Gulf Islands National Seashore (FL,MS)
Woman Killed In Boating Accident
Ranger Ben Moore was patrolling by boat off the coast of Horn Island
on the afternoon of May 27th when he was flagged down by people on a
23-foot Baja. When he got to the boat, Moore found that they had just
pulled a 35-year-old woman who was a member of their party out of the
ocean. He determined that she'd sustained severe facial injuries and was
beyond resuscitation. The woman, a resident of Long Beach, Mississippi,
had evidently been swimming near the boat while the outboard motor was
under power. While climbing back on board via the stern ladder, she lost
her footing, fell back into the water, and was hit by the spinning prop.
Another member of the party attempted to rescue her, but she never
regained consciousness. Although the incident remains under
investigation, it appears at present that alcohol may have been a
significant contributing factor.
[Submitted by Clay Jordan, Chief Ranger]
Cape Hatteras National Seashore (NC)
Drowning Off Ocracoke Island
A.R.K.R., 29, was swimming in the ocean with a friend near the campground on Ocracoke Island on May 27th when he encountered a strong current and began struggling as he attempted to return to shore. Another friend on shore watched as he went face down in the ocean and the current took him away from land. A visitor on the beach attempted to swim out to help him, but had to return because the current was so strong. A.R.K.R.'s friend went to the campground to get help and called 911. Rangers, lifeguards, Hyde County officers, Ocracoke EMS and Coast Guard personnel all responded. Two Coast Guard boats and a helicopter were employed in the search and rescue operation and were later joined by a Marine Corps helicopter that continued to search until 1 a.m. the next morning. The search resumed later that day. A.R.K.R.'s body was soon found washed up on the beach about 200 feet from the point last seen. A medical examiner pronounced him dead. [Submitted by Norah Martinez, Chief Ranger]
Biscayne National Park (FL)
Cuban Migrants Land On Sands Key
Ranger Thomas Rutledge responded to a report of Cuban migrants on Sands Key early on the morning of Friday, May 18th. Rutledge found a group of 15 Cubans on the island — men and women, but no children. When Coast Guard and Miami-Dade PD vessels arrived, the Cubans were taken to the Black Point marina, where they waited for the Border Patrol to pick them up. Under the U.S. "wet foot, dry foot" policy, they were paroled into the country until they could apply for green cards (under the terms of this policy, anyone caught on waters between Cuba and the U.S. is sent home or to a third country, whereas anyone who makes it to shore gets a chance to remain in the country and later apply for permanent residence status and U.S. citizenship). It's probable that the Cubans were smuggled into the U.S. On May 24th, 14 five-gallon and six-gallon gasoline containers were found hidden in evenly spaced locations along the eastern coast of Elliott Key. Resource management employees removed the containers, which were filled with fresh gasoline. Islands within the park have been used to store gas for smuggling operations for many years now. [Submitted by Didier Carod, Law Enforcement Specialist]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights
National Fire Activity — Preparedness Level 2
Fire activity continues to be centered on Georgia and Florida. Six national teams and 39 crews are committed to fires in that region.
Fire Summary
|
Date |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Tue |
Wed |
|
Day |
5/21 |
5/22 |
5/23 |
5/24 |
5/29 |
5/30 |
|
Initial Attack Fires |
252 |
134 |
105 |
317 |
390 |
163 |
|
New Large Fires |
0 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
|
Large Fires Contained |
3 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
|
Uncontained Large Fires |
14 |
16 |
18 |
20 |
13 |
14 |
National Resource Commitments
|
Date |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Tue |
Wed |
|
Day |
5/21 |
5/22 |
5/23 |
5/24 |
5/29 |
5/30 |
|
Area Command Teams |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
NIMO Teams |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Type 1 Teams |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
Type 2 Teams |
3 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
|
FUM Teams |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Crews |
52 |
57 |
64 |
75 |
99 |
78 |
|
Engines |
321 |
316 |
340 |
310 |
362 |
387 |
|
Helicopters |
34 |
32 |
33 |
32 |
43 |
40 |
|
Overhead |
1,038 |
1,114 |
1,030 |
1,077 |
1,059 |
1,116 |
NPS Fires
Buck Shank Fire, Great Smoky Mountains NP — The park had 54 firefighters assigned to the Buck Shank Fire on Wednesday. The fire has been gradually spreading down into the damp creek drainages that are being used as containment lines. The acreage is estimated at around 800 acres and is 65% contained, with full containment expected on June 9th. Park managers also say that they have found a second, separate fire in the park which appears to be located a couple miles to the east of the Buck Shank Fire in the direction of Cades Cove. The park had a brief period of thundershowers on Monday evening, so firefighters suspect the new fire may be a natural, lightning-caused fire. No acreage or other information is available at this time. For the safety of visitors, Little Bottoms Trail is closed. The Hatcher Mountain Trail is closed entirely and Cooper Road Trail is closed from its junction with Cane Creek Trail to Little Bottoms Trail. The Abrams Falls Trail is closed from BELOW the falls down to Little Bottoms Trail, but park managers emphasize that the very heavily-used section of Abrams Creek Trail from its trailhead in Cades Cove down to Abrams Falls is still open and safe for hikers. [Bob Miller, Public Affairs Officer]
BICY Complex, Big Cypress NP — The fire's main flame front remains approximately four miles east of Highway 29 (north of I-75). Burning operations were initiated on the east side of Florida Panther National Wildlife reserve west of Highway 29.This action was to reduce fuels and the chance of fire spreading to the west from the Big Cypress National Preserve. No private properties damaged due to fire, to date. [Bob DeGross, Chief of Interpretation]
****
For a brief supplemental narrative on each of the fires listed below, 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/public/pub_firenews.cfm
| Park | State | Fire | Type | Acres | Percent Contain |
Est. Full Contain |
| Yosemite National Park | CA | El Portal Prescribed Fire | Prescribed Fire Treatment | 59 acres | 100 | 05/30/07 |
 |
||||||
Further Information
Full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report (PDF file): http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
National Fire News: http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
NPS Fire and Aviation Management: http://www.nps.gov/fire/index.cfm
NPS Fire News: http://www.nps.gov/fire/public/pub_firenews.cfm
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Biscayne National Park (FL)
GL-0025-9 Protection Ranger (Lateral)
Biscayne National Park is currently seeking one GL-0025-9 permanent, full-time protection ranger interested in a lateral transfer. Responsibilities include the full range of law enforcement, EMS, SAR, wildland fire, and resource protection duties. Candidates must be able to operate a boat in bay and ocean waters. Government housing is required. Biscayne National Park is located 30 miles south of Miami on the open waters of Biscayne Bay. The climate is sub-tropical, with mild dry pleasant winters (60 to 80 degrees) and hot, wet humid summers (80 to 90 degrees) with many mosquitoes present. Park headquarters is at Convoy Point, located nine miles east of Homestead, Florida. Homestead provides medical (including a hospital), banking, groceries, and educational facilities. Miami provides all the educational, medical, sporting, and cultural features of a thriving multi-ethnic metropolitan area. The Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay lie at your doorstep and provide great swimming, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing, boating, snorkeling and scuba diving on the coral reefs. Rangers seeking additional information about a transfer should contact chief ranger Stephen M. Clark (305-230-1144 extension 3021, stephen_m_clark@nps.gov ). To apply, send your latest SF-50 and a resume or OF-612 to Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead, FL 33033. Applications must be received by COB on June 15th.
[Submitted by Nancy Sanchez, Administrative Officer]
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site (NC)
GS-0401-12 Resources Management Specialist
Southeast Region has issued an announcement for the chief of maintenance and resources management at Carl Sandburg Home. The announcement, SESO-07-49, closes on June 7th, and is available on line at USAJobs.
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is a cultural park located in the village of Flat Rock. Flat Rock is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. The village is about three miles south of Hendersonville and about 20 miles south of Asheville. The site is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Carl Sandburg and communicating the stories of his works, life, and significance as an American poet, writer, historian, biographer of Abraham Lincoln, and social activist. The site preserves and interprets the 264-acre farm, Connemara, where Sandburg and his family lived for the last 22 years of his life (1945-1967).
Kindergarten through twelfth grade schools are readily available in the area. Shopping and dining are three miles away in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where there is also a hospital, community college and doctors' offices. The University of North Carolina at Asheville is 30 miles away. The Asheville Airport is located 15 miles away. A variety of theater, art, and cultural activities are offered in the area. Daytime temperatures can be in the 90's in the summer and as low as the 20's in the winter. Government housing is not available.
The resource management specialist serves as chief of maintenance and resources management for this National Historic Landmark. The division includes cultural resources, natural resources and maintenance. The variety and types of resources and work at the park lend themselves to a comprehensive and collaborative management approach represented by this position. This increases the challenges, opportunities and rewards of the position.
The 264-acre park has five miles of hiking trails, over 50 historic structures, extensive cultural landscapes, and a museum collection with over 340,000 objects.,
If you're a team player with excellent communications skills, believe in a collaborative management approach and have a passion for working closely with people in a common mission, please consider this vacancy. Internet resources to learn more about the park and area include the park's web site (www.nps.gov/CARL), the Henderson County web site (http://www.henderson.lib.nc.us/county/), Henderson County Travel & Tourism (http://www.hendersoncountync.org/travelhvl/), the Asheville website (http://www.exploreasheville.com/index.aspx) and the state web site (www.state.nc.us).
For more information, contact Steve Harrison (828-693-4178, steve_harrison@nps.gov ).
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type;=Announcements&id;=3363
All reports should be submitted via email to Lane Baker in the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services in the Washington Office and to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with copies to your regional office.