Yosemite National Park (CA)
Major Search Underway For Missing Hiker
A large-scale search is underway in the park for R.H., 58, of Corcoran, California, who was last heard from on September 14th via cell phone while driving to the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point area near Glacier Point. R.H. is described as 5'8" tall with brown hair and brown eyes. He is not an experienced hiker but is in good health. Search and rescue teams from Fresno, Madera, Marin, Mono, and Tulare Counties have joined park staff in the search effort. Dog teams and air searchers are being used as well. Anyone who was hiking near the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point area or off of the Glacier Point Road between Friday and Sunday is asked to call Yosemite National Park at 209-372-0529. [Submitted by Adrienne Freeman, Public Affairs Officer]
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (CA)
Second Marijuana Plantation Raided
Agents and rangers from the WASO Investigate Services Branch and the park, working with the Shasta County Sheriff's Office SWAT and marijuana eradication teams, DEA, state officers, and the California National Guard, raided a major drug plantation run by a Mexican drug trafficking organization on Crystal Creek on September 10th and seized 13,857 marijuana plants. The raid was part of a week-long operation on NPS, USFS and private lands in which a total of 29,686 plants were destroyed. The Crystal Creek site was less than a mile from the complex raided on August 29th. This plantation sprawled over more than two acres, which sustained significant environmental damage. An investigation into this operation is continuing. [Submitted by Alan Foster, Special Agent]
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Man Bitten By Bear Near Mist Falls In Kings Canyon
A 65-year-old man was bitten by a bear in Kings Canyon National Park on the afternoon of Thursday, September 6th. The man had been sleeping on a rock near Mist Falls, a four-mile hike from Roads End in Cedar Grove. He was awakened by other visitors who were yelling to him to warn him that he was being approached by a bear. As he sat up, the bear bit his right thigh, causing numerous puncture wounds. The man yelled and swatted the bear, but the bear did not leave the immediate area. Several people helped scare it away. Ten days before the incident, warning signs were posted at the Roads End Ranger Station following reports of a small bear approaching people near Mist Falls. Wilderness rangers looked for the bear on several occasions, but could not find it. On Saturday, this yearling female bear was found, tranquilized and euthanized by bear management staff. The man's injury was treated by park medics at Roads End. He then went to Sierra Kings Hospital for further treatment. [Submitted by Alexandra Picavet, Public Affairs Specialist]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Bear Attack Prompts Temporary Area Closure
A man was mauled by a bear while elk hunting north of the park in the Beattie Gulch area on the morning of Friday, September 14th. The Forest Service subsequently closed a portion of the Gallatin National Forest due to public safety concerns, and the park closed an abutting section of Yellowstone west of Gardiner. The northeast corner of the closed section of the park is where Reese Creek meets the park's northern boundary west of the Yellowstone River. The closure continues southwest along the park boundary until turning due south to Electric Peak. From Electric Peak, the southern boundary of the closed area follows the Montana/Wyoming state line east back to Reese Creek. Reese Creek forms the eastern boundary of this temporarily closed area. Hikers and backcountry users are encouraged to check with staff at the Albright Visitor Center or the Backcountry Office in Mammoth Hot Springs before planning any trips into this section of the park. [Submitted by Public Affairs, Yellowstone National Park]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights
National Fire Activity — Preparedness Level 3
Initial attack was again light yesterday. Fifteen uncontained large fires are burning nationwide, down from 27 a week ago. Ten teams are committed.
Further information on the national situation can be found at http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm
Fire Summary
|
Date |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Sun |
|
Day |
9/9 |
9/10 |
9/11 |
9/12 |
9/13 |
9/16 |
|
Initial Attack Fires |
140 |
120 |
74 |
189 |
93 |
105 |
|
New Large Fires |
2 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
|
Large Fires Contained |
1 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
|
Uncontained Large Fires |
27 |
24 |
22 |
18 |
16 |
15 |
National Resource Commitments
|
Date |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Sun |
|
Day |
9/9 |
9/10 |
9/11 |
9/12 |
9/13 |
9/16 |
|
Area Command Teams |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
NIMO Teams |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Type 1 Teams |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
|
Type 2 Teams |
10 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
6 |
|
FUM Teams |
1 |
1 |
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
Fire Weather Forecast
Southern California should see less wind and a little cooler weather today. A storm system will bring cooler weather and showers to portions of the Northwest, Idaho and Montana today, while dry weather continues over California.
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
| Park | State | Fire | Type | Acres | Percent Contain |
Est. Full Contain |
| Dinosaur National Monument | CO | Harding | Wildland Fire Use | 0.1 | N/A | N/A |
 |
||||||
| North Cascades National Park | WA | Tolo Fire | Wildland Fire | 315 acres | 80 | 9-30-07 |
|
||||||
For more information, go to the NPS Fire and Aviation Management at http://www.nps.gov/fire/index.cfm
PARKS AND PEOPLE
73
Death Of Brad Cella
With great sorrow and heavy hearts, the NPS Fire and Aviation Management office learned of the death of Brad Cella on Saturday, September 15th. Brad died as a result of injuries sustained while sky diving outside of Star, Idaho. The accident is currently under investigation by local authorities.
Brad was 55 years old and had close to 30 years of distinguished service with the National Park Service. He worked primarily in fire and natural resource management fields, serving the last 25 years in Alaska Regional Office, most recently as the regional fire management officer. Brad recently accepted the job of budget and planning chief for the NPS Branch of Wildland Fire, at the National Interagency Fire Center, located in Boise, Idaho. Brad, his fiancée Laurie Williams and his sister Terri Cella were in the process of moving to Boise. Laurie and Terri are currently living in temporary quarters in Boise.
Condolences can be sent to Laurie Williams and Terri Cella at PO Box 164714, Boise, ID, 83715-6474. Flowers can be sent to Laurie and Terri, c/o NPS Fire Management, NIFC, 3833 S. Development Ave., Boise, ID, 83705.
Brad had many friends and two families — his NPS family and his family in the sky-diving community. Laurie, Terri and both of his families are currently planning for a "Cella-bration" of his life, to occur at 2:00 p.m. MT, on Saturday, September 22nd, in Boise, Idaho. Additional details about the celebration will be forthcoming.
[Submitted by Roberta D'Amico, Public Affairs Officer]
Northeast Region
Dennis Reidenbach Named Regional Director
Director Mary Bomar today announced the selection of Independence National Historical Park superintendent Dennis R. Reidenbach as the new regional director for the Northeast Region. He succeeds Bomar, who was sworn-in as director in October 2006.
Reidenbach will oversea an area that covers 13 states and serves over 55 million park visitors each year. Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ohio River and from Maine to Virginia, Northeast Region is home to a third of all NPS museum collections, a quarter of all historic structures, almost half of the country's National Historic Landmarks and more than half of the National Heritage Areas.
"Dennis Reidenbach has proven himself as an effective leader, and I am excited to announce that I have selected him to take the reins as the Northeast Regional Director," said Bomar." "Dennis has a wealth of experience and is highly respected not only in the Northeast Region, but throughout the NPS. He focuses on getting the job done and his willingness and ability to look at issues through new perspectives in the regional office will be an asset. I know that the Northeast Region will be managed successfully and with a high level of innovation."
Reidenbach has been with the National Park Service since 1983. He was appointed superintendent of Independence in November, 2005, after serving 12 years as deputy superintendent. As deputy superintendent, he supervised all day-to-day operations of the park. During this time, he had the lead responsibility for the development and implementation of the $300 million Independence Mall redevelopment plan that resulted in new facilities and park partnerships that still work to strengthen the many offerings available to visitors at the park.
Reidenbach joined Independence as administrative officer in January 1988, transferring from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office where he had served as the regional chief of contracting and property management since December 1983. Prior to that, he held a number of contract specialist positions since he joined the federal government in 1976, first with the Department of Defense then with the General Services Administration.
"I have been fortunate to work with some tremendous people both within and outside of the park service during my tenure at Independence," Reidenbach said. "I look forward to the opportunity to build even stronger relationships throughout the Northeast Region."
Reidenbach is a native of Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor of arts degree in business administration and political science from Grove City College. He lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Kristine. They have two adult sons.
[Submitted by Joanne Blacoe, Public Affairs Officer]
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.