- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, June 27, 1996
- Date: Thurs, 27 Jun 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, June 27, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
*** NOTICE ***
Effective immediately, all flags are to flown at half staff in tribute to the
American servicemen killed in the bombing in Saudi Arabia yesterday. The
authority is Presidential Proclamation 3044. No determination has been made
yet regarding when flags are to be returned to full staff. Notification will
be provided as soon as it is received.
INCIDENTS
96-319 - Mount Rainier (Washington) - Rescue
An air and ground search for two missing climbers - M.S. and M.K.,
both of Weston, Connecticut - was begun on June 20th. The two men
had registered for a three-day climb of Liberty Ridge with a descent down
Emmons Glacier. The search was conducted with the assistance of the U.S.
Army and county sheriff's office. Despite the coordinated effort, no sign of
the climbers was found during the initial search of ascent and descent
routes. It was later learned that M.S. and M.K. had wandered into the
Summerland area of the park's wilderness, well away from their climbing
routes and the initial search area. They had lost their way on the glacier
descent route in poor weather, had fallen an estimated 1500 linear feet, and
had lost or abandoned most of their equipment. A hiker subsequently
encountered the two men, provided them with food and water, and helped them
reach the trailhead, where they were cared for by rangers and taken to a
hospital. They were treated there for frostbite, snowblindness, exhaustion,
and dehydration, then released. [John Wilcox, MORA]
96-320 - Big South Fork (Kentucky/Tennessee) - Two Drownings
Rangers received a report of a possible drowning at the Blue Heron canoe ramp
around 5 p.m. on June 25th. A multi-agency response followed. The first
ranger to arrive joined a visitor in providing CPR to T.P., 32, of
Stearns, Kentucky, but she was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene by
the county coroner. An extensive search was then begun for her seven-year-
old son, B.P., but it has so far been fruitless. According to witnesses,
the boy was wading or swimming by a grassy island near the ramp. The mother
and another person were on the island. When she saw him having trouble, she
went to his aid. The boy was a new swimmer and was relatively unskilled; the
mother was either a weak or non swimmer. [Tim Grooms, Acting CR, BISO]
96-321- George Washington Birthplace (Virginia) - Storm Impacts; Closure
A storm which went through the area on the night of June 24th caused
considerable damage and unsafe conditions requiring closure of the area to
the public. The park staff has cleared much of the area already, and nearby
parks are sending assistance. Plans are to reopen the area some time today.
[John Donahue, Superintendent, GEWA]
96-322 - Carl Sandburg (North Carolina) - Special Event
The Olympic torch relay passed through western North Carolina on Wednesday,
June 26th. A rest stop was made at a location directly across from the park.
Park staff assisted in community planning and preparation. The torch is to
pass through the Great Smokies area today. [Connie Backlund, Superintendent,
CARL]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire IMT 6/26 6/27 Con Con
AZ Coconino NF # Peaks Cx T2 16,350 16,400 80 6/27
Kaibab NF # Bridger Cx T1/2 33,408 38,000 30 7/3
NM Santa Fe NF Nicole T1 395 395 50 6/28
NV State Autumn Hills T1 3,430 3,430x 75 6/28
UT Richfield District Little Sahara Cx T1 47,280 48,400 60 6/29
Salt Lake District Sheep Rocks T2 7,750 10,000 66 6/28
Fishlake NF Pole Creek T2 4,500 4,800 30 NEC
State Soldier Pass -- 2,000 7,000 37 NEC
Manti-Lasal NF Abajo Cx T2 200 200 0 NEC
Wasatch-Cache NF * Railroad -- - 150 10 6/28
MN Superior NF S. Temperance T2 4,130 4,130 100 CND
* White Feather Lk -- - 4,750 NR NR
CO State * 36 -- - 320 100 CND
CA Sequoia NF Sierra -- 1,026 1,092 100 CND
San Diego RU * Otay #245 -- - 110 65 6/27
Riverside RU * Reche -- - 200 0 NEC
ON Thunder Bay, Ontario Graham Cx T1 7,300 6,680 36 NEC
Heading Notes
Unit -- Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire -- * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
strategy
IMT -- T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con -- Percent of fire contained
Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 2 16 8 0 69 36 131
Acres Burned 800 6 13,406 22,418 20,952 11,257 68,839
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 216 171 68 6 1,004
Non-federal 59 72 8 4 193
CURRENT SITUATION
Favorable weather assisted suppression forces on several of the large fires
in the Great Basin and Southwest yesterday. Resource mobilization through
NICC moderated. Demobilization and reassignments are occurring from
contained fires.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for strong south winds for all of
Arizona.
High winds will continue to hamper suppression efforts on large fires and
increase the possibility of escaped initial attack fires in Arizona and Utah.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/27]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Freeman Tilden Award - Nominations are now being accepted for the 1996
Freeman Tilden Award, which recognizes outstanding National Park Service
interpreters. The award is co-sponsored by the National Park Service and the
National Parks and Conservation Association. The national winner will be
selected from seven field area nominees. Field area winners will receive a
lithograph of Freeman Tilden from the National Park Service and a plaque and
membership from the National Parks and Conservation Association. One of the
field area winners will be chosen as the national winner and will receive a
sculptured bust of Freeman Tilden and a cash award of $2,500. The national
Freeman Tilden Award will be presented at the National Association for
Interpretation's national workshop in Billings, Montana on October 23rd. Now
is the time to start the process for selecting this year's national award
winner. The criteria for this year's nomination have been made more specific
and a new required nomination form is being provided for the nominating
process. In order to qualify for the national award, each field area
nomination must be made on the required nomination form. Field Area
nominations are due in the WASO, Division of Interpretation and Education by
August 30th. It is very important that all field area nomination packages
are received on time to allow for the national judging process to take place
in time for the presentation ceremony. [Corky Mayo, DI&E/WASO]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
OBSERVATIONS
The following "Observation" was submitted by Amy Vanderbilt, PIO at Glacier,
who notes that Pinchot's observations, though somewhat dated in tone and
text, are "still timely and meaningful for today's NPS managers and field
personnel alike." They were originally printed as a series of one line
injunctions, but are compressed here for space purposes:
"A public official is there to serve the public and not run them. Public
support of acts affecting public rights is absolutely required. It is more
trouble to consult the public than to ignore them, but that is what you are
hired for. Find out in advance what the public will stand for; if it is
right and they won't stand for it, postpone action and educate them. Use the
press first, last, and all the time if you want to reach the public. Get rid
of the attitude of personal arrogance or pride of attainment of superior
knowledge. Don't try any sly or foxy politics because a forester is not a
politician. Learn tact simply by being absolutely honest and sincere, and by
learning to recognize the point of view of the other man and meet him with
arguments he will understand. Don't be afraid to give credit to someone else
even when it belongs to you; not to do so is the sure mark of a weak man, but
to do so is the hardest lesson to learn; encourage others to do things; you
may accomplish many things through offers that you can't get done on your
single initiative. Don't be a knocker; use persuasion rather than force,
when possible; plenty of knockers are to be had; your job is to promote
unity. Don't make enemies unnecessarily and for trivial reasons; if you are
any good you will make plenty of them on matters of straight honest and
public policy, and you need all the support you can get."
Forest Service founder and chief
Gifford Pinchot, Yale School of
Forestry, 1910-1920
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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