NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, December 4, 2001



                        NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, December 4, 2001

                            *** NOTICE ****

Due to the phasing out of cc:Mail, the National Park Service's 
internal telecommunications system, the Morning Report will only be 
available via the web as of Thursday, December 6th. The specialized 
but cumbersome delivery system found in cc:Mail has become outmoded 
and is not a feature of Lotus Notes, which is replacing cc:Mail. The 
Morning Report has been posted on the NPS web site for some time now, 
and can be found at http://www.nps.gov/morningreport Readers should be 
prepared to make the transition by that date.

INCIDENTS

01-629 - Biscayne NP (FL) - Illegal Immigrants; Rescue

The "Si Map Viv Se Jezi," a 31-foot wooden sailboat carrying 185 
illegal immigrants, ran out of fuel in the early hours of Monday, 
December 3rd, and ran aground at Caesar Creek near Adams Key. Rangers 
received a report on the grounding around 8 a.m. Resident island 
rangers Tom Rutledge, Didier Carod and Randy Whitton responded first; 
they found people on several islands surrounding the creek and others 
in the water. An interagency rescue operation began, involving the 
park, Coast Guard, Border Patrol, INS, Miami-Dade PD, and the Florida 
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. A total of 39 people were 
pulled from the water. All 185 were first taken to the ranger station 
on Adams Key, where they received food, water and medical attention, 
then were transferred to a Coast Guard vessel in Biscayne Bay. 
Investigation revealed that they'd been at sea for ten days. The boat 
had a makeshift bilge pump, a rudder made out of a tree branch, and a 
ragged sail made out of denim. The majority of the Haitians traveled 
in a windowless hold that had about four inches of water in the 
bottom. Several of them were obviously ill. These boats are typically 
considered hazardous due to the human waste and possible infectious 
bacteria aboard. Two to three people may still be missing, and a 
search for them was still in progress at the time of the report. This 
is the second such incident in less than a week. [Gary Bremen, Holly 
Rife, BISC, 12/3]

01-630 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Attempted Suicide

On November 27th, park dispatch received a report of an attempted 
suicide in progress at Reservoir Overlook. A Madison County deputy, a 
reservoir patrol officer, and ranger David Linville responded. They 
found a woman there who had to be roused from an apparent drug-induced 
stupor. She was transported to the hospital for treatment and 
evaluation. [Jackie Henman, ACR, NATR, 12/3]

HOMELAND SECURITY

No new reports.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Yount Award Update - The call for submissions of candidates for the 
2002 Harry Yount award, given for excellence in the "art of 
rangering," has been drafted and should go out to the field within the 
next two weeks. The award will be presented in Washington during 
National Parks Week in April. In November, Charles R. "Butch" Farabee 
was presented with a special Harry Yount lifetime achievement award at 
the Association of National Park Rangers' "Rendezvous" in Jackson 
Hole, Wyoming. The presentation was made by the director and included 
brief comments by Rick Gale and Jim Brady, both previous recipients of 
this award. [John Townsend, MWRO]

INTERCHANGE

Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP/Curecanti NRA (CO) - Rangers are 
seeking a 16-foot Zodiac boat or similar inflatable ridged-bottom boat 
and a 60- to 90-hp jet motor for use on the stretch of class III and 
IV whitewater between Morrow Point Dam and Crystal Reservoir. They 
will pay for shipping or will travel to pickup. If you can help, 
please contact Peter Roehrs at 970-527-8472 or Ned Kelleher at 
970-641-2337 ext. 270. [Pete Roehrs, BLCA/CURE]

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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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