NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Saturday, July 15, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1867, Maggie L. Walker was born to a former slave in 
Richmond, Virginia.  Her leadership in the economic development of 
Richmond's black community is commemorated at her later Richmond home, 
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site.

INCIDENTS

00-397 - Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Lightning Fatality

On July 12th, A.H., 28, of Boulder, Colorado, was struck and 
killed by lightning while climbing the 5.11 Casual Route on the 
Diamond face of Longs Peak. His partner tied him off at a spot around 
the 13,800-foot level, then rappelled off the route to safety. Over 
the next two days, 25 park staff and two members of Rocky Mountain 
Rescue conducted a technical recovery of A.H.'s body, which was 
hand-winched 500 feet to the summit and removed by helicopter. The 
recovery effort was hindered by afternoon lightning on the 13th that 
forced the team to leave the mountain and postpone recovery efforts 
until the following day. Due to safety concerns regarding falling 
rock, all climbing routes on the mountain were closed both days. This 
complex rescue was the first on Diamond face in over a decade. 
A.H. was the park's fifth fatality this year. Mark Magnuson was 
IC. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/14]

00-398 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Suicide

On the morning of July 12th, supervisory ranger Bob Cheung was 
notified that an elderly man was sitting in a parked vehicle in Marin 
Headlands which what appeared to be a handgun pointed at his head. 
Cheung and ranger Robert DelSecco responded and found the man with a 
handgun in the back seat of a Ford station wagon. Other law 
enforcement units and a Presidio FD ambulance also responded. When 
Park Police officers Larry Morales and John Richardson arrived, 
contact was made from a safe distance. The man in the car ignored all 
requests from the officers and rangers. He then got out of the back 
seat of the car, got into the driver's seat, and began to drive slowly 
away. As rangers and officers followed and prepared to make a stop, he 
pulled to the side of the road. Cheung used his vehicle's PA system in 
another effort to get him out of the car and away from his gun, but he 
shot himself in the head shortly thereafter. Medical personnel 
provided advanced life support, as he had a pulse and was breathing on 
his own. A medical helicopter was summoned to transport him to a 
hospital, where he later succumbed to his injury. Several CISD 
sessions were conducted with all involved personnel. [Richard 
Danielson, Operations Supervisor, GOGA, 7/12]

00-399 - Gateway NRA (NJ/NY) - Suicide

Park Police officers responded to a report of a sick person inside a 
car at the main parking lot at Riis Park on July 10th. They found the 
body of a 52-year-old woman crouched on the floor of the back seat of 
her Honda Civic, which was parked in a remote area of the 5,000-space 
parking lot. Investigation revealed that she'd been missing since July 
7th and that she had a past history of mental problems and suicide 
attempts. She had filled a prescription for two drugs on the 7th, and 
most of the pills were missing from the bottles. There was no evidence 
of foul play or trauma and the case has been classified as a suicide, 
pending completion of a toxicology report. [Lt. John Marigliano, GATE, 
7/12]

00-400 - Sleeping Bear Dunes NL (MI) - Suicide

A 49-year-old local man who was one of several brothers involved in a 
blueberry farm on park property (under a retention of use agreement) 
disappeared in late June. A search was begun for him on July 5th. His 
body was found by one of his brothers in a storage building on the 
farm the next afternoon. The victim pulled his car into the building, 
ran a hose from the exhaust to the interior, and committed suicide. A 
note was found at the scene. He was in the midst of a cancer treatment 
program, and was also wanted by local law enforcement authorities. 
[Tom Van Zoeren, PR, SLBE, 7/14]
 
FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III

The preparedness level has gone up one step.  Preparedness Level III 
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

Seven Type I and Type II incident management teams were assigned 
yesterday to new large fires in the Northwest, Rockies and eastern 
Great Basin. Initial attack was heavy in the Rockies. Hot, dry weather 
and strong winds today will challenge containment efforts on large 
fires in Montana and Idaho. Mobilization of resources through NICC 
accelerated.

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 154 crews (+ 52), 
713 overhead (+ 260), 297 engines (+ 54), 74 helicopters (+ 18), and 
five air tankers (- 2).

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

NPS FIRES

Wind Cave NP (SD) - The 200-acre, lightning-caused Highland Creek Fire 
is burning in timber. A Type II team is assigned. No further 
information is yet available.

Bandelier NM (NM) - A sawyer working as a member of the Cerro Grande 
interagency fire crew received minor injuries on Thursday when he was 
struck by a branch from a falling tree. The crew was felling burned 
trees on Forest Service land above Los Alamos at the time of the 
accident. The worker was making a cut on a standing tree in order to 
remove another tree that had hung up in its branches. The sawyer 
miscalculated the direction of the falling tree, though, and was 
struck by a branch. He received a laceration to his back and another 
to his left arm. He was flown by helicopter to Los Alamos Hospital, 
where he was treated and released two hours later. The IMT is 
conducting a review of the incident.

SIGNIFICANT NON-NPS FIRES 

Payette NF (ID) - Burgdorf Junction Fire (1,200 acres, 0 containment, 
Type I team assigned): The fire grew from 10 acres to 1,200 acres in 
less than four hours. Structures are threatened.

Salmon-Challis NF (ID) - Clear Creek Fire (23,000 acres, 0 
containment, Type I team assigned): The fire is burning in a rugged 
wilderness area. It made an eight-mile run yesterday. Residences along 
Panther Creek have been evacuated, and voluntary evacuations are 
underway in other areas near the fire.

Salmon-Challis NF (ID) - Fenster Fire (2,500 acres, 0 containment, 
Type II team assigned): About 20 structures are threatened.

Bitterroot NF (MT) - Little Blue Fire (2,500 acres, 0 containment, 
Type I team assigned): A campground and 25 to 30 homes have been 
evacuated as a precaution. Control problems include high winds, heavy 
fuels and inaccessibility.

Lolo NF (MT) - Seeley Complex Fires (180 acres, 0 containment, Type II 
team assigned): the complex is made up of about 30 lightning-caused 
fires.

Lakeview District, BLM (OR) - Beaty Butte Fire (16,000 acres, 0 
containment, Type II team assigned): The fire is burning in heavy 
brush in an inaccessible area. It's being pushed by high winds and is 
actively running and spotting.

Ely Field Office, BLM (NV) - Cherry Fire (7,000 acres, 50% 
containment, Type II team assigned): Crews made significant progress 
on the east flank of the fire yesterday, but high winds in the 
afternoon halted air operations. Running, torching and spotting have 
been observed. Problems include extremely dry fuels, low RH, and 
rolling debris in fir stands.

OUTLOOK

NICC has issued a RED FLAG WARNING today for low RH, strong winds and 
dry lightning in Wyoming and two FIRE WEATHER WATCHES - the first for 
low RH and strong winds in Montana, the second for low RH in the 
inland portion of the Florida panhandle.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/15; Dick Littlefield, 
IO, IMT, 7/14]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Aviation/Space Flight Interpretive Theme Study - As part of a broader 
planning process, Bob Huggins in WASO Interpretation and Education is 
collecting information on parks that interpret aviation, human flight, 
or space travel. Programs of interest include those which focus on 
historic or current activities, such as interpreting abandoned air 
fields or aircraft gun emplacements or the contemporary use of air 
support. If your park offers any type of interpretive or educational 
program on this subject, please send a note with a brief description 
of your program(s) via cc:Mail to Bob Huggins at NP-WASO-ITC-MIB.

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Alaska Regional Office (AK) - A retirement party and barbecue buffet 
will be held for Bob and Carol Barbee at the Officer's Club on 
Elmendorf AFB at 6 p.m. on August 22nd. If you're interested in 
attending, the cost is $25 per person for the dinner; checks should be 
made payable to Marcia Blaszak and mailed to her at 6600 Aspen Ridge 
Circle, Anchorage, AK 99516. They must be received by August 18th. If 
you can't attend but would like to send a card, letter or memory, 
please send them by August 14th to Karen Weerheim via cc:Mail or to 
NPS, 2525 Gambell Street, Room 107, Anchorage, AK 99503.

Intermountain Support Office (CO) - Retiree and former ARD of 
Southwest Region passed away on the evening of Monday, July 3rd, after 
a long illness. He was living in Grand Junction, Colorado, with his 
daughter Linda and son-in-law Larry Reed at the time of his death. 
Monte, a native of Norwood, Colorado, joined the NPS after service in 
WWII.  He was stationed at Mesa Verde NP, Colorado NM/Black Canyon NM, 
Theodore Roosevelt NP, Big Bend NP, Organ Pipe Cactus NP, Saguaro NM, 
the Washington office, Central National Capitol Parks and the regional 
office in Santa Fe. He retired there in 1977. Monte was interred in 
the Veterans Cemetery in Grand Junction, Colorado. Memorial donations 
may be made to the St. Mary's Home Health Care, 744 Horizon Court, 
Suite 200, Grand Junction, Colorado 81506. Messages of condolence may 
be sent to Linda Reed and family at 2724 Caribbean Drive, Grand 
Junction, Colorado 81506.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your 
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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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