NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:           All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:         Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:     Thursday, August 22, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-410 - Shenandoah NP (VA) - Search for Missing Aircraft

On the evening of August 19th, park dispatch received a call from the
Air Force Rescue Coordination Center reporting that the wreckage of a
missing Cessna 172 with one person on board had been spotted about a
mile and a half east of Swift Run and a mile north of Route 33. A ground
search ensured that involved about 65 people from the park, Appalachian
Search and Rescue Conference, CAP, Greene County Sheriff's Office,
Greene County Rescue Squad, and Harrisonburg Rescue Squad. The aircraft
was found by rangers on Saddleback Mountain a third of a mile north of
the Appalachian Trail just outside the park at 1:15 a.m. the next
morning. The pilot did not survive. A joint investigation by NTSB, FAA
and Virginia State Police is underway. [Ginny Rousseau, CR, SHEN]

02-411 - Lassen Volcanic NP (CA) - Larceny

On July 23rd, park staff discovered government property missing from an
interpretive office. Computer equipment, a telescope, and two handheld
park radios had been stolen. The theft of a wildlife surveillance camera
was also discovered at about the same time. Separate investigations
conducted by rangers George Giddings and Erin Gunn each led to a
recently resigned student intern. A joint NPS and Tehama County
Sheriff's Office search was conducted of the intern's residence in
Corning, California. All of the park property was recovered. The student
intern was arrested and turned over to local juvenile probation with a
felony state charge of possession of stolen property filed against him. 
[John Roth, CR, LAVO]

[Additional reports pending . . . ]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 5

Initial attack was moderate in the Rockies, eastern Great Basin and
Northwest yesterday. Six of the 224 newly-reported fires became large
fires; another three were contained.

Some highlights from today's report (and news sources):

*     President Bush will visit fires in Oregon today. According to this
morning's edition of USA Today, he will "propose limits on the public's
right to challenge projects aimed at thinning overcrowded forests."

*     A national fire prevention and education team has been activated
and is working with the Northwest MAC. There are also three area command
teams deployed in the Northwest - Mann's team is assigned to manage
large fires in southwest Oregon, Chesley's 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 (no significant change from yesterday) and is
60% contained (up 10% from yesterday). Resource commitments include
5,786 firefighters and overhead (down from 6,145 yesterday) and three
Type 1 teams (Bateman, Fry, Vail) operating under a unified command.
Evacuations and evacuation advisories remain in place in several areas.

*     Firefighters have reportedly made excellent progress toward
containment objectives for the Battle Creek Fire on the Black Hills NF.
The fire has burned 11,500 acres and is 65% contained (up 20% from
yesterday's figure).

*     The 148,000 McNally Fire on the Sequoia and Inyo NF's remains 87%
contained. No change from yesterday.

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

*     Continued from yesterday - Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Kansas, Montana, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota,
Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. 
*     Added since last report - Nevada.
*     Removed since last report - Massachusetts, Rhode Island, South Dakota.

National Resource Commitments

Day                Wed    Thu    Fri    Sat    Sun    Mon    Tue    Wed
Date               8/14   8/15   8/16   8/17   8/18   8/19   8/20   8/21
                         
Crews              502    502    478    466    622    520    538    532
Engines            614    703    718    822    971    965    1,040  959
Helicopters        140    164    146    160    180    179    162    150
Air Tankers        11     10     8      3      3      2      0      1
Overhead           3,505  3,821  3,514  3,313  4,613  4,465  4,660  4,591
Area Commands      1      1      1      1      1      1      3      3
Type 1 IMT         5      5      5      7      7      7      8      7
Type 2 IMT         9      9      11     13     13     10     8      7
T1/T2 S/IMT *      1      1      3      5      6      6      5      3
Fire Use IMT       2      1      3      3      3      3      2      3
     
* 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

Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - The park had six small fires (single tree or less
than a tenth of an acre) start on Tuesday from lightning from a recent
storm. The fires are being suppressed and are either no longer showing
any smoke or were contained by the end of Wednesday. The park is
currently at fire danger level 5 (extreme). This increase in fire danger
does not involve any temporary restrictions or closures at this time.

Grand Teton NP (WY) - Two new fire starts were reported on August 20th
as lightning ignitions. The Moran Fire, located southeast of Mount
Moran, was fully contained at one acre. The Pilgrim Fire, located just
off the main park road in the North District, was contained at three
acres.

Dinosaur NM (CO) - The park had a number of small fires (single tree to
several trees) start from lightning on August 20th. The fires are under
a confinement strategy and will be monitored. A moderate amount of rain
also fell with this storm and spread potential is low.

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.

Mount Rushmore NM (SD) - The Battle Creek Fire (11,000 acres, 45%
containment) is burning about two miles northeast of the town of
Keystone on the Black Hills NF. A 35-acre spot fire was contained north
of Highway 16. The park remains open. The town of Keystone and the park
remain under a pre-evacuation notice. Heavy smoke and haze is present in
the area.

Big Hole NB (MT) - The Sheep Creek Fire (1,900 acres, 20% containment),
is burning near the park and 15 miles northwest of Wisdom. The VC has
reopened but trails remain closed.

Sunset Crater NM (AZ) - The Fence Fire (75 acres, lightning start) is
now contained and will be monitored.

Walnut Canyon NM (AZ) - The Soon Fire (lightning start), which was
burning 200 yards south of Walnut Canyon on USFS lands, has been
contained.

Yellowstone NP (WY/ID/MT) - The Phlox Fire (estimated at 3,400 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 along with large dead and downed materials. The
Thorofare area south of Cabin Creek will remain closed for the
foreseeable future. The Broad Fire (9,140 acres, 95% containment) showed
some smoke yesterday.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP's (CA) - The Slide Fire (35 acres) is still
active and is being managed along with another fire as wildland fire use
fires (Moraine, one-quarter acre).  The Fallen Moon Fire has been
declared out. The McNalley Fire (147,227 acres and 87% contained) is on
the Sequoia National Forest. The park is increasing its fire
restrictions to Stage 2 level, effective Friday. No campfires will be
allowed below 6,000 feet except within designated campground; no smoking
will be allowed below 6,000 feet except within vehicles, developed areas
and developed campgrounds.

Yosemite NP (CA) - The Wolf Complex is being managed as a wildland fire
use complex. Smoke is visible from park roads and trails and may be a
concern for visitors with respiratory conditions. Additional fires being
managed as wildland fire use fires

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]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Ranger Activities Division (DC) - Arrangements have been made to
remember past NPS chief ranger and Ozark NSR superintendent Chris
Andress as he is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday,
September 3rd. A memorial service will be held at the Old Chapel on the
grounds of Fort Myer at 1 p.m. Interment will immediately follow in the
Columbarium at the cemetery. A reception will be held following the
ceremony at 2:30 p.m. at the pavilions at Turkey Run in McLean, Virginia
(adjacent to Claude Moore Colonial Farm). Uniformed attendance is
encouraged. The uniform of the day will be Class A summer dress. Law
enforcement rangers should wear their defensive equipment. Marked
vehicles are appropriate. Donations to help defray the cost of the
reception would be appreciated. Please contact Dennis Burnett in Ranger
Activities at 202-208-7675 (through Friday, August 23rd) or 202-513-7128
(effective August 26th) with any questions. He also needs a rough count
of the number of people planning to attend. For more information, please
go to http://165.83.127.139/andress/. [Dennis Burnett, RAD/WASO]

Mammoth Cave NP (KY) - The park has all sources vacancy now open on USA
Jobs for a GS- 025-7/9, Type I or II commissioned park ranger.  Mammoth
Cave is one of only six parks in the U. S. that is designated as both an
International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. Mammoth Cave
is the longest cave in the world, with over 350 miles of known passage. 
It also has over 53,000 surface acres that include approximately 100
miles of horse/hiking trails, 31 miles of river, over 100 cave
entrances, and over 1,000 archeological sites. The position involves
active frontcountry operations and a variety of backcountry work,
including boat patrol, archeological site monitoring, drug interdiction,
and poaching patrols for a variety of protected plant and animal
species.  The park has exclusive federal jurisdiction that includes the
co-ed Great Onyx Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center. The person
selected will serve as a member of the park's search and rescue team.
Experience in cave rescue and EMS are a plus, but not initially
essential. Mammoth Cave is located in rural Kentucky; the cost of living
is relatively low, property for sale or rent is reasonably priced and
abundant, and the residents are friendly and hospitable. Bowling Green,
Kentucky, is located approximately 30 miles from park headquarters and
offers all amenities, including Western Kentucky University. The current
RAD staff has a strong team approach towards proactive law enforcement
and encourages candidates with a similar focus to apply. For more
information on this position, please contact the Chief Ranger's Office
at 270-758-2116. [Marla Davis, MACA]

Cumberland Island NS [GA] - Cumberland Island is recruiting for two
law enforcement rangers at the 7/9 level. The positions are posted on
USAJobs (SESO 02-130) and close August 30th. Cumberland Island offers a
tremendous variety of resources and job experiences. The park includes
the natural resources of a 20,000-acre barrier island, designated
wilderness, endangered species, a large collection of historic
structures and prehistoric sites, and a limited amount of recreational
hunting. Due to daily limits, annual visitation is around 50,000. The
rangers selected for both positions will be involved in a broad range of
activities. One will be heavily involved with the wildland and
structural fire programs; the other will be responsible for wilderness
management. All LE rangers are active in reducing the feral hog
population. Park housing is available and occupancy is required. Any
rangers interested in these active, field-oriented positions should
contact chief ranger Brian Peters at 912-882-4336, ext. 258. [Brian
Peters, CUIS]

*  *  *  *  *

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

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