NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, May 22, 2002


                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, May 22, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-180 - Denali NP (AK) - Rescues

On May 15th, two Spanish climbers were injured in a fall at Denali Pass
while descending from a climb of Mt. McKinley. The two climbers, members of
the five-person Gamba De Palamos expedition, were traveling unroped from
the 18,200-foot level to the 17,200-foot high camp when the fall occurred.
F.R.M., 35, suffered broken ribs and severe frostbite,
while his teammate, M.A.R.R., 33, suffered an occipital
fracture to the head, a tibia/fibula fracture, and a fractured femur. The
fall was not witnessed by the climber's teammates, so many details,
including what events triggered the incident or the actual distance of the
fall, remain unknown at this time. This much has been ascertained: Three of
the five members of the expedition descended from Denali Pass early
Wednesday evening. One of climbers arrived at the high camp roughly two
hours before F.R.M. and M.A.R.R..  This third climber, whose name is not yet
known, was traveling alone and fell into a small crevasse as he arrived at
the camp. Since his injuries were minor, he was able to extricate himself
from crevasse and walk over to the ranger camp at 17,200-feet. Shortly
after checking in with the rangers, the climber noticed his two injured
teammates in the distance at the bottom of Denali Pass. Rangers, volunteers
and an Air National Guard pararescue specialist at the high camp were
alerted and came to the aid of the Spanish climbers. The rescue team
provided overnight medical assistance until the two climbers could be
evacuated from the 17,200-foot level by a high-altitude Lama helicopter.
They were transferred to a LifeGuard helicopter, then flown to Anchorage
Hospital for treatment. Two days later, Denali Pass was the site of another
climbing fall. The fall occurred around 10 p.m. near the bottom of Denali
Pass, between 17,400 feet and 18,200 feet, inflicting possible rib
fractures, chest injuries, and deep abdominal bruising on the climber. The
climber, who was traveling independently, dug into the snow and camped
through the night at the site of the fall, then walked to the 17,200-foot
ranger camp the following morning for medical assistance. The park's ranger
patrol, which included a volunteer physician, examined him and provided
medical care throughout the day. Based on the patient's respiratory
difficulties and potential internal injuries, the NPS-contracted Lama
helicopter evacuated the injured climber to the 7,200-foot base camp. He
was then flown to the hospital in Anchorage. [Daryl Miller, IC, DENA 5/20]

02-181 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Rock Fall

A rockslide occurred within the park around 6 p.m. on the evening of
Monday, May 20th. The slide occurred along the El Portal Road (Highway 140)
approximately one half-mile east of the park boundary near Dog Rock. A slab
of granite approximately 12 feet in diameter released roughly 1,000 feet
above the road. There was significant damage to the road and to the rock
wall. The entrance into the park at Arch Rock, along Highway 140, was
closed until noon yesterday, but Highways 41 and 120 remained open. There
were no injuries. [Public Affairs, YOSE, 5/21]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 2

Initial attack was moderate in the Rockies yesterday and light elsewhere.
Five new large fires were reported. Among the more significant were the
following:

Newly Reported

•     Bucktail Complex, Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison NF (1,700 acres, 0%
containment, 107 FF/OH ) - Sisk's Type 2 team has     been assigned to the
three fires in the complex, which is five miles northeast of Nucla. The
fires are burning in ponderosa and
      pinion pine, juniper, sagebrush and oakbrush. Extreme fire behavior
and rapid fire growth were observed on Monday.
      Inaccessibility, rugged terrain and flashy fuels are making
containment difficult.

•     Cow Camp Fire, Southern Ute Agency (340 acres, 85% contained, 92
FF/OH ) - The fire, which is being managed by Hartman's     Type 2 team, is
eight miles southeast of Mancos, Colorado, and not far from Mesa Verde NP.
The fire is burning in steep canyons
      in pinion pine, juniper and oakbrush. Crews are constructing and
holding fire lines.

•     Schoonover Fire, Pike-San Isabel NF (200 acres, 0% contained, 53
FF/OH) - A Type 1 team (Hart) will assume command of the    fire today. The
fire, which is burning three miles southwest of Deckers, Colorado, has
spotted across the south fork of the South
      Platte River. Extreme fire behavior is reported, including spotting,
crowning and torching. Shady Brooke Camp and Wigwam
      Campground have been evacuated; 29 structures are threatened but have
not been evacuated.

•     Bullock Fire, Coronado NF (1,500 acres, 0% containment, 126 FF/OH) -
Kvale's Type 2 team will assume command of the fire
      today. The fire is burning in grass, oak and chaparral about 15 miles
northeast of Tucson. The fire spread rapidly yesterday,
      pushed by high winds.

Previously Reported

•     Blackjack Bay Complex, Okefenokee NWR (95,741, 0% containment, 181
FF/OH) - A fire use management team (Adams) is        operating under a
unified command with Georgia and Florida forestry. No surface spread was
observed yesterday. Water levels in
      the swamp have stabilized.

•     Tram Fire, Coconino NF (190 acres, 65% contained, 362 FF/OH ) - A
Type 2 team (Waldrip) is assigned. The fire is burning in
      pine and mixed conifer forest six miles west of Clint Wells, Arizona.
Crews are patrolling and mopping up.

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

National Resource Commitments

                  Wed   Thu   Fri   Sat   Sun   Mon   Tue
Date              5/15  5/16  5/17  5/18  5/19  5/20  5/21

Crews             43    45    41    31    13    14    53
Engines           135   131   124   94    13    23    107
Helicopters       23    14    13    12    5     7     24
Air Tankers       2     2     2     0     2     4     4
Overhead          430   347   379   345   89    82    444
Type 1 IMT        1     1     1     --    --    --    1
Type 2 IMT        --    --    --    --    1     2     4
Fire Use IMT            1     1     1     1     1     1     1

Fire Warnings and Watches

NICC has issued two RED FLAG WARNINGS and two FIRE WEATHER WATCHES for
today. The warnings are for low relative humidity and northeast winds
gusting to 20 mph in northern interior Alaska and for low relative humidity
and dispersion indices greater than 75 for Okefenokee NWR; the watches are
for strong southwest winds, low RH, and high fire danger in eastern New
Mexico and portions of west Texas, and for low RH and high dispersion
indices for northern and central Florida.

Park Fire Situation

Big Cypress NP (FL) - There were two small human-caused fires over the
weekend for a total of four acres.

Saguaro NP (AZ) - A red flag warning was issued for the area for Monday and
Tuesday due to gusty winds, low humidity and very high to extreme fire
danger. The state has been declared a drought disaster area.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme - Grand Canyon NP
Very High - N/A
High - Everglades NP

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 5/21; NICC Incident Management Situation
Report, 5/21-22]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Katmai NP&P (AK) - The park  is soliciting expressions of interest from
permanent NPS employees interested in and eligible for a lateral
reassignment into the position of GS-025-12 chief ranger/chief of
operations. The position is duty stationed in King Salmon and park housing
is available. Although no dual career positions are currently available,
the possibility of future opportunities is favorable. The park is renowned
for recent volcanism, large freshwater lakes, pristine drainages,
wilderness coastline, and biodiversity, including abundant salmon runs and
the largest protected population of brown bears in North America. The
person in the position serves as a key member of the management staff of
the four southwestern Alaska parks and serves as the primary on-site
manager in King Salmon. She/he will manage the law enforcement and resource
protection program and coordinate the activities of all divisions. King
Salmon is located 290 miles southwest of Anchorage by air. Daily commercial
air service is available. King Salmon/Naknek is a small community with
basic amenities,  including groceries, school and a clinic. If interested
and eligible for a lateral reassignment, please send an email to Deb
Liggett (deb_liggett@nps.gov) or call 907-271-3751 by June 3rd. For more
information, call Chris Pergiel at 907-246-2120.

                               *  *  *  *  *

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

                                --- ### ---