- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, August 28, 1995
- Date: Mon, 28 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 28, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
92-342 - California and Arizona Parks - Follow-up on Butterfly Poaching
On August 1st, R.S. of Redwood City, California, and T.K., of
Tucson, Arizona, pled guilty to felony violations of the Endangered Species Act
before a federal district court judge. R.S. was sentenced to five months in
a work-furlough facility, five months in a halfway house, and two years'
probation. T.K., considered less culpable, was given three years' probation.
Both were also fined $3,000 and their collections were confiscated. A third
man, M.G. of Santa Rosa, California, pled guilty to similar charges at
an earlier date and was sentenced to three years' probation. The charges
against the three men stemmed from nine years of poaching rare butterflies from
federal lands, including Golden Gate, Grand Canyon, Point Reyes, Death Valley,
Yosemite, and other areas. The conspiracy was uncovered when a Stanford
University biologist contacted the Fish and Wildlife Service and advised agents
that an employee had been poaching rare butterflies from the Grand Canyon. A
search of R.S.'s house revealed more butterflies, as well as correspondence
linking the three men and other collectors around the country. FWS special
agent John Mendoza was the case agent, and was assisted by numerous NPS
criminal investigators and rangers. The investigation spanned a four-year
period. While T.K. conceded to the judge that there was no excuse for such
illegal activity, he said that the Endangered Species Act was sometimes
ambiguous. The judge agreed and directed T.K. to help dispel the confusion by
teaching other collectors about the law. [Rod Suarez, CI, GOGA]
95-531 - Grand Teton/Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Follow-up on Special Event
President Clinton and his family made a Founder's Day visit to Yellowstone on
August 25th. They flew to the park, then traveled by motorcade to the Grand
Canyon of the Yellowstone River for a hike along the canyon rim and visits to
several overlooks. The family then flew to the Old Faithful area, where they
visited the historic Old Faithful Inn, took a guided walk along the Geyser Hill
boardwalk trail, and watched Old Faithful erupt. While at the latter location,
President Clinton made remarks to the White House press pool about the
significance of national parks and about issues which threaten the park system.
After leaving the area, the Clintons flew over the site of the proposed New
World gold mine near Henderson Mountain, just east of the park's northeast
boundary, then landed at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch, where they hiked to the Rose
Creek wolf pen site. The alpha female and her pups are being retained in the
acclimation pen there until the pups are large enough to hold their own against
coyotes and other predators (the pack's alpha male was illegally shot outside
the park last spring). The Clintons entered the pen with NPS wildlife
biologist Mike Phillips to assist with the biweekly feeding of road-killed
wildlife to the wolves. The visit to the pen was accentuated by an impressive
afternoon thunderstorm. The family took shelter at the Buffalo Ranch, where
the President met with representatives from a variety of conservation groups.
About 150 Yellowstone personnel and 13 personnel from the IMT were involved
with security and public safety operations for these visits. [Mike Murray,
ACT, YELL]
95-557 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Fire
Rangers received a report of smoke emanating from the laundry room at Big
Meadows campground around 4:30 p.m. on the afternoon of August 20th. Ranger
Lew Abraham was first on scene, and reported flames coming from one of the
dryers. The Central District fire truck was dispatched to the area and Abraham
employed breathing apparatus to enter the building and extinguish the fire with
several extinguishers. A local volunteer fire department arrived shortly
thereafter and helped with salvage operations and smoke removal. Investigation
revealed that an ARAMARK concession employee had washed greasy cleaning cloths
from the Wayside restaurant, then placed them in a dryer and left the building.
The rags then caught fire. Damage was limited to one dryer unit. The employee
was not following ARAMARK's standard procedure, which calls for washing oily
clothing at least three times prior to drying. The park's concession
management specialist is following up on the incident. [Bob Martin, Central
District Leader, SHEN]
95-558 - Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands) - Tropical Storm Iris
As of 5 a.m. this morning, tropical storm Iris was about 200 miles northeast of
the Virgin Islands and moving to the north at about 10 mph. Although the
island will experience high winds and rain today, it was spared from stronger
effects by the storm's shift to a more northerly course yesterday. The
superintendent issued a storm warning for parks in the islands yesterday
afternoon when it appeared that Iris would pass over them. The park's revised
hurricane plan was put into effect at that time and all areas were secured.
[Francis Peltier, SEFO]
[Additional reports tomorrow. Please note that all qualifying reports will
appear in the Morning Report, but that time constraints make delays inevitable.
Follow-up notes inquiring into the status of submissions are not necessary.]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
Sun Mon % Est
State Area Fire IMT 8/27 8/28 Con Con
NY State * Sunrise Cx T1/T2 5,050 5,050 100 CN 8/27
CA Cal Desert Dis. * Bailey -- 400 400 NR NR
Orange County * Freeway -- 150 150 100 CND
Sequoia NF * Cow -- 150 150 100 CND
Cleveland NF * El Monte T2 - 400 0 NEC
AZ AZ Strip Dis. * Tom & Cull -- - 100 30 CN 8/27
UT SLC Dis. * Redlam T2 - 200 0 CN 8/28
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 6 5 0 35 34 81
Acres Burned 25 44 222 0 412 436 1,139
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 33 62 11 8 77
Non-federal 4 9 9 0 24
5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1995 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires - U.S. 61,690 56,193
Acres Burned - U.S. 1,560,158 2,360,534
Number of Fires - Canada 7,442 -
Acres Burned - Canada 16,739,577 -
6) SITUATION - Fire activity increased significantly yesterday in southern
California and Utah, but was moderate elsewhere.
7) OUTLOOK - Fire activity is expected to remain moderate. Demobilization is
beginning on fires in the East.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/28]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
MEETINGS/TRAINING CALENDAR
Calendar appears in the morning report every other Monday. If you know of a
conference, meeting or training session with Servicewide interest and
implications, please forward the listing to WASO Ranger Activities. Entries
are listed no earlier than FOUR months before the event, EXCEPT in instances in
which registration dates close much earlier. Asterisks indicate new entries;
brackets at end of entry indicate source of information:
8/28-9/1 -- Western International Forest Disease Work Conference, Whitefish,
MT. Contact: Jane Taylor, 406-329-3463 (phone). [Steve Cinnamon,
MWRO]
8/29-9/3 -- Meeting, Society of American Archivists, Washington, DC. Contact:
SAA, 312-922-0140 (phone). [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
9/6 -- "Symposium on Creating Partnerships to Identify and Preserve
National Historic Landmarks", Saratoga Springs, NY. The one-day,
NPS-sponsored workshop will be held before the AASLH annual
meeting. Registrants need not be members of AASLH and do not need
to register for the rest of the week's activities. Contact: Donna
Baumgartner, AASLH, 615-255-2971. [Susan Escherich, WASO]
9/6-8 -- Upper Mississippi River Wildlife Diversity Symposium, East Dubuque,
IA. Registration before August 10th is $40; after August 10th it
is $50. Contact: Glen Kruse, Division of Natural Heritage, 524
South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1787. [Steve Cinnamon,
MWRO]
9/8* -- "Prelude to War", seminar, Fort Scott NHS, Fort Scott, KS. The
seminar will focus on the year 1845 and the events which led to the
war with Mexico. A living history encampment will also take place
at the site that weekend. Contact: Arnold Schofield, park
historian, 316-223-0310, or via cc:Mail at "FOSC Superintendent".
[Kelley Collins, FOSC]
9/12-14 -- Blasting and Explosives Seminar, Pittsburgh, PA. Course on
blasting and explosives safety, presented by Explosives Educational
Services, Inc. Contact: Carol Lippincott at 1-800-283-2331 or 817-
573-1630. [Jim Lee, RAD/WASO]
9/12-17 -- "Excellence in Wildlife Stewardship through Science and Education",
Second Annual Conference, Wildlife Society, Portland, OR. Nineteen
on-going symposia, 21 sessions featuring contributed papers and
posters, trade show. Child care available. Early registration fee
for members is $125, $170 for non-members; fees increased by $35
after August 14th. Contact: Wildlife Society, 5410 Grosvenor Lane,
Bethesda, MD 20814-2197; fax: 301-530-2471. [Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]
9/15-16 -- "War and Reconstruction in Indian Territory: A History Conference
in Observance of the 130th Anniversary of the Fort Smith Council",
Fort Smith NHS, Fort Smith, AR. The conference will focus on the
impact of the American Civil War and Reconstruction period on
Indian Territory. A living history event will also take place at
the site that weekend. Contact: Julie Galonska, park historian,
501-783-3961 or via cc:Mail at FOSM Historian. [Julie Galonska,
FOSM]
9/18-20 -- Seventh International Disaster Recovery Symposium and Exhibition,
Atlanta, GA. Contact: 314-894-0276. [Diane Vogt O'Connor,
CSD/WASO]
9/18-22 -- Teaching with Historic Places, Mather EDC, Harpers Ferry, WV.
Training course in which participants will use an established model
to develop lesson plans employing historic places in their parks.
Completed lesson plans can be used both on- and off-site. There is
no fee; travel and per diem are by benefitting account. The
application deadline is August 4th. Contact: Marilyn Harper,
National Register of Historic Places, WASO, 202-343-9546 or via
cc:Mail by name. [Marilyn Harper, IRD/WASO]
9/19-21* -- Meeting, Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council,
St. Croix Falls, WI. The council, which was established by the
Departments of Interior and Agriculture, is comprised of the NPS,
FWS, BLM and Forest Service. River study or management issues of
multi-agency interest will be addressed. Contact: John Haubert,
202-208-4290; Chris Brown, 202-343-3758; Cassie Thomas, 617-223-
5014; or chairman Tony Anderson, 715-483-3284. [Margaret Nash,
WASO]
9/20-21* -- "Ailanthus: Exotic Weed Management Seminar", Keedysville, MD.
Contact: 301-432-2735. [Carol DiSalvo, IPM/WASO]
9/26-28 -- Blasting Application Seminar, Las Vegas, NV. Course on basic
surface blasting applications, presented by Explosives Educational
Services, Inc. Contact: Carol Lippincott at 1-800-283-2331 or 817-
573-1630. [Jim Lee, RAD/WASO]
9/26-29* -- Midwest Oak Savanna and Woodlands Ecosystem Conference, University
Plaza Hotel, Springfield, MO. The pre-registration deadline is
September 1st. Contact: Lisa Thomas, 417-889-9220. [Steve
Cinnamon, MWFO]
9/27-30 -- Second Biennial Rocky Mountain Anthropological Conference,
Steamboat Springs, CO. Contact: Dr. Calvin Jennings, Department of
Anthropology, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80512-
1787. [Ken Cannon, MWAC]
10/8-14 -- GIS and Remote Sensing, Front Royal, VA. Contact: Rose Meier,
Conservation and Research Center, Smithsonian Institution, Front
Royal, VA 22630; 703-635-6500 (phone); nzpcrc01@sivm.si.edu
(Internet). [Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]
10/9-13 -- "Hands On Hypermedia and Interactivity in Museums", Hotel del
Coronado, San Diego, CA. Contact: Conference organizers at 412-
683-9775 (phone), 412-683-7366 (fax), 74543.2367@compuserve.com
(Internet). [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
10/11* -- "Rediscovering National Historic Landmarks", NPS session to be held
at annual meeting, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Fort
Worth, TX. Contact: Carol Shull, 202-343-9504. [Susan Escherich,
PAD/WASO]
10/11-14 -- Workshop for Historians and Interpreters/Western History
Association Conference, Executive Tower Inn, Denver, CO. The
workshop on the first day will focus on interpretive and historical
concerns of NPS areas; the conference will address specific issues
that challenge a reorganized National Park Service in the immediate
and long-term future. $35 registration fee for conference.
Contact (no later than August 15th): Dr. Art Gomez, Santa Fe SSO,
via cc:Mail. [Laura Feller, WASO]
10/12-13 -- First Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Review, Charlottesville, VA. Contact:
Scott Salom, 703-231-4029 (phone). [Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]
10/15 -- Due date for papers, posters and abstracts for "Wilderness and
Natural Areas in Eastern North America", a symposium to be held
next May in Gatlinburg, TN. Contact: Prof. Mike Legg of the
College of Forestry at S.F. Austin University, (409-468-3301
(phone), 409-468-2489 (fax), mleggAsfasu.edu (Internet). [Alan
Schmierer, WRO]
10/16-18* -- 1995 Rocky Mountain Symposium on Environmental Issues in Oil and
Gas Operations, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO. Topics
include compliance and risk assessment, environmental planning and
mitigation, education, air quality and bioremediation. There will
also be poster and exhibitor sessions and speakers. Cost is $395.
A preliminary program is available. Contact: Bruce Heise, Geologic
Resources Division, 303-969-2017, or by name on cc:Mail, or via
Internet at bruce_heiseAnps.gov. [Bruce Heise, GRD]
10/16-18 -- Seventh Annual Federal Preservation Forum Meeting, Denver, CO. The
forum promotes constructive dialogue among participants in federal
historic preservation programs. Members share information at the
annual meeting on ways to improve federal programs. Topics will
include the future of the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation, the DOD legacy, Native American issues, resources
training for non-preservation managers, and case history problems
and successes. Contact: Rhoda Lewis, USFWS, 303-236-8145 (phone);
Rhoda_LewisAmail.fws.gove (Internet). [Anne Vawser, MWAC]
10/16-20 -- "Managing Parks Sustainably: Seminar on Environmental Issues",
Xerox Center, Leesburg, VA. Presented by WASO Environmental
Quality Division in conjunction with the Environmental Law
Institute. The seminar will address ways to incorporate
sustainability into aspects of park management ranging from visitor
impacts and facilities location and design to resource management
and ecosystem considerations, and will explore legal tools and
opportunities for moving toward sustainable decision-making for
park and adjacent resources. Limited to 40 people. Contact: Jacob
Hoogland, EQD/WASO, 202-208-5214. [Jake Hoogland, EQD/WASO]
10/18-22 -- 53rd Plains Anthropological Conference, Laramie, WY. Contact: Sue
Powell, PO Box 3972, University Station, Laramie, WY 82071-3972;
307-476-2124 (phone); PLNCONF@UWYO.EDU (Internet). [Ken Cannon,
MWAC]
10/19-22 -- "Reflections on Relationships on Oral History Research", Oral
History Association, Milwaukee, WI. Contact: Tim Erickson, 414-
229-6980 (phone), 414-229-6766 (fax). [Diane Vogt O'Connor,
CSD/WASO]
10/24-27* -- "The Role of Earth Science Information in Metal Mining
Environmental Issues", training course, Denver, CO. $200 for
course; $100 for field trip. Contact: Bob Higgins, NPS Geologic
Resources Division, via cc:Mail.
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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