NPS Morning Report - Saturday, July 14, 2001



                        NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Saturday, July 14, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-352 - Devils Tower NM (WY) - Severe Storm Impacts

A severe thunderstorm passed over the park on July 8th, dropping 
two-and-a-half inch hail and two inches of rain. The storm broke 
windows on two park residences and damaged visitor, resident and 
numerous park vehicles. High winds broke many trees, resulting in the 
loss of power for about two hours. Several climbers reported injuries, 
including bruises and lacerations from falling hail and debris. Two 
climbers - Kathleen Chumacero, 40, and Forrest Weller, 41 - were 
struck by lightning splash while descending the northwest face of the 
tower. They were treated at a local hospital and released. [Scott 
Brown, CR, DETO, 7/9]

01-353 - Wrangell - St. Elias NP&P (AK) - Falling Fatality

On June 27th, German hiker H.H. missed his prearranged 
backcountry pickup flight. State troopers, rangers and an Air National 
Guard helicopter were committed to the search. Rangers found H.H.'s 
body two days later. It appears from the position of the body that he 
fell while scrambling on an unstable rock slope. His body was found in 
a remote location at the 9,000-foot elevation. The incident commander 
determined that the rock on the mountain would not hold anchors and 
that it would not be safe to attempt to use a technical climbing team 
to retrieve H.H.'s body. Troopers and rangers from both Wrangell - St. 
Elias and Denali recovered the remains on July 11th by using a Llama 
helicopter that had been chartered by Denali for mountain rescue. The 
Llama is equipped with a remote control grappling device on a long 
line below the helicopter that can be used to grasp an object. The 
grappling device eliminates the need for a short-haul maneuver with a 
live rescuer below the helicopter. [Hunter Sharp, CR, WRST, 7/12]

01-354 - Wrangell - St. Elias NP&P (AK) - Falling Fatality

Rangers, assisted by an ANG Pavehawk helicopter, located the body of 
34-year-old solo hiker T.Y. on July 2nd. T.Y. had been 
missing since June 29th, when he failed to meet his backcountry pickup 
flight. T.Y. was found at the 2,300-foot elevation on the west slope 
of Dan Creek canyon, about 15 miles from McCarthy and within the park. 
It appears that T.Y. was attempting to ascend the west side of the 
canyon when he lost his footing and fell about 280 feet. His fall was 
arrested by the alder brush covering the canyon floor and sides. His 
body was recovered and turned over to state troopers. [Hunter Sharp, 
CR, WRST, 7/12]

01-355 - Little River Canyon NP (AL) - Car Clouting Arrests

In response to a rash of car break-ins, rangers began surveillance of 
parking lots in late June. On June 27th, ranger Eddy Cartaya was 
watching the lot at Little Falls from concealment when he saw a blue 
Honda Accord pull in  and five people - R.C., Robert 
R.C., J.H. and two juveniles - get out and begin looking in 
the windows of other cars in the lot. Cartaya, who was not yet 
commissioned, notified ranger Jimmy Dunn, who was standing by. Cartaya 
saw Robbie R.C. pick up a rock, break into a car, and remove two 
purses. Dunn arrived as R.C. was getting into his vehicle and kept 
the group from leaving at gunpoint until a local officer arrived to 
assist. The five men were then taken into custody. The subsequent 
search of the men and their vehicle led to the recovery of a large 
number of stolen items, including cell phones, beepers, and stereo 
equipment and CDs. Also found were marijuana and paraphernalia, 
several concealed weapons (including knives hidden on several of the 
men), and a .25 pistol inside the passenger door panel. All five were 
taken to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department and charged. The 
film from a camera seized in the arrests showed most of the group at a 
beach location. Any parks with unsolved car clouts should call the 
ranger station at 256-997-9239 to determine if any of the items came 
from their areas. [Mike Clarke, PR, LIRI, 6/29 and 7/6]

01-356 - Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - Car Clouting Arrests

Visitor P.U. was exiting the Frisco Bathhouse on the evening of 
July 11th when he heard an auto's security alarm and saw two men - 
later identified as L.A. and B.L. - leaving the 
parking area. Dare County sheriff's deputy Greg Wilson took down 
P.U.'s detailed description of the two men and their vehicle and 
stopped and held them in Hatteras Village. District ranger Steve Ryan 
separated and interviewed the men, who provided differing accounts of 
their actions that day. L.A. eventually told Ryan that 
B.L. had broken into the vehicle at Frisco Bathhouse. B.L. 
was found to be carrying 42.5 grams of marijuana in six separate 
baggies. Ryan and Wilson used the men's statements to locate, retrieve 
and return property stolen from the auto. Both L.A. and 
B.L. have extensive records and were to appear in court 
yesterday. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA Group, 7/13]

01-357 - Cape Cod NS (MA) - Rescue

On July 6th, M.F., 23, was boogie-boarding off Coast Guard 
Beach when visitors saw him suffer a grand mal seizure. M.F., who 
has a history of seizures, was on a sandbar in the water about 40 
yards off the beach at the time. When the seizure began, M.F. went 
underwater. An unidentified female swimmer rolled him over and kept 
his head above water. Lifeguard Al Brust observed the event and swam 
to the location to assist. Brust attempted to manage the seizure in 
the water, but found that he had to get M.F. to shore. In order to 
do so, Brust had to bring M.F. through a rip, an area between the 
bar and shore where a strong current exists. Other lifeguards assisted 
Brust once he got to shore. Eastham EMS and rangers responded; they 
helped with medical treatment and also dealt with a large crowd on the 
beach. Since M.F. was underwater during part of his seizure, he was 
transported to Cape Cod Hospital, where he was treated and released.  
[Bob Grant, DR, CACO, 7/13]

                   [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level II

Eight new large fires were reported yesterday - three in New Mexico, 
two in Oregon, and one each in Florida, Idaho, and Utah. Six large 
fires were contained - one each in California, Idaho, Montana, New 
Mexico, Oregon, and Utah. Initial attack was heavy in the Northwest, 
moderate in California,  the northern Rockies and the eastern Great 
Basin Areas, and light elsewhere. Very high to extreme fire indices 
were reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, 
Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. 

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

National Resource Status (Five Day Trend)

                        Tue     Wed     Thu     Fri     Sat
Date                    7/10    7/11    7/12    7/13    7/14
                        
Crews                   80      111     174     225     194
Engines                 142     302     439     421     441
Helicopters             34      48      78      74      56
Air Tankers             2       4       3       7       1
Overhead                306     351     882     1,257   962

Park Fire Situation

Crater Lake NP (OR) - On July 10th, passing thunderstorms started as 
many as four fires. Two were confirmed that afternoon and attacked in 
the afternoon and evening. Teams were assessing the confirmed fires at 
the time of the report (Thursday afternoon) and were going to try to 
reach the other two sites. Two more suspected fires were identified on 
the 11th. All confirmed fires have been size A.

Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - The park reported a quarter-acre, human-caused 
fire on July 13th. 

Everglades NP (FL) - The lightning-caused Onionkeyby Fire has burned 
1,028 acres. The fire is burning in prairie and marsh areas and is 
surrounded by water and mangroves. It is being managed as a "wildland 
fire use" fire. 

Zion NP (UT) - The Premier Fire continued to heat up on Thursday 
despite numerous bucket drops. The fire is burning on an inaccessible 
ledge system with thick continuous fuels. A church camp is only a mile 
away. The Wynopits Fires have been backing through gambels oak, 
consuming the brush completely. The Gander, Crazy Quilt, Keyhole and 
Checkerboard Fires have shown no smoke for a few days. 

Park Fire Danger

Extreme         N/A
Very High       Lake Mead NRA, Hawaii Volcanoes NP
High            Lava Beds NM, Lassen Volcanic NP, Sequoia and Kings 
                Canyon NPs, Grand Canyon NP, Zion NP, Dinosaur NM, 
                Carlsbad Caverns NP, Guadalupe Mountains NP, Big Bend 
                NP

NPS Fire Management

Hiring continues for NPS fire positions. Here's the tally this week: 
Temporary positions - 739 total, 481 hired to date; career/seasonal 
positions - 235 total, 217 hired to date; permanent positions - 416 
total, 286 hired to date. That works out to a total of 984 people 
hired for 1,390 total positions (71%). Overall, the Department of 
Interior fire management agencies have hired 6,636 of the 8,365 jobs 
(79%).

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 7/13; NICC Incident Management 
Situation Report, 7/14]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Glacier NP (MT) - Wolf Packs and Pups Confirmed within Park

Representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spotted two 
wolf pups from the North Camas pack near the Canadian border in the 
North Fork area of the park during a recent survey flight. There are 
also indications that this is one of three wolf packs that possibly 
denned within the park this year.  At present, there are three gray 
wolf (Canus lupus) packs located within the park - the North Camas 
pack, the South Camas pack, and the McDonald pack. Numbers of 
individuals per pack are relatively low, with only four to five 
members in each (not counting this year's possible pups). These 
population numbers are derived from track surveys conducted in the 
winter of 2000-2001 by the FWS and the park. Information received from 
the movements of the six current radio-collared wolves leads 
biologists to believe that both the South Camas and McDonald packs 
denned in the park this season, but pups have not been confirmed. 
Indications are that these packs have established rendezvous sites 
where pups remain while the adults are hunting. All three packs are 
located on the west side of the park. Wolf packs normally produce one 
litter a year with an average of six to eight pups. Normally, only the 
alpha male and alpha female wolves in each pack breed, but all the 
members help with the rearing of the pups. Adult wolves will typically 
move litters to a series of rendezvous areas throughout the summer as 
the pups grow and mature. By late August or September, pups begin 
travelling and hunting with the adults throughout their home range.
Wolves historically roamed throughout Glacier National Park and most 
of the western United States. They had been missing (with the 
exception of isolated sightings) from the park and there had been no 
records of denning for over 50 years following the eradication efforts 
of the 1920s. They started recolonizing the North Fork of the Flathead 
River area of the park when they migrated south from British Columbia, 
Canada, in the early 1980s. In 1986, the first confirmed den of wolves 
in the western United States occurred in the park. Wolves have 
continued to den in the park nearly every year since 1986. The gray 
wolf has been listed as an endangered species in the western United 
States since 1967. [Public Affairs, GLAC, 7/10]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Natural Resource Year in Review - The "Natural Resources Year in 
Review" report for calendar year 2000 has just been published. It was 
shipped to park superintendents, division chiefs, and resource 
managers earlier this week. The report  summarizes and analyzes 
significant natural resource preservation issues and trends in the 
national park system for the calendar year. Nearly 40 features and 27 
brief articles are shared, addressing both national and park-specific 
issues. Examples are:

o       scrutiny of environmental impacts from snowmobiles in national 
        parks
o       recommendations of biologists E. O. Wilson, Peter Raven, and 
        other scholars for future management of the national parks
o       restoration of the endangered bonytail fish in Dinosaur NM
o       a mysterious tadpole die-off in Whiskeytown NRA
o       challenges of the unprecedented 2000 fire season
o       establishment of exotic plant management teams to address      
        high-priority, invasive plant problems throughout the national 
        park system
o       displacement of northern spotted owls by barred owls in 
        Olympic NP
o       the search in caves within Carlsbad Caverns NPS for bacteria 
        that possess enzymes capable of combating human diseases

The is on the web at http://www.nature.nps.gov/pubs/yir/yir2000. 
Additional printed copies are available from the editor 
(jeff_selleck@nps.gov). Please note: The editor has discovered a 
pagination error - pages 23 to 26 repeat in approximately five percent 
of the printed copies. Recipients wishing a replacement are invited to 
contact the editor. [Jeff Selleck, Editor]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

St. Croix NSR (WI/MN) - Superintendent Anthony "Tony" Anderson will 
end his 38-year career with the National Park Service on July 28th. 
Tony has spent the last 15 years as superintendent of St. Croix, 
spanning almost half of the park's life. Major accomplishments include 
restoration of dozens of old cabin sites along the 252-mile-long 
riverway, thereby strengthening the feeling of wildness for river 
users; improvements to landings, campsites, and other visitor 
facilities; and long-range planning which will guide the management of 
the park for the next 20 years. Tony began his career in 1963 at Mount 
Rainier as a field ranger working on fire suppression and search and 
rescue. He subsequently worked at Death Valley, North Cascades, 
Yosemite, Olympic, Wrangell - St. Elias, and Grand Portage; duties 
ranged from ski area ranger to SAR officer to inner city recreation 
coordinator in Washington, DC. "Tony is a gifted professional, a 
devoted and honest protector of public spaces," said former vice 
president and Minnesota senator Walter Mondale. "He is a gracious and 
thoughtful administrator, and, for the past several years, the key 
leader responsible for protecting the magnificent St. Croix as a 
pristine, scenic, and recreation river." [Debi Pomeroy, SACN]

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the 
cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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