Great Falls Park (VA)
Canoers Survive Passage Over Great Falls
Ranger Kimberly Love saw two men floating in the Potomac River below
Great Falls on the afternoon of June 14th — both wearing life
jackets, one holding a canoe paddle. Love reported the situation to
other rangers, who quickly responded. One of the men was seen getting
out of the river on the Maryland shore, but the other was swept to the
Virginia shoreline, where he was eventually contacted by visitor use
assistant Kevin Butler. Butler determined that he wasn't injured and
helped him to the visitor center. The two men had rented a canoe
upstream from Great Falls and paddled down the Potomac with the
intention of reaching a point several miles below the falls. They
intentionally went over the low-head Aqueduct Dam at the park's north
boundary without being injured, and continued downstream with the intent
of taking out above Great Falls. Due to the very high water, though,
they were trapped in a fast, forceful current and swept over the central
section of Great Falls. They evidently survived the passage because the
high water pushed them through and over numerous obstacles. One of the
men suffered minor injuries; the other was okay. Their canoe was
destroyed. Rescue units from jurisdictions on both sides of the river
and USPP officers responded along with park staff. The next morning,
county emergency units and a USPP helicopter arrived at the park in
response to a report of people in trouble below the Aqueduct Dam.
Rangers joined them and determined that the reporting party had mistaken
debris caught in the backwash of the dam for people in the water. This
was the fourth incident in ten days involving "emergency" reports
dealing with the dam.
[Submitted by Jesse Reynolds, Supervisory Park
Ranger]
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Body of Drowning Victim Recovered
Park dispatch received a 911 call on the afternoon of May 11th,
reporting that a child had fallen into the cold and high-running waters
of Middle Fork of the Kaweah River near the Hospital Rock picnic area.
As many as 45 people, including divers, searched the river and banks for
several days for the 11-year-old boy, but without luck. On June 15th, a
local resident discovered his body about five miles outside of the park.
The county sheriff's department recovered his remains.
[Submitted by
Pat Grediagin, District Ranger, Sequoia District]
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (CT,GA,MA,MD,ME,NC,NH,NJ,NY,PA,TN,VA,VT,WV)
Double Drowning
Two brothers drowned at the base of Billings Falls in a particularly
remote and rugged area along the trail on Tuesday, June 17th. Despite a
high flow due to recent rains, one brother entered the water at the base
of the falls and was caught up in a hydraulic. His brother attempted to
rescue him, but both drowned. The Maine Warden Service provides search
and rescue services for federal lands under a cooperative agreement with
the NPS and recovered both bodies, one on Tuesday and the other on
Wednesday.
[Submitted by Robert Gray, Chief Ranger]
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (AZ)
Armed Robbery
Two undocumented aliens traveling north through Sweetwater Canyon
early on the morning of May 27th stumbled upon a robbery in progress.
Three men armed with long guns and wearing ski masks had their weapons
pointed at three men lying naked on the ground. The two men were made to
remove their clothing and join the trio on the ground. The robbers then
took their money, food and personal possessions. The robbers were
dressed in dark clothing and sweats and armed with what were described
as long guns with ventilated ribs and banana clips. The two men were
given their clothing back and released unharmed, but were made to return
to Mexico despite their request to continue north. As they headed south,
they saw a fourth member of the gang on a hilltop with binoculars. After
returning to Mexico, they reported the incident to U.S. authorities. The
canyon is now closed to the public. The investigation continues.
[Submitted by Fred Patton, Chief Ranger]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Life Saved in Diabetic Emergency
Rangers' response to two separate medical calls on May 31st resulted
in the "save" of a diabetic patient in the Colter Bay trailer park. An
initial response to the Jackson Lake Lodge for an unconscious male
required a transport by the North District ambulance to the hospital in
Jackson. While the ambulance was temporarily out of the area, North
District rangers were called to a diabetic emergency involving a 69-year
old woman at the trailer park. A ranger/medic arrived at the scene and
determined that she was unconscious and unresponsive and had a blood
glucose level of 41. He immediately administered oral glucose and oxygen
while maintaining the patient's airway, continuing treatment for 45
minutes while the South District ambulance responded to the location.
These actions resulted in her full recovery and release later that night
from the hospital.
[Submitted by Bill Holda, Acting Chief
Ranger]
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (GA)
Special Event: River Race
A kayak and open canoe race took place on June 7th between river
miles 317 and 325. The event was sponsored by the NPS, city of Roswell,
Chattahoochee Nature Center, Rivers Alive, and Chevron. The focus of the
event was promotion of river use and public understanding of clean water
in Atlanta. The event was handled under a unified incident command.
There were no incidents.
[Submitted by Kevin Tillman, IC]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Friday, June 20, 2003
NPreparedness Level 2
A total of 161 new fires were reported yesterday.
Fire Danger
|
Day |
6/15 |
6/16 |
6/17 |
6/18 |
6/19 |
6/20 |
|
Alaska |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
-- |
-- |
|
Arizona |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
California |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
-- |
|
Colorado |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Idaho |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Nevada |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
New Mexico |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Oklahoma |
VX |
-- |
-- |
VX |
-- |
VX |
|
Oregon |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
-- |
|
Texas |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Utah |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Washington |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
-- |
|
Wyoming |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
VX — Very high to extreme
Fire Weather Watches and Warnings
A fire weather watch has been issued for winds, dry relative humidity and warm temperatures for southwest Wyoming this afternoon and evening.
Red flag warnings have been issued for strong southwest winds and low humidity for all of Arizona, and for strong northeast winds in the northern interior of Alaska.
National Resource Commitments
|
Day |
6/14 |
6/15 |
6/16 |
6/17 |
6/18 |
6/19 |
6/20 |
|
Crews |
46 |
34 |
61 |
50 |
105 |
131 |
132 |
|
Engines |
82 |
52 |
87 |
123 |
188 |
198 |
180 |
|
Helicopters |
11 |
9 |
18 |
24 |
45 |
36 |
34 |
|
Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Overhead |
698 |
666 |
1,288 |
796 |
286 |
410 |
993 |
National Team Commitments
|
State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Fire/Location |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
|
AZ |
T1 |
Humphrey |
Aspen Fire Coronado NF |
2,200 |
0% |
UNK |
|
AZ |
T1 |
Oltrogge |
Cherry Fire Prescott NF |
1,000 |
90% |
6/20 |
|
AZ |
T2 |
Behrens |
Picture Fire Tonto NF |
2,000 |
10% |
UNK |
|
AK |
T2 |
Kurth |
Albert Creek Fire Upper Yukon Zone, BLM |
1,473 |
100% |
CND |
|
NM |
FUM |
Goheen |
Dry Lakes Complex Gila NF |
20,500 |
0% |
UNK |
|
AZ |
FUM |
Kitchen |
Powell Fire Grand Canyon NP |
425 |
0% |
UNK |
Park Fire Situation
Grand Canyon NP (AZ) — The lightning-caused Powell Fire has burned 425 acres and is being managed by a fire use management team. It's burning in timber with heavy ground fuels 23 miles northwest of Grand Canyon Village.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
NPS History
The Early Rangers
A new book on National Park Service rangers has been published and is now available. The book, entitled National Park Ranger: An American Icon, was written by Butch Farabee and published by Roberts Rinehart Publishers (ISBN 1-57098-392-5, $18.95 in paper).
PLEASE NOTE that the introductions to all previous postings had the name of the book wrong — it is correct as it appears above.
Through permission of both the author and publisher, excerpts are appearing intermittently in the Morning Report and InsideNPS.
- The first excerpt appeared on May 15, 2003.
- The second excerpt appeared on May 21, 2003.
- The third excerpt appeared on June 3, 2003
- The fourth excerpt appeared on June 11, 2003.
The Early Rangers, Part 1
Not only was the Army "guarding" Yellowstone, it also drew duty in California's three national parks, each signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison in 1890.
When the Spanish-American War broke out on April 25, 1898, and the Army left for Cuba, the General Land Office — as they did for Sequoia — recommended local civilians be hired to patrol and provide some sort of official presence. Eleven men were sworn in on June 24 as "forest agents" for Yosemite. They provided their own riding stock, weapons, and supplies and received either $3 or $4 a day, depending on whether they were in the southern or northern end of the park. It was a short war, and the regular cavalry rode back into Yosemite in 1899, staying until 1914.
Before they had a chance to learn their job, however, the original eleven forest agents were dismissed. Archie C. Leonard at fifty-two and Charles T. Leidig, the first white boy to be born in Yosemite thirty-six years before, were promptly rehired for the winter for the park's nearly fifteen hundred square miles. Capable mountaineers and well prepared for the job in many respects, Leonard and Leidig were the first two to carry the title of ranger (either forest or park) in a national park, preceding Sequoia's Ernest Britten by more than a year.
The few rangers for the park were paid out of the Sierra Forest Reserve funds and were issued forest reserve ranger badges. In Sequoia's Superintendent's Annual Report of 1901, the park's military supervisor first used the term "park ranger" even though four more years would pass before "forest ranger" was officially changed to "park ranger."
In 1902 the Secretary of the Interior approved three categories of rangers. A Class 1 was expected to be familiar with the woods, to scale timber, to survey, and "to direct and report intelligently on the ordinary work of the reserve." Classes 2 and 3 had no special requirements, "but they must be able-bodied, sober, and industrious men, fully capable of comprehending and following their instructions." Class 1 earned $90 per month, Class 2 earned $75, and Class 3 earned $60. Britten was a Class 1 and the rest were Class 2. Leidig, Leonard, and their fellow rangers were probably constantly confused since Yosemite Valley fell under California jurisdiction, and the park's remaining 1,457 square miles came under federal rule. The two areas were not joined until June 11, 1906.
Leidig soon proved a disappointment. He flagrantly hunted within the park and routinely turned a blind eye when his friends did the same. The park's Army Commander, Acting Superintendent Harry C. Benson, frequently complained to the Secretary of the Interior about Leidig's many transgressions, rampant "cronyism," and blatant misappropriation of government property; he was finally dismissed in 1907. On the other hand, Leonard was conscientious and energetic, serving admirably as a park ranger for another ten years before finally retiring at seventy-one in 1917. He was to witness two of the park's greatest events—the arrival of the first automobile in 1900 (the first in any national park), and the passage of the Raker Act in 1913, which authorized the damming of the Tuolumne River in Hetch Hetchy to provide domestic water for San Francisco.
As they did in Yosemite, soldiers would leave San Francisco's Presidio early each May bound for a summer in Sequoia and General Grant National Parks. Control of illegal sheep grazing (sometimes cattle) in the lush meadows of the high mountains was their primary function. Most important, however, they established a federal presence—albeit seaonal—with the settlers and ranchers of the area. When the Spanish-American War erupted, their services were temporarily needed elsewhere. Left without a visible authority in the valuable resource, the Department of the Interior turned to the nearby General Land Office. Assistant special forest agents were authorized in June 1898, to guard neighboring forest lands as well as the two parks until the Army returned. Their days would be long and the work would be hard.
Receiving his appointment that summer at age thirty-six, Ernest Britten was the first of an eventual six assistant special forest agents to work in Sequoia (and General Grant). A married man who was raised on the park's doorstep, he was friendly, honest, and outgoing. Mostly, however, he was available and needed a steady-paying job. He received $4 a day and furnished all his own supplies, including horses and saddles. In the early years he lived outside the park and patrolled the backcountry, fought forest fires, and tried to eject the "hoofed locust," as sheep were less-than-fondly labeled. That first summer Britten answered to the Sierra Forest Reserve (predecessor of the Forest Service) and shared duties between the nearby forest and the two parks. Two thousand sheep were removed from Sequoia that year, and considerable fire fighting tested his endurance due to a prolonged drought.
Appointed a forest ranger for Sequoia National Park in December 1899, Britten assumed charge for the winter. Among his new duties was watching for poaching, even though he had no authority to arrest anyone; escorting the violator out was his only recourse. These long tours in the backcountry, up to thirty days, led to a divorce. In 1900 when the parks received their first congressionally appropriated money, Britten aided the army in building roads and minor infrastructure. As additional rangers were hired in successive years, Britten became the "park ranger in charge" or "chief ranger."
With the creation of the United States Forest Service in 1905, the seven rangers then working for these three California parks had to choose to either remain or go to the Forest Service. Ernest Britten was the only one to transfer into the newly formed agency and spent a combined twelve years in the parks and forest. He may have been the best of that early breed of men, reflecting the essence of what park rangers do today—protecting the resource while trying to accommodate ever-increasing numbers of visitors to the area.
More Information...
PARKS AND PEOPLE
United States Park Police
Park Police East District Officers Receive Prestigious Award
On Friday, May 9, 2003, United States Park Police officers assigned to the East District were selected by the Federal Bar Association for the prestigious gold medal award for "Outstanding Law Enforcement Service, Above And Beyond The Call Of Duty."
Fifty-eight other departments submitted entries for this award, but United States Park Police East District officers were chosen based on their high level of production during 2002.
The judges are members of the current FBI National Academy, who come from jurisdictions across the country.
The East District is comprised of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway Station and the Anacostia Station. The 16 to 19 officers assigned to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway investigated 609 motor vehicle accidents, 172 of which were injury accidents, including 16 fatalities. They wrote over 8,609 citations, and made 629 arrests, a third of which were DUI's. They seized 17 handguns during the year and also made 99 narcotics cases, documenting a disturbing trend in the re-emergence of PCP.
Officers from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway Station were responsible for the capture of the suspect who killed Officer Hakim Farthing on August 10, 2002.
The 20 to 25 officers assigned to the Anacostia Station made 902 arrests during a year when the station was closed for two months to move to their new office on the Anacostia River. They seized over 40 handguns, arrested 117 fugitives from justice, and recovered 90 stolen cars. The officers in the Anacostia Station documented 382 drug cases, recovering quantities of liquid PCP. They also won the "Smooth Operator Award" for issuing 1,950 citations and written warnings during a 4-week campaign to reduce aggressive driving.
In addition, "Marine Five" the Force's patrol boat, had its engine rebuilt by officers in the Station, who have increased patrols for poaching, fishing violations, and Homeland Security [East District Commander]
[Submitted by Sgt. Scott Fear]
United States Park Police
USPP Officer Receives Two Awards for Narcotics Enforcement
United States Park Police Officer John J. Cox recently received two major Washington metropolitan area awards for his narcotics enforcement--the 2002 Washington Area Council of Government Uniformed Officer of the Year Award and the Federal Bar Association for Individual Achievement Award by a Patrol Uniformed Officer.
Officer John J. Cox is a 9-year veteran of the United States Park Police and is assigned to the Central District Station in the District of Columbia. His patrol area is the Parks of the National Mall and adjacent Parks in the downtown area. Millions of people travel through the downtown Parks for work and pleasure. The patrol area also encompasses picnic areas, ball fields, running paths, community parks, and marinas where visitation is heavy on a daily basis.
During calendar year 2002, Officer John Cox initiated 85 narcotics-related cases that resulted in the arrest of 64 individuals and the seizure of narcotics with a street value in excess of $96,100, which included 1,080 grams of marijuana, 679.6 grams of crack cocaine, 1 ounce of PCP, .5 gram of heroin, and 170 grams of powder cocaine. Officer Cox seized more than $30,334 in cash along with 6 vehicles and 12 guns. What makes Officer Cox's accomplishment noteworthy is that he achieved these results while successfully performing his primary responsibility of monument security and patrol functions. Officer Cox is only in a patrol vehicle 50% of the time (67 days); the remaining time is on a fixed security post on one of the many monuments. The officer is assigned to the day-work tour of duty that normally is a time of lower narcotic enforcement time. He works exclusively in uniform and is assigned to either a fully marked police vehicle or foot post.
Officer Cox has developed a special investigative sense that allows him to identify narcotics violations as evidenced by statistics that indicate that the majority of his cases were initiated from traffic violations. Officer Cox continually follows up on cases by applying and receiving search warrants on a majority of his large seizures. In addition, Officer Cox applied and received 15 narcotic search warrants of residences and vehicles, which resulted in the seizure of several guns and vehicles. Judge Philip Nichols, Jr., Seventh Judicial Circuit of Maryland, commended Officer Cox on a case that resulted in seizure of $ 90,000 in crack cocaine. Judge Nichols stated, "Officer Cox's efforts and professionalism resulted in a major seizure of cocaine destined for the streets of our community," this is just one of many commendations that Officer Cox has received for his enforcement efforts.
Officer Cox's intuitive sense and work ethic has made a significant impact on the public safety and quality of life for those who visit and live in the Washington, DC, area and our National Parks. Officer Cox continually teaches younger officers in narcotics enforcement and also assists them with processing narcotics as a crime scene search officer.
[Submitted by Lt. Keith Horton]
Fire and Aviation Management
Fire Management Specialist (Training) GS-401-09/11 or Training Specialist (Fire) GS-1712-09/11
Dates: 06/18/2003 - 07/01/2003
Full Time, Term appt NTE 13 mos Multi-Series position, title and series will be determined by qualifications of individual selected. Full performance level is GS-11. *This is a readvertisement, previous applicants do not need to reapply. This position is located in the Fire Management Program Center for the National Park Service at the National Interagency Fire Center. The incumbent serves as a staff specialist and technical authority on a national level for Servicewide fire management activities related to the development and instruction of training courses and materials for firefighters, fire crews, fire overhead and fire management positions. Duties may include:
- Implements the development of training courses
- Plans, schedules, coordinates and provides leadership to interagency workshops, task forces, committees, and others
- Provides the leadership, direction and work required to ensure that courses are developed in accordance with national interagency procedures and standards and management objectives
- Coordinates instructor training programs and trains instructors and faculty members to present fire management and aviation management and safety courses
- Serves as a training advisor and consultant to NPS Regional Offices, parks and cooperating agencies regarding the development and implementation of fire management and aviation management and related training courses and materials.
http://jsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/summary.asp?OPMControl=IO4040 http://jsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/summary.asp?OPMControl=IO4044[Submitted by Merrie Johnson, merrie_johnson@nps.gov, 208-387-5224]
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.