- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, July 26, 1995
- Date: Wed, 26 Jul 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, July 26, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
95-453 - Glacier Bay (Alaska) - Multiple Boating Accidents
During the week between July 13th and the 20th, four separate boat groundings
took place in the park:
* On July 13th, the 32-foot sailing vessel "Antares" grounded while at
anchor near Gloomy Knob in the main section of the bay. The skipper
apparently misjudged the 24-foot tide that day, and returned from a hike
to find the boat on its side. Rangers helped him safely refloat it
during the subsequent high tide.
* The "Gloria S.", a 49-foot commercial fishing vessel, grounded at Cape
Fairweather on the park's outer coast two days later. The 650 gallons of
diesel fuel on board were successfully removed in a joint Coast Guard-NPS
operation. The vessel was severely damaged and is considered a total
loss. Efforts are underway to remove as much of it as possible; the
remaining wooden structure will be burned. The operator is under
investigation for operating the boat while intoxicated.
* A 32-foot trawler, the "Patty A.", grounded on Point Carolus at the mouth
of Glacier Bay on July 16th. Investigation revealed that the operator
had fallen asleep and run the boat up onto shore. Alcohol is believed to
have been a contributing factor. Rangers assisted in completing a damage
assessment and in refloating the boat. The operator was cited for
negligent operation.
* On July 20th, the 39-foot sailing vessel "Rio-Nimkish" ran aground at
Blue Mouse cove immediately after the skipper pulled his anchor and ran
over a shoal. The boat was refloated on the next high tide.
The four groundings were unrelated. Poor weather was ruled out as a primary
cause for any of the accidents. [Chuck Young, GLBA]
95-454 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Rescue
On July 5th, Grand Canyon Trail Rides employees radioed North Rim rangers to
report an accident which had occurred below the Roaring Springs day use area.
J.C., 42, slipped on wet rocks while attempting to climb down a rock face
adjacent to a water fall and fell about 20 feet, landing face first in a pile
of loose rocks. J.C. was unconscious for 15 minutes following the accident.
Rescue personnel responded to the Roaring Springs pump house via park
helicopter, then hiked to the site. Park medics found J.C. in stable
condition; they gave him morphine for pain control and stabilized him with a
full-length vacuum splint. Because of the hazards involved in a short-haul
rescue from the canyon, J.C. was evacuated through a two-stage, 100-foot
technical raising in a Stokes litter. Doctors in Flagstaff determined that
J.C. had suffered a basilar skull fracture and a fractured humerus and that he
will require plastic surgery for deep lacerations to his face. [Ken Phillips,
SAR Coordinator, GRCA]
95-455 - North Cascades (Washington) - Search in Progress
A multi-agency search is underway for two climbers who headed off for an ascent
of two peaks in the Icy Peak-Ruth Mountain area on July 20th and failed to
return as scheduled two days later. Poor weather conditions in the area are
hindering the search. [Mark Forbes, PNRO]
95-456 - Glen Canyon (Arizona/Utah) - Rape
A 12-year-old Page girl was raped by D.J., a neighbor and family
acquaintance, at Antelope Point on July 5th. The girl had been allowed to
accompany D.J. and his family on a camping trip to the park. The girl was
assaulted while D.J.'s family was sleeping nearby. D.J. confessed to the rape
and has been charged with two Class 2 state felonies. They carry a mandatory
sentence of from 14 to 35 years incarceration. [Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA]
95-457 - Noatak (Alaska) - ARPA Investigation
While conducting site survey work in the central Noatak Basin in the Brooks
Range, the park's archeologist discovered that two house pits from the Late
Thule to Late Prehistoric eras (1200 to 1600 AD) had been looted. The site is
130 miles above the Arctic Circle. Rangers and archeologists are investigating
the incident. It appears that the looters reached the site by float plane.
Digging of inland sites is considered rare in the Arctic; most known looting
takes place at coastal sites which contain ivory artifacts. A $200 reward will
be offered for information about the case, with a $500 reward for a conviction.
[Jon Peterson, NWAK]
95-458 - Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii) - Drug Arrest
A joint, four-month-long investigation by agents and investigators from the
park, DEA, Naval Investigative Service and Hawaii County vice culminated in
late June with a lengthy stakeout of a known marijuana growing operation in the
Royal Gardens subdivision. Just after 7 a.m. on June 25th, M.H., a
Canadian citizen, entered the area and watered the plants; her companion,
G.G., was known to be out in the field at another patch, but didn't
come to the location under surveillance. Agents subsequently obtained a search
warrant for G.G.'s residence. Although no plants were found in the house, a
trail was found to an area where two trays of seedlings were discovered.
G.G. was arrested for commercial promotion of marijuana. Another 18 trays
with an estimated 5,000 plants which were reported to be at the residence are
missing and believed to be in dense forest in the area. Helirappel and long-
line missions are continuing in the area, locating the plants as they mature.
[CI, HAVO]
95-459 - Badlands (South Dakota) - Assist; MVA with Two Fatalities
While returning from night operations in the park in late July, rangers and
Nature Conservancy VIPS came upon a motor vehicle accident on Route 44 east of
the Conata Road junction. All three occupants were thrown from the vehicle;
one was unconscious but breathing, the other two had no life signs. County and
state police were summoned to the scene, and a passing doctor took over medical
treatment. Alcohol appears to have been involved; none of the occupants was
wearing a seatbelt. [Scott Lopez, CR, BADL]
95-460 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Suicide
On the evening of July 23rd, P.D., a 34-year-old nurse from St. Louis,
jumped to her from the park's southeast overlook, which is about 60 feet above
the street below it. She carried no identification, but left a set of car keys
and a ring in the overlook. Her identity was not established until visitors
cleared the area and rangers were able to open the remaining vehicle in the lot
with her keys. P.D. had reportedly been depressed for some time. [CRO, JEFF]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Area Fire IMT 7/25 7/26 Con Con
AZ Tonto NF Comet -- 300 1,275 100 CND
Coronado NF * Shovel -- - 200 40 NEC
ID Boise District * Three Creek -- - 500 0 CN 7/26
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 2 9 4 0 131 21 167
Acres Burned 1 26 818 0 2,313 6 3,164
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 9 20 7 2 8
Non-federal 0 2 0 0 1
5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1995 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires - U.S. 52,293 45,355
Acres Burned - U.S. 966,211 1,551,098
Number of Fires - Canada 6,199 -
Acres Burned - Canada 13,179,966 -
6) SITUATION - Initial attack continues throughout the West. Many areas in
Arizona, southern California, Nevada, Utah and the Rockies are reporting very
high to extreme fire indices.
7) OUTLOOK - Initial attack will continue at moderate levels; large fire
potential is increasing throughout the West.
[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/26]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) Past Director Hartzog Ailing - George Hartzog has been confined to his home
by a serious foot infection. Although he's now on the mend, notes and cards
from his friends in the Service would help the process appreciably. His
address: 1643 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101. [Terry Wood, WASO]
2) Grants Available - The Civil War Trust invites applications for the first
round of grants to be awarded from the sale of Civil War battlefield
commemorative coins. Grants will be awarded solely to preserve historically
significant Civil War battlefield lands. Eligible recipients include non-
profit organizations and state, local, and regional government entities. This
is a good opportunity to build alliances with neighboring local governments and
private landowners to protect significant battlefield lands outside the
boundaries of national parks. The deadline for completed applications is
October 25th. Letters requesting applications should contain a brief
description of the proposed project and an estimate of the size of the grant
being sought. They should be directed to: Preservation Advisory Committee, The
Civil War Trust, 1225 Eye Street, NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20005. [Pat
Tiller, WASO]
OBSERVATIONS
Today's quote, another in the series specifically on parks, comes from Mike
Hill at Petersburg:
"The battlefields at Petersburg were the scenes of memorable struggles and
heroic sacrifices....Manassas was, in the largest sense, the beginning of the
war; Gettysburg was high tide of hostilities on both sides, but Petersburg was
the final field where the fratricidal struggle was fought to a finish. There,
if anywhere, should be a permanent memorial to a restored peace between the
States. Such a memorial, in the form of a park, would commemorate the highest
ideals and exploits of American valor and strategy, without the taint of
bitterness or shame to either side."
U.S. House of Representatives,
69th Congress, Report No. 887,
April 15, 1926
[Do you have a favorite quote about the NPS? If so, send it along for possible
inclusion in a future Morning Report. If you'd like a WP5.1 copy of quotes
that have appeared to date, send a note to this address]
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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