NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, October 12, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1826, the Franklin, Missouri, Intelligencer ran a 
notice offering a one-cent reward for the return of Christopher 
Carson, who had been bound to learn the saddler's trade in Franklin.  
Kit Carson went on to become a premier mountain man and would figure 
importantly in the stories of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail and 
Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico.

INCIDENTS

00-638 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Assault, Attempted Suicide

On the morning of October 3rd, ex-concession employee S.B. came 
to the North Rim to confront his girlfriend regarding their failed 
relationship. When she refused to open the door of her small cabin 
near the lodge or talk with him, S.B. began pouring gasoline from a 
container he was carrying onto the outside of the cabin door. He then 
managed to open an exterior window, jumped into the cabin, and began 
splashing gasoline around the interior and onto the woman. He poured 
gasoline over his head and told the woman he was going to kill himself 
and that he wanted her to see it. The woman managed to flee and called 
911. Responding rangers found S.B. barricaded inside the cabin, 
threatening to burn himself up. Ten additional rangers were flown from 
the South Rim to provide assistance and structural fire support. A 
Lifeflight helicopter from Page flew to the North Rim in case 
additional medical assistance was needed. After three-and-a-half hours 
of negotiations, led by ranger Lindy Allee, S.B. walked peacefully 
out of the cabin. He was placed in protective custody and taken to 
Flagstaff Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation. Multiple felony 
charges are pending. Ron Martin was IC. [CRO, GRCA, 10/6]

00-639 - Joshua Tree NP (CA) - Commercial Guiding Conviction

A year-long investigation into an illegal commercial guiding incident 
ended on October 5th when C.R. pled guilty to two petty 
offenses - conducting a commercial operation without a permit and 
providing false information to a federal officer. The charges stemmed 
from an incident that occurred in Indian Cove campground on November 
6, 1999. Ranger Terry Olsson found C.R. conducting a climbing 
class that included overnight camping and meals and was operating out 
of the family campsites without a permit.  C.R. made several false 
statements concerning the nature of his operation to Olsson. Under the 
terms of the plea agreement, C.R. was placed on two years of 
informal court probation, banned from the park for a year, and fined 
$1,250. The investigation revealed that C.R. conducts commercial 
guiding operations on BLM lands, in game preserves, and in other 
parks, primarily in the desert Southwest. These include both river 
trips and rock climbing classes. C.R. typically advertises through 
adult education departments in local universities and community 
colleges, but is not sponsored by or affiliated with any know 
accredited institution. [Patrick Suddath, DR, JOTR, 10/9]

00-640 - National Capital Parks (DC) - Rescue

On October 7th, several Park Police officers rescued a despondent 
woman from the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial. When they 
arrived at the scene, the officers found the woman floating face up in 
the water. Officer Greg Knee entered the water and pulled her to the 
edge of the basin with the assistance of officer Don Huffman. Knee 
remained in the water with the woman until SWAT officer Eddie Burnett 
joined him and wrapped a rappel harness around her. DC Harbor Patrol 
officers helped pull the woman to safety. She was taken to a local 
hospital, where she is in stable condition. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, 
NCR, 10/10]

00-641 - Intermountain Support Office (NM) - Assist: ARPA/NAGPRA Case

Last summer, the New Mexico state archeologist and Cibola County 
Sheriff's Office asked NPS special agents to assist with a serious 
ARPA/NAGPRA case on private property near El Morro NM. Front-end 
loaders and backhoes were used to destroy the Cienega site, a 13th 
century pueblo affiliated with the Zuni. Native American remains were 
also destroyed in the process. NPS agents worked on the investigation 
and damage assessment with the above offices and the FBI and assisted 
with the execution of associated search warrants. Arrested on state 
charges were G.B., 41, M.C., 60, M.H., 52, 
and W.R.S., 61. All four are from New Mexico. The damage 
assessment is in excess of $11 million. [Phil Young, SA, IMSO, 10/10]

00-642 - Glen Canyon NRA (UT/AZ) - Drowning

D.S., 53, of Scottsdale, Arizona, fell from the back of a 
houseboat in Rock Creek Canyon on October 7th and is presumed to have 
drowned. Park dispatch received a marine call reporting a man 
overboard. Rangers were on scene within 30 minutes and began a search 
by vessel and helicopter. The search was still underway at the time of 
the report Tuesday. The park's remote operated vehicle (ROV) is being 
utilized. The search area is about a square kilometer, with an average 
depth of 250 feet. Extremely rocky terrain and deep underwater canyons 
are making the search difficult. Witnesses report that D.S. was 
leaning on a small gate at the stern of the houseboat when it opened 
and he fell into the lake. [Cindy Ott-Jones, CR, GLCA, 10/10]

00-643 - Channel Islands NP (CA) - MVA with Contract Employee Fatality

T.M., an employee of the Vail and Vickers Company who was 
working for the contractor that manages the commercial hunt of deer 
and elk on Santa Rosa Island, died in a motor vehicle accident in Bee 
Canyon on the afternoon of October 7th. T.M. was driving a 
four-wheel-drive truck down a slope off road to pick up an elk when he 
lost control of the vehicle. The truck rolled over twice. T.M., who 
was not wearing a seatbelt, was killed. The accident was witnessed by 
another hunt guide. [Jack Fitzgerald, CR, CHIS, 10/10]

00-644 - Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD) - MVA with Fatality

A Toyota Camry heading north on the parkway near Route 197 left the 
roadway, struck a tree and burst into flames on October 10th. The 
operator was pronounced dead at the scene. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, 
NCR, 10/10]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Discovery 2000 - It appears that many NPS employees remain unaware 
that all the major speeches at the Discovery 2000 conference and other 
related reports are available on the web. You can still "experience" 
the conference and read some important presentations by checking 
http://www.nps.gov/discovery2000. [Jerry Rogers, IMRO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

INTERCHANGE

New River Gorge NR (WV) - The park has created a tool trailer for use 
on trail construction and other conservation projects in and around 
the park. It has been used this summer at work sites with organized 
volunteer groups such as the Access Fund, the International Mountain 
Biking Association (IMBA), and the local New River Alliance of 
Climbers group.  The trailer is currently on loan to the US Army Corps 
of Engineer's Summersville Lake area for a trail construction project 
the Corps is working on with volunteers from the Access Fund - a trail 
to a popular climbing area on Corps land near the Gauley River. The 
park's guidelines for these partnership projects are covered under 16 
USC 1250c (volunteer trails assistance) and have been reviewed by the 
regional solicitor.  The park is interested in working up MOU's or 
other interagency-type agreements that will allow the trailer to be 
used by bona fide volunteer groups in the area for trail and 
conservation projects, both in and outside of park boundaries.  If 
there are parks that have successfully entered into programs such as 
this with volunteer organizations for use of government-owned tools 
and equipment, they would very much like to learn from your 
experiences.  Please contact Duncan Hollar at 304-763-3145 X10, or on 
cc:Mail by name. [Duncan Hollar, NERI]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

No submissions.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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