NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Sunday, September 3, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1783, John Adams signed the treaty with Great Britain 
officially ending the Revolutionary War.  Adams' life and 
contributions are commemorated at Adams National Historic Site, 
containing his home in Quincy, Massachusetts.

INCIDENTS

00-389 - Cape Cod NS (MA) - Follow-up on Resource Damage

An investigation into the July 8th keg party that led to a brush fire 
off Cahoon Hollow Road has resulted in the identification of 25 young 
adult participants. Together, they will be paying approximately $7,500 
in fines and restitution to the park, and will also contribute 
community service time to various park resource management projects. 
During interviews, the majority expressed affection for the park and 
said that they regretted damaging park resources. [CRO, CACO, 8/30]

00-410 - Redwood N&SP (CA) - Follow-up on Area Closure Protests

On August 24th, approximately 120 people took part in a signing 
ceremony at the picnic area north of Freshwater Lagoon associated with 
an RS-2477 assertion (a statute regarding access to public lands).  
This assertion claims a right-of-way to the areas recently gated to 
close off vehicular access to the park's seashores.  A small group 
representing several organizations in Orick, California, and led by 
the Blue Ribbon Coalition, an Idaho-based group that promotes access 
to public lands, then delivered the assertion to park headquarters in 
Crescent City.  The park issued a special use permit for both First 
Amendment activities.  The gatherings were peaceful and without 
incident.  NPS staff and the field solicitor are reviewing the 
assertion and preparing a response.  [Bob Martin, CR, REDW, 8/30]

00-554 - Western Arctic National Parklands (AK) - Serious Employee     
         Illness

Pilot/ranger Richard "Shad" Dusseau suffered a heart attack at 4:45 
p.m. on August 30th while piloting a park float plane with three park 
staff and a child aboard. Dusseau, a registered EMT, recognized his 
symptoms and managed to land and beach the aircraft in Kobuk Valley NP 
before becoming incapacitated. Park education specialist Linda Jeschke 
and administrative assistant Patty Christian attended to Dusseau while 
Dan Stevenson secured the plane and constructed a bivouac shelter. 
Stevenson used the aircraft's FM radio to continually broadcast 
Dusseau's status and request emergency medical assistance from 
Kotzebue, 130 miles away. A Bell Jet Ranger with a paramedic on board 
and a Cessna 206 were dispatched and got Dusseau to the emergency care 
unit in Kotzebue by 7:45 p.m. He was then flown by air ambulance to 
Providence Hospital in Anchorage, where he is in stable condition. 
[Greg Dudgeon, CR, WEAR, 9/1]

00-555 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Abduction and Rape

On the morning of August 28th, a 75-year-old woman was abducted from 
the parkway near mile 435 and subsequently raped. The woman was 
driving on the parkway when a white male in his mid-30s, driving a 
small white car, tricked her into believing she had flames coming from 
beneath her vehicle. The woman stopped at a pullout and accepted his 
offer to drive her to get assistance. She was taken to a field in the 
county where she was raped, robbed, and left without her clothes. She 
walked along the roadway until she found a house and reported the 
attack. The assailant appears to be a serial rapist who targets older 
women; he's a suspect in eight other rapes. A multi-agency 
investigation was begun, involving the park, FBI, Tennessee Bureau of 
Investigation, a violent crimes task force, and the county sheriff's 
office. A suspect was taken into custody at 2 a.m. on August 31st. He 
has confessed to the crime. The investigation continues. [Kim 
Korthuis, Acting DCR, NATR, 8/31]

00-556 - Yosemite NP (CA) - MVA with Fatality

Two male visitors from Japan were driving westbound on the Tioga road 
around 4 p.m. on August 26th when the driver lost control of their 
rental car. It went off the road, rolled over several times, and ended 
up about 75 feet down a steep embankment. The 19-year-old passenger, 
who was asleep in the rear seat, was ejected and the vehicle came to 
rest on top of him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver 
suffered minor injuries and was flown to a Hospital in Modesto. He was 
released the next morning. The driver was wearing a seatbelt; the 
passenger was not. [Mike Kerns, IC, YOSE, 8/31]

                  [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level V

CURRENT SITUATION

A total of eighteen new large fires were reported, many of them in 
Texas. Initial attack activity was light in most of the nation, but 
was moderate in the northern Rockies and heavy in the South. A Pacific 
cold front will push across the northern Rockies today, bringing 
cooler temperatures and snow showers to higher elevations. The South 
will remain under a high pressure ridge with very warm temperatures 
and low relative humidity. 

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 636 crews (+ 20), 
5,597 overhead (+ 43), 1,050 engines (- 84), and 200 helicopters (- 
21).

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

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

NPS AND NPS-RELATED FIRES

Yellowstone NP (WY) - Spruce Complex (6,425 acres, 0% containment, no 
estimated containment date, 56 FF/OH). No new information.

Glacier NP (MT) - Sharon Fire [450 acres, 0% containment, no estimated 
containment date, 10 FF/OH].  Fire activity was low. Park Peake Fire 
[2,100 acres, 75% containment, full containment expected by October 
15th, two FF]. Fire activity remained low, with the area receiving .54 
inch of rainfall.

Grand Teton NP (WY) - Teton Complex (15,723 acres, 0% containment, no 
estimated containment date, Type II team, 331 FF/OH). Crews are making 
good progress on fireline construction. Fuel reduction and shaded fuel 
breaks have been constructed at Turpin Meadows and the Pacific Creek 
subdivision. Structure protection remains in place.

Great Basin NP/Humboldt-Toiyabe NF (NV) - Phillips Ranch Fire [2,600 
acres, 45% containment, no estimated containment date, six FF/OH). 
Mop-up continues.

Jewel Cave NM/Black Hills NF (SD) - Jasper Fire (82,600 acres, 80% 
containment, full containment expected by September 4th, Type I team, 
1,082 FF/OH). Dozer and hand lines have been completed around the 
fire. Thunderstorms moved through the area last night, with little 
precipitation falling on the fire. High northwest winds occurred all 
day, but control lines held with no problems. Demobilization of 
resources continues as mop-up progresses.

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

OUTLOOK

NICC has issued a RED FLAG WARNING for low relative humidity in 
portions of southwestern Texas.

A Pacific cold front will push across the northern Rockies in the 
morning, bringing cool temperatures along with rain and snow showers 
to the region. Snow levels are expected to be down as low as 6,000 
feet across the northern states. A large upper level low pressure area 
over the Pacific Northwest will bring a threat of additional rain, 
snow showers and thunderstorms to the Pacific Northwest and 
Intermountain West. The central Rockies and Southwest will be partly 
cloudy and locally windy conditions are expected.

In the north, temperatures will generally be in the 50's and to mid 
60's in the mountains and in the mid 60's to the 80's in portions of 
eastern Montana. In the southwest, temperatures will be in the 60's 
and 70's in the mountains and the 80's to near 100 in the valleys. 
Winds will be from the west to southwest at 15 to 30 mph. 

Relative humidity will generally be in the mid teens to upper 20's, 
with 50's to 70's in the cooler and wetter areas of the north. 

Texas remains under a dry high pressure system with little change 
through Wednesday. Temperatures in eastern Texas will be 100 to 109 
and in western Texas will they will be 92 to 103. Winds across the 
state will be south to west at 5 to 15 mph with minimum relative 
humidities ranging from 15 percent in the west and 30 percent to the 
east.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/3]

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

Submissions pending.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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