Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Follow-up on Winter Storm Closures
All visitor services and roads in the park are closed due to the
major snowstorm that has been pounding Colorado for the last two days.
As of 7 a.m. yesterday morning, at least 36 inches of snow had fallen
and accumulated at Beaver Meadows VC. Snow accumulations at higher
elevations are not yet known. The snow is heavy and wet and snowplow
operators are having a difficult time keeping up with the heavy location
and finding places to pile the snow that has been plowed. Snow was
forecast to continue falling on the park throughout Wednesday.
[Submitted by Kyle Patterson, PIO]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Skier Rescued
On March 8th, a skier became stuck on a cliff after leaving the
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and entering Granite Canyon. T.D.,
30, of Fresno, California, and several companions left the ski area and
entered the park's backcountry without packs, shovels, probes,
transceivers or knowledge of the terrain that they'd be skiing. T.D.
soon got stuck on a cliff, unable to go either up or down. A helicopter
was used to recon the area and attempted to land rangers at the top of
the canyon. The effort failed, however, due to deteriorating weather
conditions. Rangers and Teton SAR personnel took the tram to the top of
the ski area, arriving at the top of Granite Canyon just before
nightfall. They skied several steep chutes by headlamp and arrived above
T.D.'s location before 8 p.m. A ranger was lowered 120 feet to
T.D., who had been clinging to the cliff for about seven hours.
T.D. was able to hike and ski the remaining steep terrain, making it
possible for all rescue personnel to exit the canyon by midnight.
[Submitted by Colin Campbell, Chief Ranger]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Accident, Conviction for Drug Possession
During a heavy snow storm in February, ranger Rick Bennett came upon
a rollover accident that had occurred on Highway 191 inside the park.
The ensuing investigation led to the arrest of driver B.W. for
multiple driving offenses and possession of marijuana; passenger Ryan
Beck was also arrested for possession of marijuana. About 60 grams of
marijuana and a quantity of cash were found in the car. B.W.
subsequently pled guilty in magistrate's court to six charges, including
possession of marijuana, driving despite a suspended license, driving
without insurance, and careless operation of a vehicle. He was sentenced
to 90 days in jail, with an additional 90 days custody suspended, and
was also fined $1,000 and placed on probation for two years. Beck pled
guilty to possession of marijuanaand was fined $1,000 and sentenced to
two years probation. This was the eightieth drug conviction in the park
in the last thirteen months.
[Submitted by Brian Smith, Supervisory
Special Agent]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
Eighty-seven new fires were reported on Tuesday. Three of them were large fires in Oklahoma, ranging in size from 160 to 1,100 acres. All have been contained. A fourth fire in Oklahoma was reported to be 95% contained.
Resource commitments to the Columbia Response and Newcastle Incidents remain the same as previously reported, except that Anderson's Type 1 team has replaced Oltrogge's team.
Fire Danger
| State |
3/17 |
3/18 |
| None |
X | |
| Arizona |
VH |
VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
3/10 |
3/11 |
3/12 |
3/13 |
3/16 |
3/17 |
3/18 |
| Crews |
173 |
139 |
181 |
181 |
161 |
176 |
166 |
| Engines |
13 |
22 |
50 |
52 |
9 |
24 |
25 |
| Helicopters |
1 |
5 |
5 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Overhead |
2,758 |
2,620 |
2,747 |
2,728 |
2,605 |
2,665 |
2,425 |
National Team Commitments
| State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Incident/Fire |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
| TX |
T1 |
Lohrey |
Columbia Response |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| TX |
T1 |
Anderson |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T1 |
McCombs |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T1 |
Ferguson |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Hildreth |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| NV |
T1 |
Corley |
Newcastle Incident |
" |
" |
" |
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.