NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Monday, May 14, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-209 - Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Drowning

A nine-year-old boy from Windsor, Colorado, fell into a fast stretch 
of the Big Thompson River and drowned on Saturday, May 12th. The boy 
was standing next to his father on a smooth rock near the bridge which 
crosses the river in Moraine Park when he apparently slipped and fell 
into the fast, deep water. Dispatch received the call at 1:50 p.m. and 
rangers were on scene within minutes. A hasty search proved fruitless, 
so assistance was summoned. Fifty-five people from nine agencies 
responded. Articles of the boy's clothing were found downstream from 
the point where he fell in; searchers accordingly focused their 
efforts on this area. His body was found and recovered from the river 
just a few feet from the point where he'd fallen in. The powerful 
force of the current had evidently pulled him under and pinned him 
among submerged rocks. The river is more than 10 feet deep at this 
point. [Peter Allen, PIO, ROMO, 5/14]

01-210 - National Capital Parks (DC) - Death Investigations

USPP detectives are investigating the deaths of two people whose 
bodies were found at federal agency sites where law enforcement is 
provided by the Park Police. The body of an 18-year-old Greenbelt, 
Maryland, woman was found in a remote area of the Beltsville 
Agricultural Research Center. She had been shot numerous times. And an 
investigation has been completed into the death of a 51-year old 
employee of NASA's Goddard Center, whose body was found on facility 
grounds. The death was from natural causes. [Dennis Moroney, USPP, 
NCR, 5/7]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Plan

No new information. Please check the NPS Fire Management Program 
Center web page (www.fire.nps.gov) for further information on fire 
plan projects.

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 1

Initial attack activity was moderate yesterday in the South and light 
elsewhere. Three new large fires were reported, two in the South and 
one in the East. The latter was contained. Two large fires were 
contained in northern California. Very high to extreme fire indices 
were reported in Arizona, Florida, New Mexico and Texas. Dry 
thunderstorms will travel across western Nevada today, increasing the 
potential for initial attack.  There will be mostly wet thunderstorms 
in the Southwest this afternoon.

NICC has posted a RED FLAG WARNING for low relative humidity in 
northwest Florida and a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for low relative humidity 
from northeast to south Florida.

The full NICC Incident Management Situation Report can be found at 
http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf

National Resource Status

Date                    5/10    5/11    5/12    5/13    5/14

Crews                   23      67      86      113     92
Engines                 58      101     156     159     125
Helicopters             12      23      27      29      25
Air Tankers             0       6       1       2       2
Overhead                112     204     359     531     390

Park Fires

Everglades NP (FL) - The Lopez Fire (8,030 acres - no change from 
Saturday) has been 85% contained. Full containment is expected on May 
15th. A total of 83 firefighters and overhead have been committed, 
along with four engines and three helicopters. Here is yesterday's 
update on the Lopez Fire. This information, photos and a map are 
posted on the park's expanded web site and can be found at 
www.nps.gov/ever/fire/fire01.htm: The fire has burned an area of 
sawgrass prairie and hardwood hammocks totaling 8,030 acres. It has 
not increased in size for several days due to air attack and continued 
suppression efforts. Helicopters continued to drop water on the fire 
through May 12th. On May 12th and 13th, ground crews worked around the 
fire's northern and southern flanks, dealing with hot spots in the 
hardwood hammocks with the potential to escape into unburned 
vegetation. This work was completed on Saturday. Engine crews held the 
fire along Context Road, on the southern perimeter, and mopped up hot 
spots in the hardwood hammocks. While initial attack is winding down, 
there is still some work to be completed to fully control the fire. A 
burnout of about 300 acres was planned for late yesterday afternoon to 
secure the control line on the fire's southeast corner at Context 
Road. This action will consume unburned fuel between the line and the 
fire, making it possible for a smaller number of fire personnel to 
safely control the fire from the road. One engine and crew will remain 
at the Pa-hay-okee overlook; the sprinkler system that has been set up 
to protect the Pa-hay-okee boardwalk will remain in place through 
today. Fire monitoring will continue via aerial reconnaissance and 
road patrols. Fire danger remains high in Florida. Some of the 
resources (personnel and equipment) brought in to fight the Lopez Fire 
will remain staged at the park in order to support initial attack on 
fires that may occur in the region. There's an article on the fire in 
Sunday's Miami Herald called "Fire Destroys, Renews Area In Cycle Of 
Life - About 8,000 Acres Expected To Thrive." It's on the web at: 
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/dade/digdocs/003509.htm

Park Fire Danger

Extreme         Hawaii Volcanoes
Very High       Everglades
High            N/A

[Deb Nordeen, IO, EVER, 5/13; NICC Incident Management Situation 
Report, 5/14; NPS Situation Summary Report, 5/13]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Potomac Heritage NST (DC/MD/PA/VA) - In late March, National Capital 
Region released a new folder on the Potomac Heritage National Scenic 
Trail, a corridor between Chesapeake Bay and the Allegheny Highlands 
comprised of three recognized segments - the 17-mile Mount Vernon 
trail, managed by George Washington Memorial Parkway; the 184.5-mile 
C&O Canal towpath, managed by C&O Canal NHP; and the 70-mile Laurel 
Highlands hiking trail, managed by the Pennsylvania Department of 
Conservation. The trail was authorized as an amendment to the National 
Trails System Act of 1983; funds for coordination and assistance to 
local and state agencies and to citizen groups were first appropriated 
in FY 2000. [Don Briggs, Superintendent/Coordinator]

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS

Regular sections not appearing today (due either to lack of 
submissions or time constraints in preparing this edition) but are 
available at all times:

o       Natural/Cultural Resource Management - Significant 
        developments in these fields.
o       Interpretation/Visitor Services - Significant developments in 
        these fields.
o       Operational Notes - Any information of consequence to the 
        field on operational matters.
o       Memoranda - Memoranda from WASO to the field on all 
        operational matters.
o       Interchange - Requests or offers from any park or office for 
        materials, information or any other operational needs.
o       Hot Links - Web addresses for NPS-related sites.
o       Film at 11 - Reports on current or upcoming print or 
        electronic media stories on the NPS.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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