The Morning Report for Friday, August 24, 2007

INCIDENTS

New River Gorge National River (WV)
BASE Jumping Conviction

Ranger Randy Fisher saw a parachute opening under the New River Gorge Bridge while on patrol on August 13th. He then saw a woman running toward what appeared to be a getaway vehicle at the park's river access below the bridge. He ordered her to stop, but she refused to comply. As she fled, she discarded a handheld radio. Fisher pursued and apprehended her, then attempted to catch the BASE jumper. He disappeared into the woods, though, which led to a four-hour-long interagency search. The man was finally caught and both were held at the Southern Regional Jail until they could appear before a federal magistrate on the following morning. The man, identified as Donald Heckel, pled guilty to violation of the regulation prohibiting parachuting in the park; the woman, identified as Rachel Streusand, pled guilty to aiding and abetting. Fisher was assisted by rangers Charles Mitchem and Sandy Shuck, a ranger trainee, and Fayette County and Fayetteville officers. [Submitted by Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]

Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Climber Rescued By Helicopter From Grand Teton

Rangers used a Teton interagency contract helicopter to rescue an injured climber from the Grand Teton on the evening of Wednesday, August 15th. V.W., 56, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and his nephew, M.B., 23, of De Pere, Wisconsin, had summited the Grand Teton using the Owen-Spalding route and were using a rope to descend Sargeant's Chimney when V.W. fell 15 to 20 feet and sustained injuries to his head, right arm and elbow. M.B. used his cell phone to call 911, and the call was routed to the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center around 3 p.m. A park ranger on a routine climbing patrol in the area hastened his ascent to the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton. An Exum guide, also in the area, volunteered to assist and hiked towards the Lower Saddle with the ranger. Based on V.W.'s location, the nature of his injuries, and the time of day, a Teton interagency contract helicopter was summoned to make a reconnaissance flight and deliver two park rangers to the Lower Saddle to begin staging a rescue operation. Two additional rangers hiked to the Lower Saddle on foot and the helicopterwas subsequently used to transport four more rangers, with rescue gear, to the Lower Saddle. Park rangers reached V.W. around 5:15 p.m. When there is no suitable spot to land a helicopter, the short-haul method is used to place rescue personnel, who are suspended below the helicopter by a double rope system, into a location near the patient; the injured person is then secured into either an evacuation suit or a rescue litter to be airlifted for a short flight to another landing spot where the ship can safely touch down. After rangers provided emergency medical care to V.W. just below the summit of the Grand, he was placed in a litter and short-hauled from Sargeant's Chimney to the Lower Saddle. Rangers were then able to place the litter inside the helicopter and V.W. was flown to the Lupine Meadows rescue facility on the valley floor just after 8 p.m. V.W. was transported by park ambulance to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further treatment of his injuries. [Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Specialist]

Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Body Recovered From Below North Rim

The crew of a helicopter conducting a reconnaissance of the North Rim while monitoring the Roosevelt Fire last Tuesday afternoon spotted the body of a woman about 150 feet below the rim at Walhalla overlook. An unattended rental car, believed to be hers, was subsequently found in the overlook parking lot. Due to hazardous terrain and significant risk of rock fall, the body was recovered using a helicopter short-haul insertion and extraction operation. The body was flown to the South Rim helibase, then taken to the Coconino County medical examiner's office in Flagstaff for identification and determination of cause of death. [Submitted by Maureen Oltrogge, Public Affairs Officer]

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Rangers Respond To Fatal Out-Of-Park Shooting

On the afternoon of August 19th, park dispatch advised rangers that a man who'd been target shooting near the Marble Canyon water tanks had been shot in the head. Rangers Kerry and Deanne Haut from Glen Canyon and Paul Ehlert from Grand Canyon responded to the incident, which was outside the park's boundary. Efforts by the rangers and Classic Lifeguard helicopter medical personnel to resuscitate S.K. proved fruitless and he was declared dead at the scene. S.K. died of a single gunshot wound to his head form a .38 revolver. Preliminary investigation indicates that it was self-inflicted and that S.K.'s fiancée witnessed the shooting. The county sheriff's office is investigating. [Submitted by Lindy Mihata, Acting Chief Ranger]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights

National Fire Activity — Preparedness Level 5

Initial attack was moderate yesterday. Thirty-one teams are committed nationally.

As of August 23rd, the Department of the Interior's agencies had 2,751 people committed to fires nationwide, including 71 crews. Sixty-seven agency engines and eight helicopters were also committed. The NPS total came to seven crews, four engines, three helicopters and 384 people.

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	8/16	8/19	8/20	8/21	8/22	8/23
Initial Attack Fires	112	136	148	104	305	201
New Large Fires	5	4	3	7	4	4
Large Fires Contained	9	5	3	1	2	10
Uncontained Large Fires	54	53	50	54	56	45

National Resource Commitments

Date	Thu	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu
Day	8/16	8/19	8/20	8/21	8/22	8/23
Area Command Teams	3	3	3	3	3	3
NIMO Teams	1	2	2	2	2	2
Type 1 Teams	11	13	12	11	11	9
Type 2 Teams	17	17	17	14	15	12
FUM Teams	5	6	5	5	5	5

The full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report (a PDF file) can be obtained at http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf

Fire Weather Forecast

Warmer and drier in the West. Much of the West will see warmer and drier weather today with an area of gusty winds stretching from southern Nevada to Wyoming. Most of the Southeast will be hot and dry except for thundershowers over Florida.

NPS Fire News

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

No updates on National Park Service fires have been received since yesterday.

For more information, go to the NPS Fire and Aviation Management at http://www.nps.gov/fire/index.cfm

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Director/Deputy Directors
Eligible Centennial Matching Fund Proposals Announced

Build park trails, save sea turtles, start more "go green" energy projects, and guide students to stewards are just a few of the proposals eligible for centennial challenge matching funds announced Thursday at Yosemite National Park by Director Mary Bomar and Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.

"We are ready to go!" Bomar said. "We certified only the very best proposals that are ready to go and had an engaged partner committed to provide at least a 50 percent cash match. These are projects that can begin in Fiscal Year 2008 which is less than six weeks away."

Secretary Kempthorne said the proposals represent a total investment of $370 million with nearly $216 million in private financial commitments.

"Those who doubted us said we'd be lucky if we could attract $20 million. The actual result is stunning," Kempthorne told USA Today.

Kempthorne laid out the presidential initiative at a Founder's Day event one year ago. He said the vision of the Centennial Initiative is to energize the National Park Service with up to $3 billion in additional funding before its 100th anniversary in 2016.

The initiative calls for $1 billion over 10 years to strengthen basic park operations, and a challenge from President Bush: create a public-private funding vehicle of up to $2 billion for new projects and programs with the goal of a $100 million public-private match each year for 10 years.

Both the House and Senate include record park operations increases in a pending National Park Service fiscal year 2008 budget. Bomar said Congress is still at work on legislation to authorize private-public funding for the centennial proposals. "We are ready — with Congress providing the final key with a centennial challenge fund - to transform our parks and awaken the spirit of wonder for another century of visitors," Bomar said.

"I've testified before Senate and House subcommittees and judging by the warm reception we received, I believe Congress will include centennial challenge money in our next budget," Bomar said. "We look forward to working with members from both sides of the aisle to provide the key to the centennial challenge. When that happens we can make decisions on which of these wonderful proposals to begin in the fall."

The list of proposals for 2008 — at 116 parks in 40 states and the District of Columbia — touches parks nationwide with a centennial effort to inventory every living thing in the national park system in the next decade.

Bomar termed the proposals as both 'big dollar, big impact' and 'small dollar, big impact.' They illustrate the National Park Service centennial vision and goals of stewardship, environmental leadership, education, recreational experience and professional excellence.

To be certified, proposals had to address at least one of the five over-arching centennial goals. They also had to be imaginative and innovative, address critical Service needs, have a philanthropic partner, require little or no additional recurring operating funds to be sustainable, improve the efficiency of park management, operations and employees and produce measurable results

Example proposals:

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park adopting the Class of 2016 with the goal of turning students to stewards.
Additional student education through Acadia National Park's "No Child Left Inside" project.
Strengthening efforts to save Kemp's ridley sea turtles — the world's most endangered sea turtle — with citizens assisting park rangers to observe and relocate nests on Padre Island National Seashore, the turtle's most important U.S. nesting habitat.
Restoration of more than 50 miles of important foot trails in Yosemite National Park.
Climate change research of glaciers at Mount Rainier National Park and
Utilizing scientists and volunteers to study life along the Appalachian Trail seeing national parks as an environmental barometer.

"There is a huge wave of excitement among National Park Service professionals and our partners," Bomar said. "We will create park-based centers for Junior Rangers, implement cutting-edge energy projects like fuel cells and geothermal and build multimedia wayside exhibits that "talk" to visitors. This is a victory for national parks and over 270 million park visitors we see each year."

"Last week, I sent an email to the men and women of the National Park Service to inform them of our announcement. One of the replies I received says it best: 'This is thrilling! A win/win opportunity like we've never seen before. Thanks for the energy and vision for the NPS.'

"That thanks is for the many who worked to transform vision into action: Secretary Kempthorne and our friends in Congress, from both sides of the aisle who introduced legislation to support the Centennial. But most of all, our thanks go to park superintendents, friends groups, partners and an army of supporters."

"When history is written," Bomar said, "the Centennial Initiative will be second only to the creation of the National Park System itself.

The full list of centennial challenge-eligible proposals and centennial strategies is available on-line at www.nps.gov/2016
[Submitted by Jeffrey G. Olson, WASO Public Affairs] More Information...

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (LA)
Ranger Named Cajun of the Year

The "Cajun of the Year" for 2007 wears a flat hat.

Claudia Wood, park ranger at the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Eunice, Louisiana, was named "Cajun of the Year" by the Cajun French Music Association Charter Chapter at an awards ceremony in Lafayette on August 16th.

Wood was a co-founder of the association in 1984 and as a member since that time has worked tirelessly to promote and preserve Cajun culture and music. She is a direct descendent of Acadians who were exiled from Acadie (now Nova Scotia in Canada) by the British in 1755. Her ancestors eventually moved to south Louisiana where they and their fellow immigrants became known as Cajuns.

Wood is an accomplished guitarist who coordinates the center's weekly jam session. She has worked for the National Park Service and at the center since 1991.

Wood said, "When I read the letter of nomination, I didn't realize I'd done all those things! I didn't really have any big plan or motivation. I was just being myself."

Karl Hakala, unit manager for Jean Lafitte's Acadian cultural centers, said, "Claudia Wood continues to be an exceptional resource person not only for the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center but for the park as a whole. Her knowledge of Cajun culture and the local community has been invaluable in establishing partnerships and developing programs." [Submitted by Karl Hakala, karl_hakala@nps.gov, 337-232-0789 ext. 13]

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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.