Glacier National Park
Trail Crew Leader Injured During Tree Felling
On Tuesday, June 7th, rangers responded to an accident in which North
Fork trail crew leader Greg Knutson, 43, of Columbia Falls, sustained
injuries caused by a falling tree during tree felling on the Kintla Lake
Trail. Rangers were notified by another trail crew member around 1 p.m.
Three EMT-qualified rangers were dispatched immediately to the scene,
about a half mile up the Kintla Lake Trail, where first aid was
administered to treat Knutson's several injuries. Knutson was
stabilized, taken by boat to the foot of Kintla Lake, transferred to a
Columbia Falls ambulance, then transferred again to a medevac helicopter
at Round Prairie and flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for
additional medical care.
[Submitted by Melissa Wilson, Public
Affairs Specialist]
Natchez Trace Parkway (AL,MS,TN)
Manhunt for Felon
Culminates in Arrest
On Friday, June 3rd, rangers were contacted by Warren County officers
and asked to assist in serving a felony warrant on S.B., who was
reportedly staying at Rocky Springs Campground. Nobody was found at the
site he was believed to be occupying, so surveillance was begun. S.B.
returned about two hours later, then fled on foot. A female companion,
Lisa Bell, was arrested at the campsite. A multi-agency search was begun
for S.B.. Mississippi Highway Patrol search dogs were unable to track
his scent de to the high temperatures and humidity. Additional personnel
from ATF and Warren County joined the effort. At about 3:30 p.m.,
district ranger Patrick Shell received a tip as to S.B.'s whereabouts.
Shell and a county deputy surprised him behind a house and took him into
custody without incident. A search of Bower's vehicle resulted in the
discovery of two firearms, drugs, and explosive devices. [Submitted by
Charles Cuvelier, Chief Ranger]
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (PA)
Body
of Missing Fisherman Found in Delaware River
The search for a fisherman who was reported missing late Tuesday
night culminated at midday yesterday with the recovery of his body from
the Delaware River near the point where Bushkill Creek enters it from
the west. When Dr. W.R., 78, of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,
failed to meet his nephew as scheduled on Monday evening following a
fishing trip to the Delaware River, the nephew made a 911 call, which
was routed to park dispatch. He reported that he'd searched for his
uncle and found his car parked behind the former Gulf Station on Route
209 just south of Bushkill Creek. He then checked the spot where his
uncle often fished, but found no sign of him. Rangers met with W.R.'s
nephew and began a search in the early hours of the morning. They looked
for him around the shoreline and employed boats and lights to search for
him in the water. No sign of him was found, so the operation was
suspended until first light. Early on Tuesday morning, the park's dive
team, comprised of rangers from Delaware Water Gap NRA and one ranger
from Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, began a search of the
river while a pair of search dogs from Northeast Search and Rescue
sought W.R.'s scent on the shoreline and water. Overall, about a
dozen rangers and volunteer search team members were involved in the
operation. Around 11:20 a.m., divers found his body in the Delaware
River in about 18 feet of water not far from where he had evidently been
fishing. The cause of death will not be determined until an autopsy is
conducted.
[Submitted by Bill Halainen, Incident Information
Officer]
New River Gorge National River (WV)
Falling
Fatality
C.L.L., 21, of Lost Creek, West Virginia, slipped on
rocks covered with moss in a small drainage near a cliff edge in the
Beauty Mountain area on the afternoon of June 5th and fell 60 feet.
C.L.L. was conscious when the first rescuer arrived on scene at
approximately 2 p.m. A vertical litter raise was conducted and he was
brought to the top of the cliff about 45 minutes later. C.L.L. was
found to be in cardiac arrest when he reached the top.He was treated by
paramedics and transported to Plateau Medical Center, where he was
pronounced dead. Participating in the rescue were New River Gorge
rangers, including field training ranger Kevin Colley, the Fayette
County Vertical Rescue Team, and General Ambulance. [Submitted by Chris
Schrader, Special Agent]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Thursday, June 9, 2005
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
| Park | State | Fire | Type | Acres | Percent Contain |
Est. Full Contain |
| Valley Forge National Historical Park | PA | OVER 60 | Wildland-Urban Interface Fire | 1/2 ACRE | 100 | 06/09/05 |
 |
||||||
National Situation Report
The full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report for today can be obtained at http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf. NIFC's national fire news is at http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Alaska Region
Hunter and Devi Sharp Retire
Hunter Sharp, assistant superintendent and chief ranger at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, retired on June 3rd after a 29-year career in the National Park Service. During his career, Hunter received the Harry Yount Award and worked in eight national parks. Devi Sharp, chief of cultural and natural resources at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, is leaving on June 10th after 18 years of federal service in four national parks and one national forest. Hunter and Devi will be starting the next chapter of their lives aboard a sailboat and for now can be reached at devihunt@hotmail.com .
Alaska Region
Tom Habecker Retires After 36 Years of Service
Over 150 people turned out to honor Tom and Donna Habecker at a dinner held on Friday, June 3rd, in Healy's community center on the occasion of Tom's impending retirement from the National Park Serviceafter 36 years of time served with the government -- almost 15 of them at Denali.
Celebrants included numerous members of the local community, current staff and their families, long-time park volunteers, and retired NPS employees, including kennels manager Sandy Kogl, chief of interpretation George Wagner and chief of maintenance Mike Shields. It was an old-fashioned send-off, beginning with Mark Motsko presenting a glimpse of what was happening in the world and what the NPS was like when Tom first started working as a ranger 32 years ago.
Lots of stories about both Tom and Donna followed, and they were presented with beautiful gifts, including a wood and caribou antler clock made by local craftsman and park employee Clayton Flagg, a handmade quilt by NPS employee and fiber artist Phyllis Motsko, spectacular photographs and artist's renderings of Denali features and a beautiful lit glass sculpture engraved with the LE badge shield with Tom's call number, the NPS arrowhead, and the name and dates of every park he's worked at around the rim.
Tom took the opportunity to get back at some folks by distributing some unusual items that he had accumulated in his desk and office over the years (we won't ask where the smoke bomb came from, and why he hung onto Sandy Kogl's government ID all those years!). The evening was capped off by a powerpoint presentation with accompanying music that Tom put together after sifting through the thousands of photos that he and Donna had taken over the years of work activities and family times.
It was a wonderful tribute to two people who have given their hearts to Denali and the National Park Service. The moving van shows up on June 13th, and then they'll head south to oversee the building of their very first home outside of Bozeman, Montana. Happy trails, and may the wind be always at your back!
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found by clicking here. 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 Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.