NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, September 7, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1894, heavyweight boxing champion "Gentleman Jim" 
Corbett fought Peter Courtney before Thomas A. Edison's motion picture 
camera in the studio at Edison's laboratory in West Orange, New 
Jersey.  The laboratory and Glenmont, his nearby estate, now compose 
Edison National Historic Site.

INCIDENTS

00-562 - Hawaii Volcanoes NP (HI) - Rescue; Thermal Burn

On September 6th, K.N., 50, sustained second degree burns to 
his legs when he fell into a steam vent near park headquarters. K.N. 
was traveling off-trail in a signed area when he broke through the 
crust over an active steam vent and fell in to his waist. He was able 
to pull himself out and walk to the visitor center for help. K.N. 
was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Hilo. The ambient air 
temperature at the vent site was measured at approximately 204 degrees 
Fahrenheit. [Paul Ducasse, HAVO, 9/6]

00-563 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue

R.W., a 55-year-old visitor from England, was descending 
a slope in Hidden Canyon around 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon of 
September 4th when he lost control while sliding down a rock face and 
sustained a compound fracture of his lower right leg. The accident was 
reported to the park and initial responders were on scene by 5 p.m. 
they found R.W. in a small alcove at the base of a 30-foot rock 
obstacle. Park medics treated him and prepared him for a 
three-quarter-mile technical carryout down the canyon to the 
Observation Point trail. The carryout team arrived at the Weeping Wall 
parking lost at 8:30 p.m. and transferred R.W. to an ambulance. 
He was taken to a hospital in St. George. This was the third visitor 
injury in a week requiring an evacuation from a slot canyon. [Chuck 
Passek, Chief of Operations, ZION, 9/5]

00-564 - Gateway NRA (NY/NJ) - Assist; MVA with Fatality

On the evening of August 31st, five Sandy Hook Unit lifeguards were 
leaving the park at the end of their shift when they came upon a 
51-year-old woman lying on the approach ramp loop just a few yards 
south of the park boundary in Sea Bright. A shearing rear-end accident 
had caught the woman between the rear bumper of her car and the front 
bumper of a car driven by a 58-year-old man. One of her legs was 
severed and the other nearly severed. As the lifeguards worked to 
establish an airway and applied tourniquets, the woman told them that 
she had stopped on the ramp to retrieve her camera from the car's 
trunk and take a picture of a nearby state-owned historic lighthouse. 
She lost consciousness after a few minutes. Rangers assisted Sea 
Bright police and rescue personnel with traffic control, the 
evacuation and the investigation. The woman was flown to a hospital by 
air ambulance, but was pronounced dead on arrival. A critical incident 
stress debriefing session with a local provider was arranged through 
the NPS CISD unit. Criminal charges will probably not be filed. [Russ 
Wilson, Sandy Hook Unit, GATE, 9/4]

                  [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level IV

CURRENT SITUATION

Eight new large fires were reported yesterday; six others were 
contained. Initial attack was heavy in the South and light elsewhere. 
Warmer and drier weather in Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming will 
revitalize large fire activity in those states. Scattered 
thunderstorms moving into eastern Texas and the Gulf Coast states may 
assist firefighters there. 

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): All resource 
deployment figures listed on today's situation report are identical to 
yesterday's numbers.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, California, 
Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, Kansas, 
Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.

NPS AND NPS-RELATED FIRES

Yellowstone NP (WY) - Spruce Complex (7,200 acres, 0% containment, no 
estimated containment date, 12 FF/OH). Minimal fire behavior has been 
noted due to precipitation, high humidities and cool temperatures. 
Structure protection measures are in place at backcountry cabins and 
at the east and south entrances to the park.

Glacier NP (MT) - Sharon Fire [450 acres, 0% containment, no estimated 
containment date, six FF] and Park Peake Fire [2,100 acres, 75% 
containment, full containment expected by October 15th, two FF]. There 
has been little fire activity due to moisture and cool temperatures.

Grand Teton NP (WY) - Teton Complex (15,723 acres, 0% containment, no 
estimated containment date, Type II team, 126 FF/OH). Crews are 
patrolling and mopping up on the
Moran, Wilcox and Enos Fires.

Great Basin NP/Humboldt-Toiyabe NF (NV) - Phillips Ranch Fire [2,600 
acres, 90% containment, no estimated containment date, four FF). 
Monitoring of the fire continues.

Jewel Cave NM/Black Hills NF (SD) - Jasper Fire (83,500 acres, 85% 
containment, full containment expected by September 8th, 143 FF/OH). 
Mop-up and demobilization continue.

OUTLOOK

NICC has issued a RED FLAG WARNING for possible thunderstorms with 
gusty winds in eastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/7]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Big South Fork NRRA (KY/TN) - Freshwater Mussels

Three species of freshwater mussels thought to have long been 
extirpated from the river were discovered during a parkwide baseline 
inventory of freshwater mussels. The species found were the elephant 
ear (Elliptio crassidens), slippershell (Alasmidonta viridis) and 
fragile papershell (Leptodea fragilis) mussels. Five federally-listed 
mussel species known to occur in the park were also found. Mussels are 
the most rapidly declining faunal group in the nation. Over 67% of the 
nearly 300 species in the U.S. are state or federally listed. Their 
decline is attributed to habitat loss, water pollution, over 
exploitation and exotic species encroachment. Mussels are excellent 
indicators of water quality and may be useful "vital sign" indicators 
for stream health. Data on the abundance and distribution of mussels 
will be collected in the inventory, which has been funded by the 
regional natural resource program. Participating agencies include the 
Fish and Wildlife Service, the USGS Water Resources Division, 
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission and National Park Service. 
[Sue Jennings, CRM, BISO/OBED]

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Uniform Program Passwords - Park uniform program administrators must 
have a password to access the program administration portion of the 
uniform web site. Park uniform program administrators or coordinators 
must contact their respective regional uniform program managers via 
cc:Mail on or before September 21st to obtain a password. Please 
include your name, the park's name, and your cc:Mail address. This 
notice applies ONLY to park uniform program administrators; it does 
NOT apply to uniformed employees. Employee passwords will be issued by 
Uniform Solutions (formerly R&R Uniforms), which maintains the 
ordering portion of the web site. [Ken Mabery, RAD/WASO]

Personal Watercraft Terminology - Rangers Activities would like to 
know if any visitors or other park users have expressed confusion 
about the term "personal watercraft" as currently used in the new jet 
ski regulation. Environmental groups have expressed concern about the 
term, and whether visitors may be interpreting it to mean such things 
as kayaks, canoes, etc. Please contact Kym Hall with any relevant 
information or questions. [Kym Hall, RAD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Washington Office (DC) - John Poppeliers, former chief of the 
Service's Historic American Buildings Survey, died on September 1st. A 
memorial mass was held yesterday morning in Washington. Memorial 
contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to the Missionaries of 
Charity, 2800 Otis Street NE, Washington, DC 20018. Letters of 
condolence may be sent to Julia Poppeliers c/o Historic American 
Buildings Survey, NPS, 1849 C Street NW, Room Ncap-300, Washington, DC 
20240. [Michele Aubry, WASO]

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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