- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, July 18, 1995
- Date: Tues, 18 Jul 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, July 18, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
95-416 - Coronado (Arizona) - Illegal Aliens
On July 10th, when both law enforcement rangers were out of the park,
maintenance workers saw ten suspected illegal aliens being picked up at a park
overlook at Montezuma Pass. Concern for the safety of the individuals, some of
whom were loaded into the trunk of the sedan, prompted notification of the
Border Patrol, but no agents were able to respond. Three days later, 57
undocumented aliens were discovered by a park ranger hiding in the bushes a
quarter mile east of the visitor center, awaiting transport vehicles. Only
seven members of the group were initially apprehended, but one of them, who was
fluent in English, served as negotiator and persuaded the rest to surrender.
The group, which included small children, had been walking for several days,
and had little food and no water. Responding Border Patrol agents picked up
one of the transport vehicle drivers. Then, on July 16th, rangers came upon a
dozen more undocumented aliens in a pickup which was stopped for speeding. The
driver had no driver's license, insurance or current registration. All twelve
were turned over to the Border Patrol. Only one undocumented alien was picked
up in the park in all of 1993 and 1994, but 90 were apprehended in one incident
alone in May. The unusual activity is being ascribed to increased Border
Patrol enforcement at port of entry cities and poor economic conditions in
Mexico. [Scott Sticha and Bill Smith, Rangers, CORO]
95-417 - Organ Pipe Cactus (Arizona) - Illegal Aliens; Drug Smuggling
Shortly after noon on July 15th, sensors along an isolated park road were
activated in an area where illegal border crossings occurred last month.
Because of travel distance and staffing shortages, the Border Patrol was
summoned for assistance, and Border Patrol officers subsequently stopped a
vehicle a few miles north of the park. The two male occupants fled, abandoning
the vehicle and about 500 pounds of marijuana. Within an hour, several Border
Patrol sensors went off near Lukeville; since the officers were involved in the
above incident, ranger Fred Moosman was asked to check these sensors with a
Customs agent. Two vehicles were stopped; the occupants of one fled, but four
illegal aliens in the other were arrested. No drugs were found in either of
these vehicles. Such incidents of multiple, simultaneous border crossings by
drug smugglers and illegal aliens are a recent trend in the area. [Aniceto
Olais, CR, ORPI]
95-418 - Mount Rainier (Washington) - Rescue
On the morning of July 14th, E.W., 36, was attempting to climb the
Liberty Route with his partner, K.D., at the 8,500-foot level of Mount
Rainier when he lost his footing and tumbled about 40 to 50 feet down a steep
scree slope, fracturing his lower left leg. K.D. hiked out to Carbon River,
where he reported the incident at 6 p.m. that evening. Rangers flew to the
scene via commercial helicopter, stabilized E.W., and moved him to a landing
zone on Carbon Glacier, where he spent the night with the rescue party.
E.W. was flown off the glacier early the next morning and taken to a local
hospital. [Bill Larson, MORA]
95-419 - Olympic (Washington) - Climbing Fatality
Early on the afternoon of July 15th, rangers received a report from three
climbers that their climbing partner, 47-year-old A.J. of Olympia, had
fallen about 2,000 feet while crossing a snow field along the Terrible Traverse
on the east face of Mount Constance. A.J. was leading on the traverse,
using his ice axe for an anchor and employing self-belaying techniques. He was
about ten feet from completing the crossing when he slipped. A.J.
immediately went into a self-arresting position with his axe, which initially
slowed his descent down the snow chute; he then picked up speed, however, hit a
scree patch, did several somersaults, and disappeared from view. Since terrain
and conditions were too hazardous for a rescue effort, the climbers descended
the mountain and sought assistance. A.J.'s was located by helicopter at the
mountain's 5,500-foot elevation around 6 p.m. He had received major head and
body injuries in his fall through several snow and rock fields and showed no
signs of life. The climbers were neither roped in nor wearing crampons at the
time of the accident. [CRO, OLYM]
95-420 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - Rescue
On July 12th, J.M., 23, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, suffered a broken
leg and head trauma in a fall near White Rock Falls. He was carried out by
rangers and members of a local rescue squad and flown to the University of
Virginia Hospital to undergo surgery. Rangers determined that J.M. and two
companions had been camping illegally and consuming alcohol at that location
since early the previous evening. [CRO, BLRI]
95-421- Glen Canyon (Utah/Arizona) - Aggravated Assault
A truck operated by a male juvenile ran over a tent occupied by the B.
family at Lone Rock Beach around 3 a.m. on June 3rd. S.B., 31, was
run over and suffered injuries to her pelvis; S.B.'s four-year-old daughter
was struck in the head by one of the truck's tires. Family members camped
nearby heard the screams from the tent; several took the two victims to the
hospital, while others chased the truck back to Page at speeds approaching 80
mph. They were finally able to apprehend the driver, and held him until Page
police officers could arrive. Park rangers and investigators were notified and
responded to Page and Lone Rock Beach. Rangers arrested the juvenile in Page
and seized his truck. They then contacted his parents and asked and received
permission to take blood samples from their son. The sample later showed his
blood alcohol level to be 0.12% - well over the legal limit, although the
sample was taken eight hours after the accident. The boy's parents also agreed
to waive extradition of their son from Arizona to Utah, and he was subsequently
taken to a juvenile detention center in Richfield, Utah. On July 7th, the boy
pled guilty to two counts of felony aggravated assault in district court.
Final disposition of the case is pending. [Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA]
95-422 - Glen Canyon (Utah/Arizona) - Boat Fire
A 40-foot, privately-owned houseboat caught fire in upper Halls Creek Bay on
July 1st and burned to its pontoons. The occupants were apparently boiling
water on the grill mounted on the deck when the water boiled over into the
grease catcher under the grill and the grease ignited and spilled onto the
deck. The occupants attempted to put out the fire with an extinguisher, but
were unable to do so and had to abandon the boat. The boat was fully engulfed
in flames when rangers arrived on scene. There were no injuries. [Tomie Lee,
CR, GLCA]
95-423 - Glen Canyon (Utah/Arizona) - Dog Attack
An off-duty Wayne County deputy was attacked by a large Rotwieller tied up in
an adjacent camp at Hite on July 5th. One of the responding rangers was also
attacked; his pant leg was ripped and the dog was dragging him backwards when
the ranger stopped him with OC (pepper) spray. The owner, Gary Juul, had the
two dogs on 20-foot leashes, one at either end of his campsite. He was cited
by rangers. [Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA]
95-424 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Burglaries; Theft
Around 4 a.m. on July 10th, rangers and Fayette County deputies arrested four
adults - S.S., B.T., N.M., and R.G. -
and three juveniles for a series of thefts and burglaries that occurred that
morning. The suspects had broken into the basement of a Thurmond resident,
then ran off when confronted by the owner with a shotgun. They then broke into
a vehicle in front of the residence of K.M., a park interpretive ranger.
K.M. and her husband, J.F., were awakened, observed the suspects
breaking into the vehicle, and notified authorities. Evidence and statements
connected the individuals with seven burglaries and four car clouts in and
around the Thurmond subdistrict within the past month. One of the hits was at
a seasonal dormitory, where two mountain bikes and miscellaneous items valued
at about $2,000 were stolen. A search warrant was obtained for the residence
of R.W. and E.W. in Mount Hope. The warrant led to the recovery
of the two bikes and to the seizure of marijuana. According to an informant,
the bikes, worth $1200, were sold to W. for $55 worth of marijuana and $10
in cash. W. has an extensive history of drug trafficking and violence and
was recently paroled after a murder conviction. All of the involved persons
were released on bond. Another car clout with a similar MO occurred the next
evening. A joint investigation involving rangers and county and state
authorities is underway. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI]
95-425 - Hot Springs (Arkansas) - Rape
A citizen called the city police department to report a loud disturbance in the
park's Grand Promenade walkway around 9:30 p.m. on July 10th. Responding
rangers found a man leading an 18-year-old woman out of the woods. Both showed
signs of physical trauma consistent with a struggle. The young woman said that
she'd recently broken off a relationship with the man, identified as K.S.,
and that K.S. had forcibly raped her in the wooded area. Rangers later
learned that K.S. had just attempted suicide in his room at the Arkansas State
Rehabilitation Center. A knife was found in the woods the following day that
matched the woman's description of the knife K.S. had employed. The
investigation is continuing. [Rod Harris, CR, HOSP]
95-426 - Badlands (South Dakota) - Venomous Snake Bite
A nine-year-old visitor was bitten on the left foot by a three-foot-long
prairie rattler near her family's campsite in Cedar Pass campground on July
14th. Markings indicated a glancing blow and a strike by only one fang. The
wound had about an inch of swelling within an hour of the bite. She was taken
to a hospital in Rapid City, where she tested positive for anti-venom. She was
kept in the hospital overnight for observation. The snake was captured and
moved off site. [Marianne Mills, CRE (Chief of Resource Education), BADL]
95-427 - Lake Meredith (Texas) - Drowning
G.D.J., 18, his stepbrother, and a friend - all from Amarillo - went
swimming in the lake on the morning of July 15th. G.D.J., who was trying to
swim out to a "no wake" buoy, got into trouble and went under about 70 feet
from shore. His companions notified a camper with a boat, but they could not
find any sign of him. Park divers recovered his body about two-and-a-half
hours later. Neither drugs nor alcohol were involved. [Larry Nielson, CR,
LAMR]
95-428 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - Stolen Vehicle; MVAs
On July 9th, a ranger was called by a person who said that his vehicle had been
stolen and left at an unknown location within the Rocky Knob District. The
heavily damaged vehicle was found at milepost 176. Investigation revealed that
a juvenile had stolen the vehicle and wrecked it on the parkway, and that he'd
also wrecked his own car earlier that day. Rangers found that vehicle several
miles from the location where the stolen vehicle was discovered. The subject
faces several felony and misdemeanor charges in federal and state courts.
Alcohol was a contributing factor. [CRO, BLRI]
95-429 - Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii) - Assist to Agency
At the request of DEA's Honolulu office, criminal investigator Jeffrey Judd
brought the park's surveillance camera to Honolulu to assist agents from the
Naval Investigative Service film a suspect in his marijuana patch at a naval
weapons storage facility. The suspect has set up a sophisticated growing
operation which utilized PVC piping to tap into Navy water lines and irrigate
his plants. The park's camera, specifically made for this type of operations,
was installed on a tree branch directly over the patch. The camera
successfully taped the suspect tending his plants for 32 minutes. At one
point, he stopped what he was doing and looked directly in the camera lens,
only ten feet above him, but failed to see it. Sufficient evidence was
obtained for further action, but a herd of wild pigs unfortunately entered the
patch and ate about 385 of the plants. The pigs were seen roaming the base
shortly thereafter, and appeared to be in a somewhat mellower mood. The water
system was not damaged, and investigators hope that the suspect will return to
reestablish his operation. [Jeff Judd, CI, HAVO]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Area Fire IMT 7/17 7/18 Con Con
CA San Diego RU Sycamore -- 1,000 2,130 100 CND
Tuolumne-Cal. RU Peoria -- 2,000 3,212 100 CND
Sequoia NF * Rocky -- - 2,000 0 NEC
UT Richfield Dis. * S. Landfill -- - 500 100 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 14 1 111 45 181
Acres Burned 0 3 919 1 4,410 2,009 7,342
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 15 63 22 3 16
Non-federal 21 43 5 0 24
5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1995 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires - U.S. 48,970 42,964
Acres Burned - U.S. 907,972 1,252,355
Number of Fires - Canada 6,007 -
Acres Burned - Canada 11,344,203 -
6) SITUATION - Moderate initial attack was reported throughout the West
yesterday.
7) OUTLOOK - A fire weather watch has been posted for dry lightning in
northeast Nevada. Dry thunderstorms are forecast for eastern Oregon, northern
Nevada and Utah, southern Idaho, and southwest Wyoming; the potential for
increased initial attack in those areas is considerable.
[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/18]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Shenandoah (Virginia) - Flood Impacts on Park Resources
Assessments of the impacts that June's extremely heavy rains had on park
resources are now being undertaken. Those rains caused numerous landslides,
significantly rerouted and reshaped river courses, and changed entire drainages
within the park. Massive boulders were carried downstream, and in some areas
stream channels were cut 15 to 20 feet down into bedrock. Some areas that once
contained 15- to 30-foot-wide mountain streams were covered with blown out
trees, resulting in the formation of new channels from 150 to 200 feet wide
that are treeless and filled with rocks and large debris dams of debarked
trees. Indications are that natural changes of this order may happen only once
in every 100 - or even 1,000 - years. The changes are therefore very important
scientifically. An inter-disciplinary team of specialists is being put
together to evaluate changes and make recommendations on management actions.
Some areas will be temporarily closed due to access and safety issues; some
areas contain such significant changes that it's unlikely that they will ever
be restored to pre-storm conditions. Some administrative roads and trails may
never be reopened, and some streams may be closed to fishing indefinitely. The
park has pre-storm water chemistry, geology, fisheries, amphibian and insect
data for several of the affected watersheds, which sill assist greatly in
assessing changes made to park ecosystems by the storm. Example: One stream
surveyed a week before the storm had over 800 fish of 15 species in 100 meters
of stream; after the storm, it was found to have six fish from four species in
the same area. Streams temporarily closed to fishing include the Rapidan
River, Staunton River and the North Fork of Moormans River; trails temporarily
closed include the lower Rapidan, Staunton River, McDaniel Hollow and Pocosin
Hollow trails. [Bob Krumenaker, RMS, SHEN]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
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.
July 18
House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Markup of H.R. 238, to provide for the protection of wild horses within Ozark
National Scenic Riverways and prohibit the removal of such horses; H.R. 1745,
to designate certain public lands in the State of Utah as wilderness.
Senate Energy and Natural Resource's Subcommittee on Oversight and
Investigations (Thomas): Hearing on the sale of message bearing merchandise and
related First Amendment rights on public lands managed by the National Park
Service and the Forest Service.
July 20
House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 1163, to authorize the exchange of National Park Service land
in Fire Island National Seashore in the State of New York for land in the
Village of Patchogue, Suffolk County, New York; H.R. 1922, to provide for the
exchange of certain lands in Gilpin County, Colorado (Rocky Mountain National
Park).
July 25
House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 773, to reform the concession policies of the National Park
Service; H.R. 721, to establish a fair market vale pricing of Federal natural
assets; H.R. 2028, Federal Land Management Agency Concession Reform.
July 27
Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Campbell): Hearing on S. 964, to amend the Land
and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 with respect to fees for admission to
units of the National Park System; S. 309, to reform the concession policies of
the National Park Service.
August 3
House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 205, recreation fees.
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 establish the Shenandoah Valley National Battlefields and Commission
in the Commonwealth of Virginia; S. 310, 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
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY: 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843