INCIDENTS

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Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Body of Missing Teen Found

Late last week, the Riverside Sheriff's Office confirmed that the body recovered from the park  on Friday, July 23rd, is that of E.S., 17, of Carlsbad, California. A search group associated with S.'s family located the body near the Twin Tanks trailhead in rocky terrain. This area is approximately two-and-a-half miles from the Jumbo Rocks campground, where an extensive search began for E.S. on July 15th. The autopsy revealed no obvious signs of trauma. The possibility of foul play and exact cause of death are still being investigated. Critical incident stress debriefing team members from Yosemite and Cabrillo conducted sessions with park staff last week. Funeral services for E.S. were held on Saturday in Carlsbad. At the family's request, Joshua Tree National Park employees and volunteer searchers from JOSAR were invited to attend the service.
[Submitted by Joe Zarki, Public Information Officer]

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Assault on Ranger, Navajo Officer

Park dispatch received a 911 call reporting shots fired from Lone Rock beach at 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 17th. The caller reported hearing a loud gunshot, then a voice yelling "I will shoot anyone who comes near me." Rangers Kenny Barend, Brendon Voss, Amy Mowat, Jared St.Clair and Navajo Nation canine officer Rob Williams responded.  The camp was located on the far south end of the beach. All of the 15 or so people within were ordered onto the ground, then checked for weapons. Barend and Voss found D.J. hiding with his girlfriend in a tent within the camp and ordered them out. As D.J. was coming out, the rangers saw a Remington 700 22/250 rifle in plain view. D.J. was handcuffed and his rifled was retrieved. D.J. admitted that he'd fired the rifle into the air and that he'd also threatened two men in the next camp. As other tents were being checked and cleared, Williams came into contact with C.Q. C.Q.'s wife left the tent, as ordered, but he became combative and struck Williams twice in the upper torso with a closed fist. Williams responded by spraying him with pepper spray. St. Clair joined Williams, at which time C.Q. began swinging at and hitting both men. Williams and St. Clair used their expandable batons to strike C.Q. several times on the arms, legs and back; although he continued to resist, they were able to get him into handcuffs. According to witnesses, the incident began when R.N. and a companion from the next camp were drinking with people at the D.J./C.Q. camp. When R.N. and his companion were asked to leave, they declined to do so. R.N. instead became angry and struck one of the campers in the head, causing a brief loss of consciousness. D.J. then retrieved his rifle, fired a shot in the air, and threatened to shoot R.N. if he did not leave. R.N. was located in his camp and arrested for assault; D.J. was arrested for use of a weapon that endangers the public, disorderly conduct, and minor in possession of alcohol; C.Q. was arrested for two counts of assault on a peace officer and transported by park ambulance to Page Hospital for treatment of injuries incurred during his arrest. One other man was cited and released on scene for a weapons violation. St.Clair and Williams sustained only minor injuries during the altercation with C.Q. and were treated by paramedics on scene.  The case is being prosecuted by both Kane County Sheriffs Office and the National Park Service.
[Submitted by Mike Mayer, Chief Ranger]

Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Two Mountain Rescues on One Day

On Wednesday, July 28th, rangers made two rescues of injured parties — one from a point between Middle Teton and South Teton, the other from Disappointment Peak. The first occurred on Wednesday morning. M.M., 30, of Rexburg, Idaho, had been hit by falling rocks around 5 p.m. the previous evening while climbing the Chouinard Ridge on the Middle Teton with her husband, G.M. Although M.M. was injured by a rock that struck her just below the back of her climbing helmet, she and G.M. continued to climb and summit the Middle Teton so that they could safely descend an easier route via the Southwest Couloir on the Middle Teton. By the time the climbers reached a point just below the saddle between Middle Teton and South Teton, M.M. was not able to continue further. G.M. hiked back up to the saddle and made a 911 call for assistance late Tuesday evening. Two rangers with emergency medical gear began hiking from Lupine Meadows trailhead into the South Fork of Garnet Canyon within an hour of the emergency call and reached M.M. at about 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Four other rangers packed in extra medical equipment and camping gear to care for the injured M.M. until the park's contract helicopter could fly with early morning light. On Wednesday morning, the rangers carried M.M. by hand litter to a helicopter landing spot just east of the Middle and South Teton saddle. She was flown out, then taken to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for treatment of her injuries. G.M. applied emergency first aid to his wife and the two climbers practiced good self rescue procedures until park rangers could reach them. They were well prepared for their climbing excursion and had extra clothing and raingear with them. The second helicopter-assisted rescue and evacuation took place at 4:30 p.m.  E.M., 22, of Moose, Wyoming, dislocated her shoulder while attempting to stop herself from sliding after she slipped on hard-packed snow in the Spoon Couloir on Disappointment Peak. E.M. slid about 150 feet before running into rocks and sustaining additional injuries. Teton Interagency dispatch received a cell phone call from E.M.' hiking partner Steve, also of Moose, about 11:40 a.m. Rangers were just completing the transfer of equipment and rescue personnel from the South Fork of Garnet Canyon after the morning evacuation. The park's contract helicopter shuttled six rangers to a landing spot on the flanks of Disappointment Peak near the Grand Teton. The rangers then descended the Spoon Couloir, provided emergency medical care to E.M., and lowered her to the bottom of the couloir after placing her in a climbing harness affixed to ropes. They helped E.M. walk to a spot just above Amphitheater Lake, where the helicopter landed and picked her up for a flight to the Lupine Meadows rescue facility. E.M. was then transferred to a park ambulance and transported to St. John's Medical Center for treatment of her injuries. E.M. was wearing tennis shoes and using ski poles, rather than an ice axe, at the time of the accident.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Specialist]

Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Domestic Incident in Trailer Park

Dispatch received a 911 report of a fight in progress at a mobile home in one of the park's trailer parks around midnight on Wednesday, July 21st. The woman who called said that a father and his adult son had ganged up on another adult son and threatened to kill him. Rangers, including FTEP ranger John Leonard, his field training ranger and the field training leader responded. The trailer's occupants, including five children under the age of ten, all exited the trailer. Several of them reported that one of the aggressors — a man about 25 years old — was hiding inside. Rangers sought and received consent to search the trailer because the female occupant wanted to leave with her children but was afraid to go inside for her belongings. Leonard and the FTL entered and cleared the trailer, an operation that was complicated by blankets hanging from furniture, general filth and few functioning light bulbs. The suspect was found in the back bedroom, hiding under blankets behind a bunk bed. He was repeatedly told to come out into the open, but it took some time to get him to do so. He charged Leonard when he emerged and was extremely uncooperative during handcuffing. The man has been arrested by rangers numerous times in the past and is currently on probation for assault, a condition of which bans him from the park for a year.  Leonard testified at the suspect's preliminary hearing. 
[Submitted by Karyl Yeston, Shift Supervisor, South Rim]

Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Fatal Auto Accident

J.R.T., 63, of Lorain, Ohio, died as a result of a single car accident in the Old Faithful area on the evening of Monday, July 26th. J.R.T. and a passenger were on a one-way road between the Upper Old Faithful General Store and the Old Faithful Visitor Center about 7:50 p.m. The passenger said J.R.T. apparently suffered a seizure that caused him to push down on the accelerator. The large Ford van crashed into a small group of trees and rolled over onto the driver's side near an intersection behind the visitor center. Rangers, an ambulance, a fire engine and staff from the Old Faithful Clinic all immediately responded to the scene. Despite their efforts, J.R.T. was pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m. An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death. The car's airbags deployed. The passenger was not injured in the crash, and the car did not hit any pedestrians or other vehicles.
[Submitted by Public Affairs]

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site (KY)
Recovery from Wind Storm Damage

The park is recovering from major storm damage inflicted when a severe thunderstorm with hurricane-force winds passed through the park on the evening of Tuesday, July 13th.  The park was closed due to loss of power and telephone service until the afternoon  of Saturday, July 17th.  Numerous trees were uprooted and limbs and debris scattered throughout the park, forcing the closure of the Birthplace Unit until the afternoon of the 17th, when only the visitor center, memorial building and grounds were reopened. The visitor center roof was damaged and park features suffered minor damage from downed limbs and trees.  Fortunately, the park had a contract with a local tree service, which assisted with the cleanup effort beginning on July 14th.  The removal of debris and downed trees from the grounds and trails was continuing at the time of the report (July 23rd). Approximately 35 trees are still down across trails, with over 15 on the grounds.  Major park trails will be closed for the foreseeable future due to the large number of uprooted and downed trees. Cleanup and repairs will be ongoing within the coming weeks. 
[Submitted by Ken Apschnikat, Superintendent]

Blue Ridge Parkway
Three Incidents Involving Motorcyclists

During the second full week of July, rangers dealt with several incidents involving motorcyclists in the park:

July 11 — Ranger Kathryn Brett investigated a motorcycle accident near milepost 67. A group of three riders were heading north on the parkway when one of them veered off the road while negotiating a curve and hit a guardrail. He died from traumatic injuries sustained in the accident, but his passenger suffered only minor injuries. Brett led the investigation, with assistance from a Virginia State Police accident reconstruction team. They determined that speed was a contributing factor.

July 15 — Ranger Kevin Ulery saw a group of three motorcyclists traveling at a high rate of speed near milepost 384. He attempted to stop them, but they declined to do so and a pursuit ensued. The chase ended when the trio left the parkway and escaped. On the next day, a young man was directed to the park's communication center to report a lost wallet. He talked to dispatcher Scott Cooper. Cooper began taking the report, but quickly realized that there were parts of the "lost wallet" story that didn't make sense. Although Cooper didn't know about the chase on the previous evening, he was able to get the man to admit that the wallet had been lost in a minor motorcycle accident — then got the man to also admit that the accident occurred as a result of the chase. Cooper passed the information on to Ulery, who was able to make a case against all three. Ulery issued $500 citations to each operator under a new supplemental forfeiture schedule that had just been approved by the court two days before. Under the new guidelines, aggravated speeding and careless and reckless driving while speeding now carry a $500 penalty.

July 17 — Ranger Ken Gochenour was called out after-hours to a motorcycle accident near milepost 245 on the morning of July 17th. The initial report was that three motorcyclists were traveling together and that one of them had hit a deer. Allegheny County EMS and Laurel Springs VFD also responded. The victim, who sustained head and chest injuries, was taken to a landing zone near Elk Knob Road, then flown to Wake Forest Baptist University Hospital. As of July 18th, he was in critical but stable condition with a collapsed lung, a broken rib and a concussion. The accident is under investigation.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Monday, August 2, 2004

Preparedness Level 3

Initial attack was moderate on Sunday in the Northwest and the Great Basin. Nationally, 207 new fires were reported, four of which became large fires.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Weather Forecast

A trough of low pressure will move down the British Columbia coast today. This storm will cause weak low pressure sitting off the California coast to eject inland. The low will move into Oregon this evening, triggering thunderstorms from Oregon eastward and southward into the Northern Rockies and Great Basin. Some monsoonal moisture will also be moving up from the Southwest, causing thunderstorms in the Rocky Mountain Area. Some of the storms today may be dry. Winds will be gusty and strong today across the west as well. In Alaska, partly cloudy sky conditions can be expected behind a departing low pressure area.

Warnings and Watches

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH has been issued today for gusty winds and low relative humidity in the northern two-thirds of Nevada.

NPS Fires

For a brief supplemental narrative on each fire, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/news

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National/State Team Commitments

Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Changes in the status of a fire (type of team, change from a fire to a complex, etc.) are also noted in boldface.

Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name.

State	Agency	Team	IC	Fire and Location	7/30	8/2	% Con	Est Con
AK	State	1	Anderson	Boundary Fire, Fairbanks Area	503,362	503,362	35	UNK
UT	USFS	1	Martin	Hawkins Fire, Dixie NF	-----	34,370	5	8/30
WA	USFS	1	Lohrey	Pot Peak Complex, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	18,145	38,060	50	UNK
AK	State	2	Bateman *	Taylor Complex, Tok Area Forestry	865,430	842,402	15	UNK
WA	USFS	2	Jennings/ Perry	Freezeout Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	-----	356	17	UNK
WA	State	2	Johnson/ Barnett #	Elk Heights Fire, Southeast Washington	-----	370	50	UNK
WA	BIA	2	Reed/ Holloway	Elmer City Fire, Colville Agency	2,400	1,927	80	UNK
UT	USFS	2	Suwyn	Red Bull Fire, Unita NF	-----	1,781	10	8/5
CA	USFS	2	Szczepanik	Sims Fire, Six Rivers NF	2,825	4,030	85	8/2
OR	BIA	2	West	Log Springs Fire, Warm Springs Agency	10,500	13,539	60	8/4
WA	USFS	FU	Bonefeld	Rattlesnake Peak Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	373	373	N/A	N/A
UT	USFS	FU	Cones	Westside Complex, Dixie NF	-----	4,480	N/A	N/A
CA	NPS	FU	Cook	Meadow Complex, Yosemite NP	5,176	5,176	N/A	N/A
MN	NPS	FU	Hall	Section 33 Fire, Voyageurs NP	675	1,400	N/A	N/A

* Transfer to a Type 3 IMT will take place this morning.

# Washington State IMT

National Resource Commitments

Day	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon
Date	7/27	7/28	7/29	7/30	7/31	8/1	8/2
Crews	243	270	267	236	214	209	227
Engines	428	385	396	377	339	471	453
Helicopters	89	99	102	93	108	92	113
Air Tankers	0	0	1	0	0	1	1
Overhead	1,791	1,720	979	1,856	1,646	1,458	1,608

Further Information

This report is meant to present just highlights of the current fire situation. Two other NIFC sites provide much greater detail:

Full NIFC Situation Report (PDF file) — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
National Fire News — http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html

Information on NPS Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) and on park fires can be found at:

FAM — http://www.nps.gov/fire
Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news

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.