- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, October 15, 1996
- Date: Tues, 15 Oct 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, October 15, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
94-200 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Follow-up on Car Clouting Arrests
On October 2nd, Ste.F. and Stu.F., both from the Oak
Hill/Fayetteville area, were sentenced in federal court on one count each of
theft from a vehicle and vandalism. The charges stemmed from a series of car
clouts in the park in the winter of 1994 in which almost $5,000 worth of
climbing and camping equipment was stolen from vehicles belonging to out-of-
state rock climbers. The two men and two associates also caused about $2,000
damage in smashed windows. Ste.F. and Stu.F. were indicted on five counts of
vandalism and theft, but pled guilty to one count each in a plea agreement.
Ste.F. was ordered to serve three months in a community confinement center,
followed by three months of electronically monitored home confinement, three
years of probation after confinement, and 200 hours of community service; he
was also required to pay four victims $900 in restitution. Stu.F. was
sentenced to eight months in a federal detention facility, followed by three
years of supervised probation and 200 hours of community service; he was also
ordered to undergo substance abuse and mental health counseling and required
to pay one victim $200 in restitution. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District,
NERI]
96-598 - Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Assault on Rangers
On the afternoon of Saturday, October 5th, rangers Thane Weigand and Dave
Chapman (Grand Canyon) received a report that a park volunteer at Pearce's
Ferry at Meadview had asked a visitor to restrain his off-leash dogs and that
the man - later identified as D.W., 47 - had responded with
profanity. When the rangers arrived on scene, they again asked D.W. to
comply, but he refused to cooperate, stating that only U.S. marshals had the
authority to enforce laws. Weigand drew his pepper spray and Chapman his
collapsible baton, but D.W. tackled Weigand before either spray or baton
could be utilized. As the rangers struggled with D.W., he called his adult
pit bull and told him to kill the rangers. The dog bit both rangers before
D.W. was subdued and convinced to order the dog off. The rangers did not
shoot the animal during the confrontation because of the danger of hitting
each other and the possibility of the bullet missing. D.W. was arrested
and charged on state charges of assaulting an officer. The dogs are in the
county pound. Chapman suffered puncture wounds on one toe and a heel and
required three stitches; Weigand was bitten on an ankle but required no
stitches. [Paul Berkowitz, GRCA]
96-599 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Bison Goring
On the morning of October 12th, S.K. and W.K. were
hunting bison in the Kaibab National Forest just north of the park. As
S.K. approached a female he'd just shot, a bison bull emerged from nearby
trees, jumped some deadfall logs and charged W.K.. The bull impaled
W.K. on a horn, carried him 30 to 40 feet through the trees, and threw
him another 15 feet through the air. W.K. suffered a deep puncture
wound in his buttock and a possible dislocated shoulder. S.K., a
paramedic from Phoenix, provided initial treatment, and was soon assisted by
rangers responding from the park. W.K. was flown to a hospital in
Flagstaff. The incident is considered a resource management issue for the
park. Over the past two fall seasons, bison have migrated into the park from
BLM lands in House Rock Valley. The herd of 70 was originally transplanted
to the area from Yellowstone and is considered exotic by the park. The state
manages the animals and issues hunting permits. Safety messages, copied from
those used at Yellowstone, are being distributed to visitors coming through
the north entrance station. [Kevin Cochary, DR, North Rim, GRCA]
96-600 - Everglades NP (FL) - Rescue; Illegal Alien
Ranger Jim Nuesmeyer was on patrol in the East Everglades on October 4th when
he saw a juvenile bicycling along a paved roadway. The juvenile, an illegal
alien, mistook the marked Bronco as a Border Patrol vehicle and attempted to
flee by riding his bicycle off-road. The bike hit a tree, but the juvenile
continued on foot. He attempted to cross what he thought was a shallow
canal, but quickly discovered the water was 15 feet deep. The boy, a non-
swimmer, began to struggle. Nuesmeyer through a torpedo buoy to him, but he
refused to take it until almost drowning. Nuesmeyer got him to shore and
rendered first aid. The boy, who was intoxicated, told rangers that he would
have drowned without Nuesmeyer's actions. He was interviewed, arrested and
turned over to the Border Patrol. Rangers Jim Sanborn and Jon Holter and fee
collector Luis Colon assisted in the incident. [Bob Panko, DR, Pine Island
District, EVER]
96-601 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Car Clouting/Theft Arrests
On October 8th, ranger Dirk Murphy contacted M.L. and J.D.
(actual name) in the Wahweap picnic area regarding an expired vehicle
registration. Investigation revealed that the delivery truck they were
driving had been stolen from its owner in San Francisco while making night
deliveries on September 24th. Items found in the truck's cargo area tied J.D.
and M.L. to five car clouts that had occurred in Grand Canyon between
October 1st and 6th. Drivers licenses, credit cards and personal property
belonging to four other people were also found in the truck. One of the
victims was an NPS employee who had lost a wallet and organizer from a
vehicle parked at Grand Canyon's visitor center. Unauthorized charges on the
employee's government American Express card and checks forged against the
employee's account exceeded $1,000. Five federal felony charges were filed
against the two men, who also face several state felony charges for credit
card fraud and forgery while in Flagstaff. They are being held without bail.
[Tomie Patrick Lee, CR, GLCA]
96-602 - Whiskeytown NRA (CA) - Marijuana Seizure
On October 10th, NPS special agents and members of Shasta county's marijuana
eradication team seized 306 mature female and 90 male plants near Coggins
Park. Street value is estimated at over $1 million. A suspect has been
identified; the investigation continues. [Larry Carr, WHIS]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Thu Mon % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 10/10 10/14 Con Con
CA Los Padres NF Wild T1 5,555 14,300 95 10/15
San Luis Obispo RU * Pozo -- - 110 100 CND
Sequoia NF Oak Flat -- 350 1,000 100 CND
Lake-Napa RU Gates -- 1,300 1,520 100 CND
UT State * Lake Mountain -- - 70 100 CND
WY Rock Springs District * Lizzie Springs T2 - 600 0 10/18
ID Idaho Falls District * Knox Canyon -- - 750 100 CND
Boise District * Bennett Mtn. -- - 1,095 85 10/15
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
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FIVE DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Thursday, 10/10 0 0 5 0 23 9 37
Friday, 10/11 0 1 2 0 36 13 52
Saturday, 10/12 0 2 0 0 42 6 50
Sunday, 10/13 0 0 3 0 27 9 39
Monday, 10/14 0 0 0 0 28 8 36
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Thursday, 10/10 117 208 25 20 59
Friday, 10/11 146 213 27 21 151
Saturday, 10/12 59 198 22 15 144
Sunday, 10/13 129 170 24 17 191
Monday, 10/14 93 125 15 17 77
CURRENT SITUATION
Fire activity continued yesterday in the eastern Great Basin, southern
California and the Rockies, but there was little activity elsewhere.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
No unusual weather conditions are forecast.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No submissions.
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
TRAINING AND WORKSHOP CALENDAR
Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains training courses and workshops, and a second, which contains
meetings, conferences and events. If you know of a conference, meeting,
workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and implications,
please send the information along. 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. Brevity is appreciated.
10/22-23 -- "Implementing Renewable Energy Projects Workshop," Washington,
DC. Fee: $150. Contact: Karen Kimball, 202-737-1911 (phone),
202-628-8498 (fax). [John Gingles, FMD/WASO]
10/22-26 -- "A Sense of Place/A Sense of Space," National Interpreters'
Workshop, National Association for Interpretation, Holiday Inn,
Billings Plaza, Billings, MT. Contact: Registrar, Data
Corporation, 301-855-8811 (phone), 301-855-8579 (fax). [Mike
Gurling, OLYM]
11/3-5 -- "Choosing By Advantages," Sheraton Hotel, Corpus Christi, TX.
Sponsored by the Association of National Park Rangers. Training
on this management program, recently used by the NPS to
prioritize line item construction. Official NPS training.
Tuition: $100 for ANPR and ANPME members, $150 for non-members.
Contact: Bill Wade, 540-635-8809. Cutoff for registration is
October 16th. [Bill Wade, SHEN]
11/3-4 -- Pollution Prevention Training, Sheraton Hotel, Corpus Christi,
TX. Sponsored by Association of National Park Maintenance
Employees. The course will provide participants with the latest
information and regulations on developing a pollution prevention
program for maintenance operations in national parks. Field trip
to Padre Island. Cost: $125 for ANPME members, $200 for non-
members. Applications must be sent to ANPME, PO Box 388,
Gansevoort, NY 12381. Contact: Rick Shireman, Mesa Verde NP,
970-529-4465 or 882-2376 (phone) or Rick Shireman at NP-MEVE
(cc:Mail). [Steve Hastings, NERI]
11/6-7 -- "Fulfilling the NPS Mission: The Process of Interpretation,"
Sheraton Hotel, Corpus Christi, TX. Held in conjunction with the
Association of National Park Rangers' Rendezvous. This is a
cornerstone module of the interpretive curriculum which
establishes the foundation for professional interpretive
development and is targeted at all NPS rangers. The module is
particularly valuable to supervisors who do not have a background
in interpretation to help them understand the purpose and
concepts of the profession. Contact: Dave Dahlen, STMA, 304-535-
6215. [Glora Baker, STMA]
11/13-15 -- NPS Geologic Resources Division Workshop, Denver, CO. Three
separate workshop sessions - geology, disturbed lands, and
minerals management - will run concurrently, with one or two
plenary sessions. The division is very interested in
participation by managers and professionals dealing with any of
these matters, and would like to hear from you as soon as
possible to determine your interest and needs. Contacts: Ed
Kassman, 303-969-2146; David Steensen, 303-969-2014; Judy Geniac,
303-969-2015. [Ed Kassman, GRD/WASO]
12/8-13 -- Managerial Grid: Phase I and Instructor Preparation Seminars,
Tucson, AZ. Phase I is a prerequisite for attending the IP
seminar. Sponsored by ANPR. Cost: $500 for members, $550 for
non-members. Deadline for applications is October 25th; they
should be sent to ANPR, PO Box 307, Gansevoort, NY 12831.
Contact: Ann Baugh, 520-638-2691, or Bill Wade, 540-999-3400.
[Bill Wade, SHEN]
1/5-10* -- Managerial Grid: Phase I and Instructor Preparation Seminars,
Cape Cod, MA. Phase I is a prerequisite for attending the IP
seminar. Sponsored by ANPR. Cost: $500 for members, $550 for
non-members. Deadline for applications is January 10th; they
should be sent to ANPR, PO Box 307, Gansevoort, NY 12831.
Contact: Ann Baugh, 520-638-2691, or Bill Wade, 540-999-3400.
[Bill Wade, SHEN]
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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