NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, July 25, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1598, Don Juan de Oñate, who had recently founded the 
first Spanish settlement in New Mexico, visited Pecos Pueblo to demand 
its loyalty to the Spanish crown.  Pecos National Historical Park, New 
Mexico, contains the remains of the pueblo.

INCIDENTS

00-425 - Delaware Water Gap NRA (NJ/PA) - Rattlesnake Bite

On the afternoon of July 18th, N.S., 26, of Alloway, New 
Jersey, was bitten on the left forefinger by a rattlesnake at the 
Appalachian Mountain Club's Camp Mohican facility in the park's New 
Jersey District. At the time of the incident, N.S. was 
participating in AMC's Wilderness Awareness School along with about 65 
other visitors. He was taken to Newton Memorial Hospital, where 
doctors discovered he was allergic to anti-venom. N.S. is still 
under treatment and slowly recovering from the bite. N.S. 
evidently found the four-foot-long snake in a brushy area near one of 
the camp's cabins. The camp's director warned him that the snake could 
strike, and others in the area warned him that he was getting too 
close to it. Witnesses subsequently told investigating rangers that 
N.S. had been involved with the snake for about 45 minutes and 
that he actually picked it up with his bare hands. After allowing 
those around him to touch the snake, he put it down and was bitten as 
he attempted to release it. These witnesses also noted that the snake 
was calm at first, but became agitated as time passed. The incident 
occurred when camp officials were away from the group. [Chris Kross, 
PR, New Jersey District, DEWA, 7/21)

00-426 - Canyonlands NP (UT) - Search, Aircraft Crash with Two         
         Fatalities

Noted BASE jumper E.R., 43, and fellow jumper C.F., 22, 
were killed in a plane crash on July 18th about three miles north of 
the park.  The aircraft was not located until 9 a.m. on July 23rd. An 
intensive air search for their plane was conducted by local pilots, 
the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP).  Five 
park employees who are also CAP members participated in the search 
effort.  On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 18th, E.R., who resided 
in Moab, Utah, and C.F., who resided in Brush, Colorado, departed the 
Canyonlands airport in C.F.'s Grumman AA-5 aircraft to look for 
potential BASE jumping sites.  They did not file a flight plan.  
Temperature in the area at the time of departure were between about 
105 and 108 degrees.  When they failed to return from the flight, 
E.R.'s employer, a local air taxi operator and another local pilot 
flew the area, looking for them.  Their efforts proved fruitless, 
however, so they notified CAP, which began search operations.  The UHP 
helicopter joined in the search on Saturday, July 22nd. On the morning 
of the 23rd, the crash site was found in Mineral Canyon, about 15 
miles southwest of the airport. It appears that the aircraft clipped a 
wing on the edge of the canyon wall and fell to the base of the 
Windgate formation, where it burned beyond recognition.  The bodies of 
the E.R. and C.F. were recovered by  Grand County Sheriff's Office 
personnel.  E.R. was the leader of the group of BASE jumpers who 
were jumping in the same general area last December.  One jumper's 
chute hung up on the cliff after deployment.  Park personnel assisted 
the sheriff in extricating that jumper during a technical night 
operation. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 7/24]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level IV

CURRENT SITUATION

Eight new large fires were reported yesterday in the Rockies and the 
South. Two more Type I teams were mobilized. Heavy initial attack 
occurred in western Colorado, Utah and Montana. New starts may again 
be numerous today, as dry lightning is in the forecast for southwest 
Montana, eastern Utah, and western Colorado. Containment goals were 
met on 15 large fires, which will permit reallocation of personnel and 
resources to new project fires. Mobilization of aircraft, crews, 
equipment and overhead via NICC continues to increase. A Type I team 
has been ordered to stage in Missoula; a Type II team is managing the 
staging area.

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 457 crews (+ 65), 
2,230 overhead (+ 157), 681 engines (+ 30), 158 helicopters (+ 4), and 
17 air tankers (- 4).

Very high to extreme fire danger indices were reported in all Western 
states and in Texas and Alabama.

NPS FIRES

Mesa Verde NP (CO) - Bircher Fire (22,000 acres, 15% containment, Type 
I team, 679 firefighters and overhead): The fire made a major run to 
the west toward park facilities yesterday, almost doubling in size. A 
change of wind direction and movement of the fire into an old burn 
kept the plume-dominated fire less intense. Burnout from the park's 
main road at Far View Village began well in advance of the fire front. 
Only slight damage was sustained to the roof of one structure. 
Structure protection is on-going. The park remains closed.

The tail rotor of a Puma helicopter making water drops came apart in 
flight over the fire on Sunday. The helicopter landed safely, though, 
and there were no injuries. Two investigators from OAS are on scene.

Hovenweep NM (CO) - Hovenweep Fire (1,525 acres, 85% containment, 117 
firefighters and overhead): The fire was relatively inactive 
yesterday. Crews made substantial progress on the fire's south and 
west flanks.

SIGNIFICANT NON-NPS FIRES 

Salmon-Challis NF (ID) - Clear Creek Fire (46,000 acres, 15% 
containment, Type I team, 903 firefighters and overhead): All fuels 
are burning readily. Extremely steep terrain is causing a problem with 
rolling material and slowing fire line construction.

Payette NF (ID) - Burgdorf Junction Fire (7,100 acres, 40% 
containment, Type I team, 603 firefighters and overhead): The fire has 
moved around War Eagle Mountain and is burning northeast toward 
California Lake. Spotting outside of containment lines has been a 
problem.

Boise NF (ID) - Horn Creek Fire (1,035 acres, 70% containment, Type I 
team, 379 firefighters and overhead): Crews are locating and 
suppressing hot spots along the fire's perimeter. A burnout operations 
has been successfully completed. Cooler temperatures and higher 
humidity are aiding firefighting efforts.

Boise NF (ID) - Twin Creek Fire (350 acres, 0% containment, Type I 
team, 70 firefighters and overhead): Structural protection equipment 
is in place at the ski area. Extreme fire behavior has been observed, 
including running and spotting.

Wasatch-Cache NF (UT) - Wasatch Complex Fires (500 acres, 90% 
containment, Type I team, 414 firefighters and overhead): There was no 
increase in acreage yesterday. One of the fires was contained.

Bitterroot NF (MT) - Little Blue Fire (5,800 acres, 95% containment, 
Type I team, 514 firefighters and overhead): Mop-up operations are 
underway on all divisions. 

Los Padres NF (CA) - Plaskett 2 Fire (2,000 acres, 5% containment, 
Type I team, 481 firefighters and overhead): Active burning continued 
through the night. Structures are threatened in Plaskett Creek and 
Homes Ridge.

Sequoia NF (CA) - Manter Fire (6,190 acres, 10% containment, Type I 
team, 338 firefighters and overhead): Current threats are to cabins 
and a wild and scenic river area.

OUTLOOK

NICC has issued two FIRE WEATHER WATCHES - the first for dry 
lightning, low RH and dry fuels in southeast Utah and southwest 
Colorado, the second for low RH, dry thunderstorms, and  a high Haines 
index in southeast Montana.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/25; Mike Warren, NPS 
Fire Management Program Center, 7/24]

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.

FOOTNOTE

Yesterday was a good day for typos. Yes, we're still in July - the 
"August 24, 2000" on the cc:Mail message line was less a sign of 
prescience than of inability to type accurately before morning coffee. 
Of more consequence was the inadvertent increase of the COLA in Alaska 
from 25% to 35% (see "Parks and People"). Seems that a fair number of 
folks suddenly developed a real interest in moving north - not that 
the actual figure of 25% is too shabby. Thanks to Tom Habecker at 
Denali NP for the heads-up. 

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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