ($108 million). The
resolution is guidance to the appropriation committees. We have developed a
set of alternatives/scenarios of possible effects of a 10% cut in ONPS. This
is available for each park. If a 10% cut were to occur, we would either be
forced to close the 200 parks with the smallest budgets, the 6 to 10 parks with
the largest budgets, or cut every park's budget by 10%, which would result in
shorter seasons, shorter hours, closed portions of parks, etc. We are awaiting
the House Subcommittee markup, which has been postponed several times, but is
currently scheduled for Tuesday. The subcommittee chairman last week released
his proposal ("the chairman's mark") to the media, which slightly increases the
NPS ONPS budget for '96, while cutting further from land acquisition, grants
and construction. At this time, we do not know what the result will be in the
subcommittee, at the full House appropriations committee or in the House
generally, much less what the Senate will do. Given the uncertainty of the
situation, NPS field personnel should to the extent possible, be consistent and
cautious in their public statements.
At least until after the House subcommittee mark-up:
* we should not initiate press contacts on the status of our '96 budget;
* when asked about the effect of a possible 10% cut, each field director or
each superintendent should continue to use the figure developed for parks
in their region, or a specific park;
* if asked about the Subcommittee mark-up, we should simply state that it
has not occurred, so we don't know the outcome.
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 Stacey Rickard in
WASO Legislation at 202-208-3636.
June 20
House Appropriations' Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies (Regula):
Markup of Interior appropriations bill.
June 27
House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Markup of H.R. 1296, to provide for the administration of certain Presidio
properties at minimal cost to the Federal taxpayer; H.R. 629, to authorize the
Secretary of the Interior to participate in the operation of certain visitor
facilities associated with but outside of the boundaries of Rocky Mountain
National Park; H.R. 826, to extend the deadline for the completion of certain
land exchanges at Big Thicket National Preserve; and H.R. 1508, to require the
transfer of title to the District of Columbia of certain real property in
Anacostia Park to facilitate the construction of National Children's Island, a
cultural, educational and family-oriented park.
June 29
Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Campbell): Hearing on S. 594, to provide for the
administration of certain Presidio properties at minimal cost to the federal
taxpayer.
TBA
Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Campbell): Hearing on S. 133, to establish the
Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site; S. 608, to establish
the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts;
S. 305, to transfer title to certain lands in Shenandoah National Park to the
State of Virginia; S. 128, to establish the Thomas Cole National Historic Site
in the State of New York; S. 231, to modify the boundaries of Walnut Canyon
National Monument in the State of Arizona.
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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