NPS Morning Report - Sunday, July 1, 2001



                        NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Sunday, July 1, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-227 - Ozark NSR (MO) - Follow-up: Cruelty To Animals Conviction

On May 7th, H."P."W. entered a plea of guilty to five 
counts of animal abuse for killing five free-roaming horses in the 
park last November. On June 22nd, H.W. appeared in Shannon County 
court and was formally sentenced for his involvement in the killing of 
the wild horses. He was sentenced to three years in the Shannon County 
jail and two years of probation and ordered to pay the Wild Horse 
League $2,500 in restitution. This case was investigated by NPS 
special agent Dan Madrid and rangers Jodi Towery, Brad Conway and Bill 
McKinney in conjunction with officers from the Shannon County Sheriffs 
Department. [Bill Terry, Acting CR, OZAR, 6/29]

01-297 - Yukon-Charley Rivers NP (AK) - Follow-up: Search 

The body of R.C., 70, was recovered from the Tatonduk River on 
the evening of June 25th after a seven-day search. The body was 
spotted from a park aircraft near the confluence of the Tatonduk and 
Yukon Rivers and was recovered by Alaska state troopers and NPS 
rangers. R.C. was reported missing by local residents on June 19th. 
R.C. lived a subsistence lifestyle for over 30 years in a remote area 
of Alaska within the boundaries of the preserve. His home was a rustic 
cabin on the Tatonduk River, approximately 23 river miles from Eagle, 
Alaska; his primary mode of travel in the summer was via motorized 
canoe. The canoe was found overturned and submerged in the river 
downstream from his cabin on June 23rd. [Kevin Fox, Chief of 
Operations/Pilot, GAAR, 6/25]

01-323 - Appalachian NST (GA-ME) - Resource Violation

On Saturday, June 9th, Appalachian Trail ridgerunner M.C. came 
upon four men digging a hole on NPS Appalachian NST corridor lands 
near the Limestone Spring shelter in Salisbury, Connecticut. Upon 
investigation, he found that the men were members of a caving 
organization who were attempting to open an entrance to a supposed 
cavern. They had dug a shaft over 20 feet deep using hand shovels, 
five-gallon buckets, and a rope-pulley system. Connecticut state park 
rangers assisted with the initial investigation. Roosevelt-Vanderbilt 
NHS criminal investigator Nick Valhos is leading the follow-up 
investigation. It is believed that several other persons assisted with 
the excavation over the past several months. [Bob Gray, CR, ANST, 
6/29]

01-324 - Fire Island NS (NY) - Special Event: Movie Filming

On June 26th, Columbia Pictures shot the opening scenes of "Men In 
Black II" at the Fire Island lighthouse. A special use permit was 
issued for the 16-hour shoot, which brought a crew of over 250 to the 
site. Actors Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith were on site all day. 
Smith made himself available to staff members for pictures and small 
talk. There were no incidents during the shooting, which was managed 
under ICS. The 16 hours of setup, filming and breakdown will result in 
from four to six minutes of film. [Jay Lippert, IC, FIIS, 6/30]

01-325 - Santa Monica Mountains NRA (CA) - Commercial Use Violation

On June 13th, rangers contacted 18 boys and a young man skateboarding 
on historic structures at Peter Strauss Ranch. The riders were mostly 
sponsored (i.e., professional) athletes, including one from Brazil and 
one from New Zealand. One was filming with professional camera 
equipment in hopes of selling footage. The adults were ticketed; the 
juveniles were warned and their parents contacted. Video tape was 
seized as evidence.  The park has had many extreme sports appear 
within its boundaries as they are invented, such as street luge, 
dirt-boarding, backcountry skateboarding, and eco-challenge events and 
training.  The national parks are attractive locations for these new 
sports, especially as filming locations. Investigative tools for 
discovering and following up on these illegal activities include 
visits to local sports shops, web searches, and sport magazine and 
video sales. [Jim Richardson, DR, SAMO, 6/15]

01-326 - Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs (CA) - Rescue

On the evening of June 14th, a visitor reported that her friend, M.F. 
of Nevada City, California, was stranded on a ledge halfway up 
the Watchtower. The pair had been free-climbing in the Tokopah Falls 
area of Sequoia NP when M.F., 28, decided to attempt a free solo 
climb of the Watchtower. M.F. reached a point where he was unable 
to continue his climb, so called his friend on a portable radio and 
asked her to go for help. Rangers Rob Lewis and Lloyd Walker attempted 
to reach M.F. by climbing a 5.6 rated route in the dark. They 
climbed until about 2 a.m. and reached a point several hundred 
vertical feet below M.F., but were unable to reach M.F. due to 
unsafe conditions in an area of loose, unstable rock.  Rescuers 
remained on scene throughout the night to reassure him. Communication 
was maintained with M.F. by utilizing his friend's portable radio. 
Rangers Scott Wanek and Brian Bloom arrived at the base of the 
Watchtower before dawn the next morning. They reached M.F. and 
safely lowered him to the base of the wall early that afternoon.  
M.F. is being charged with 36 CFR 2.32 (a)(4) for creating a 
hazardous condition. A total of 15 people from the ranger division, 
interpretive division, and the Sequoia Natural History Association 
assisted during the rescue. Ranger Greg Williams served as IC. [Bob 
Wilson, LES, SEKI, 6/20]

01-327 -  Death Valley NP (CA) - Possible Exposure Fatality

A stranded motorist on the Warm Springs Canyon Road contacted the park 
by cell phone on the evening of June 1st and reported that her 
83-year-old husband had gone from help around 12:30 p.m. and had 
failed to return. The day's high temperature reached 121 degrees. 
Rangers found the body of Z.B. just over a mile from the 
disabled car. His wife was transported to Furnace Creek and reunited 
with family members. [CRO, DEVA, 6/2]

                   [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level II

Two new large fires were reported on Saturday. Moderate initial attack 
occurred in California and the Southwest. Very high to extreme indices 
were reported in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, 
Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

The full NICC situation report can be found at 
http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf.

National Resource Status (Five Day Trend)

                        Wed     Thu     Fri     Sat     Sun
Date                    6/27    6/28    6/29    6/30    7/1
                
Crews                   103     83      89      61      84
Engines                 183     94      121     105     90
Helicopters             44      33      52      22      32
Air Tankers             1       0       0       2       1
Overhead                534     394     488     408     674

Park Fire Situation

Sequoia/Kings Canyon NPs (CA) - The Bear Hill Rx Fire was begun on 
June 25th and completed on June 29th. The weather was ideal and the 
burn went very well. As of June 30th, large, heavy fuels were still 
burning, and litter and duff were smoldering. A total of 160 acres was 
burned.

Carlsbad Caverns NP (NM) - The Guad 1 Fire was contained at 472 acres 
on Friday and has been turned back over to the park. The perimeter is 
very secure; a few smokes remain on the interior. Most resources have 
been released.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme         Hawaii Volcanoes NP, Grand Canyon NP
Very High       Lake Mead NRA, Dinosaur NM, Rocky Mountain NP, Big 
                Bend NP
High            Joshua Tree NP, Carlsbad Caverns NP

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 6/30; Alaska Wildland Fire Situation 
Update, 6/30; NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/1]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Delaware Water Gap NRA (PA/NJ) - On June 2nd, ranger Chris Kross 
participated in the Pennsylvania Police Olympics in Pittsburgh. Kross 
competed in the "toughest cop around challenge," which included eight 
events done consecutively on the same day.  In order of performance, 
these events were a five kilometer run, the shot-put, a 100-meter 
dash, a 20-foot rope climb, a bench press, pull-ups, and running an 
obstacle course.  Kross's performances earned him a bronze medal, 
compiling 5,200 out of a possible 8,000 points. Kross's duties at the 
park include active participation on the high-angle rescue team, the 
dive team and the Northeast Region SET team. It should be no surprise 
that Kross also serves as the park's health and fitness coordinator. 
[Wayne Valentine, DEWA]

WASO (DC) - Retired NPS ranger, superintendent and SAR guru Butch 
Farabee received recognition for his life-time achievements in search 
and rescue on June 23rd at the annual Mountain Rescue Association 
conference in Snoqualmie, Washington. Due to his man contributions, 
Butch received was also made an MRA lifetime member. [Randy Coffman, 
WASO]

Death Valley NP (CA) - Chief ranger Bill Blake has received a 
certificate of commendation from the California Highway Patrol for 
"his exceptional performance and professionalism in support of the CHP 
mission." According to the citation, "Blake has promoted and fostered 
a close working relationship between the CHP and the park which has 
greatly enhanced the ability of (CHP officers) to perform their duties 
safely in the extremely remote and harsh environment." The officer who 
presented the award noted that few individuals  have received this 
certificate over the past 20 plus years. Blake has been the chief 
ranger at Death Valley since 1999. He recently accepted the regional 
chief ranger position for Midwest Region and will be relocating to 
Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife Bettie in mid-July. [DEVA]

Wilson's Creek NB (MO) - The park is recruiting for a GS-025-5 
seasonal law enforcement ranger.  The vacancy announcement is posted 
on the seasonal employment website (nps_sep@nps.gov); the  
announcement number is 6370-0005-01. The application period closes on 
July 5th. It is anticipated the term of the appointment will be the 
full 1039 hours (about 6 months). The position is shared between three 
parks: Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (Republic, Missouri), 
George Washington Carver National Monument (Diamond, Missouri), and 
Pea Ridge National Military Park (Pea Ridge, Arkansas) and will 
require frequent driving among these parks (vehicle provided). The 
person selected will perform a full range of law enforcement duties, 
including day use area patrols, special events support, drug 
enforcement, poaching enforcement, closing day use areas, and 
operating and responding to security systems. Required housing is 
available at George Washington Carver NHS. Questions can be directed 
to chief ranger John Sutton at Wilson's Creek at 417-732-2662 or 
ranger Bob Randall at Wilson's Creek at either the same number or 417= 
882-9144. [John Sutton, WICR]

                            *  *  *  *  *

The Morning Report solicits entries from the field and central offices 
for its daily and weekly sections (below). The general rule is that 
submissions, whatever the category, should pertain to operations, be 
useful to the field, and have broad significance across the agency. 
Additional details on submission criteria are available from the 
editor at any time (Bill Halainen at NP-DEWA, or 
Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). Ask for either incident reporting criteria 
(issued by WASO, June 18, 2000) or general criteria. 

Daily and weekly sections are available for news or significant 
developments pertaining to:

Field incidents                 Interpretation and visitor services
Natural resource management     Cultural resource management
Operations (WASO only)          Memoranda (WASO only)
Requests/offers of assistance   Park-related web sites
Parks and employees             Media stories on parks
Training, meetings, and events  Queries on operational matters  
Reports on "lessons learned" 

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed 
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address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your 
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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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