NPS Morning Report - Sunday, July 22, 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 22, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-348 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Follow-up: Flash Flooding

On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern 
West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, the Eastern IMT headed 
by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) has been assigned to assist with recovery 
operations. Here's today's update on developments:

o       Two park employees lost their homes and several employee homes 
        sustained significant damage during the flood. This has been a 
        very trying time for these employees and their families, so an 
        NPS critical incident stress peer support counselor was 
        requested by the team and arrived yesterday. 

o       Today, river patrol rangers will record GPS coordinates for 
        the new alluvial fans created by the flood. Some of these fans 
        are associated with slide areas that may become hazardous with 
        future rains. The Resource Assessment Team (RAT) estimates 
        there are some 75 to 80 slides to investigate within the 
        gorge, but has determined that most of these pose no safety 
        threats. 

o       The traffic plan for Fayette Station has been successfully 
        implemented. Commercial outfitter use of the temporary 
        take-out was orderly. The park decided to close vehicle access 
        to the South Fayette Station Road due to unstable soil 
        conditions at the Cole property parking area. 

o       Work progressed yesterday on trail clearing near Thurmond and 
        on cleanup of facilities at Thayer. Stone Cliff, one of the 
        more heavily damaged trails, is now open. The New River trails 
        and roads crews have worked for 14 straight days and will take 
        today off. The Shenandoah crew will continue until Wednesday. 

o       The West Virginia Division of Highways is working feverishly 
        on the Thurmond Road; traffic delays have occurred, but have 
        been short - even on a busy summer weekend. 

o       Costs to date, including those incurred by the park before the 
        arrival of the IMT have now come to $104,600. 

For more information on recovery operations and pictures of the area, 
see the park web site at http://www.nps.gov/neri/flood2001.htm. [Kent 
Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/21]

01-373 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Climbing Accident with Two Fatalities

Two climbers fell to their deaths while ascending the North Buttress 
Direct route on Middle Cathedral Rock in Yosemite Valley on July 12th. 
Thomas Dunwiddie, 49, of Denver, Colorado, and Monika Elderidge, 41, 
of Boulder, Colorado, had climbed several routes in the park during 
the week preceding the accident. Park investigators believe the fall 
was an accident; foul play is not suspected. Evidence is still being 
reviewed, and the cause of the accident is under investigation. 
[Public Affairs, YOSE, 7/20]

01-374 - Glen Canyon NRA (UT/AZ) - Diving Fatality

On Tuesday, July 17th, park visitor S.S. was reported missing 
as a result of a cliff diving accident that occurred shortly after 5 
p.m.  S.S., 33, of Greeley, Colorado, was vacationing with friends 
on the San Juan Arm of the lake near Wilson Creek. Witnesses said that 
he attempted a backflip from a 30-foot-high cliff, but struck the 
water on his stomach, went underwater, and did not resurface. Rangers 
arrived on scene and began dive operations that night. The water depth 
in the area where S.S. disappeared declined sharply to a shelf at 
117 feet, then dropped again for an unknown distance. The initial 
search of the shelf was unsuccessful. The following morning, the dive 
team deployed Glen Canyon's remote-operated vessel (ROV), which is 
equipped with a camera and retractable arm for recovery, and 
discovered S.S.'s body at a depth of 273 feet.  This is the second 
cliff jumping fatality this year at Lake Powell. [Mike Mayer, ACR, 
GLCA, 7/19]

01-375 - National Capital Parks (DC) - Structural Fire

The DC fire department responded to a fire in a wooden maintenance 
building at Anacostia Marina on July 12th. The marina had been closed 
for renovation by the NPS, and the building was empty. No one was 
injured. The fire is being jointly investigated by DC FD and the Park 
Police. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 7/16]

01-376 - Acadia NP (ME) - MVA with Fatality

J.P., 22, was killed on July 19th when his motorcycle left 
the Loop Road at a high rate of speed. J.P. was traveling at least 
80 mph on a 600cc "sport" style motorcycle when he apparently lost 
control and hit a tree. The speed limit on this section of road is 35 
mph. Off-duty rangers who heard the crash from their residence were on 
scene within a minute. J.P. was transported by ambulance to a local 
hospital, then life-flighted to a trauma facility in Bangor. He  
succumbed to massive internal injuries shortly after arriving.  
Richard Rechholtz was IC. [Dave Buccello, CR, ACAD, 7/20]

01-377 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Attempted Suicide; Rescue

Late on the evening of July 12th, Lee County SO officers advised 
rangers that a woman had been seen sitting on the Highway 96 bridge. 
The 49-year-old woman threatened to jump off the 155-foot bridge if 
anyone approached her. Rangers Bruce Gagnon, Mark Cyr and Tim Morgan, 
a county deputy and a county negotiator talked with the woman for two 
hours, during which time she periodically stood up on the rail and 
threatened to jump. The negotiations concluded successfully when her 
husband met her at the center of the bridge. She was then taken to a 
county medical center for evaluation. According to the husband, she 
had been drinking earlier in the day and had stopped by his motel and 
left a note saying that she loved him and would see him at the 
hospital later. [Jackie Henman, NATR, 7/16]

01-378 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Attempted Suicide; Rescue

Rangers in the Marin Headlands received a report of an injured woman 
northwest of Slacker Hill shortly before noon on June 27th. The 
responding ranger found her at the base of a steep, densely vegetated 
ravine. Presidio FD paramedics stabilized her and she was flown out to 
an area hospital by a CHP helicopter. Investigation at the scene 
produced evidence that she'd been attempting to commit suicide, and 
that she may have been in the area through the previous night. Rangers 
also learned that she had previously attempted suicide within the 
Presidio. As a result of her mental instability, she was committed to 
an institution. [Richard Danielson, Ops Supervisor, GOGA, 7/17]

01-379 - National Capital Parks (DC) - Assault with a Deadly Weapon

On July 15th, a man threatened several people at the James Creek 
Marina while brandishing a shotgun. Park Police officers arrested him 
after he exited his boat without incident. The shotgun was not 
recovered, but nearby waters are being searched. [Sgt. R. MacLean, 
USPP, NCR, 7/16]

                   [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 2

Two new large fires were reported, one in Nevada and one in Utah.  
Four large fires were contained, one each in Nevada and Oregon, and 
two in Utah.  Initial attack activity was light nationwide.  Very high 
to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, 
Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming.

NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for dry fuels, high increasing 
winds, low relative humidity and a high Haines index for parts of 
southern and central Wyoming.

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                    7/18    7/19    7/20    7/21    7/22
                        
Crews                   192     166     153     67      86
Engines                 333     263     216     151     89
Helicopters             60      52      56      53      51
Air Tankers             2       0       3       0       0
Overhead                1,136   951     1,110   476     679

Park Fire Situation

Report not available today.

Fire Program Management

The Department of the Interior and the Forest Service launched a new 
interagency wildland fire website last Thursday. The National Fire 
Plan website - www.fireplan.gov - provides up-to-date and 
comprehensive interagency information and other related details on the 
plan.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/22; Debee Schwarz, 7/19]

                            *  *  *  *  *

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" 

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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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