- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, August 31, 1995
- Date: Thurs, 31 Aug 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, August 31, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
95-573 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Illegal Hunting Arrests
During the early morning hours of August 21st, a joint task force initiated the
first phase of an operation which led to the arrests of 11 men in Rockingham
and Green counties for violations of numerous federal and state wildlife laws
and other criminal offenses which occurred over a three-year period in and
around the park. Based on information collected by field staff over the past
three years, undercover operations were undertaken, including at least four
occasions when undercover operatives accompanied some of those arrested on
hunts in the park. A total of 61 federal and 75 state charges were lodged
against the 11 men, including hunting within a national park, possession and
use of firearms within the park, conspiracy to illegally hunt and take
wildlife, Lacey Act violations, and commercialization of deer, bear and reptile
products. The latter charges were based on undercover purchases of over 290
sets of deer antlers, one dear, two bear hides, and a snake skin gun sling.
Also seized were illegal drugs, firearms, mounted animals and records of
illegal transactions. Those arrested on numerous counts pertaining to illegal
hunting in the park were A.S., Sr., 50, A.S., Jr., 24,
D.S., 19, and J.P., 23. Seven other persons were issued
criminal summons for a variety of illegal hunting activities, ranging from
spotlighting to hunting out of season. The investigation leading to the
arrests revealed that wildlife violations in and around the park are both
substantial and routine. Follow-up investigations are continuing and more
charges are expected in the future. Involved in the operation were rangers and
investigators from Shenandoah and Blue Ridge, Virginia game wardens, sheriff's
deputies from two counties and U.S. marshalls. [Doug Raeburn, Acting Chief,
R&VP Unit, SHEN]
95-574 - C&O Canal (Maryland/D.C.) - Car Clout; Assault on Ranger
Ranger John Bailey was conducting a surveillance operation in the Charles Mill
area around 11 p.m. on August 26th when a vehicle with two occupants entered
the parking lot. The passenger, E.M., 35, began examining the two
vehicles in the lot, then entered one through an unlocked door. E.M. was soon
joined by the driver, who has not yet been firmly identified. After they'd
taken several items, Bailey approached and attempted to apprehend them. The
driver picked up a large rock, held it over his head, and began approaching the
ranger, telling E.M. to "make him shoot us." E.M. instead fled on foot; the
driver then returned to his vehicle, shifted it into reverse, and attempted to
run Bailey down or pin him between the other parked vehicles. As Bailey drew
his weapon, he was struck on the hand by the vehicle's open door, which knocked
the gun to the ground. The driver then left the area. Back-up units from the
park, county and state soon arrived along with a canine unit. E.M. was located
running down the tow path about a mile from the scene and was quickly subdued
by the dog. He's being held on $10,000 cash bond and faces larceny, tampering,
resisting arrest, and other charges. E.M. has an extensive criminal history
and was out of prison on parole when the incident occurred. The driver,
believed to be T.R., 32, is still at large, and is also being sought by
Maryland state police for a theft that occurred adjacent to the park on the
previous evening. [Kevin FitzGerald, CR, CHOH]
95-575 - Bryce Canyon (Utah) - Arrest of Former Employee
J.S. and two other temporary employees were terminated on August 2nd
for drug-related activities. Early the next morning, J.S. vandalized or
stole about $4,000 of personal property from sites in Sunset campground. A
camper chased him, but J.S. escaped. Rangers from Bryce Canyon conducted
an investigation with the assistance of rangers from Zion, Yosemite and
Colorado NM and the special agent for Intermountain Field Area. J.S. was
arrested on an unrelated outstanding warrant from Douglas County, Colorado,
during the execution of a search warrant at his parents' residence in
Littleton. Two others have been cited into court on charges of possession of
stolen property. Most of the items which were stolen have been recovered
except for a camera; the latter is in the possession of a suspect by the name
of S.W., who is still at large. [Erny Kuncl, SA, IMFA]
95-576 - Point Reyes (California) - Drug Seizure and Arrests
On August 11th, rangers arrested three people for marijuana cultivation in the
park. The arrests stemmed form several weeks of investigation, during which
the suspects were photographed tending the plots. The garden site was near a
popular visitor trail and had also been discovered by park visitors. The
county district attorney is handling the prosecution. [Frank Dean, Assistant
Superintendent, PORE]
95-577 - Haleakala (Hawaii) - Commercial Sales
On June 16th, an organization known as "Earthguard, Fiends of Hawaiian Aina"
was contacted and told to desist from contacting visitors and soliciting $20
donations in return for T-shirts. Several days later, members of the group
returned and insisted that they had a First Amendment right to contact the
public and request donations to their "environmental/non-profit" organization.
Rangers cited them into court on July 6th. Their initial plea of not guilty
was accepted by the court, and a trial date was scheduled for September 7th.
On August 30th, they decided to change their plea to guilty. It's believed
that the change of mind occurred after the group realized that the
preponderance of evidence was against them and that recent court rulings in
Washington, D.C., in similar cases would lessen their chances for success.
[Phil Dendel, LES, HALE]
95-578 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Conviction for Elk Antler Collecting
On August 22nd, M.B., 23, of Whitehall, Montana, pled guilty
before the park magistrate on charges of conspiring to illegally remove elk
antlers from the park and providing false information to rangers. On June
15th, rangers assisted M.B. and three companions across Slough Creek
after the party became stranded without camping gear. About a month later,
rangers discovered 118 pounds of elk antlers on frame packs cached near the
Slough Creek campground. Investigation revealed that M.B. and his
companions had collected the antlers and stashed them at that location.
M.B. was sentenced to 14 days in jail, ordered to pay $3,500 in
restitution (and a small victim/witness fund assessment), placed on probation
for five years, prohibited from entering the park while on probation, and
barred from hunting or fishing anywhere in the U.S. for the next two years.
M.B. was convicted for collecting antlers in the park in 1993. His
companions will appear before the court within the next two weeks. [Mike
Murray, ACR, YELL]
95-579 - National Capital Parks East (D.C.) - Fire; Stolen Autos
While conducting a survey of numerous illegal dumps in the park on August 30th
to develop an enforcement strategy, a group comprised of several park managers,
the field area chief ranger, the Park Police district commander and public
affairs staff came upon three autos fully engulfed in flames in a wooded area
near Eagle Hill. All had been set ablaze only minutes earlier. The fires were
extinguished by city fire department units. Two of the three vehicles - and
probably the third - were stolen. The park is continuously besieged by illegal
abandonment and dumping of property and waste. Park Police investigators are
investigating the incident. [Einar Olson, CR, NCA]
95-580 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Rescue
The park received a report of an injured camper below the summit of Old Rag
Mountain on the morning of August 29th. A 16-year-old male had fallen about
100 feet down a nearly vertical rocky slope around midnight on the previous
night and suffered a broken ankle and other injuries. Park medic Bob
Zydanowicz reached the victim before noon and began treating him for his
injuries. A rescue team raised the patient up to the ridge trail near the
summit, brought him to a spot below the summit, then cleared a landing zone for
a state police medevac helicopter. He was taken to the University of Virginia
medical center, where he is being treated for his injuries. Ranger John Kinde
was IC on the incident. [John Kinde, PR, SHEN]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
Wed Thur % Est
State Area Fire IMT 8/30 8/31 Con Con
CA Cleveland NF El Monte T1 2,610 7,200 48 CN 9/5
San Diego RU * Sycamore ST - 3,000 45 CN 8/31
UT SLC Dis. Redlam T2 33,500 33,500 100 CND
State Cherry Creek -- 1,000 1,527 100 CND
MT State * Flat Tire -- - 2,300 98 CN 8/30
Miles City Dis. * Mildred -- - 400 100 CND
* Alec Roy -- - 1,700 100 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 0 8 9 0 56 14 87
Acres Burned 0 27 12,328 0 3,068 5,656 21,079
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 43 89 19 8 279
Non-federal 44 92 1 2 98
5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1995 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires - U.S. 62,592 63,863
Acres Burned - U.S. 1,613,032 2,517,932
Number of Fires - Canada 7,526 -
Acres Burned - Canada 16,898,206 -
6) SITUATION - Fires in southern California burned actively yesterday. Large
fires increased in the northern Rockies, but no problems were reported and
containment targets were met on most of them. Resources are being mobilized to
both southern California and the East.
å7) OUTLOOK - Moderate fire activity and resource mobilization are expected to
continue.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/31]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
OBSERVATIONS
Quotes submitted for consideration for the Morning Report should pertain to
either the National Park Service or closely related issues, such as wilderness
and conservation, and should include the author and the date and source of the
quote. A mailing list has been created for periodic dissemination of the
master list of quotes to date to interested parties. If you'd like to be on
that list, please send a note to this address.
Here's today's entry:
"I recognize the fact that National Park Service programs stand out among the
activities directed toward the attainment of citizen appreciation of our
national heritage, and I agree that the national parks occupy an advantageous
position in our social scheme, a position which makes them especially available
as an aid in developing a national perspective in native values and democratic
ways."
Harold L. Ickes,
Secretary of
Interior, 1933-1946
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