NPS Morning Report - Friday, May 3, 2002


                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, May 3, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-143 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescues

Rangers conducted two rescues within 19 hours early this week. On Sunday,
April 28th, D.H. and his climbing companions were canyoneering in
Heaps Canyon. They were completing their descent of the canyon when D.H.
fell while attempting the final 300-foot rappel. Park dispatch was notified
of an injured person near Upper Emerald Pools. The SAR team was immediately
dispatched. The first ranger reached D.H. just before 8 p.m. and found that
he was suffering from head, back and leg injuries. Two park medics
stabilized him, and an EMS helicopter from Page was dispatched to the park
to assist with the evacuation. The SAR team began the evacuation around 10
p.m., carrying D.H. across a boulder field and down the Emerald Pools trail
to the trailhead. He was flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St.
George. On Monday, April 29th, park dispatch received a call about a hiker
in distress on the Angels Landing trail at 12:30 p.m. The SAR team was
again dispatched and found that a 57-year-old man was experiencing chest
pains. He was littered out and flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center, with
the helicopter lifting off from the park within two hours of the first
call. Doctors determined that he'd suffered a heart attack. [Janis Kali,
ZION, 4/30]

02-144 - Mount Rainier NP (WA) - Oil Spill

Early in the morning on Monday, April 29th, Forest Service personnel found
a note attached to the door of the Packwood Information Station reporting a
strong fuel odor in the vicinity of Jody's Bridge near Packwood. The Forest
Service informed park dispatch, and park personnel in the area responded
immediately. Crews determined that a broken coupling in a return fuel line
in the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center heating system was responsible for the
spill. The building and heating system were brought back into service last
week in preparation for spring opening. The tank and fittings had been
inspected prior to activation, but the damaged coupling in the distribution
line was not spotted. Park crews, in concert with Foss Environmental
Services, have been working to contain the spill and have recovered
significant amounts of the oil. An estimated 900 gallons is thought to have
leaked into the soil adjacent to the visitor center and some of the oil has
flowed into a tributary of the Ohanapecosh River. As of late Wednesday, it
was unclear how much fuel had spread into the river. The tributary has been
"boomed" in several locations with absorbent material to prevent any
additional fuel from reaching the Ohanapechosh River. Federal and state
environmental agencies have been notified. [Donna Rahier, MORA, 5/1]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 2

Initial attack was moderate in the Rockies on Wednesday and light
elsewhere. One new large fire - the 360-acre Chelberg Fire on Minnesota
state land - was reported, but is already fully contained. Three Type 1
teams remain in the field - Bateman's on the Penasco Fire (1,000 acres, 0%
containment) in the Lincoln NF, which has burned 20 primary residences and
caused significant evacuations; Humphreys' on the Ryan Fire (36,000 acres,
75% containment) in the Coronado NF; and Kerrigan's CDF team on the
Pleasant #2 Fire (200 acres, 40% containment) in the San Bernadino Unit in
California. A Type 2 team (Hartman) has been assigned to the Cuerno Verde
Fire (500 acres, 50% containment) in Colorado. Mandatory evacuation orders
associated with that fire have been lifted.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Colorado, New
Mexico and Texas.

National Resource Status

                  Fri   Sat   Sun   Mon   Tue   Wed
Date              4/26  4/27  4/28  4/29  4/30  5/1

Crews             43    26    26    18    41    52
Engines           137   108   93    77    112   106
Helicopters       17    2     13    16    20    20
Air Tankers       0     0     0     0     1     0
Overhead          378   312   294   220   343   356
Type 1 IMT        --    --    --    --    3     3
Type 2 IMT        --    --    --    --    0     1

Park Fire Situation

No new reports.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme - Lake Mead NRA
Very High - N/A
High - Grand Canyon NP

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 5/2; NICC Incident Management Situation
Report, 5/2]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Servicewide Benefits-Sharing EIS - Many national parks protect biological
resources that are unique and preserved in pristine condition. Scientific
study of these organisms is essential for resource management and attracts
a broad range of researchers. Occasionally, this research leads to
commercially valuable knowledge. However, when that knowledge is used
commercially, no benefits return to the park that made the original
research possible. The NPS is conducting a servicewide analysis to
determine the environmental impacts of agreements that would allow the
parks to share in the benefits if park-based research leads to commercially
valuable discoveries. Known as "benefits-sharing," these agreements, if
implemented, could allow scientific institutions to provide parks with
improved information, laboratory analyses, scientific equipment, training,
or economic benefits to fund resource management projects.  In June 2001,
the NPS announced it would prepare an environmental assessment (EA) to
analyze the possible impacts of implementing benefits-sharing agreements.
Over 5,000 scoping newsletters were distributed to the public, resulting in
comments from 69 individuals and organizations.  After considering the
comments received, the NPS decided on April 12th to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS). The EIS will allow a more in-depth
analysis of the issues, impacts, and alternatives related to implementing
(and not implementing) benefits-sharing agreements.  The EIS project is
being led by Mike Soukup, AD for natural resources, and John Varley,
director of Yellowstone NP's Center for Resources. A servicewide
interdisciplinary team, composed of representatives nominated by each
region, is providing guidance on the EIS. For additional information,
please go to http://www.nature.nps.gov/benefitssharing.  You may contact
the EIS team with questions or comments at BenefitsEIS@nps.gov. Comments
may also be mailed to: NPS Benefits-Sharing Team, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone
NP, WY 82190. [Kevin Schneider, YELL]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Washington Office (DC) - Bob Huggins, Servicewide education coordinator,
retires today after 31 years with the National Park Service. For his
farewell letter, go to http://inside.nps.gov and click on the relevant
story on the front page [Note: This is available to NPS employees only]

                               *  *  *  *  *

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

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