NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, May 26, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1868, the Senate acquitted President Andrew Johnson of 
offenses charged by the House of Representatives.  Andrew Johnson 
National Historic Site contains Johnson's home and burial place in 
Greeneville, Tennessee.

INCIDENTS

00-226 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Search and Rescue

On the evening of May 18th, Wawona rangers received a report of an 
overdue hiker in the Glacier Point road corridor. Lung cancer survivor 
U.G., 79, had planned a short day hike to the Taft Point area 
but failed to return as scheduled. A major search was begun which 
included over 70 people from a number of agencies. On May 20th, U.G. 
was found about three miles south of Taft Point by a seasonal ranger 
who was on a containment sweep. She was examined by paramedics and 
found to be in good condition. U.G. said that she'd made many 
mistakes, should have turned back, and would never hike alone again. 
She also said that, despite everything, it ended up being "a good hike 
to get back into shape." [Kevin McMillan, IC, YOSE, 5/25]

                        [Numerous reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III

The national preparedness level has gone back up to Level III, which 
goes into effect when the following conditions are met: Two or more 
geographic areas experiencing incidents requiring a major  commitment 
of national resources.  High number of fires becoming Class D and 
larger.  Additional resources are being ordered and mobilized through 
NICC.  Type I teams are committed in two or more areas, or 300 crews 
are committed nationally.

CURRENT SITUATION

New large fires were reported yesterday in the Southwest, South and 
southern California. A Type I team was dispatched to the Kinsey 2 fire 
in the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests. 

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's  numbers in parentheses): 76 crews (+ 27), 
773 overhead (+ 183), 90 engines (- 26), 38 helicopters (no change), 
and 25 air tankers (+ 2).

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, New 
Mexico, Texas, California, Colorado, and Kansas.

NPS FIRES

Bandelier NM (NM) - The burn area emergency rehabilitation (BAER) team 
arrived in Los Alamos on the week of May 15th to assess burn 
conditions resulting from the Cerro Grande fire and to make 
recommendations for emergency rehabilitation projects to help reduce 
further natural resource damage. The interagency team, comprised of a 
variety of resource specialists, including archeologists, 
hydrologists, soil scientists, foresters, engineers, and geologists, 
will evaluate the fire damage and recommend and implement measures to 
mitigate the damage.  The team is completing data collection, field 
surveys, and mapping, and should be done with field assessments by May 
29th. Project specifications should be complete by the end of next 
week. The team is concentrating on evaluating erosion control and 
other emergency rehabilitation projects before annual thunderstorms 
threaten Los Alamos, typically in early July. Several projects have 
already been started. To help water soak into the soil and to prepare 
for grass seeding, five crews totaling over 90 people are contour 
raking portions of the burn area near the Los Alamos residential area 
where homes were lost to fire. More hand crews are expected as soon as 
they are released from fire suppression efforts.  In addition to 
contour raking, the BAER team has begun rehabilitation of suppression 
lines and mitigation of hazard trees. A large scale aerial seeding 
effort is planned for next week - about 750,000 pounds of grass seed 
mix (roughly equivalent to 18 filled tractor trailers) is expected to 
arrive in Los Alamos shortly. Seeding will take about six days and 
will be applied by three helicopters and one airplane. Seeding is 
important to help stabilize the soil by establishing grass seedlings 
in an effort to prevent erosion. Other activities designed to retard 
the downhill flow of water, increase infiltration, and reduce erosion 
are also in process or planned for the next few days.  Bulldozers are 
reworking forest roads in the burned area, installing broad-based dips 
in critical locations. Three thousand bales of straw are scheduled to 
arrive today for placement in critical locations on burned slopes.  
Contour falling of trees will begin tomorrow.  Contour falling is the 
cutting of selected trees in critical locations and laying them across 
the slope perpendicular to water flow.  The Santa Fe National Forest 
remains closed due to the danger of falling trees, rolling rocks, and 
hot stump holes. For information on BAER rehabilitation efforts, phone 
505-663-8942 or check out the team's website:  www.baerteam.org. 
[Sonya Capek, IO, BAER Team]

NON-NPS FIRES 

Kaibab NF (AZ) - Three fires - the Pumpkin (1,200 acres), Oak Point 
(150 acres) and Mangum (300 acres) fires - are burning in the forest 
at, respectively, the following locations - 25 miles northeast of 
Flagstaff, seven miles southwest of Jacob Lake, and ten miles 
southwest of Jacob Lake. Type II teams have been committed to the 
first two. Winds, low humidity and steep terrain are hampering 
containment.

Coconino NF (AZ) - The Clover fire (110 acres) is burning in ponderosa 
pine 55 miles southeast of Flagstaff. Erratic winds, low relative 
humidity, and long-range spotting are hindering containment efforts.

Francis Marion and Sumter NF's (SC) - The Kinsey 2 fire is actually a 
complex of eight fires burning near Cordesville. Intense fire behavior 
and lack of resources were reported.

OUTLOOK

NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCHES for gusty winds and low 
afternoon relative humidity in northern New Mexico and low afternoon 
relative humidity in western Florida.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/26]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Thomas Report - The study of the Service's law enforcement program, 
known as the "Thomas Report," has been posted on the web at 
www.nps.gov/legal. Scroll toward the middle of the opening page and 
click on the report you want to read under the heading of "LAW 
ENFORCEMENT INFO." [Ken Mabery, RAD/WASO]

Television Documentary - The History Channel will have a feature on 
Wednesday, May 31st, at 11 p.m. on the rescue efforts of Park Police 
personnel and Eagle I in the 1982 Air Florida crash in the Potomac 
River in Washington, D.C. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR]

MEMORANDA

The full text of Director Bob Stanton's message to all employees 
regarding the Cerro Grande fire, posted this morning, follows:

"The tragic outcome of the Cerro Grande fire in New Mexico has touched 
the nation, the community and the entire National Park Service.  I 
want to let you know that I am committed to taking all necessary 
actions to make the community whole and ensure this kind of disaster 
is never repeated.  

"We have taken responsibility for the fire.  We will also let the 
citizens of Los Alamos know that we are deeply sorry for the personal 
pain and property loss which resulted from our actions.  We will do 
everything in our power to help the residents of Los Alamos recover.

"The findings of the investigative team appointed by Interior 
Secretary Bruce Babbitt point to a number of serious errors in both 
practice and judgement, which led collectively to the wildfire.  The 
Cerro Grande Fire investigation report is posted on the Internet at 
www.nps.gov/cerrogrande.  I have thoroughly reviewed the report and 
spent several days in New Mexico reviewing the situation.  An 
independent review board has evaluated the investigative report. The 
Outlet Fire at Grand Canyon has also been reviewed.  I will work with 
the Service's leadership to implement the board's recommendations.   

"In addition, I am working with Secretary Babbitt and the other 
directors of land managing agencies to review and resolve any concerns 
related to the training, implementation, and interagency coordination 
elements of our prescribed fire program. We have a responsibility to 
review our prescribed fire program and correct any deficiencies.  I 
anticipate the full support of the men and women of the National Park 
Service as we move forward together in our effort to ensure that this 
terrible tragedy is not repeated.

"I would like to thank all of the National Park Service personnel who 
have risen to the challenges of recent weeks by fighting the fire, 
investigating its causes and working on recovery efforts.  For those 
of you not involved in the events in New Mexico, I appreciate the 
support given to the active participants. 

"I continue to take a great deal of pride in the mission of the 
National Park Service, and the men and women who carry it out.  
Undeniably, our responsibility for the tragic Cerro Grande fire has 
cost us some of the goodwill of the American public.  Our commitment 
to helping the citizens of Los Alamos provides us with the opportunity 
to take a step in the right direction.

"We must also demonstrate our dedication to preserving this nation's 
cherished natural and cultural resources for future generations.  Day 
by day, throughout the system and through our programs, each one of us 
must do whatever we can to restore the public's confidence."

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

No submissions.

                            *  *  *  *  *

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed 
by park, office and/or regional cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please 
address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your 
servicing hub coordinator.  The Morning Report is also available on 
the web at http://www.nps.gov/morningreport

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the 
cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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