NPS Morning Report - Friday, May 17, 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 17, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-123 - Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Follow-up on Drowning

The remains of drowning victim F.C. were recovered from
Callville Bay on the morning of May 14th. His body, which was found on the
13th with a side scan sonar unit on contract to the NPS, was recovered from
a depth of 141 feet by contract and NPS divers. The autopsy report
indicates that he died from accidental drowning. F.C. had been
missing and presumed drowned since April 13th when witnesses saw him thrown
from his boat when he hit a wake at high speed. [Billy Shott, LAME, 5/15]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 2

Initial attack was light everywhere yesterday. Only one new large fire was
reported, and four others were contained. Among the more significant fires
reported were the following:

Newly Reported

•     Furnish Fire, Colorado State (8,600 acres, 20% contained, 18 FF/OH) -
The fire is in Animas and Baca Counties about 80 miles      east of
Trinidad. The fire is burning in pinion pine, juniper, sage and grass in
steep, isolated canyons and plateaus. Limited
      suppression tactics are being used due to difficult access, poor
radio communications, and low resource values.

Previously Reported

•     Indian Fire, Prescott NF (1,000 acres, 45% contained, 601 FF/OH) - A
Type 1 team (Bateman) is managing the fire, which is  burning in ponderosa
pine and brush five miles south of Prescott, Arizona. Three communities
have been evacuated and
      Highway 89 has been closed. Five homes and two outbuildings have been
lost.

•     Los Lamentos, Socorro District, New Mexico State (no details
available) - This fire, which burned 10,000 acres in grass,
mesquite, oak and pinon pine east of Agua Prieta, Mexico, has been fully
contained. Although not in this country, U.S.
      firefighters were in place to assist Mexico if needed under the terms
of an international agreement.

•     Blackjack Bay Complex, Okefenokee NWR (87,918 acres, 0% contained,
302 FF/OH) - Zimmerman's fire use management team     is operating under a
unified command with Georgia and Florida forestry, but will likely be
replaced tomorrow with Adams' fire use    management team. Crews continue
to monitor and map the fire.

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

National Resource Commitments

                  Fri   Sat   Sun   Mon   Tue   Wed   Thu
Date              5/10  5/11  5/12  5/13  5/14  5/15  5/16

Crews             26    43    33    67    46    43    45
Engines           50    124   56    145   117   135   131
Helicopters       9     32    22    38    27    23    14
Air Tankers       0     0     2     2     2     2     2
Overhead          314   418   286   450   460   430   347
Type 1 IMT        1     --    --    --    --    1     1
Type 2 IMT        --    1     1     1     --    --    --
Fire Use IMT            1     1     1     1     1     1     1

Fire Warnings and Watches

NICC has not issued any watches or warnings for today.

Park Fire Situation

Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP (CA) - The Arrowhead Hotshots are back in the park
and available. Several small prescribed burns totaling two acres were
carried out on May 15th. There's been no other fire activity in the park.

Everglades NP (FL) - Thunderstorms swept through the park on Wednesday,
starting the Ingraham Fire in sawgrass about a half mile south of the Old
Ingraham Highway. Since the fire was burning in endangered Cape Sable
seaside sparrow habitat, suppression actions were taken. The fire was
controlled at three-and-a-half acres.

Grand Teton NP (WY) - The Jackson Lake Lodge Rx Fire continued on Tuesday,
with another 200 acres burned. That brings the total burned in this unit to
1,280 acres. A mosaic burn was used to benefit both wildlife and vegettion.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme - Everglades NP
Very High - Lake Mead NRA
High - Hawaii Volcanoes NP

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 5/16; NICC Incident Management Situation
Report, 5/17]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Yosemite NP (CA) - The park is recruiting for three term (one year, not to
exceed four years) ranger appointments to work in the Canyon Ranch
Subdistrict of the Mather District. The positions have primary law
enforcement duties relating to the security of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir
as well as other duties, including search and rescue, emergency medical
services, wildland and structural fire and backcountry patrol. The
positions require a Level I or II commission and may be filled at the GS-5,
GS-7 or GS-9 grades. Status is NOT required. A Level I commission is
required to qualify for the GS-9 grade. The positions have benefits and
retirement. Rent-free housing is available. For further information,
contact Dave Lattimore at 209-379-1897 or Greg Lawler at 209-379-1928. The
announcement will be posted on USA Jobs and will open from May 16th to May
22nd. [Dan Horner, YOSE]

Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - The park is currently advertising for a GS-7/9
permanent park ranger (interpretation) in its Mississippi District. The
person in this position serves as a front-line interpreter and works both
onshore in the Davis Bayou area and offshore on West Ship Island, which is
accessible only by boat. The person selected will write and edit news
releases, site bulletins, news articles, flyers, and similar documents, and
take photographs and use cameras and film editing equipment to make
interpretive videos.  The announcement opened on May 14th and closes on
June 4th and is open to applicants governmentwide and to those eligible
under special programs. The announcement number is GUIS P02-12. The
position will also be advertised to all sources through OPM in Atlanta in
the near future. They will advertise it as a GS-7 with promotion potential
to GS-9. You can view or download this vacancy announcement on USA Jobs or
obtain it by calling 850-934-2601 and requesting that a copy be sent to
you. [Nancy Wilson, GUIS]

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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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