-
Subject: NPS Morning Report - 8/10/98
-
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 09:44:45 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, August 10, 1998
INCIDENTS
98-476 - Great Smoky Mountains (NC/TN) - DUI; Assault on Ranger
Rangers Helen McNutt and Gary Kubin responded to a report of a vehicle being
driven recklessly on the Newfound Gap road on the Tennessee side of the park
on the afternoon of August 2nd. McNutt stopped the vehicle near the Alum
Cave parking area. The operator, a 41-year-old male, refused to identify
himself or produce a driver's license and was placed under arrest and
handcuffed. He became belligerent after being arrested, broke free, and
attempted to run off. McNutt and Kubin took him down with the assistance of
two park visitors who identified themselves as off-duty officers. The man,
who had by this time been identified as one H.V., resisted ranger
efforts to put him in a patrol car. A full canister of pepper spray was used
on him, but without significant effect. After being placed in the rear of
the patrol car, H.V. used his feet to smash its rear window. He was then
removed from the car and further restrained with leg irons connected to the
handcuffs. H.V.'s final act of defiance was to bite Kubin on the forearm
while being seatbelted. During the arrest, McNutt strained a ligament on her
left hand. Both rangers returned to duty immediately after receiving medical
attention. H.V. was ordered by the magistrate to remain in jail until a
bond hearing scheduled for this week. [Keny Slay, DR, Little River District,
GRSM, 8/7]
98-477 - Sequoia NP (CA) - Falling Fatality
J.W., 27, of Smyrna, Georgia, was killed on Tuesday, August 4th,
when he fell about 1,000 feet down a steep, icy couloir on the northwest side
of Mount Whitney. J.W. and his partner had climbed the mountain via a
technical route on the east side and had reached the summit around 11 a.m.
that morning. They met two other climbers who informed them of an "easier"
route down; taking their advice, J.W. and his partner joined them on a
descent via the Mountaineer's Route, a cross-country route which requires
traversing of snowfields and rock ledges. J.W. was attempt to plant an ice
ax to stabilize himself while crossing the couloir when he apparently struck
a rock, lost his balance, fell and slid about 200 feet on his chest, went
over a small waterfall in the gully, then fell another 800 feet before
stopping at the edge of the snowfield. The slope over the course of the fall
varied between 30 and 60 degrees. The initial report was made by cellular
phone by another climber and was relayed to the park by the Inyo County
sheriff's office on the east side of the Sierras. A Forest Service
helicopter flew a deputy sheriff to Alpine Lake near the base of Mount
Whitney, and he was able to hike to J.W.'s location and confirm his death.
Rangers Randy Larson and Steve Klump were flown to the site early the next
morning to assist with removal of the body and to search the area for
belongings. Rangers Bob Wilson and Charles Cuvelier interviewed the other
three members of the climbing party when they arrived at the trailhead on the
east side on Wednesday. This is the first fatality in the park this year.
[Tom Tschol, DR, SEKI, 8/6]
98-478 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Drowning
On August 5th, J.P., 18, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was cliff
diving in Forbidding Canyon near Rainbow Bridge. J.P. and six of his
friends dove from a 50-foot ledge at the same time. J.P. surfaced for a
moment, then disappeared. The bottom depth at that location ranges from 130
to 179 feet, with no obstructions. Park divers searched to 130 feet the
first day, but failed to find him. On August 6th, the park's remote operated
vehicle (ROV) was brought in and found his body at 165 feet. NPS divers Pat
Horning and Chad Nelson recovered the body, and brought him to four
additional divers at the 130-foot and 60-foot levels to permit planned safety
decompression stops. The case is being investigated jointly by the park and
San Juan County sheriff's office. [Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA, 8/7]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Thu Sun % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 8/6 8/9 Con Con
AZ Grand Canyon NP North Rim Cx T2 1,297 3,618 UNK 10/15
Coconino NF Sycamore -- 100 100 100 CND
CA Pinnacles NM Stonewall -- 2,600 2,800 100 CND
WA Wenatchee NF North 25 T2 3,500 6,300 60 NEC
Spokane District Scroggie -- 850 827 100 CND
OR Vale District * South Tub Mt. -- - 3,000 100 CND
Burns District * Skull Creek T2 - 20,000 40 NEC
Prineville District * Butte -- - 7,680 25 8/10
MT Helena NF * Copper Creek T2 - 110 80 8/10
ID Boise District * Crane Creek Can. -- - 2,400 100 CND
Boise NF * Gooseberry Cx T3 - 111 80 8/10
Salmon-Challis NF * Main Salmon Cx -- - 295 UNK NEC
TX State 437 -- 300 300 100 CND
* Wolf Creek -- - 1,500 90 8/9
* New Hope -- - 300 NR 8/9
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
IMT T1 = Type I; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
Est Con Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Wednesday, 8/5 0 3 4 1 206 47 261
Thursday, 8/6 1 11 12 6 156 40 226
Friday, 8/7 1 18 27 3 109 153 311
Saturday, 8/8 1 11 50 0 109 78 249
Sunday, 8/9 1 4 28 0 76 58 167
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Wednesday, 8/5 137 371 89 33 835
Thursday, 8/6 174 322 99 17 871
Friday, 8/7 142 328 103 16 997
Saturday, 8/8 163 385 117 20 820
Sunday, 8/9 161 392 111 26 976
CURRENT SITUATION
Moderate initial attack was reported in all areas yesterday.
Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Texas, Arkansas,
Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California, and
Washington.
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for gusty winds in eastern Washington,
including the east slopes of the Cascades.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/8-10]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION
No entries.
PARK DISPATCHES
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Field Visits to WASO - Director Stanton has asked that more formal procedures
be established to publicize field visits to WASO. Effective immediately,
superintendents and regional directors who are coming to WASO are to advise
Lora Williams on the director's staff to advise her of the dates of their
visits so that she can include them on the daily directorate schedule. Her
number is 202-208-4621. Superintendents and regional directors visiting WASO
should use the office of the associate director for park operations and
education in room 3130 as the point of contact for messages. The phone
number there is 202-208-5651.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
INTERCHANGE
LE Refresher Training - The NPS office at FLETC is interested in assisting
anyone putting on 40-hour annual refresher courses for commissioned rangers
during the coming year. In order to do so, they need input from the field.
They plan on initially focusing on legal updates, and therefore need your
ideas, questions, areas of concern, and ideas for possible subject areas,
such as interpretations of the law that are not consistent with what's been
taught at FLETC, gray areas regarding LE authority, and jurisdiction issues.
Although FLETC won't be able to send a legal instructor to each refresher,
they plan on providing a lesson plan, complete with overheads and Power Point
programs to enhance presentations by local AUSA's or attorneys. FLETC will
also begin standardizing certain segments of refresher training and will
build on that foundation each year. Information will soon be available on
other forms of support that they will be able to provide and how to request
such assistance. Send comments regarding legal updates to Tom Cherry at NP-
WASO or fax them to him at 912-267-3188.
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; pound signs (#) indicate revisions to entries that have
appeared previously. Brevity in entries is appreciated.
Dates: 8/31-9/4
Course: Preconference Workshops, SAA Meeting
Location: Orlando, FL
Details: Workshops to be held before the conference (see last Monday's
listing of meetings) include:
o Preservation Management (8/31-9/1). $279, 1.5 CEU.
o Basic Electronic Records Management (8/31-9/1). $279, 1.5
CEU.
o Grant Proposal Preparation (8/31). $215, .75 CEU.
o Preservation Microfilming (8/31). $215, .75 CEU.
o Oral History: From Planning to Preservation (9/1). $215,
.75 CEU.
o Probing Appraisal Practice: Contending with Methods, Mayhem
and Madness (9/1). $215, .75 CEU.
o Understanding Archives: An Introduction to Principles and
Practices (9/1-2). $279, 1.5 CEU.
o Encoded Archival Description (8/31-9/1). $342, 1.5 CEU.
Contact: Diane Vogt-O'Connor
Phone/fax: --- ; ---
E-mail: Diane Vogt-O'Connor at NP-WASO-CSD
Submitter: Same
Dates: 8/31-9/4
Course: Compass II: Universal Competencies and Orientation
Location: Albright TC, GRCA, AZ
Details: Offered Servicewide. Refer to the Learning Place bulletin board.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Betsy Haynes or Kevin Turner
Phone/fax: Haynes: 540-721-2094, Cobb: 415-289-2366; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Betty Browning, HOAL
Dates: 9/4-8
Course: 1998 North American Association for Environmental Education
Workshop
Location: Atlanta, GA
Details: The theme is environmental education and the urban setting.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: NAAEE
Phone/fax: 937-676-2514; ---
E-mail: www.naaee.org
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
Dates: 9/14-17
Course: High Angle Rescue Update
Location: New River Gorge, WV
Details: The course is designed to bring technical rescue team leaders and
instructors up to current levels by using techniques developed in
British Columbia and now being used in many NPS areas.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Ron Matthews, DEWA
Phone/fax: 973-948-7761; 973-948-3648
E-mail: Ronald Matthews at NP-DEWA
Submitter: Same
Dates: 9/14-18 # (new closing date for applications)
Course: Archeological Resources Protection Training (XP-ARPTP-809)
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Details: Fundamentals of ARPA.
Closes: Application closing date: August 14th.
Contact: Park/regional employee development specialists.
Phone/fax: 912-267-2246; 912-267-3188
E-mail: WASO FLETC-NPS at NP-WASO
Submitter: Wiley Golden, FLETC
Dates: 9/16-18
Course: Afterimages: Reformatting visual Materials in a Digital World
Location: National Archives and Records Administration Facility, College
Park, MD
Details: How to reformat endangered visual materials to obtain high
quality photographic and/or digital copies.
Closes: Application closing date: August 14th for early registration.
Contact: Ginny Hughes
Phone/fax: 978-470-1010; 978-475-6021
E-mail: ghughes@nedcc.org
Submitter: Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO
Dates: 10/1-3
Symposium: "From Research to Park Management and Public Information," 10th
Anniversary Stewardship Symposium, El Malpais NM
Location: Grants, NM
Details: The symposium will highlight past and present research (about 40
projects) and look to the future by developing a 10-15 year
research plan with participants' help. Saturday's workshops will
engage participants in identifying volunteer opportunities and
designing stewardship projects in ecology, caves and archeology.
Proceedings will not be published; copies of abstracts will go
only to those registered.
Closes: Application closing date: September 15th.
Contact: Resource Symposium, El Malpais NM, PO Box 939, Grants, NM 87020
Phone/fax: 505-285-4641
E-mail: Ken Mabery at NP-ELMA, or Ken_Mabery@nps.gov
Submitter: Ken Mabery, ELMA
Dates: 10/13-18
Course: Colorado Firefighters' Academy
Location: Tammaron Resort, Durango, CO
Details: A preliminary session, which will run from October 13th to the
15th, will provide training on S-205 and arson investigation;
there will also be one and two-day special topic classes in large
diameter hoses, pump operations and technical rope work. The
main fire academy class will follow from the 16th to the 18th.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Ann Johnston, San Juan Basin VoTech School
Phone/fax: 970-565-8457; ---
E-mail: ajohnston@sjbts.cortez.co.us
Submitter: Steve Budd-Jack, MEVE
Dates: 10/14-16 *
Course: The Challenge of the Museum Professional in the 21st Century
Location: Mather Training Center, Harpers Ferry, WV
Details: The workshop, sponsored in cooperation with the Association of
African American Museums, will enhance the skills of museum
curators and those with museum responsibilities.
Closes: Application closing date: September 4th.
Contact: Bill Gwaltney
Phone/fax: 970-586-1220; ---
E-mail: Bill Gwaltney at NP-ROMO
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
Dates: 11/16-20 *
Course: Anticipating and Responding to Public Threats Resulting from
Mountain Lion Attacks
Location: Albright Training Center, Grand Canyon, AZ
Details: Designed to give participants a better understanding of cougars
(Felis concolor) from both biological and visitor perspectives
and in the context of resource protection issues.
Closes: Application closing date: September 7th.
Contact: Paul Berkowitz, Elaine Leslie
Phone/fax: Berkowitz: 520-638-7970; Leslie: 520-638-7904; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Ann Johnson, HOAL
* * * * *
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
pertaining to receipt of 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.
--- ### ---