NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, June 4, 2002



                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, June 4, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-200 - Rock Creek Park (DC) - C.L. Investigation

On the morning of May 22nd, the Park Police received a phone call from a
man who reported the discovery of a human skull in the woods in Rock Creek
Park. A Park Police sergeant met the man on Broad Branch Road in
Washington. He led the sergeant into the woods to the site. Park Police
officers secured the area and called Metropolitan PD to investigate the
death, pursuant to a standard operating procedure in place with Metro PD
and the DC medical examiner. Later in the day, the ME announced that the
remains were those of C.L. The Park Police have provided
assistance in many ways during the investigation that has ensued, including
site security, media contacts, provision of police experts to help process
the scene, and provision of investigators to work with city police to check
out prior cases and possible suspects. On the morning of Friday, May 31st,
the last of the police tape was taken down and the area was reopened to the
public. Park Police will continue to assist Metro PD with any requests that
they might have. [Scott Fear, PIO, USPP, 5/31]

02-201 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Bear Incident

A woman who was jogging by herself in the Lake area received minor injuries
when she encountered a bear around 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 26th. A.T.,
a 32-year-old U.S. Post Office employee at Lake, was jogging around
the Lake Lodge cabin loop when she encountered a male sub-adult grizzly
bear approximately 15 yards to her right. A.T. immediately stopped and
stood perfectly still; she did not make eye contact with the bear, and
continuously reassured the bear that she was not a threat. The bear stood
up on its back legs and sniffed the air, then dropped to the ground and
slowly approach A.T. on her right side. When it reached her, it began
sniffing her from the waist down, then opened its mouth and - very gently -
closed its mouth around A.T.' right upper thigh. The bear applied a small
amount of pressure, then released her leg. A.T. received no injuries,
other than some very minor contusions; her skin was not broken from the
bite. After A.T. felt the bear release her leg, she reached for her water
bottle and squirted the bear between the eyes. The bear immediately ran
from the area. Park officials praised A.T. for how well she handled the
potentially life-threatening bear encounter, remaining calm and focused
throughout the ordeal. [Public Affairs, YELL, 5/30]

02-202 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue

The park's SAR team responded to a rappelling accident in the Pine Creek
slot canyon at 2 p.m. on June 1st. A 51-year-old man had been descending a
100-foot rappel at the end of the slot canyon when he lost control of the
rappel and fell the final 20 feet to the ground. Rescuers reached the
injured man at 3:30 p.m. and a park medic provided ALS treatment. The
patient was placed in a litter and an 800-foot guiding line system was used
to raise him and an attendant 600 feet to the canyon's rim. From that
point, he was carried about a mile to the main park road, then transported
to a hospital in St. George. Doctors determined that he'd suffered a
fractured left tibia, compressed lumbar vertebrae, and second degree rope
burns on both hands. Seventeen people were involved in the rescue, which
concluded at 10 p.m. Kevin Killian was the operations section chief. [Chuck
Passek, ZION, 6/2]

02-203 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Assault

On the evening of May 27th, a local Tupelo resident called park dispatch to
report that a man had been stabbed and that an ambulance was needed. The
victim, T.L.B. of Tupelo, was transported to the hospital and
underwent emergency surgery. T.L.B. reported that he and his girlfriend
S.E. were driving on the Natchez Trace Parkway near milepost 259 in
Tupelo when an argument broke out and she stabbed him. Alcohol was
involved. S.E. left the scene. A joint investigation is underway with the
Tupelo Police Department. Ranger David Atkins is the case agent. [Mike
Anderson, CR, NATR, 5/31]

02-204 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Sex Offense

A 47-year-old female stopped to use the restroom at the Colbert Ferry
Contact Station at milepost 327 in the Cherokee District on the morning of
May 28th. She was subsequently assaulted in the restroom by a 30- to
40-yeard old man who brandished a knife during the attack. After the
attack, he left the restroom and she returned to her car and drove home to
Tennessee, where she then sought medical treatment. Late that afternoon,
park dispatch received a third party phone report from the victim's son.
Several hours later, the victim was located and interviewed at her home in
Tennessee. A joint investigation with the Colbert County Sheriff's Office
(Alabama) is underway. Ranger David Henry is the case agent. [Mike
Anderson, CR, NATR, 5/31]

[Additional reports pending...]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 3

Initial attack was moderate yesterday in the Rockies, Southwest and
southern California, but light elsewhere. Ten new large fires were reported
and another three were contained.

Priorities for large fires in the Rockies are being established by the
Rocky Mountain multi-agency coordinating group. An area command team
(Chesley) is assigned to manage the large fires in southeastern Colorado.

Among the more significant fires on the NICC Incident Management Situation
Report were the following:

Newly Reported

Fort Carson Complex, Department of Defense (2,300 acres, 20% contained, 216
FF/OH) - Five of the fires in this complex of six fires on Fort Carson Army
Base in Colorado have been contained, but the sixth has been torching,
running and spotting and is moving south.

Middle Ponil Complex, New Mexico State (22,000 acres, 0% contained, no
report on number of FF/OH) - Van Bruggen's Type 2 team will assume command
of the fire today. The complex of three fires is burning in ponderosa pine
ten miles west of Cimmaron. Erratic winds, preheated fuels and severe
drought conditions are contributing to extreme fire behavior.

Previously Reported

Iron Mountain Fire, BLM's Royal Gorge Office (4,400 acres, 5% contained, no
report on number of FF/OH) - A Type 1 team (Martin) is managing the fire,
which is 12 miles north of Westcliffe, Colorado. Several subdivisions have
been evacuated and remain threatened. Electricity in the fire area has been
disrupted. Another 80 residences, about 100 outbuildings and many vehicles
have been lost. The acreage change from 6,400 to 4,400 stemmed from better
mapping.

Spring Fire, Colorado State (16,500 acres, 0% contained, no report on
number of FF/OH) - A Type 1 team (Wood) is managing the fire. The fire is
in New Mexico, seven miles west of Trinidad, Colorado, and is burning in
oak, white fir, pinyon pine, juniper and ponderosa pine. About 300 methane
gas wells are threatened; the settlement of Lorencito has been given an
evacuation warning.

Bullock Fire, Coronado NF (30,563 acres, 85% containment, 1,121 FF/OH) -
Humphrey's Type 1 team is managing the fire, which is burning in grass, oak
and chaparral about 15 miles northeast of Tucson. Crews are making
excellent progress building fire lines on Stratton Ridge and mopping up
along Mount Lemmon Highway.

Arrowhead Fire, San Bernadino NF (2,688 acres, 85% contained, 739 FF/OH ) -
A Type 2 team (Conrad) has been assigned to the fire, which is just a mile
north of San Bernadino. There was little activity on the fire yesterday.

Wolf Fire, Los Padres NF (5,930 acres, 10% contained, 1,153 FF/OH ) - A
Type 1 team (Gelobter) is managing the fire, burning in pinyon pine and
juniper about nine miles north of Ojai, California. Extreme fire behavior
was reported, including a significant run toward Pine Mountain ridge and
continuous spotting. Crews are constructing direct attack lines in
extremely rugged terrain on the north and south flanks.

Nizhoni Fire, Manti-LaSal NF (2,354 acres, 0% contained, 164 FF/OH) -
Burdick's Type 2 team is managing the fire, which is ten miles west of
Blanding, Utah. The fire made significant northeast runs toward Jackson
Ridge. Crews have anchored in and are flanking the fire. The Nizhoni
Campground and Timberline High Adventure Boy Scout Camp have been
evacuated.

Blackjack Bay Complex, Okefenokee NWR (121,559, 3% containment, 195 FF/OH)
- A fire use management team (Adams) is operating under a unified command
with Georgia and Florida forestry. The fire was very active on its southern
perimeter yesterday.

National Fire Danger

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Alaska, Arizona,
Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas,
Utah and Washington.

National Resource Commitments

                  Mon   Tue   Wed   Thu   Fri   Sat   Sun   Mon
Date              5/27  5/28  5/29  5/30  5/31  6/1   6/2   6/3

Crews             139   137   142   149   151   177   226   287
Engines           67    57    83    139   402   348   505   348
Helicopters       41    36    31    40    69    73    93    82
Air Tankers       1     2     1     2     2     4     2     2
Overhead          719   605   631   611   742   585   1,002 1,332
Type 1 IMT        2     2     2     2     1     1     2     4
Type 2 IMT        1     1     2     3     6     8     10    9
Fire Use IMT            1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1

Fire Warnings and Watches

NICC has issued

Park Fire Situation

Hawaii Volcanoes NP - Hot, dry and windy conditions are increasing the
activity of the Kupukupu Fire (3,660 acres, 0% contained, 136 FF/OH). Very
deep duff layers are contributing to strong reburn potential; continuously
moving lava has made portions of the fire too danger for crews.
Firefighters are burning out and mopping up along portions of the
perimeter.

Mesa Verde NP - The park remains in extreme fire danger. Two crews - the
Heat Seekers and Idaho Hotshots - remain staged in the park. May
precipitation was zero; long-term average precipitation is running at 31%.
This is the second driest season the park has experienced since record
keeping began in 1922.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme - Grand Canyon NP, Mesa Verde NP
Very High - Joshua Tree NP
High - Mojave NP

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 6/3; NICC Incident Management Situation
Report, 6/3-4]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Retired park ranger Rick Nichols passed away
Thursday evening, May 30th, after a long and courageous fight with cancer.
He was 44 years old. Rick began his National Park Service career in 1976,
fresh out of high school, working as a volunteer in the Wild Basin District
of Rocky Mountain National Park.  He subsequently worked several seasonal
positions in the park before obtaining his permanent status as an emergency
medical technician with the US Army in 1982. Rick returned to the National
Park Service in 1983 at Cuyahoga Valley NRA; from there he went to Grand
Canyon NP, back to Rocky Mountain NP, then to Sequoia/Kings Canyon National
Park as a district ranger in January, 1993.  He was reassigned back to
Rocky Mountain in February, 1994, as the park's management assistant in
order to be closer to family and medical treatment. Rick took a disability
retirement in November, 2000. He will be remembered for his integrity and
passion for life. One of Rick's last goals was to carry the Olympic torch,
which he did in Boulder, Colorado, in January of this year.  In lieu of
gifts and flowers, Rick's family requests that donations be made to the
Rick Nichols Memorial Fund, c/o The Boulder Valley Credit Union, P.O. Box
4049, Estes Park, Colorado  80517. A memorial service will be held this
Friday, June 7th at 11 a.m. in the Moraine Park Campground amphitheater.
[Joe Evans, CR, ROMO]

Cuyahoga Valley NRA (OH) - The park has a job opportunity for those
interested in learning the "rest of the duties" of a chief ranger. The
position is for a GS-025-9/11 protection ranger who is staff to the chief
ranger. This is a non-supervisory position and is covered by 6c. This
secondary law enforcement position requires a Type I commission; the person
in the position serves as park liaison with the federal magistrate court,
U.S. criminal attorneys, the clerk of courts, juvenile courts, the Central
Violations Bureau and the U.S. Marshalls Service for warrant service and
other offices. He/she also serves as park evidence officer, tort claims
officer, LE training coordinator and record keeper; supervises the park's
firearms training program, ammunition, and weapons; serves as the field
training program coordinator; oversees preparation of over 100 special use
permits per year; handles commercial filming permits; supervises a hostel
concession; handles commercial uses; and takes on a few more special
matters. She/he also develops and coordinates the preparation of proposed
new or revised guidelines and operating procedures for protection programs,
emergency operation planning, and evidence procedures. This is an
outstanding bridge position for those who are skilled and experienced in
field law enforcement duties at the district level and are eager to move
into law enforcement managerial positions. [Brian McHugh, CR, CUVA]

Chaco Culture NHP (NM) - The park has a critical need for a seasonal law
enforcement ranger or EMT or both through September 30th. The park has
exhausted two certs without being able to reach anyone for this position.
Any park with seasonals who have recently completed appointments and are
still looking for another position, please give us a call or send an email
message. Contact Gordon Ellison at 505-786-7014 ext. 237. [Gordon Ellison,
CR, CHCU]

                               *  *  *  *  *

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation
and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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