NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, July 31, 2001
- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, July 31, 2001
- Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 08:48:56 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2001
INCIDENTS
00-645 - Scotts Bluff NM (NE) - Follow-up: Rockslide
A major rockslide closed the Saddle Rock trail in mid-October last
year. A total of about 3,000 tons of rock and sand fell on the upper
part of the trail, which leads to the summit of the bluff. Following
an environmental assessment, a large block of rock weighing 1,200 tons
was removed with explosives on May 5th, leaving a huge pile of rock
debris. The park's seasonal trail crew has been working on clearing
the trail since then, completing its work last week. The trail was
reopened on July 27th. Due to the location of the slide, all work had
to be done by hand, using pry bars, picks, shovels, a jackhammer, and
expanding air bags. Additional work will be done on the trail in the
future without major inconveniences to the public. The reopening of
the trail brought intense media attention and led to extensive visitor
use. [Eric Haugland, PR, SCBL, 7/27]
01-391 - Indiana Dunes (IN) - Homicide
The body of a 40-year-old man believed to be from Gary, Indiana, was
found on the side of the road within the park on the evening of July
23rd. He had been shot several times, probably at the spot where he
was found. He was wanted on a federal warrant in connection with an
ATF firearms investigation, but its not yet known whether his death
was linked to the investigation. Rangers assisted with the crime
scene, then returned the following morning to assist with a second
search for evidence. Shell casings were found at that time. There are
no suspects in the murder. Although the road is located within the
park and the park has concurrent jurisdiction, that jurisdiction is
limited to lands owned in title by the government. Since the
government doesn't own the lands beneath the road or the associated
shoulders, the case is being investigated by local and county police
departments. This is the first homicide in the eastern portion of the
park in 20 years. [J.D. Swed, CR, INDU, 7/26]
01-392 - Mount Rushmore NM (SD) - Rescue
On July 28th, rangers responded to a vehicle rollover on Highway 244
within the park. The vehicle - a large passenger van - had settled on
its side. Rangers saw that the driver's head had broken through the
side window and was pinned between the vehicle and the ground. Another
occupant had crawled through the van's shattered windshield prior to
their arrival, and a third was trapped in the back of the van. Members
of Keystone City VFD and Pennington County SAR helped rangers
stabilize the van and remove parts of the door and roof. After an
hour's intensive efforts, the driver and occupant were extricated from
the van. All three victims were taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital.
Their injuries were not known at the time of the report. According to
the driver, who was conscious during the extrication, she had fallen
asleep at the wheel as the van was traveling downhill and rounding a
sharp curve. The South Dakota Highway Patrol is assisting with the
investigation. [Lee Buschkowsky, Area Ranger, MORU, 7/29]
01-393 - Joshua Tree NP (CA) - Search
The park received word of a lost hiker on July 22nd. Two 21-year-old
men had departed on foot from Cathedral City the preceding day,
intending to hike across the park to Yucca Valley. Temperatures in the
Cathedral City area exceeded 100 degrees that day. The two men
departed around 8 a.m. with only a small bottle of Gatorade each. They
traversed several ridge lines and canyons in the Little San Bernadino
Mountains until they exhausted their supplies and one became ill. The
other hiker set off to get help and reported his companion as missing
upon arrival at a residence in the town of Morongo Valley. Rangers
made the initial response and investigation. As clues were developed,
it became apparent that the primary search was going to be outside of
Joshua Tree. The park continued to manage search operations until the
county sheriff took over on the evening of the 22nd. Sheriff's
department searchers found the man within the primary search area the
next morning - less than a quarter mile from the point where park
staff had staged. The victim was severely dehydrated but otherwise
okay. Local media interest was high. [Patrick Suddath, DR, JOTR, 7/28]
01-394 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Rescue
On the evening of July 16th, park dispatch received a 911 call via
satellite telephone from a commercial river trip on the Colorado
River. The trip leader reported that one of the two motor rafts on the
trip had gotten hung up on a rock in the upper granite gorge near
river mile 105. The stranded raft had 11 people on board. There were
no beaches in the area, and the second boat was secured downstream.
Just before sunset, rescuers David Rhinehart, Bryan Edwards, Mike
Flynn and Carl Helquist were inserted via helicopter about a quarter
mile upstream from the stranded raft. Edwards and Flynn swam down to
the rafts to stabilize them and spent the night on board. At first
light, the water flow in the Colorado River increased, and the raft
gained buoyancy. The rescuers were able to maneuver the raft off the
rock; they were flown out later that morning. [Kristin Fey, IC, GRCA,
7/16]
01-395 - Joshua Tree NP (CA) - Rescue
On July 28th, the park was notified that a 22-year-old man was
stranded on a ledge in the Hidden Valley campground area. Responding
rangers found C.M. stranded on a small ledge about 100
feet up on Chimney Rock. Rangers John Evans and Jeremy Monroe climbed
to the top of the formation, rappelled to C.M.'s location, secured
him in a harness, and rappelled with him to the ground. C.M. was
mildly dehydrated but otherwise in good shape. He had scrambled to the
top of the formation and was seeking a route down when he became
stranded. [Patrick Suddath, DR, JOTR, 7/28]
01-396 - Everglades NP (FL) - Fatality; Possible Drowning
A 14-year-old boy was found floating face down in the pool at Flamingo
Lodge on the afternoon of July 26th. AMFAC concessions employees began
CPR and rangers Tony Terry and John Goodwin continued basic life
support and resuscitation efforts. Miami-Dade Air Rescue responded;
their paramedics declared the boy deceased upon arrival. An
investigation is being conducted by the county sheriff's office, and
an autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death. [Bill
Wright, CR, EVER, 7/27]
01-397 - Ozark NSR (MO) - MVA with Fatality
A single-vehicle accident occurred on Jerktail Road around 10 p.m. on
July 28th, killing one of the vehicle's two occupants. According to
R.H., who reported the accident, he and his cousin, J.H.
R.H., 24, had been traveling down the gravel/dirt road in their
homemade "rail buggy" when it left the road. Both men were ejected and
the buggy landed on J.H., who was the driver. His license
was suspended at the time due to a DUI conviction. An investigation is
being conducted by the park and the Missouri Highway Patrol. [Bill
Terry, OZAR, 7/30]
01-398 - Glacier NP (MT) - Burglary Arrest
A cooperative investigation by rangers, Postal Inspection Service
investigators, Montana Department of Corrections probation and parole
officers, and Flathead County deputies has resulted in the arrest of
C.E., 20, for the July 22nd burglary of the Lake McDonald
post office. C.E. was charged with burglary, stealing or rifling
through U.S. mail, and theft; he was also charged with assault in a
separate incident that occurred the same evening at a park concession
dormitory at Lake McDonald Lodge. He is currently in custody at the
Flathead County Detention Center. A court date has not yet been set.
[Public Affairs, GLAC, 7/26]
01-399 - Virgin Islands NS (VI) - Illegal Immigrants
On the morning of July 27th, twenty Chinese nationals entered the
territory illegally through the park. An investigation by ranger John
Wilkins revealed that the four women and sixteen men were dropped off
by boat in the Leinster Bay area on St. John. The group was
intercepted and detained near Maho Bay by rangers and two local police
officers. They were found traveling on a roadway at a point about four
miles from where they'd been dropped off. They were searched,
transported to the Cruz Bay police station, then turned over to the
INS. They had evidently traveled to St. John from the nearby island of
St. Martin during the early morning hours. [Schuler Brown, CR, VIIS,
7/27]
01-400 - Gateway NRA (NY/NJ) - Possible Suicide
The Park Police were notified of a missing person at Canarsie Pier
around 9:30 a.m. on July 13th. A 39-year-old Brooklyn man had called
his girlfriend at 2 a.m. and asked her to meet him at the pier because
he had injured himself while fixing a flat tire on his car. The
girlfriend drove to the pier, but found the car unattended and
returned home. She then received a call at 3 a.m. in which he asked
her to meet him at a nearby city park. She drove to the park, but was
again unable to find him. She reported him missing to NYPD at 8 a.m.
Investigators learned that the man was suffering from depression and
had recently been admitted to a hospital for a psychological
evaluation. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of several
notes that revealed that the man was depressed and in a state of
distress. USPP officers found the man around 11 a.m. about 150 yards
west of the pier. He was semi-conscious and suffering from head wounds
and severe blood loss. He had a pick-hammer in his hand. He was taken
to a local hospital, where he expired shortly thereafter. He was
suffering from six strikes to his head, followed by another massive
strike. The death had not been classified at the time of the report.
[Lt. John Marigliano, GATE, 7/14]
[Additional reports pending....]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 2
New large fires were reported yesterday in northern California and the
Rockies; both were contained. Four other large fires were also
contained. Initial attack was light nationwide.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona,
California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon,
Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
NICC has issued
The full NICC situation report can be found at
http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf.
National Resource Status (Five Day Trend)
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue
Date 7/27 7/28 7/29 7/30 7/31
Crews 171 176 199 247 291
Engines 178 300 222 329 327
Helicopters 81 64 85 79 60
Air Tankers 8 14 16 0 0
Overhead 859 742 938 1,380 1,579
Park Fire Situation
Yellowstone NP (WY) - NICC has dispatched a national Type 1 IMT (Frye)
to the Arthur Fire, which is burning just east of the park. Active
fire behavior and some torching were observed yesterday.
Park Fire Danger
Extreme Sequoia/Kings Canyon NPs, Dinosaur NM, Grand Teton NP
Very High Lake Mead NRA, Hawaii Volcanoes NP
High Joshua Tree NP, Lassen Volcanic NP, Big Bend NP
[NPS Situation Summary Report, 7/30; NICC Incident Management
Situation Report, 7/31]
UPCOMING IN CONGRESS
The following activities will be taking place in Congress during
coming weeks on matters pertaining to the National Park Service or
kindred agencies.
For inquiries regarding legislation pertaining to the NPS, please
contact the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs at
202-208-5883/5656 and ask to be forwarded to the appropriate
legislative specialist. For additional information on specific bills
(full text, status, etc.), please check Congress's web site at
http://thomas.loc.gov/.
HEARINGS/MARK-UPS
Tuesday, July 31 - 2:30 p.m., 366 Dirksen
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks
(Akaka): Hearing on:
o S. 1175 (Lott, MS), a bill to modify the boundary of Vicksburg
National Military Park to include the property known as
Pemberton's Headquarters, and for other purposes.
o S. 1227 (Schumer, NY), a bill to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to conduct a study of the suitability and
feasibility of establishing the Niagara River National
Heritage Area in the State of New York, and for other
purposes.
o S. 689 (Schumer, NY), a bill to convey certain Federal
properties on Governors Island, New York.
o H.R. 601, a bill concerning hunting and grazing issues at
Craters of the Moon NM, Idaho.
Tuesday, July 31 - 10:00 a.m., 1334 Longworth
House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public
Lands (Hefley): Mark-up of the following bills:
o H.R. 2114 (Simpson, ID), a bill to amend the Antiquities Act
regarding the establishment by the President of certain
national monuments and to provide for public participation in
the proclamation of national monuments.
o H.R. 1814 (Olver, MA), a bill to amend the National Trails
System Act to designate the
Metacomet-Monadnock-Sunapee-Mattabesett Trail extending
through western New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, and
central Connecticut for study for potential addition to the
National Trails System.
o H.R. 1456 (Goode, VA), a bill to expand the boundary of the
Booker T. Washington National Monument, and for other
purposes.
o H.R. 2385 (Hansen, UT), a bill to convey certain property to
the city of St. George, Utah, in order to provide for the
protection and preservation of certain rare paleontological
resources on that property, and for other purposes.
LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
The following bills either directly or indirectly pertaining to the
NPS have been introduced since the last Morning Report listing of new
legislation (July 24th):
o H.R. 2609 (LaFalce, NY), a bill to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to conduct a study of the suitability and
feasibility of establishing the Niagara Falls National
Heritage Area in the State of New York, and for other
purposes.
o H.R. 2628 (Cramer, AL), a bill to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a study of the suitability and feasibility
of establishing the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area in
Alabama.
o H.R. 2643 (Wu, OR), a bill to authorize the acquisition of
additional lands for inclusion in the Fort Clatsop National
Memorial in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes.
o S. 1226 (Campbell, CO), a bill to require the display of the
POW/MIA flag at the World War II memorial, the Korean War
Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
o S. 1227 (Schumer, NY), a bill to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to conduct a study of the suitability and
feasibility of establishing the Niagara River National
Heritage Area in the State of New York, and for other
purposes.
o S. 1257 (Reid, NV), a bill to require the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct a theme study to identify sites and
resources to commemorate and interpret the Cold War.
NEW LAWS
The following bills have passed Congress and been signed into law by
the President:
No new laws.
* * * * *
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