- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, August 28, 1996
- Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, August 28, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-491 - Apostle Islands (Wisconsin) - Follow-up on Employee Injury
Seasonal ranger Jeff Field is in good condition at St. Mary's Hospital in
Duluth, Minnesota, recovering from surgery for injuries received when he fell
out of his Boston Whaler and was struck by the propeller on its 150
horsepower motor. Surgeons are optimistic that Field will not suffer loss of
mobility to his leg, which suffered three deep prop cuts and was broken in
two places. He will probably remain hospitalized through the week. Cards
and notes can be sent to him at Room 4248, St. Mary's Medical Center, 407 E.
3rd Street, Duluth, MN 55805. Investigators are still looking into the cause
of the accident. Field was holding his shredded PFD when rescued, and it's
believed that it may have protected him from additional prop cuts to his
upper body. A Coast Guard crew was able to stop the out-of-control Boston
Whaler before it ran aground by throwing lines in the water in order to foul
its prop. The boat was stopped about 30 yards from shore. [John Scott, CR,
APIS]
96-493 - Bryce Canyon (Utah) - Employee Accidental Death
Seasonal ranger Michael Beaulieu, 23, of Presque Isle, Maine, was killed when
his patrol vehicle rolled over in a single-car accident just north of the
Natural Bridge View area at 9:45 p.m. on August 26th. He was responding to a
visitor report of a burning tree at the time. Although the cause of the
accident is not yet known with certainty, the road was wet at the time.
Beaulieu was wearing his seatbelt and the vehicle's air bag deployed, but he
nonetheless suffered fatal head injuries. Beaulieu, a former police officer
in Presque Isle, was in his first summer as a seasonal law enforcement
ranger. No further details are currently available. [Erny Kuncl, SA, IMFA]
96-494 - Little Bighorn (Montana) - ARPA Case
A six-week-long investigation into an archeological theft from the park
concluded last week with an undercover purchase, service of a search warrant,
and the filing of charges against an Illinois man. While visiting the park
in 1991, J.A. discovered and excavated a set of binoculars from
immediately below and to the east of "Last Stand Hill." J.A. took the
binoculars, leaving behind a fragment chipped from an eyepiece which was
broken off when he kicked them free from the cement-like sandy soil. An
anonymous phone call from a person who knew of the theft led to the
development of an informant who agreed to call J.A. to determine if he
still had the binoculars. During the taped telephone conversation, the
informant determined that J.A. might be willing to sell them. The
informant visited J.A.'s home in Champagne, Illinois, and purchased the
binoculars for $5,000. J.A. also provided a sketch map confirming the
location of the site, and offered to provide a statement about the discovery
for the informant's possible use in an out-of-state resale. J.A. was
served with the search warrant and the binoculars and money were seized.
Charges are pending an indictment on three counts of 16 and 18 USC
violations. Rangers working this case included historian John Doerner and
chief ranger Michael Stops (LIBI), special agent Guy Whitmer (INDU), and
criminal investigator John Weddle (JEFF). [Erny Kuncl, SA, IMFA]
96-495 - Ulysses S. Grant (Missouri) - Storm Damage
On the afternoon of Friday, August 23rd, flash floods swept through the park,
damaging historic structures and natural resources, closing the main access
road, and nearly trapping one employee. Three of the five historic
structures on the site were damaged by flood waters - the stone house; the
barn, which temporarily houses the visitor center and displays; and the
winter kitchen for the main house, currently under restoration, and, as of
1995, the only slave occupation site excavated in the state of Missouri.
Superintendent Jill York O'Bright, who was working late, left the park just
as Gravois Creek flooded and forced the closure of Grant Road. The water
eventually rose to the 100-year flood level, damaging flooring and displays
in the visitor center. The National Weather Service reported that parts of
the county received over two inches of rain in a two-hour period. Employees
are continuing clean-up efforts and damage assessments. [Lisa Lawrence,
ULSG]
96-496 - Isle Royale (Michigan) - Rescue
On the evening of August 19th, the park received a marine telephone call from
the Canadian Coast Guard reporting that a visitor at a wilderness campsite on
an interior lake three miles from the park's closest boat dock had suffered a
stroke and was unconscious and unresponsive. Six rangers traveled by boat to
the dock; they sought assistance from visitors camped near the dock, and
eleven of them - including three regional directors from the National Parks
and Conservation Association - volunteered to hike in with the rangers. The
rescue team reached the victim, 56-year-old R.H., shortly after 10 p.m.
The 210-pound patient was stabilized and carried back to the dock. The
grueling three-and-a-half hour carryout was complicated by darkness, heavy
vegetation, rain, steep ground, and two-foot-deep mud in some stretches.
R.H. was taken by park vessel on an hour-and-a-half voyage through rough
seas to a helicopter landing zone on Mott Island, then flown by a Coast Guard
helicopter to a hospital in Michigan. Doctors found a 75% blockage of
R.H.'s carotid artery. He underwent surgery and is expected to recover.
[Pete Armington, CR, ISRO]
96-497 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Armed Robbery
Three visitors were robbed at gunpoint on the grounds of the Arch just after
10 p.m. on Sunday, August 18th. The victims reported that three armed,
juvenile males approached them, demanded money, then fled northwest out of
the park into the city. Cash, wedding rings and a purse were taken. The
purse and all its contents were found scattered on the ground in the same
location where the suspects fled. A homemade, "in-the-pants" holster was
also recovered. An outline of a small semi-automatic handgun had been drawn
on the holster material, apparently as a pattern. St. Louis city police
joined in the search for the suspects, who are thought to be gang members.
[Jim Jackson, JEFF]
96-498 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Armed Robbery
A visitor was robbed at gunpoint by two men in their late teens just before 8
p.m. on August 20th. Rangers immediately contacted city police in the area
and provided them with descriptions of the pair. Officers spotted a group of
males adjacent to the park around 10 p.m.; two of them matched the
descriptions. During questioning, the suspects were frisked and a .25 semi-
automatic pistol was recovered from the pocket of a 14-year-old in the group.
The weapon fits the homemade holster recovered from the robbery noted above.
A joint investigation by rangers and city police continues. One of those
arrested boasted that he was a member of the Gangster Disciple gang. [Jim
Jackson, JEFF]
96-499 - Coulee Dam (Washington) - Marijuana Eradication
Ranger Gig LeBret recently participated in a week-long, interagency marijuana
eradication effort in which 576 high-quality plants valued at $600,000 were
identified and removed from several plantations adjacent to the park. Since
1991, the efforts of this NPS-assisted task force have led to the eradication
of over $23.5 million worth of marijuana, the seizure of property, and
multiple arrests. [Gil Goodrich, CR, CODA]
96-500 - Obed River (Tennessee) - Marijuana Eradication
Approximately 8,000 high-grade sensimilla marijuana plants valued in excess
of $7 million were removed from the park over recent weeks through the joint
efforts of rangers and members of the Tennessee National Guard, the county
sheriff's department, and a state task force. [Rob Turan, OBRI]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level V
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 8/27 8/28 Con Con
OR Umatilla NF @ Bull Cx T2 30,044 47,543 40 NEC
Tower T2 32,000 32,000 25 9/9
Malheur NF Wildcat T1 10,655 10,655 90 8/28
Wallowa-Whitman NF Salt Cx T1 64,625 64,425 75 8/31
Willamette NF South Zone Cx T2 3,369 3,375 70 9/2
Moolack Cx T2 11,475 11,475 32 9/5
Umpqua NF Spring T1 10,000 10,000 15 NEC
North Umpqua T2 994 1,091 75 NEC
Deschutes NF Skeleton/Evans T2 20,200 20,200 100 CND
Park Meadows T1 590 650 75 8/28
Vale District * China Gulch -- - 1,000 0 NEC
* Hat Butte -- - 4,500 20 NEC
* Hickory Basin -- - 300 0 NEC
* Little Owyhee -- - 6,000 90 NEC
* Wire Corral -- - 425 100 CND
Burns District * McClellen -- - 650 100 CND
WA Colville Agency Timberline Cx T2 12,000 15,000 50 NEC
ID Boise District Eighth Street T1 6,000 6,000 10 NEC
Bruneau Cx T1 NR NR NR NEC
Sawtooth NF Elba T2 1,000 7,000 0 NEC
Payette NF Fall Creek -- NR 110 30 8/30
* Goose Lake -- - 120 NR NEC
Salmon-Challis NF Iron Bog -- 310 325 90 8/28
Nez Perce NF Sunday Poet T2 150 175 50 8/29
Idaho Falls District * Maybe -- - 501 21 8/28
* Cox's Well -- - 7,001 75 8/28
* Starlight West -- - 502 1 8/28
Shoshone District * Sweetzer -- - 701 22 8/28
State * Bally Mtn. Cx T2 - NR NR NEC
UT Salt Lake District * South Dugway -- - 800 90 8/28
CA Yosemite NP Ackerson Cx T1 37,539 41,100 55 NEC
Angeles NF Reservoir T2 1,500 1,375 80 8/27
San Bernadino NF Rouse -- 100 160 50 NEC
Ladder T1 750 500 20 NEC
Los Angeles County Marple T1 8,000 12,000 0 NEC
Hoppa Agency Rock T2 219 219 100 CND
Modoc NF Ambrose Cx T1 NR 14,000 20 NEC
NV Elko District Shoemake -- 13,800 13,800 98 9/1
* Dry Creek -- - 14,000 10 NEC
* Buckhorn 2 -- - 1,200 20 NEC
* Oregon -- - 5,000 NR 9/5
* Iron Blossom -- - 600 100 CND
Winnemucca District Winnemucca Cx T2 5,000 35,400 10 8/29
King's River Cx -- 5,000 7,040 6 NEC
Quinn/Odell -- 400 2,000 0 NEC
Two Forks -- NR NR NR NEC
Greeley Cx -- NR NR NR NEC
* Dutch Flat -- - 5,000 5 8/30
* Getchell -- - 12,500 0 NEC
* Coyote -- - 2,000 0 NEC
Battle Mt. District Slaven 2 -- 300 10,000 10 NEC
Humboldt NF Ruby Cx T1 NR 4,500 NR NEC
* Deer Creek -- - 300 30 8/28
State * Bob's Flat -- - 3,200 10 NEC
* Upper Boulder -- - 6,500 60 8/28
MT Nez Perce NF Swet/Warrior T2 34,842 35,937 0 NEC
State Telephone Butte T2 140 140 75 8/28
Coyote Gulch T2 2,000 4,200 50 8/30
WY Rock Springs District Delaney Ridge -- 300 300 100 CND
Big Horn NF Stockwell T2 300 450 0 NEC
Worland District E. Black Mtn. -- 4,500 20,000 39 8/28
Bates Creek -- 3,300 21,000 20 8/29
N. Brokenback -- 700 3,610 27 9/3
Harvard Flats -- 100 100 100 CND
State Lake Bed -- 1,500 1,500 100 CND
Casper District * Baerthel Canyon -- - 500 50 8/28
AK Statewide 14 fires -- 413,573 413,573 -- NSS
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; LPS = limited
protection status
NPS FIRE NARRATIVES
Ackerson Complex, Yosemite - Burnout operations in the Cherry Creek and
Middle Tuolumne drainages were successful yesterday, with all lines holding.
Interior fires continued to burn intensely. The fire is approaching Hetch
Hetchy reservoir. Structures are still threatened, and evacuation advisories
are in effect.
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Saturday, 8/24 2 7 10 0 61 91 171
Sunday, 8/25 4 17 4 0 37 53 115
Monday, 8/26 7 5 66 0 28 201 307
Tuesday, 8/27 6 8 65 1 139 153 372
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Saturday, 8/24 538 588 146 29 2,968
Sunday, 8/25 603 654 137 40 3,442
Monday, 8/26 608 725 156 30 3,692
Tuesday, 8/27 630 912 173 36 3,114
CURRENT SITUATION
Intense fire activity persisted in many areas yesterday, and the numerous new
starts in the Great Basin led to a critical shortage of suppression
resources. Progress was made on large fires in the Northwest because of
cooler temperatures and precipitation. Mobilization of resources through
NICC was steady.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for dry lightning and gusty winds in
eastern Montana and from the Bighorn and Laramie rangers through eastern
Wyoming.
An upper level disturbance which moved into Idaho yesterday will move through
eastern Montana and Wyoming today, producing scattered dry thunderstorms and
gusty winds this afternoon. High pressure building over the West coast will
lead to a warming and drying trend for the remainder of the West. Wet
thunderstorms will continue over Arizona and New Mexico. Most states in the
northern tier of the United States will have temperatures int he 70s and 80s;
most in the southern tier will have temperatures from the 80s to 100.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/28]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No submissions.
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
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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