NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:           All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:         Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:     Wednesday, August 21, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-289 - Voyageur NP (MN) - Follow-up: Drowning

The search for the body of 24-year-old J.H., who has been
missing and presumed drowned in the Sand Point Lake area as a result of
a boating accident on July 3rd, concluded on July 31st when his body was
found by a park visitor about two miles north of the island that J.H.
struck with his boat. Rangers Marshall Plumer and Kevin Grossheim
recovered the body and turned it over to the coroner's office. [Jim
Hummel, VOYA]

02-345 - Glacier NP (MT) - Follow-up: Search

A search was begun on July 24th for 17-year-old T.H. of Franklin,
Tennessee, who fell over a waterfall on Hudson Bay Creek near Red Eagle
Lake. Efforts were made to find and recover his body from the waterfall
pool, but the water pressure of the cascading waterfall and the volume
and depth of water in the pool made diving unsafe. Rangers continued
monitoring the site, however, and waited for the water to recede. By
August 12th, it had become safe enough to enter. Three North Valley SAR
divers, assisted by four rangers, searched the pool for T.H.'s body and
were able to find and recover his remains. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC]

02-406 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Technical Rescue

On Saturday, August 10th, Tuolumne rangers received a report of two
climbers stranded near the top of Fairview Dome. At 11 a.m. C.N.,
28, of Culver City, and C.C., 45, of Santa Monica,
California, began climbing the ten pitch "Regular Route". At about 7
p.m., they reached a prominent ledge at pitch seven. The two were unable
to progress beyond this point because of fatigue and dehydration. They
were neither clothed nor equipped to be on the face overnight near
10,000 feet in the 30 degree temperatures, so began yelling for help. A
friend heard their cries and reported the situation to rangers. At
approximately 9:30 p.m., a technical rescue team of rangers and YOSAR
members hiked to the top of the dome. Spotlights and a loud speaker were
used to locate and communicate with the climbers. Rescuers were lowered
350 feet to them. They were provided with warm clothes and water and
assisted in ascending fixed lines. The climbers and rescuers all arrived
safely on top by 4 a.m., then hiked off the dome. [George Paiva, PR/IC,
YOSE]

02-407 - Big South Fork NRRA (KY/TN) - Car Clout Arrest

On Sunday, August 11th, a car was broken into at the Leatherwood Ford
parking area. Another car was broken into the next day. The timing and
method of entry were similar in both incidents. A decision was made to
sit on the parking lot on Tuesday during the identified time period. Due
to limited resources, the surveillance was terminated at the end of the
time period. Later that day, a third car was broken into with the same
method of entry. On Wednesday, more staff were brought in to conduct
surveillance of the area, and a bait vehicle was utilized. Early in the
afternoon, a man later identified as C.W. broke into the
car and took a purse and wallet containing marked bills. C.W. was
arrested and jailed. He was interviewed at the jail and confessed to all
of the thefts. Charges have been filed through the U.S. Attorney's
Office. C.W. agreed to cooperate in the investigation and all of the
stolen articles were recovered. Ranger Jimmy Barna was the investigating
ranger. [F. Graham, CR, BISO]

02-408 - Mammoth Cave NP (KY) - Aggravated Sexual Abuse; Multiple
Assailants

Just before midnight on August 10th, a staff member at the Great Onyx
Job Corps Center reported that an alleged sexual assault had occurred
that evening outside the center's gymnasium. Responding rangers Bob
Kirch and Larry Johnson determined that a 17-year-old female student had
been punched, kicked, and verbally threatened by a 22-year-old female
student into performing oral sex with as many as twelve male students.
Kirch and Johnson worked into the early morning hours and tentatively
identified the majority of the offenders. Special agent Brad McDougal
continued the investigation and arrested the 22-year-old female
assailant and two of the male students the next day. Under the direction
of the U. S. Attorney's Office, five rangers, two Kentucky state
troopers and two U. S. marshals arrested another nine suspects in one
coordinated tactical operation on August 14th. All of the suspects are
being charged under 18 USC 2241 (a) (1), felony aggravated sexual abuse.
As a result of these apprehensions, additional suspects may be
identified and more arrests are possible. [Wayne Elliott, CR, MACA]

02-409 - Mount Rainier NP (WA) - Assault on Park Volunteer

A man attacked a park volunteer who was hiking on the Nachez Peak Trail
near Tipsoo Lake shortly after 4 p.m. on August 14th. The volunteer
defended herself with pepper spray but is unsure if she hit the
attacker. The attacker struck her, knocking her down, then fled on foot.
When she regained alertness, he was gone. The volunteer immediately
radioed the park communication center for assistance. Rangers responded,
with additional support from various state, county, and local law
enforcement agencies. Road blocks established at several locations were
unsuccessful in intercepting the attacker. Searches of the area by
helicopter and dog team also failed to locate him. The investigation
continues with involvement of the FBI and rangers from Mount Rainier NP,
Olympic NP, and North Cascades NP. [Lee Taylor, MORA]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 5

Initial attack was moderate in the eastern Great Basin and Rockies on
Tuesday, light elsewhere. Five of the 209 newly-reported fires became
large fires - two each in the northern Rockies and Southwest, one in
southern California. Three more were contained. Some highlights from
today's report:

*     Three area command teams are in the field - Mann's team is
assigned to manage large fires in southwest Oregon, Chesley'' team is
managing large fires on the Umpqua NF, and Williams-Rhodes' team is on
order for an unspecified assignment.

*     The Biscuit Fire on the Siskiyou and Six Rivers NF's has now
burned about 490,000 acres and is 50% contained. Resource commitments
include 6,145 firefighters and overhead (162 crews), 261 engines and 35
helicopters. It's being managed by three Type 1 teams (Bateman, Fry,
Vail) under a unified command. Evacuations and evacuation advisories
remain in place in several areas.

*     Wood's Type 1 team is managing the Battle Creek Fire on the Black
Hills NF. The fire has burned 11,000 acres and is 45% contained. Several
residential areas have been evacuated.

*     Four fires are burning in the Routt NF in Colorado. Gelobter's
Type 1 team has two of them, which together form the Mt. Zirkel Complex
(30,00 acres); Hartman's Type 2 team will be assuming command of the
Green Creek Fire (4,400 acres) today; Cook's fire use management team is
assigned to the Lost Lakes Fire (4,800 acres).

*     The 148,000 McNally Fire on the Sequoia and Inyo NF's is now 87%
contained. Forty crews remain assigned.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in the following states:

*     Continued from yesterday - Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, North
Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and
Wyoming. 
*     Added since last report - New Mexico.
*     Removed since last report - None.

National Resource Commitments

Day                Tue      Wed    Thu     Fri     Sat     Sun     Mon     Tue
Date               8/13     8/14   8/15    8/16    8/17    8/18    8/19    8/20
                         
Crews              481     502     502     478     466     622     520     538
Engines            635     614     703     718     822     971     965     1,040
Helicopters        135     140     164     146     160     180     179     162
Air Tankers        4       11      10      8       3       3       2       0
Overhead           3,762   3,505   3,821   3,514   3,313   4,613   4,465   4,660
Area Commands      1       1       1       1       1       1       1       3
Type 1 IMT         5       5       5       5       7       7       7       8
Type 2 IMT         5       9       9       11      13      13      10      8
T1/T2 S/IMT *      0       1       1       3       5       6       6       5
Fire Use IMT       0       2       1       3       3       3       3       2
     
* Type 1 and Type 2 state incident management teams
# Information not available

National Fire Warnings and Watches

NICC has not posted any watches or warnings for today.

Park Fire Situation

Mount Rushmore NM (SD) - The Battle Creek Fire (10,000 acres, 40%
containment) is burning about two miles northeast of the town of
Keystone on the Black Hills NF. The fire crossed Highway 16 to the
northwest yesterday. The park remains open, but remains under a pre-
evacuation notice along with the town of Keystone. Heavy smoke and haze
is present in the area.

Big Hole NB (MT) - The Sheep Creek Fire (1,250 acres, 10% containment)
is burning in the vicinity of the park and about 15 miles northwest of
Wisdom. The visitor center has reopened, but trails remain closed.
Highway 43 is open; smoky conditions persist, so traffic is being led
through the area periodically by a pilot car. Air operations were
temporarily suspended yesterday due to rain and high winds.

Shenandoah NP (VA) - The Crimora Mines Fire (1.5 acres) was contained on
Monday and will be monitored. The fire was located in the southern area
of the park in steep, rocky terrain.

Appalachian NST (East Coast) - A letter authorizing the posting of
notices prohibiting open fires and smoking along stretches of the
Appalachian Trail on National Park Service lands in the Mid-Atlantic and
Northeast states has been forwarded to fire management offices in the
affected states.

Sunset Crater NM (AZ) - The Fence Fire (75 acres, lightning start),
which is on the north side of the park, is burning in heavy timber and
downed logs and is producing noticeable smoke.

Walnut Canyon NM (AZ) - The Soon Fire (lightning start) is burning 200
yards south of Walnut Canyon on Forest Service lands. The fire is
creeping through grass and undergrowth.

Yellowstone NP (MT/WY/ID) - The Phlox Fire (estimated at 3,160 acres)
has been active due to strong west winds. Smoky conditions have been
noted in Jackson and Cody. Activity is occurring along the northeast
flank of the fire in the form of numerous spot fires in areas of
unburned heavy timber and in large dead and downed materials. The
Thorofare area south of Cabin Creek will remain closed for the
foreseeable future. Weather stations are installed and two camps are in
place with two monitors each. The Broad Fire (9,140 acres, 95%
containment) showed no activity.

There are no significant new developments on other fires in
Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Yosemite and in Alaska.

Additional Information

For additional information on all fires, check the following web sites:

Map of fire locations - http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/firemap.html 
Details on all current major fires - http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf 
Fire news and fire year in perspective - http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html. 

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report; Judy Chetwin, Fire
Information Desk, NIFC]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Interagency Lessons Learned Center for Wildland Fire  - The first
edition of "Scratchline," a quarterly wildland fire "lessons learned"
newsletter, has been published.  The purpose of the newsletter is to
provide the field with lessons learned and best practices from incidents
of all types and sizes. This edition highlights Type 1 and 3 incidents
as well as unique lessons from incident management teams at the World
Trade Center disaster. The center has received over 40 after incident
reports (AIR) on lessons learned this season. Type 1 through 5 incident
commanders have been asked to complete an AIR on all assignments this
year. The report can be completed on line. Ten lessons learned and best
practices from recent wildland fires can also be viewed on the web site.
 All of these documents are at http://nartc.net/quicklessons/index.html.
 [Paula Nasiatka, Lessons Learned Program Manager]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Yellowstone NP (WY/MT/ID) - John Lounsbury is about to hit the long and
dusty trail after 35 terrific years with the National Park Service. John
served in several parks and will retire from Yellowstone this fall. He
would love to hear from anyone and everyone who crossed paths with him
somewhere in his long career. On Friday, September 6th, a retirement
dinner will be held in the Lake Lodge recreation room. Reservations can
be made by calling 307-242-2403. If you can't attend, but would like to
share a story, please email it to Alice_Siebecker@nps.gov or mail it to
Alice Siebecker, P.O. Box 3390, Yellowstone NP, WY 82190. She will be
sure to include it in the ceremony.  [Kim West, YELL]

Yellowstone NP (WY/MT/ID) - The park is recruiting for GS-9 and GS-11
protection rangers. You're invited to come to the mother park and work
for low pay and long hours in a challenging and interesting location. An
announcement for GS-11 opportunities is currently out and closes on
September 9th. A GS-9 vacancy announcement will be out shortly. There
are currently two GS-11 vacancies, one at Lake and one at Grant Village.
The GS-9 positions are at the East Entrance, Lake and Old Faithful. More
vacancies are likely in the near future. You may specify locations where
you'd be willing to consider working. Direct lateral reassignments will
also be considered. Protection rangers at Yellowstone handle the full
range of protection and visitor services duties in a very busy park.
Duties include law enforcement  EMS, SAR, structural fire, wildland
fire, backcountry management, campground management, boating operations,
resource operations and very large concessions operations. The positions
have the usual medical, drug, and background prerequisites for
protection rangers. Most positions require snow machine travel during
the winter. This announcement may be used for the next few months to
fill future vacancies. If you have any questions, all deputy chief
ranger Mona Divine at 307-344-2105 or district ranger Bob Seibert at
406-646-7314. [Mona Divine, YELL]

Lyndon B. Johnson NHP (TX) - The park for a GS-025-7/9 protection
ranger, open to status candidates. The announcement number is LYJO 02-05
and it closes on August 26th. The position will most likely be filled in
the fall. Occupancy of park housing on the Pedernales River at the LBJ
Ranch is required. The park  is situated in the scenic Texas Hill
Country, with most amenities available within 30 minutes. San Antonio
and Austin (the "live music capitol of the world") are each one hour
from the park. Recreational opportunities are abundant in the area. The
park is a presidential site with a varied complement of natural and
cultural resources. We are seeking a strong "generalist" ranger with the
proven ability to work independently and as part of dynamic resource
management and visitor protection team. We will be looking at all
candidates who demonstrate the potential to excel in resource and
visitor protection, a variety of resource monitoring projects, frequent
informal interpretive contacts and emergency preparedness. For more
information about the park or the position, please contact Jerri
Striegler, human resources specialist, or Brian Carey, chief ranger, at
830-868-7128. [Brian Carey, LYJO]

*  *  *  *  *

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

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