NPS Morning Report - Monday, August 13, 2001
- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, August 13, 2001
- Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2001 08:42:00 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, August 13, 2001
INCIDENTS
00-669 - Gulf Islands NS (MS/FL) - Follow-up: Kidnapping
The man and woman who were convicted of kidnapping 22-month-old E.P.
from the Davis Bayou campground last October were sentenced in
federal district court on August 1st. B.M. and U.K.M.
both pled guilty this past April and faced up to life in
prison. Judge Walter Gex sentenced U.K.M. to 49 months in
prison. B.M. was sentenced to 40 months in prison. The
M.s befriended E.P.'s parents while on the Mississippi coast
and then traveled with them to the campground. They took E.P. out to
dinner, but never returned. Instead, they used E.P. as a "prop"
while begging for money at truck stops until captured three days later
in Texas. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 8/2]
01-440 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - Galax Theft Convictions
J.N.G. and his brother R.N.G. (both
undocumented aliens) were arrested on July 31st near Milepost 350. At
the time of apprehension, they had about 7,500 galax stems in their
possession. They were found guilty in magistrate's court on August 1st
and ordered to pay $1,200 in fines and restitution. One was also given
a 30-day prison term. The two men had criminal histories that included
driving under the influence, possession of controlled substances, hit
and run, and giving false information to officers. Rangers Larry
Johnson and John Anthony were the case rangers. On August 3rd, G.G.-R.
of Burnsville, North Carolina, was arrested for taking
native plants for commercial uses. He had several thousand galax
stems in his possession. He was sentenced to two months in jail on
August 6th. G.G.-R. has two prior convictions for galax
possession in the park. Supervisory ranger Terry Morris and ranger
Brian Stackowicz were the case rangers. [John Garrison, Protection
Specialist, BLRI, 8/9]
01-441 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - Two MVA's with Fatalities
On July 2nd, J.C. of Richardson, Texas, died of injuries
received in a motorcycle collision at Milepost 462. Kirby Styles of
Great Smokies NP is the case ranger. A.S. of Dallas, North
Carolina, died of injuries received in a single vehicle collision at
Milepost 407 on August 5th. A.S. was a passenger in the vehicle and
was ejected as it traveled several hundred feet down a steep and
heavily timbered slope. John Anthony is the case ranger. [John
Garrison, Protection Specialist, BLRI, 8/9]
01-442 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - Suicide
On the morning of July 12th, rangers from Blue Ridge and Great Smokies
responded to a report of an unresponsive person in a vehicle at
Milepost 460. They found the body of a woman from Maggie Valley, North
Carolina. She had died from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. SA
John Mattox from Great Smokies is the case agent; supervisory ranger
Don Coleman (BLRI) and ranger Walt West (GRSM) assisted. [John
Garrison, Protection Specialist, BLRI, 8/9]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 4
NOTE: The preparedness level has gone up another step. Preparedness
Level 4 goes into effect when the following conditions are met: Two or
more geographic areas experiencing incidents requiring Type I teams.
Competition exists for resources between geographic areas. Either 425
crews or five Type I teams are committed nationally.
Twenty-two new large fires were reported yesterday - 15 in the western
Great Basin, two each in the eastern Great Basin and Northwest, and
one each in southern California, northern California and the South.
Four large fires were contained. Heavy initial attack was reported in
the western Great Basin and Northwest.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in California,
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington
and Wyoming.
NICC has issued a FIRE WEATHER WATCH today for dry thunderstorms in
Montana.
For the full NICC report, see http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf.
National Resource Status (Five Day Trend)
Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
Date 8/9 8/10 8/11 8/12 8/13
Crews 243 280 372 454 432
Engines 405 643 699 719 804
Helicopters 95 81 112 103 131
Air Tankers 8 3 13 12 12
Overhead 1,535 1,458 1,896 2,010 1,882
Type 1/Type 2 IMT --- --- --- --- 3/10
Park Fire Situation
Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - The park reports two new quarter-acre fires
over the last 48 hours both in control status. The Vista Fire, being
managed for resource benefits, has burned about 1,120 acres.
Park Fire Danger
Extreme Hawaii Volcanoes NP
Very High N/A
High Mojave NP, Redwood N&SP
[NPS Situation Summary Report, 8/12; NICC Incident Management
Situation Report, 8/13]
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MEETING AND EVENTS CALENDAR
This calendar appears every other Monday as an addendum to the Morning
Report. Please note:
o Entries are listed no sooner than FOUR months before an event,
except in cases in which registration dates close much
earlier.
o Brevity in submissions is required and appreciated.
o Please send along web sites for additional information where
possible.
o Asterisks (*) indicate new ore revised entries.
**********************************************************************
August 17 - 22: SEVENTH NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NATIONAL SCENIC AND
HISTORIC TRAILS, Casper, WY. Contact: Partnership for the National
Trails System, 608-249-7870. [Sheila Lee, NCRC/WASO]
August 24: WASO RELOCATION. The Washington Office begins moving from
the Department of Interior building at 18th and C Streets to its new
office on 1800 G Street. Additional information has been received.
Here's the timetable for moves:
o August 24th - Administration and Natural Resources
o September 21st - Operations, Professional Services and
Cultural Resources
o October 5th - Offices of the Director and the Directorate
For more information on the move, check the associated web site:
http://165.83.219.72/wapc/themove.html. [Betsy Chittenden, WASO]
* September 1 - 3: RAIL EXPO 2001 - A CENTURY OF RAILROADING,
Steamtown NHS, PA. This fifth annual tribute to America's industrial
heritage will feature an array of activities over the Labor Day
Weekend. This year's event will feature Steamtown's extensive
collection of vintage steam locomotives, restored passenger coaches,
boxcars, flatcars, cabooses and other rolling stock, contrasted by an
eclectic selection of visiting rail equipment. An assortment of
activities, exhibits and interpretive programs, will set the stage for
a multi-faceted journey that explores the roots of our industrial
heritage and technological growth. Information and details on this and
other upcoming special events, interpretive and educational programs,
rail excursions, group rates or annual passes may be obtained by
calling 570-340-5200 or 888-693-9391 (toll free) or by visiting the
Steamtown web site at www.nps.gov/stea. [Ralph Coury, STEA]
September 19 - 21: RIVER MANAGEMENT SOCIETY CONFERENCE, Wasilla, AK.
For more information, go to http://www.river-management.org. [Sheila
Lee, NCRC/WASO]
September 25-29: EIGHTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, WILDLIFE SOCIETY, Reno, NV.
Call 301-897-9770 or go to http://www.tws.org. [Sheila Lee, NCRC/WASO]
September 29: NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY. An annual event in which
volunteers undertake projects to improve the nation's public lands.
Contact: National Environmental Education and Training, 202-833-2933.
[Sheila Lee, NCRC/WASO]
October 3 - 6: NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION ANNUAL
CONGRESS AND EXPOSITION, Denver, CO. For more information, check
http://www.activeparks.org. [Sheila Lee, NCRC/WASO]
October 10 - 12: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (NLC) MEETING.
October 15: NINTH ANNUAL LINCOLN SYMPOSIUM, Ford' Theatre NHS,
Washington, DC. The topic of this year's symposium will be the
conspirators. The program will feature an in-depth look at those
people who aided and abetted the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The
symposium is free and open to the public. No advanced reservation is
required. Seating is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. For
more information, call the park at 202-426-6924. [Donna Birchard, NCR]
* October 29 - November 2: ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL PARK RANGERS
RENDEZVOUS XXV, Snow King Resort, Jackson Hole, WY. Twenty-fifth
anniversary Rendezvous, held at the site of the first Rendezvous back
in 1977. The single/double rate is $85 plus tax. Condos (studio to
four bedrooms) are available if you want to share accommodations.
Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-522-KING (mention the group
name: National Park Rangers). The block will expire three weeks prior
to the start of the Rendezvous, so reservations should be made early.
Check the website at www.snowking.com. For details on the program, see
ANPR's web site at http://www.anpr.org/agenda.htm.
November 4 - 5: NATIONAL INTERPRETERS WORKSHOP, Des Moines, IA. For
more information, contact Brook McDonald at brookmcd@ais.net. [Sheila
Lee, NCRC/WASO]
* * * * *
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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