- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, August 14, 1995
- Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, August 14, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
95-516 - Mount Rainier (Washington) - Employee Fatalities
Two summer seasonal employees were killed when they fell while reponding to a
report of an injured climber on the Emmons Glacier sometime during the night of
August 12th. A three-person park rescue team left Camp Schuman to rescue the
climber. One member of the group became ill, however, and was forced to return
to camp. The remaining two employees were equipped with overnight gear and
continued on. The last radio contact with them was around 11:30 p.m., when
they reported their position as between 12,800 and 12,900 feet. They also
reported that weather conditions were "cold and windy" and that the going was
very slow due to accumulated ice. When contact was lost with them, a military
Chinook helicopter from Ft. Lewis was called in to remove the injured climber
and insert park ground search teams in the vicinity of their last reported
position. An aerial search led to the discovery of their bodies at the 12,000
foot level on the Winthrop Glacier. Names have not been released pending
notification of next of kin. Additional details will be provided as they
become available. [Lance Gillespie, MORA]
95-517 - Mount Rushmore (South Dakota) - Special Event
The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which was held in the Black Hills last
week, had a significant impact on both visitation and operations at Mount
Rushmore and other area parks. As of last last Thursday, over 41,000 bikers
had visited the park - all in addition to normal visitation. Traffic was
highly congested, and there were numerous law enforcement, EMS and visitor
service incidents. Members of more than 20 outlaw biker gangs have been seen
in the park. Rally organizers estimated that as many as 200,000 bikers would
be in the Black Hills during the week, making this the biggest biker rally in
the nation. The rally officially began on August 6th and ended on August 13th.
[Mike Pflaum, CR, MORU]
[Other pending reports tomorrow...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Area Fire IMT 8/10 8/14 Con Con
MI Superior NF Sag Corridor T2 1,000 6,988 50 CN 8/15
CA Tahoe NF * Helester T2 - 300 10 CN 8/16
UT State Camp William -- 3,300 6,000 100 CND
Turkey -- 1,000 4,002 99 CN 8/14
AZ Lake Mead NRA * Miracle -- - 1,500 100 CND
NV Toiyabe NF * Cave -- - 300 10 CND
MT State * Bear Gulch -- - 150 100 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 12 9 0 59 64 196
Acres Burned 15 14 58 0 204 325 616
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 53 56 31 8 88
Non-federal 8 12 0 2 7
5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1995 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires - U.S. 58,037 52,547
Acres Burned - U.S. 1,406,905 2,111,107
Number of Fires - Canada 6,855 -
Acres Burned - Canada 14,935,754 -
6) SITUATION - Significant progress was made on large fires; most containment
objectives have been met. Moderate initial attack continues in most areas.
7) OUTLOOK - Moderate fire activity is expected.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/14]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) NPS Budget - The Senate passed the FY 1996 appropriations bill for the
Department of Interior on August 9th. Overall appropriations totaled $1.300
billion, compared to the House level of $1.261 billion and the Administration
request of $1.490 billion. This represents an 8% cut from enacted FY 1995
level (the House bill would reduce the NPS by 11%). Cuts were generally in the
area of grants, construction and land acquisition. Park operations were not
cut, although our large increase request was denied. Final levels will be
determined by conference committee action, expected soon after Congress comes
back from the August recess. The House and Senate must then approve the
conference action, and the bill must be signed by the President to become law.
The above and the following details on the particulars of the bill were
prepared by Dave Harrington in the budget shop in WASO:
Operation of the National Park System
o The Senate left operations at the FY 1995 level; there were no approved
increases for fixed cost (pay, etc.) or programmatic items. The House
provided the requested fixed cost increases only.
o The Senate level is $1.092 billion; this is $4 million over the House
mark and $14 million over FY 1995. However, this amount includes
transfer of $14 million for equipment replacement to this account from
construction. The Senate mark therefore is actually about $10 million
below the House mark - in comparable terms - since the House left
equipment replacement in the construction appropriation.
o The Senate included report language in which the NPS is encouraged to
consider shifting funds between parks to meet fluctuating needs.
Reprogramming guidelines are to be followed, if this is done.
o The Senate did not include language which limited funding at Mojave
National Preserve to $1 (as did the House).
Construction
o The appropriation recommended is $116.5 million; this is $68.1 million
below FY 1995 and $1.6 million above the House mark. Again, with the
transfer of the equipment replacement program to ONPS, the Senate
construction mark is actually $16 million above the House (in comparable
terms).
o Of our line item project request of $94.7 million, $46.6 million was
provided. The Senate added $31.2 million of their projects.
o Key NPS projects funded by the Senate include Crater Lake dormitories
($10.0 million); Everglades water delivery system ($4.5 million); General
Grant rehabilitation ($1.6 million); Grand Canyon and Zion transportation
systems ($1.0 and $5.2 million, respectively); Lincoln and Jefferson
Memorial rehab ($4.0 million); and Mount Rainier employee dorm ($6.05
million). Of these, only the transportation systems and the Lincoln and
Jefferson Memorial rehab received the same amount of funding from the
House. This is indicative of the problems that will be present in
reaching agreement on which projects to fund in the Conference Committee.
o The housing program increase for trailer replacement was eliminated, as
in the House. $12 million remains in the base program for potential
trailer replacement.
o The amount of construction planning was set at $17.0 million in the
Senate, $12 million in the House. The request was $22.4 million.
Land Acquisition and State Assistance
o The Senate recommendation is for a $43.7 million Federal land acquisition
program; it funds 7 of the 11 projects the NPS requested and adds 8
projects. The House would only provide a program of $12.8 million, and
would not fund any specific line item acquisitions.
o NPS requested acquisitions approved by the Senate included Appalachian
Trail, Assateague Island, Aztec Ruins, Big Cypress, City of Rocks,
Everglades, and Gettysburg. The amounts for Appalachian Trail and Aztec
Ruins were reduced, however.
o No State grant program funding was provided, just as in the House mark.
This is a reduction of $25 million from prior years. Only $1.5 million
of the $3.0 million requested for grant administration was provided.
Violent Crime Reduction Programs
o The new program, with its $15.2 million request, was not approved.
National Recreation and Preservation
o The Senate recommended $38.1 million; this is $2.4 million over the House
and $4.8 million below FY 1995. Fixed costs were not provided, as in the
House. None of the programmatic increases were provided.
o Some adjustments were made to specific statutory areas. The Senate
provided $6.9 million for statutory assistance; the House provided $4.4
million. There are major differences to be worked out in conference.
Historic Preservation Fund
o The Senate appropriates $38.3 million; $0.4 million above the House and
$3.1 million below FY 1995. The Senate recommends a 5 year phase out of
Federal funding for the National Trust and promises $5.6 million in FY
1996 ($7.0 million was requested and only $3.5 million provided by the
House, which intends a much quicker phase out of Federal funding for the
Trust).
o Grants-to-States funding is reduced slightly from FY 1995 levels.
Urban Park and Recreation Grants
o As in the House, the $2.3 million request was eliminated.
Other Items
o The Senate (as did the House) included bill language which would set up a
demonstration fee program. The Senate expanded the program to 50 sites
(instead of 30, as in the House) and for 3 years (instead of 1 year).
The cost of collection provision was included, as in current law, but not
in the House version. Other provisions are similar to those in the House
version.
OBSERVATIONS
The following was submitted by Bill Supernaugh of Indiana Dunes:
"The external threats issue is a problem of competing values. The parks have
so many different meanings and, consequently, values for so many different
people, and we as a nation have valued our public lands for so many different
things, that it is difficult to imagine the formation of a single coalition to
protect the parks. Yet that is the goal. If we can come together in our love
for the parks, then the external threats issue might be resolved."
John C. Freemuth , "Islands Under
Seige: National Parks and the
Politics of External Threats"
[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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