The Morning Report for Friday, August 27, 2004

INCIDENTS

Death Valley National Park (CA)
Park Reopens Some Roads, Services

Death Valley National Park reopened a limited number of roads and services in the northern area of the park on Wednesday morning. The roads and services opening Wednesday represent the first public access to the park since the August 15th closure.

The following roads opened:

California State Highway 178 from Ridgecrest to Death Valley National Park.
California Highway 190 from U.S Highway 395 to the junction with the Scotty's Castle Road.
Scotty's Castle Road from Highway 190 north to Nevada Highway 267 and U.S. Highway 95 at Scotty's Junction.
Wildrose-Emigrant Canyon Road connecting California Highways 178 and 190 through Death Valley National Park.

In addition, the following facilities resumed operation:

Scotty's Castle reopened for ranger-guided tours; its gas station, gift shop, and snack bar also opened.
Stovepipe Wells Village, including lodging, gas station, restaurant, RV hookups, and the general store.
Emigrant, Wildrose, Thorndike, Mahogany Flat, and Mesquite Springs campgrounds.

Entrance fees are not being charged for access to the park during this period of limited access, but camping fees and Scotty's Castle guided tour fees are being collected. All other park roads and visitor services remain closed due to ongoing cleanup and repair operations. A total of 91 NPS employees from Death Valley and other nearby parks are involved in ongoing recovery operations, including staff from Great Basin National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mojave National Preserve, Zion National Park, and the Santa Fe Support Office of the Intermountain Region. For further information and updates on flood recovery activities, please visit the Death Valley National Park website at www.nps.gov/deva
[Submitted by Joe Zarki, Public Information Officer]

Natchez Trace Parkway (AL,MS,TN)
Flash Flooding and Road Closure

Isolated thunderstorms dropped 11 inches of rain in three hours in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, on August 25th, causing localized flooding, significant damage to the Natchez Trace Parkway, and a fatality on a nearby state highway. Ranger Carmelo Ortiz was dispatched to milepost 293 around 8:30 a.m. to check on high water, possible flooding, and a tree down. Upon arrival, Ortiz parked his patrol car to provide traffic control for a stranded motorist who had struck a pothole. At approximately 9:07 a.m., Ortiz felt the ground tremble and saw it break free south of where he was standing. The hole grew to approximately 60 feet long and 40 feet deep, leaving Ortiz stranded. Motorists traveling north of milepost 293 were forced to turn around due to flooding over the parkway at Jourdan Creek at mileposts 295 and 299. Seven motorists joined Ortiz. One of them, an insulin dependent diabetic, was monitored throughout the day. Meanwhile, Mississippi Highway Patrol and Tishomingo County units were attempting a rescue on State Route 4 near the parkway. A motorist attempting to cross the flooded roadway was swept away, entrapped, and later pronounced dead at the scene. Flood waters began receding late in the afternoon, allowing the stranded motorists to drive out of the area. A temporary detour was established, then changed to reflect a permanent detour around the closed section of the parkway. The four mile detour will remain in effect until a damage assessment and significant road reconstruction have been completed. The response to the storm involved the combined efforts of maintenance and ranger staff from the neighboring Cherokee and Tupelo Districts.

[Submitted by Charles Cuvelier, Chief Ranger]

Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Progress Continues in Park Cleanup from Hurricane Charley

The MV Fort Jefferson returned to Key West yesterday with the treated lumber that had been removed from the destroyed park docks. Four Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary employees were on hand to help off-load the wreckage. The three tradesmen and diesel mechanic came ashore, having completed their tours. The campground was cleared of downed trees and other vegetation. The squad also made progress in pushing sand piles laden with bricks and other debris out of the campground.
[Submitted by Barb Stewart, IO, Eastern IMT]

American Memorial Park (MP)
Super Typhoon Chaba

Typhoon Chaba, which earlier this week was predicted to turn north of Saipan, instead turned south, slowed and strengthened into a super typhoon with sustained winds of up to 180 mph. the eye of the typhoon passed about 50 miles to the south of Saipan on Tuesday, devastating the neighboring islands of Rota and Tinian. At the time of the report, about 20% of Saipan was without power or water. Large trees with a base diameter of from three to five feet fell throughout the park, and areas of the site was flooded. More beach frontage was lost, and there was more erosion at the park's Outer Cove Marina — sufficient to threaten to undercut building foundations and roads along the water's edge. None of the vessels in the marina were reported to have been damaged. The roofs of some park buildings were damaged, but all employees are safe and accounted for. Meanwhile, War in the Pacific on Guam, located 150 miles south of Saipan, sustained some damage, but not enough to greatly affect operations. Super Typhoon Chaba comes in the wake of Typhoon Tingting which passed 60 miles north of the island of Saipan on June 28th and caused extensive damage during that episode.
[Submitted by Chuck Sayon]

Cape Krusenstern National Monument (AK)
Fuel Spill

On the evening of August 11th, the Alaska Department of Conservation was notified by the Alaska State Troopers that a tractor trailer owned by Nana-Lynden, Inc., went off the haul road eight miles north of the Red Dog Mine port site and spilled 2,700 gallons of diesel fuel. The hatch on one compartment broke open during the roll-over, releasing the fuel, and there was additional minor leakage from the other hatch compartments. The driver was uninjured in the accident. Nana-Lynden and Teck-Cominco both responded to this incident. Spill response trailers, heavy equipment and personnel were brought to the site immediately. Free diesel fuel was pumped into containment and mopped up with absorbent materials. A shallow recovery pit was dug in order to make it possible to use a skimmer to recover more free oil seeping into the pit. The pit was dug to an impermeable layer of clay and/or sand. An ADEC responder coordinated with both Nana Lynden and Teck-Cominco to provide guidance from Fairbanks and to ensure that the response was adequate. Teck Cominco estimates that approximately a 20 yard by 10 yard area of tundra next to the road was heavily impacted. The subsurface soil is predominantly clay, so subsurface migration is expected to be very slow. The remaining fuel on the tractor and trailer was lightered to another tanker.
[Submitted by Jane Tranel, Communications Office, ARO]

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (WI)
Kayaker Succumbs to Hypothermia

S.L., 23, of Saint Germain, Wisconsin died of hypothermia/cold water exposure at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth on August 20th following a kayaking accident in the park. S.L. and his father Leonard departed from Meyers Beach at approximately 9:45 a.m. that morning and paddled their single person kayaks two miles to the Mawikwe sea caves along the park's Mainland Unit on Lake Superior. The sea caves are located at the waterline of a two-mile-long, steep sandstone bluff, and are accessible only by boat or kayak during calm seas. The National Weather Service near shore marine forecast for the day included a small craft advisory for western Lake Superior, with winds estimated at 20 to 25 knots and waves of from 4 to 6 feet. At noon, the automated Devils Island weather station recorded wind speeds at 32 knots, with gusts of 37 and an air temperature of 57 degrees. S.L.'s kayak overturned in strong wave backwash from the sea caves. Both S.L. and Leonard were wearing life jackets. Large waves prevented S.L. from reentering his kayak, so Leonard attempted to paddle away from the caves with S.L. and kayak in tow. S.L. abandoned his kayak when it filled with water and tried to hold onto his father's craft, but was rapidly becoming disorientated due to hypothermia. Within minutes, Leonard was thrown into the water when his kayak overturned after hitting a large wave. Both S.L. and Leonard were swept inside a sea cave by the force of the waves. S.L. became unconscious, and, after more than an hour of fighting large swells, Leonard was unable to pull his son out of the sea cave. Leonard decided his best chance for saving S.L. was to swim for help. An unidentified hiker near Meyers Beach saw Leonard about a half mile off shore and called 911. Bayfield County deputies, coastguardsmen from Coast Guard Station Bayfield, and Apostle Island rangers responded. The Coast Guard had the closest vessel, which was north of Madeline Island, 25 miles to the east. Rangers responded by land to Mawikwe and Meyers Beach Road. Once ashore, Leonard was escorted by visitors to an ambulance at the Meyers Beach parking lot, but he refused treatment and was released. Rangers established a landing zone at Cornucopia, Wisconsin, for the Saint Luke's Lifeflight helicopter. At approximately 1:50 pm, the Coast Guard rescue boat reported that S.L. had been found floating inside a sea cave. With waves at 6 to 8 feet, a Coast Guard rescuer entered the water to retrieve S.L. and bring him aboard the rescue craft. S.L. had numerous abrasions and was unconscious, pulseless, and unresponsive. CPR was begun immediately and he was taken to the waiting helicopter. Paramedics employed advanced life support measures and prepared S.L. for the 23 minute flight to the hospital in Duluth. His body temperature at the time was 77 degrees. Hospital efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
[Submitted by Greg Zeman, Chief of Protection]

Mammoth Cave National Park (KY)
Two Killed in Accident

Ranger Matt Roland was patrolling the South Houchens Ferry Road on August 13th when he came upon a motor vehicle accident that had just occurred. The vehicle was fully engulfed in flames and there were two victims lying in the roadway. Roland called for EMS and fire assistance and for additional rangers. One of the victims, G.A., 22, of Worthington, Ohio, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second, M.K. of Cincinnati, was flown to the University of Louisville Hospital. Before being evacuated, M.K. told rangers that there was another person in the car. Rescue personnel subsequently found the remains of J.B., 22, also of Cincinnati. The three men were on their way to meet with some friends who were camping at the Houchens Ferry campground. Roland and law enforcement specialist Brad McDougal are investigating the accident. Other agencies responding to the incident were Edmonson County EMS, Brownsville VFD, Chalybeate VFD, Brownsville PD, the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office and the Kentucky State Police

[Submitted by Wayne Elliott, Chief Ranger]

Amistad National Recreation Area (TX)
Suspected Drug Smuggler Arrested

On Sunday, August 8th, rangers saw a truck towing a boat enter the park. They recognized the truck and boat as possibly being involved in drug smuggling dating back to December 2002. Surveillance of the driver and vehicle was begun. He traveled over 16 miles in rough waters at idle speed despite mechanical difficulties with the boat, and went directly to Mexico to a location known for smuggling activity. He then returned with a woman on board. Rangers Isaac Cohen and Pernell Brown (detailed from Bighorn Canyon NRA) contacted the pair and conducted a boat safety inspection. They identified the two occupants as F.G.-L. and T.B.-E., both Mexican nationals, and detected the strong odor of marijuana from the vessel. The park's canine, Beny, confirmed the presence of drug or narcotic odor on the boat. Further search of the boat's compartments revealed packaging material consistent with the type used in smuggling large marijuana bundles. The vessel was x-rayed at a US Customs facility, but no concealed load was found. The immigration case was turned over to DHS Customs and Border Protection. Subsequent investigation revealed that F.G.-L. had been deported on three separate occasions, that he had a lengthy criminal record, and that he is currently under investigation for his involvement in a drug trafficking case in Grand Prairie, Texas.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Friday, August 27, 2004

Preparedness Level 3

Initial attack was again very light, with just 69 new fires reported yesterday. Two became large fires.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota and Utah.

Weather Forecast

The low pressure trough which brought cool, showery weather to the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies the past few days is moving out of the area as high

pressure begins to build over the region. Gusty winds are expected over northern California with warmer and drier conditions statewide. In Alaska, winds will be diminishing over the interior as a low pressure system becomes centered over the southwest corner of the state.

Warnings and Watches

No warnings or watches have been issued for today.

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/Incident and Location	8/25	8/26	% Con	Est Con

FL	FEMA	1	Ferguson	Hurricane Charley recovery	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
WA	USFS	1	Lohrey	Williams Butte Complex, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	2,095
NV	BLM	1	Martin	Andrew Fire, Carson City Field Office	2,600	2,692	85	8/28

FL	State	2	Beauchamp	Hurricane Charley, Charlotte County	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
WA	USFS	2	Berndt/ Andring *	Fischer Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	16,439	16,439	95	UNK
AK	State	2	Blume	Camp Creek Fire, Delta Area	161,253	173,000	25	UNK
FL	State	2	Crow	Hurricane Charley, DeSoto County	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
WA	USFS	2	Jennings/ Perry *	Pot Peak Complex, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	47,470	47,470	90	UNK
FL	State	2	Koehler	Hurricane Charley, City of Lakeland	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
AK	State	2	Jandt	Taylor Highway Complex, Tok Area Forestry	1,240,265	1,267,442	2	UNK
FL	State	2	Jones	Hurricane Charley, Hardee County	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
OR	State	2	Mair *	Bland Mountain #2, state lands.	4,705	4,705	85	8/28
FL	NPS	2	Panko	Hurricane Charley, Dry Tortugas NP	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

* State incident management team

National Resource Commitments

Day	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
Date	8/21	8/22	8/23	8/24	8/25	8/26	8/27

Crews	229	225	237	189	185	146	134
Engines	451	461	340	246	233	174	200
Helicopters	94	116	90	74	62	57	45
Air Tankers	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Overhead	1,914	2,479	2,350	1,982	1,552	1338	1335

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

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Servicewide
Upcoming Conference/Meetings Calendar

This listing is updated every Friday. Please submit information to Bill_Halainen@nps.gov.

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November 16 — November 18

Third Mojave Desert Science Symposium and Poster Session, University of Redlands, California.

Registration is now open for the symposium, which is hosted in part by the National Park Service. Federal employees may take advantage of the early registration rate deadline of October 8th by registering using a training authorization or purchase order number. For more information, visit http://www.dmg.gov/mdss/, or email MDSS@qbsevents.com, or call 928-638-2200 (Pacific time).

March 6 — 10

Annual Convention, Association of Partners for Public Lands, Portland, Oregon.

The theme for this year's convention, Portland Pathways, was selected "to move us forward along our lines of learning and commitment to an increasingly connected systems of parks, forests, refuges, waters, open spaces and historic places." Basic registration is open through January 10th, regular through February 18th, and late thorough March 5th. For more information, call APPL at 301-946-9475 or go to www.apl.org

Servicewide
Upcoming Training Calendar

This listing is updated every Friday. Please submit information to Bill_Halainen@nps.gov.

October 4 — October 5

Taser Instructor Course, Vicksburg NMP, Mississippi.

The park has tentatively scheduled a taser instructor course for these days. The cost is $195. They need at least 10 people to enroll, with a maximum of about 20. The new generation of tasers meet the RM-9 definition of an electronic control device. They need to know if there are enough people interested in this course to pull it off. If you're interested, contact John Wilkins at 601-636-0583.

October 16 — October 18

Law Enforcement Supervisor Refresher Training, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona.

The park is hosting a 40-hour LE in-service training designed specifically for LE and emergency services supervisors. Topics covered will include leadership through understanding behavioral diversity, situational leadership, work-related stress, ethics and values, and an LE supervisors' lessons learned forum. The training is presented by the FLETC Management Institute and IMR law enforcement and human resources staff. Tuition is $150. To register or for more information, contact South Rim shift supervisor Karyl Yeston at 928-638-7805 by September 24th.

November 1 — November 5

ARPA Training (XP-ARPTP), Tallahassee, Florida.

This is the FLETC course, developed in conjunction with the NPS, Forest Service and BLM. The closing date is October 1st. One page nominations should be emailed or faced to FLETC. For more information, call the center at 912-267-2246 or call JR Tomasovic at 912-554-4694.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
National Park Ranger Class 405 Graduates

National Park Ranger Integrated Training Program Class 405 (NPRI-405) graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) on July 31st. Immediately prior to the graduation ceremonies, the class placed a wreath at the FLETC's Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. FLETC assistant director Michael Hanneld was the keynote speaker. He assisted superintendent Paul Henry and FLETC program specialist Walt Sherba with the presentation of graduation certificates and credentials. As the fifteenth and last class to receive training under the six day work-week program, the rangers established some very high standards for subsequent classes, with superior individual and group achievements. Ranger Michael Eastman (ORPI) was the top driver with a perfect 300 score, while ranger Michael Klubeck (INDE) also received a perfect 300 score. Ranger Elizabeth Aurnou (NATR) received the Distinguished Fitness Award, while Klubeck and Weldon Young (JEFF) earned the Fitness Award (equivalent to scoring above 95%) on the PEB. Klubeck was also the high firearms expert with 297 points out of a possible 300, and was joined by rangers Eastman, Amanda Wolinski (VICK), and Eric Oaks (INDE), who also qualified as expert shooters. Wolinski was also the class scholar with an outstanding 96.08 FLETC academic average. Oaks received the class nomination for the FLETC Director's Award as the outstanding ranger of the class. Eastman received the NPS Director's Award, which recognizes the graduating student who achieved the highest overall average in all integrated training phases without remediating any practical exercises. Eastman's final overall average was an outstanding 95.22769 score. A total of eleven out of fourteen rangers finished with an overall average above 90%. The overall class average was 92.23609. With NPRI-405 added in, the overall average of all NPRI classes combined is an outstanding 93.93445%. Congratulations to NPRI-405 on a job well done! NPRI-405 is moves into in the field training phase and NPRI-501 begins on October 20th.

* * * * * * * * * *

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.