NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, July 12, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1909, President William Howard Taft proclaimed Oregon 
Caves National Monument.  Groundwater dissolving marble bedrock formed 
the cave passages and intricate flowstone formations in southwestern 
Oregon.

INCIDENTS

00-386 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Rescue

J.K., 44, was injured when a falling rock hit him on the head 
while he was descending from a climb of Sentinel Rock just after 
midnight on June 28th. J.K.'s climbing partner descended to 
Yosemite Valley, contacted rangers at 8:30 a.m., and reported that 
J.K. had been knocked unconsciousness and suffered blood loss. A 
two-member rescue team immediately started to climb up to J.K. 
and was followed shortly by a nine-person carryout team. A rescue 
helicopter was requested from Lemoore Naval Station. Two ships were 
diverted from a training exercise and arrived 25 minutes later.  
Rangers Keith Lober and Steve Yu heli-rappelled to the scene from one 
of the Navy helicopters.  J.K. was placed in a stokes litter, 
hoisted into the Lemoore helicopter, and flown to the valley floor. He 
was then transported to the Yosemite Medical Clinic by ambulance. The 
heli-rappellers and the initial two-person ground team were also 
hoisted out by the Navy due to the hazardous nature of the route. 
(Michael Nash, IC, YOSE, 7/11)

00-387 - Chattahoochee River NRA (GA) - Two Rescues

On June 30th, rangers received a report that a person had fallen from 
a cliff in the Vickery Creek unit, a climbing area within the park. 
Rangers Steve Reynolds and Brett Painter responded along with a local 
fire department. J.D. of Columbus, Georgia, had attempted to 
rappel off the cliff but had not secured his rappel line to an 
adequate anchor point and consequently fell 40 feet to the ground, 
sustaining serious head and facial injuries. He was evacuated via a 
technical raising system, then taken to a local hospital for 
treatment. On July 5th, five women fell from a cliff in the park's 
Whitewater unit around 4:30 a.m. The accident occurred when park 
dispatch was closed, so rangers weren't notified until 7 a.m. Ranger 
Connie Vogel-Brown determined that the women had been hiking in the 
park after dark and had become lost. All five fell about 30 feet into 
the Chattahoochee River; three sustained injuries, one serious. She 
was evacuated via a local fire department boat. [Kevin Tillman, Acting 
CR, CHAT, 7/11]

00-388 - Point Reyes NS (CA) - Boat Grounding

On July 9th, rangers responded to a distress call from a stranded 
vessel that had run aground on Limantour Beach.  They found that the 
loaded 46-foot commercial salmon fishing boat "Barbara Faye" was stuck 
at the surf line, with two crew members still aboard.  One was removed 
with the assistance of local fishermen, the other stayed on board to 
monitor the situation.  On July 10th, over 600 gallons of fuel were 
removed from the vessel with the assistance of the Coast Guard and a 
private salvage company. Efforts to remove the boat at the next high 
tide failed; it's now breaking apart because of pounding surf.  The 
park is beginning the process of salvaging the vessel and removing the 
debris from beach areas.  Over 20 shipwrecks have occurred at Point 
Reyes over the last five years.  The majority of these ships have not 
been insured and the Services has ended up covering cleanup costs. 
[Don Neubacher, Superintendent, PORE, 7/11]

00-389 - Cape Cod NS (MA) - Resource Damage

On the morning of Saturday, July 8th, rangers and fire management 
personnel responded to a wildland fire burning on park property in the 
woods near the junction of Ocean View Drive and Cahoon Hollow Road in 
the Town of Wellfleet.  Already on scene were units from the town of 
Wellfleet; additional units soon arrived from the towns of Brewster, 
Harwich, Eastham, and Truro and from the Massachusetts Division of 
Forestry.  The one-acre fire was controlled and eventually 
extinguished late in the day.  Rangers determined that the fire had 
been started by a campfire that had been abandoned by a group of 
teenagers from the surrounding area.  A keg of beer and a dolly used 
to transport it into the woods were found at the scene. Rangers have 
identified a number of the individuals who were involved, including 
the person who purchased the alcohol, and numerous charges are 
pending. The park will also be seeking full restitution for damages. 
[Kevin Fitzgerald, CR, CACO, 7/11]

00-390 - Walnut Canyon NM (AZ) - Suicide

A 21-year-old man from Glendale took his own life on an administrative 
road within the park. The body and vehicle were discovered by rangers 
at 9 a.m. on July 11th. The man apparently died from a single gunshot 
to the head from a rifle. The county sheriff's department has assumed 
the lead in the investigation. [Kim Watson, CR, FLAG, 7/11]

                      [Additional reports pending....]
 
FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

CURRENT SITUATION

New large fires were reported yesterday in the Great Basin and 
Rockies. Initial attack was moderate in the Northwest, Rockies and 
Great Basin. 

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 74 crews (no 
change), 441 overhead (+ 134), 165 engines (+ 12), 45 helicopters (- 
4), and four air tankers (+ 1).

Very high to extreme fire danger indices were reported in Oregon, 
Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, 
Colorado, and Wyoming.

NPS FIRES

Dinosaur NM (CO) - There was again no change in the size of the Buster 
Flats Fire yesterday. It remains 95% contained, as full containment 
was impeded by very rugged terrain and concerns for firefighter 
safety. A total of 162 firefighters and overhead remain committed to 
the fire.

SIGNIFICANT NON-NPS FIRES 

Ely Field Office, BLM (NV) - The Cherry Fire (3,000 acres, 70 miles 
northwest of Ely) is burning in dense pinyon pine, juniper and white 
fir. Wind shifts have caused irregular fire behavior and rapid rates 
of spread; smoke is causing some visibility problems. 

Ely Field Office, BLM (NV) - The Strawberry Fire (1,300 acres, 30 
miles northeast of Eureka) is burning in grass, sagebrush, oakbrush, 
pinyon pine and juniper. A Type II team has been assigned.

OUTLOOK

NICC has issued three FIRE WEATHER WATCHES - the first for dry 
lightning in the central and northeast mountains of Oregon and higher 
terrain of southeast Washington, the second for dry lightning in 
northern Idaho and southwest Montana, and the third for dry lightning 
and gusty winds in portions of central Montana.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/12]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

No submissions.

FILM AT 11...

The History Channel will premier a show on the battle of Kings 
Mountain on its upcoming "Frontier: The Decisive Battles" series. The 
one-hour feature, narrated by Peter Coyote, will air on Sunday, July 
16th, at 4 p.m.  The park is working with the producer on an edited 
version of the feature for use as a new visitor orientation film.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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