NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Monday, August 14, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1937, the last mile of the Appalachian Trail was 
opened on Mount Sugarloaf, Maine.  Extending some 2,000 miles from 
Mount Katahdin, Maine, to Springer Mountain, Georgia, the footpath was 
officially designated the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in 1968.

INCIDENTS

00-447 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP's (CA) - Follow-up on Employee Murder 

The two suspects wanted for questioning in the murder of building and 
utilities supervisor Doug Frizell, 53, were arrested in Oregon by the 
Coos County SWAT team on Thursday, August 10th. The two men - J.R. 
and B.K.M. - had driven Frizell's stolen 1996 Toyota 
pickup onto a beach, where they got it stuck on the edge of the surf 
zone. They had it towed after it had been stuck for two days. When the 
two men failed to retrieve the vehicle after several days, the towing 
company called the Coos County Sheriff's Office. Officers there 
discovered that the vehicle was stolen and that J.R. and B.K.M. were 
wanted. B.K.M. was arrested without incident at a nearby campground, 
but J.R. fled on foot into forest and brush. It took three hours of 
searching before he was finally captured by a SWAT canine unit. The 
Fresno County DA is proceeding with extradition and will be filing 
first degree murder charges against the two men. A memorial service 
for Doug was held on Sunday, August 20th, at the Sunset Amphitheater 
in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon NP. Cards and letters of 
condolence may be sent to Dustin Frizell, c/o of Pete Lucero, P.O. Box 
923, Kings Canyon National Park, CA 93633.  Donations to the family 
may be sent to the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Employee Association (SKEA) 
c/o Pete Lucero at the same address. Make checks out to SKEA and on 
the memo line please write Doug Frizell. [Bob Wilson, Acting CR, SEKI, 
8/10]

00-475 - Padre Island NS (TX) - Helicopter Crash with Fatalities

On the morning of August 10th, a Navy mine counter-measures helicopter 
crashed in the Gulf of Mexico about three miles north of the park's 
Malaquite Visitor Center. The MH-53E Sea Dragon had a crew of six. Two 
were rescued by the Coast Guard and Navy, two bodies were recovered, 
and two were still missing at the time of the report on Friday. Wind 
and currents scattered debris from the helicopter onto park beaches. 
Park staff are providing support by recovering debris, providing 
security for Navy personnel assigned to the recovery effort, and 
redirecting visitors. North Beach was closed to the public, but South 
Beach and the visitor center remained open. The Navy did not 
anticipate a need for an extended closure. [Gus Martinez, CR, PAIS, 
8/11]

                   [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level V

CURRENT SITUATION

Eleven new large fires were reported yesterday; six others were 
contained. Initial attack was moderate except in the northern Rockies, 
where more holdover fires were discovered.

Reinforcements from the military, Australia and New Zealand arrived in 
Missoula, Montana, yesterday to assist firefighting efforts in the 
northern Rockies.  The Army's 20th Engineer Battalion from Fort Hood, 
Texas, will be assigned to the Upper Nine Mile Complex near Huson, 
Montana.  Seventy-nine firefighters qualified as line operations 
supervisors from Australia and New Zealand will complete two 14-day 
assignments before returning home.

A Bell 412 helicopter crashed while conducting water drops on the Twin 
Peaks Fire in Nevada. The pilot was killed; there were no passengers 
on board.

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from last Thursday's numbers in parentheses): 524 crews 
(- 28), 4,295 overhead (- 600), 930 engines (+ 70), 172 helicopters 
(- 16), and one air tanker (- 7).

Very high to extreme fire danger indices were reported in all eleven 
Western states, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Texas.

For more national fire news, go to www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html, 
which also provides links to web sites for specific fires.

NPS FIRES

Glacier NP (MT) - Parke Peak Fire: 1,450 (+ 50) acres, 20% 
containment, 13 (- 7) FF/OH. No new information. This will be the last 
report unless there's significant activity on the fire.

For a listing of all fires, see www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.html. 

OUTLOOK

NICC has issued a RED FLAG WARNING for western and southwest Wyoming 
(gusty winds and low relative humidity) and two FIRE WEATHER 
WATCHES - one for southern and southeast Montana (gusty winds and low 
relative humidity) and one for northern Florida (low relative 
humidity).

Weak upper level disturbances will continue to move into the west 
coast, bringing seasonal temperatures to the Pacific northwest, Great 
Basin, and northern Rockies.  This will also bring locally breezy 
conditions to portions of the Great Basin and northern Rockies, but 
there is no chance of precipitation.  Monsoonal moisture and a chance 
of thunderstorms continues across the southwest region, as high 
pressure extends from the Four Corners area to southern California.  

High temperatures will range from the mid 70's to the mid 90's in most 
areas and up to 110 in the deserts of western Utah, northern Arizona 
and southern Nevada.  Up to 115 degree temperatures will occur across 
the southern California and Arizona desert areas.     

Afternoon relative humidities will range from the low teens to upper 
20's in most areas, except drier in the hottest deserts.  Northwest to 
southwest winds of 10 to 20 mph and gusty can be expected across 
portions of the north.  Elsewhere, diurnal winds of 10 to 15 mph are 
expected. 

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/14]

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

Pinnacles NM (CA) - The park has a vacancy out for a permanent 
GS-0401-7/9 prescribed fire specialist. It can be found on USA Jobs 
(PGSO-00-108-MPP and DEU) and closes on September 1st. No government 
housing is available. The nearest housing is in King City or 
Hollister, 35 miles from the park.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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