Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (MO)
Ranger Fires Shots In Vehicular Assault Incident
On the evening of June 28th, a park dispatcher monitoring a security camera saw two individuals forcibly entering vehicles in the Old Cathedral parking lot. Rangers responded. The pair refused to comply with verbal commands from the first arriving ranger and entered a vehicle. They then drove the vehicle at the ranger in an aggressive manner, and the ranger fired a number of rounds at it. The vehicle exited the parking lot, struck a light pole, then left the area by driving against traffic on a one-way city street. The ranger was not injured, the suspects remain at large, and a multi-agency investigation is underway. [Submitted by Hugh Dougher, Regional Chief Ranger]
Valley Forge National Historical Park (PA)
Follow-up On Shooting Incident
The park rangers involved in the shooting at the park last Saturday have been identified as Duane Buck and John Waterman. Buck fired three shots at D.M., 43, after he threatened Buck, pointed a handgun at him, and refused to respond to verbal requests to put down the weapon. Neither ranger was hurt in the incident. D.M. is being treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and will be charged upon release from the hospital. The incident is being investigated by the NPS and the FBI, with significant assistance from the Chester County District Attorney's Office Detective Unit, Tredyffrin Township and Upper Merion Township. [Submitted by Mike Caldwell, Superintendent, and Jill Hawk, Regional Chief Ranger]
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HI)
Kilauea Eruption Saga Continues
The most recent eruption of Kilauea — officially referred to as Episode 56 in this decades-long eruptive cycle — continues. On Tuesday, June 19th, a small outbreak of lava oozed from a new fissure on the upper east rift of Kilauea. By Wednesday, the flow was reportedly stagnant and cooling. The threat of a lava-ignited wildfire from this lava breakout continues, however. Fire is smoldering and creeping in layers of decomposed ground vegetation in at least three areas near the recent lava flow. On Wednesday, firefighters from Hawaii Volcanoes and Whiskeytown worked to suppress the fires, employing a helicopter with a 100-gallon capacity bucket to drop water on the hotspots. Suppression efforts were begun in order to protect the surrounding rainforest of native plants and animals in the park's 2,700-acre East Rift Special Ecological Area. In anticipation of the need for a water source, firefighters set up five portable ponds with a capacity of 15,500 gallons of water at the Mauna Ulu parking lot, about four miles west of the new lava outbreak. Meanwhile, the eruption at Pu`u `O`o remains in a pause; no lava is flowing on the surface or into the sea. Here's a status report on park facilities, as of mid-week:
- Chain of Craters Road and Hilina Pali Road are closed.
- The park's eastern boundary in the Puna district near Kalapana is closed.
- All east rift and coastal trails and Captain's Drive trail are closed.
- Pu`u `O`o remains closed.
- Much of the remainder of the park is still open, including Crater Rim Drive and summit trails, Mauna Loa Road and trails, Ka'u Desert Trail from Highway 11, Kilauea Visitor Center, Jaggar Museum, Thurston Lava Tube, Namakanipaio Campground, Kipukapuaulu Trail and picnic ground, Volcano House Hotel, Kilauea Military Camp, and Volcano Art Center Gallery.
Additional information on the eruption and on the park can be found at a number of web sites, including the following:
Incident status reports — http://www.inciweb.org//incident/732/ , www.nps.gov/havo, or http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/hvostatus.php
Photos — http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava_photos_episode56.htm
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory webcam - http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam3/
The park has also issued a health advisory for visitors. Sulfur dioxide is always emitted from the summit of Kilauea and is a gas that can affect the respiratory system of susceptible visitors, including infants, young children, the elderly, and those with asthma and other pre-existing heart and lung disease. When driving along Crater Rim Drive near the Southwest Rift and Halema'uma'u Crater, visitors are being advised to stop only at designated pullouts, keep their windows closed, and set their air-conditioning on recirculation.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (WI)
Kayaker Rescued, Second Succumbs To Hypothermia
On the morning of Friday, June 22nd, B.H., 55, and his close friend T.Y., 52, departed from Meyers Beach in single person kayaks during calm lake conditions. The Friday morning forecast, however, called for northeast winds increasing to 10 to 20 knots by late morning, with waves building from two to four feet. The men paddled two miles to the Mainland Seacaves, then eastward along a two-mile stretch of steep sandstone bluffs. Upon their return, the wind increased rapidly and created waves that were three to four feet high. Hofsteadt's kayak overturned in a strong wave backwash from the sea caves. T.Y. tried to assist him, but also capsized due to the rough lake conditions. The high vertical cliffs and extensive sea caves offered no place for the kayakers to land. The two men attempted to swim with their kayaks but soon became separated. T.Y. made it to a submerged ledge at the base of the cliff and was able to stand in chest deep water. B.H. was last seen hanging onto his kayak, drifting southwest along the sea caves toward Meyers Beach. Visitors hiking on the Mainland Trail above the sea caves saw two empty kayaks and a person floating face down in the water. One of them ran back to Meyers Beach and reported the incident to a ranger at approximately 1:30 p.m. Park dispatch notified protection rangers, the Coast Guard, and the Bayfield County Sheriffs Department. One USCG vessel was conducting training at Cornucopia and was able to respond to the scene within six minutes. Crew members quickly located both men. B.H. was floating face down and was unresponsive when pulled from the water, so CPR was begun. The USCG vessel could not approach T.Y. due to violent wave conditions at the base of the cliff, so he was pulled aboard the vessel with a rope tied to a ring buoy. B.H. and T.Y. were transported four miles to Cornucopia, then taken by ambulance to the Ashland Medical Center. Hofsteadt was flown by helicopter to Duluth, but hospital efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. T.Y. was treated and released from the Ashland hospital that evening. Both kayakers were wearing life jackets at the time they capsized but were not wearing either wet suits or dry suits. It's not known if Hofsteadt's life jacket was zipped and fastened properly. At noon that day, the automated Devils Island weather station recorded wind speeds at 12 knots with a recorded air temperature of 45 degrees. The water temperature at Meyers Beach was approximately 41 degrees with waves estimated at three to four feet. When interviewed the next day, T.Y. told rangers that both men were in the water for over two hours. T.Y. said that he'd visited the sea caves on four prior occasions. B.H. was an avid canoeist, but this was his first time in a kayak on Lake Superior. [Submitted by Greg Zeman, Chief of Protection]
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (AK)
Hikers Rescued After Fall On Chilkoot Trail
On the morning of Monday, June 18th, two members of a family of four fell while ascending the Golden Stairs near the US/Canadian border on the Chilkoot Trail. The family consisted of an 80-year-old man, his two sons, and one of his grandsons. The weather was foggy at the time, with approximately 30 meters of visibility and winds of from 10 to 15 mph. A light rain and cool temperatures left the snow on the trail slick and icy. Two members of the party had hiked on ahead, leaving the 80-year-old man and his 50-year-old son behind. The older man thought that he was nearing the top of the first of two summits and stopped to look up to see how close he was. Due to the weight of his pack and the 60-degree slope, the action of looking upward set the man off balance and he began to slide downhill. The son attempted to stop his father by grabbing his foot as he slid past, but was unsuccessful. Both men slid about 70 to 80 meters down the slope. A GPS in their possession later revealed that they had traveled at a top speed of 39.8 mph before they came to rest in an exposed talus slope. Ranger Jeremy Prater responded from the summit and found both patients alert, sitting up, and calmly talking. The older man had lacerations to his forehead and eye which were bleeding profusely; the younger man had various lacerations, the worst of which was an avulsion on his left tibia, just below the knee, which went all the way to the bone. Despite the severity of the cut, it was not bleeding and there was no obvious deformity and he had full range of motion and sensation in his foot. A Parks Canada patrol person arrived on scene to assist with medical care. Both patients were stabilized, dressed in warmer clothes, and given hot food and drink while rangers and the patrol person assessed the possibility of evacuating the patients off the mountain. Due to the fog, the stability and willingness of the patients, and the potential for hypothermia while waiting for the weather to shift, a decision was made to move to a lower elevation where a helicopter landing zone could be established. During the slow descent, the fog began to lift and a closer LZ was established. A TEMSCO helicopter flew Skagway VFD chief Mark Kirko and firefighter/EMT Colin Aikman to the LZ, and the patients were transported to the Dahl Memorial Clinic in Skagway for treatment. The park extends its thanks to Parks Canada and the Skagway Volunteer Fire Department for their assistance during the incident. Ranger Dave Keltner was IC. [Submitted by Jacqueline Ashwell, Dyea Ranger]
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (GA)
Suicide Victim Found In River
Canoers found the body of a 45-year-old man from Roswell, Georgia, in the Chattahoochee River on the afternoon of June 21st. Investigating rangers and Roswell PD officers found the man face down with a gunshot wound to his body. A search of the riverbank led to the recovery of personal belongings and a revolver. The man had last been seen the previous day and had been reported missing. The initial finding was that the death was a suicide. A follow-up investigation is being conducted. [Submitted by Scott Pfeninger, Acting Superintendent]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights
National Fire Activity — Preparedness Level 2
Initial attack was heavy on Thursday, with 364 new starts recorded. Seven became large fires. Alaska, California and Florida are seeing increased wildland fire activity.
Further information on the national situation can be found at http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm
Fire Summary
|
Date |
Thu |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
|
Day |
6/21 |
6/24 |
6/25 |
6/26 |
6/27 |
6/28 |
|
Initial Attack Fires |
160 |
138 |
334 |
184 |
201 |
364 |
|
New Large Fires |
3 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
8 |
7 |
|
Large Fires Contained |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
|
Uncontained Large Fires |
12 |
14 |
18 |
16 |
18 |
19 |
National Resource Commitments
|
Date |
Thu |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
|
Day |
6/21 |
6/24 |
6/25 |
6/26 |
6/27 |
6/28 |
|
Area Command Teams |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
NIMO Teams |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Type 1 Teams |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Type 2 Teams |
3 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
|
FUM Teams |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
The full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report (a PDF file) can be obtained at http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
NPS Fire News
Great Smoky Mountains NP — The park announced yesterday that all the trails closed due to the 970-acre Buck Shank Fire near Abrams Creek have now been reopened. The fire was declared contained on June 4th, but the trails could not be reopened safely until crews could remove any downed trees obstructing them and cut down any partially burnt snags that might fall on hikers.Backcountry Campsite #17 along the Little Bottoms Trail remains closed until any remaining hazardous trees can be removed. [Bob Miller]
*******
For brief supplemental narratives on 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
For more information, go to the NPS Fire and Aviation Management at http://www.nps.gov/fire/index.cfm
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide
Upcoming Training Calendar
Please submit information on upcoming training courses to Bill Halainen. New listings and revisions are in bold face.
**********************************************************************************************************
July 30 — August 3
Fundamentals of Special Park Uses, DOI Learning Center in Albuquerque, NM. The 36-hour course covers all aspects of special park uses from First Amendment rights to filming and photography to wireless telecommunication sites. Temporary food services and other health and safety issues related to special park uses will also be discussed. DO-53/RM-53 is covered in depth, as well as 36 CFR and NPS Management Policies 2006. A draft agenda is posted on the special park uses web page. For more information, contact Lee Dickinson in WASO at 202-513-7092.
August 13 — August 17
Inland Search and Rescue Planning, Yorktown, VA. Advanced course for experienced on-scene SAR decision makers, planners, operations leaders and direct support staff members. Closes on July 19th. For further information, contact the National Search and Rescue School at the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia (757-856-2272, sar.school@langley.af.mil ). For the full text of the course memorandum, go to http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/2007%20Inland%20SAR%20School%2Epdf
August 27 — August 31
Law Enforcement Control Tactics Instructor Refresher Training, FLETC, GA. Closes on July 8th. To register, contact Wiley Golden at 912-267-2246. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=574&id=4024
September 17 — September 21
Inland Search and Rescue Planning, Port Deposit, MD. Advanced course for experienced on-scene SAR decision makers, planners, operations leaders and direct support staff members. Closes on August 9th. For further information, contact the National Search and Rescue School at the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia (757-856-2272, sar.school@langley.af.mil ). For the full text of the course memorandum, go to http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/2007%20Inland%20SAR%20School%2Epdf
August 13 — August 17 (tentative)
Natural and Cultural Resources Law and Policy for Superintendents, Horace M. Albright Training Center, Grand Canyon, AZ. This course will be held the week of August 13th, most likely for four days. The course will be a dynamic, interactive training opportunity that will provide superintendents with the legal, regulatory, and policy foundations for park natural and cultural resource management, along with examples of current park issues, conflicts, and tools for resolution. For more information, please contact Pam Holtman at 928-638-7930 or Pam_Holtman@nps.gov , or Jeri Hall at 928-638-7927 or Jeri_Hall@nps.gov .
August 14 — August 17
Natural and Cultural Resources Law and Policy for Superintendents, Horace M. Albright Training Center, Grand Canyon, AZ. The course will provide superintendents with the legal, regulatory, and policy foundations for park natural and cultural resource management, along with examples of current park issues, conflicts, and tools for resolution. Apply through DOI Learn. On the "Welcome" page, click on "Course Catalog" near the top and then "Catalog." Type NPS-NRS4021 in the search field. Click on the class and follow the instructions you see at the bottom of the page. Please register by COB Friday, July 6th. If you have questions, please contact Pam Holtman at 928-638-7930 or pam_holtman@nps.gov at 928-638-7927 or jeri_hall@nps.gov. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/nrs4021.doc
August 20 — August 24
Archeological Resources Protection Training, Refuge Alamosa, CO. To register, contact Wiley Golden at 912-267-2246. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=574&id=4024
September 10 — September 21
Physical Fitness Coordinator Training, Glynco, FLETC, GA. Closes on July 24th. To register, contact Wiley Golden at 912-267-2246. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=574&id=4024
September 10 — September 21
Firearms Instructor Training, Glynco, FLETC, GA. Closes on July 17th. To register, contact Wiley Golden at 912-267-2246. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=574&id=4024
September 11 — September 21
Survival Shooting Training, Glynco, FLETC, GA. Closes on July 24th. To register, contact Wiley Golden at 912-267-2246. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=574&id=4024
September 11 — September 14
Archeological Resources Protection Training, Panama City, FL. To register, contact Wiley Golden at 912-267-2246. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=574&id=4024
October 28 — November 3
Advanced Resource Protection Training, San Luis Obispo, CA. Closes on August 27th. To register, contact Wiley Golden at 912-267-2246. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=574&id=4024
November 6 — November 8
Advanced Firearms Instructor Training, San Luis Obispo, CA. Closes on September 17th. To register, contact Wiley Golden at 912-267-2246. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=574&id=4024
Servicewide
Upcoming Events Calendar
Please submit information on upcoming events to Bill Halainen. New listings and revisions are in bold face.
**********************************************************************************************************
July 31
World Ranger Day. Sponsored by the International Ranger Federation, World Ranger Day will recognize the efforts of rangers around the world to protect the last vestiges of the earth's natural and cultural heritage. The event will feature the premier of a documentary on rangers called "The Thin Green Line." For more information, go to http://www.thingreenline.info/newsfront .
September 9 — September 12
Parks, Peace and Partnerships Conference, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada. This special international conference has been convened to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park, the first in the world. Complete details on the conference can be found at: http://www.peaceparks2007.org/index.php
September 30 — October 6
"Conservation, Integration and Livelihoods for Latin American People," Second Latin American Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas, Bariloche, Argentina. For details, go to http://www.congresolatinoparques2007.org/
October 2 — October 6
Geographic Names Conference, Lexington, KY. The annual conference of the Council of Geographic Names Authorities will be held in Kentucky this year. For details on the agenda, go to http://cogna50usa.org/
October 6 — October 10
30th Anniversary Ranger Rendezvous, Association of National Park Rangers, Yarrow Resort and Conference Center, Park City, UT. For further information, go to http://www.anpr.org/anprrr.htm
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.