NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, February 15, 2001

INCIDENTS

00-555 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Follow-up: Abduction, Rape

On the morning of August 28, 2000, a 75-year-old woman was abducted 
from the parkway near mile 435 and subsequently raped. Evidence 
indicated that the assailant was  a serial rapist who targeted older 
woman. A multi-agency investigation was begun, culminating in the 
arrest of M.C. three days later. He confessed to the crime. On 
February 6th, M.C. pled guilty to aggravated rape and aggravated 
kidnapping in county court. The plea sentence was for 30 years with no 
possibility of parole - 18 years for rape and 12 more for kidnapping. 
M.C. has yet to appear in court for four other sexual assaults in 
Maury County. Leipers Fork DR Tim Morgan coordinated the NPS response 
during the investigation. [Jackie Henman, ACR, NATR, 2/12]

01-043 - Intermountain Region - Follow-up: Special Event

The Intermountain Region - Midwest Region incident management team 
(Denny Ziemann, IC) continues to plan for the upcoming 2002 Winter 
Olympics. Several means for dispensing information about developments 
are being worked out. Reports will be posted in places that enable all 
NPS staff to remain informed. Many employees have expressed a great 
deal of interest in participating in the incident management 
operation. The IMT is currently formulating procedures for recruiting 
people for the event. There will likely be a need for employees with 
interpretive skills, media relations experience, and various 
specialized law enforcement skills. Other positions may also be 
filled. Many of the established SET teams will likely be utilized. NO 
personnel have yet been assigned to the incident except for the IMT 
and Bob Van Belle, the Servicewide Olympic coordinator. The 
recruitment process that is developed will fulfill the goal of 
providing quality NPS representation at the winter games. A system of 
compensating parks that contribute staff is also being considered. 
Parks will be informed of incident staffing plans as soon as they are 
completed. [Denny Ziemann, IC, IMT, 2/13]

01-051 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Multiple Boat Fire

A fire was discovered in the covered boat slips at Bullfrog Marina on 
the afternoon of January 24th. Four boats and the roof over the slips 
were fully engulfed in flames when park units arrived. The vessels 
were towed away from their slips to prevent the fire from spreading to 
other boats. Six other vessels were damaged by extreme heat. The total 
damage has been placed at $152,000. The state fire marshal was called 
in to investigate the fire, and determined that it was started by an 
extension cord attached to a 30-foot Bayliner moored to one of the 
slips. Assisting park staff were a local deputy, employees of Bullfrog 
Resort and Marina and Offshore Marina, and a fire brigade from 
Ticaboo, Utah. [Mike Mayer, Acting CR, GLCA, 2/14]

01-052 - Grand Teton NP (WY) - Search and Rescue

Skier G.O., 30, was seriously injured while descending a steep 
couloir on the afternoon of February 3rd. G.O. and two companions were 
attempting to ski Air Force Couloir into Granite Canyon when G.O. hit 
a rock with his ski and sustained a dislocated hip. His friends were 
able to move him to the floor of the canyon, where the exposure to the 
avalanche hazard was not as great. One partner remained with G.O. 
while the other sought help at nearby Teton Village ski area. Six 
rangers and ten volunteers from Teton County SAR responded. The 
rescuers were transported to the mouth of Granite Canyon by snow 
machine, then continued to ski to G.O.'s location. The operation was 
complicated by darkness and high avalanche danger. G.O. was treated on 
scene, then transported by toboggan and snow machine to a waiting 
ambulance, arriving around 11:30 p.m. G.O. was admitted to a hospital, 
where the dislocation was reduced. [Colin Campbell, CR, GRTE, 2/13]

01-053 - Manassas NBP (VA) - Attempted ARPA Violation

On the afternoon of February 5th, chief ranger Kim Coast came upon a 
vehicle parked in front of a gate near the ranger station. On the 
front seat were dirty gloves, a knife sheath and an open container of 
alcohol. Ranger Scott Ryan sat in a wooded area to await the return of 
the vehicle's owner, S.H., while Coast hiked nearby trails 
in an effort to locate S.H. As it was turning dark, Ryan saw 
S.H. using a metal detector in a nearby field. He was questioned 
and admitted to both metal detecting in a nearby wooded area of the 
park and to digging and scraping holes in an effort to recover 
artifacts. He had several modern artifacts in his possession that he 
said he'd found with the metal detector. S.H. also said that he 
routinely used his metal detector in open areas in northern Virginia. 
A consent search of the vehicle led to the seizure of digging tools, 
marijuana, and alcohol. Ranger Joe O'Haver was summoned to track 
S.H.'s activities and check the various locations where he 
confessed to have been digging. The investigation continues. Several 
CFR violations are pending advice from the United States Attorney's 
Office. [Kim Coast, CR, MANA, 2/12]

01-054 - Death Valley NP (CA) - Discovery of Human Remains

A researcher reported finding human bones in a remote, mountainous 
area of the park in December. An investigative team comprised of 
rangers, Inyo County officers and the county coroner traveled to the 
area. They found a skull, bones, clothing parts and a shoe, but were 
driven off the mountain by bad weather. The bones were found to be 
those of an adult male who was about six feet tall; they had been at 
the location for five to twenty years. Park SAR coordinator Dan 
Dellinges developed a search plan employing a metal detector, sifting 
screens, and evidence collecting material. A team led by ranger Bill 
Fitzpatrick discovered more bones and evidence in the general area of 
the first discovery. It's now been learned that some of the bones 
found in the second effort are those of a woman. A third trip to the 
area is planned to continue the investigation. [CRO, DEVA, 2/10]

                  [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Plan

On February 8th, The Idaho Statesman reported that former Secretary of 
the Interior Cecil Andrus has urged the new administration to "seek a 
long-term collaborative program to reduce the threat of wildfires to 
Western communities." Andrus gave the administration information 
gleaned from "The Fires Next Time" conference in December, which was 
sponsored by the Andrus Center for Public Policy and The Idaho 
Statesman.  Among those findings: Beliefs and myths about fire need to 
be rethought, and one-time cash infusions won't solve the problems 
highlighted by the 2000 fires.

NPS Deputy Chief Ranger and Incident Commander Rick Gale was a guest 
speaker at the conference. His speech covered several aspects of fire 
management, including lessons learned more than once and the 
importance of good communication with the public and the media.  Gale 
explained why he believes that 1988 and 2000 were not "catastrophic" 
fire seasons, why today's challenges in fire management are not in the 
physical sciences but in the social sciences, and why we can't 
continue to fight abnormal fires with normal strategies and tactics.  
Gale highlighted several examples of good fire management and how 
abnormal fires were prevented. He also emphasized the importance of 
developing long-term strategic planning among fire management partners 
that includes all aspects of fire management. For a transcript of his 
speech, send a cc:Mail message to National Fire Plan.

[Debee Schwarz, NPS Fire Information, WASO]

Park Fires

No fires reported.

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Cape Lookout NS (NC) - Horse Roundup

This year's horse roundup on Shackelford Banks was a success, with no 
accidents or injuries to either people or horses. Inclement weather on 
Saturday, January 20th, delayed the start of the roundup until the 
following morning. Horses were rounded up until Tuesday afternoon. The 
success of the operation has been attributed to the cooperative effort 
among park staff, military staff, and representatives from the 
Foundation for Shackle Horses, Inc., and the North Carolina Veterinary 
Division. Participants rounded up 130 horses, all of which tested 
negative for the equine infectious anemia (EIA) virus. Twenty horses 
were brought off the island; five were sent to Cedar Island (north of 
the park) to replenish their herd; fifteen will be put up for 
adoption. Congressman Walter Jones and a BBC film crew from the 
"Animal Planet" series also attended. No roundups are scheduled for 
next year. [Jim Zahradka, SPR, CALO]

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

NPS Web Site Down - On Friday, February 16th, at approximately 2 p.m. 
EST, www.nps.gov will begin undergoing maintenance and will be 
unavailable for viewing.  Service will be restored in stages and the 
site will be fully operational by late Sunday, February 18th. [Steve 
Pittleman, Web Master, WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

INTERCHANGE

NCR (DC) - The NPS is working with a number of agencies and 
environmental organizations in the Washington area to address the 
widespread fish poaching problem on the Potomac River. American shad 
and striped bass are heavily poached during the spring spawning runs 
up the Potomac River.  The team is seeking effective methods to 
communicate with local Hispanic and Vietnamese populations to gain 
their support for fishing in a sustainable manner and would like to 
hear from any reader with past experience with this type of resource 
protection challenge who has had success in effectively communicating 
with these ethnic groups. Please would contact Einar Olsen by cc:Mail 
with your ideas. (Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO)

PARKS AND PEOPLE

NCR/NER/SER - The three regions and the Park Police have a signed 
agreement in place to maintain a Type II incident management team for 
the East Coast. In order to assure availability, each position on the 
team is staffed three people deep. At any given time, one of the three 
is available for callout. The three people who alternate as IC are Bob 
Panko, Gordon Wissinger, and Rick Brown. The team currently has 
several vacancies: 

One operations section chief         One finance section chief
One logistics section chief          Two safety officers
One ordering manager

The team also has eight trainee vacancies:

Incident commander (ICT2)            Information officer (IOF2)
Safety officer (SOF2)                Operations section chief (SOF2)
Planning section chief (PAC2)        Logistics section chief (LSC2)
Finance section chief (FSC2)         Ordering manager (ORDM)

All qualified employees in the three regions and Park Police will be 
considered for these positions. Since these teams are not for use on 
fires, candidates need not be fully qualified in accordance with NWCG 
fire standards to be selected for positions. Individuals selected are 
expected to serve for at least one three-year period. Applications 
must include supervisory approval to serve on the team. Send a resume, 
including a detailed summary of incident management experience, 
training and qualifications, to Ken Garvin, National Park Service, 
Atlanta Federal Center, 1924 BLDG, 100 Alabama Street S.W., Atlanta, 
GA 30303. Applications must be postmarked by March 12th. [Ken Garvin, 
SERO]

Sleeping Bear Dunes NL (IN) - The park is currently recruiting for two 
GS-025-5/7/9 STF protection park ranger positions. The positions are 
open to all applicants and are listed on USA Jobs as CMMB-1-0096. They 
are also advertised for merit promotion under SLBE-01-MP-13. The 
closing date is February 28th. These subdistrict positions are located 
on North and South Manitou Islands.  Incumbents will work ten months 
each year on the islands and mainland. These are traditional 
"rangering" positions in backcountry/wilderness settings. Duties 
include law enforcement, EMS, SAR, fire protection, resources 
management, boating, and acting as the lead ranger for two seasonal 
ranger positions. If you have any questions, contact DR Chris Johnson 
at 231-334-3756 or via cc:Mail. [Chris Johnson, SLBE]

Lake Roosevelt NRA (WA) - The park is seeking someone who would be 
interested in a lateral to a GS-5/7/9 STF law enforcement park ranger 
position in the park's Fort Spokane District. Duties include road and 
water patrol, EMS, SAR and wildland firefighting. Contact DR Chris 
Rugel at 509-633-3830 ext 32 for more information. [Mark Arsenault, 
LARO]

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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