RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Thursday, January 17, 1991
*** NOTICE ***
We have contacted US Park Police and Department of Interior
security personnel to determine whether any threats have been
made against units of the National Park Service. Although all
areas in the District of Columbia and environs are in a
heightened alert state, they have advised us that no specific
threats have been received against sites in this area or
elsewhere. We will apprise you of any warnings which we may
receive over coming days.
INCIDENTS
91-13 - Everglades (Florida) - Followup on Military Aircraft Crash
The F16 which crashed in the eastern part of the park on the
15th was out of Homestead AFB and was conducting a live bombing
run in central Florida when it went down. The plane blew-up on
impact after the pilot safely ejected. The Air Force has
secured the area and plans to clean up debris and salvage
ordinance over the next six days. They also plan to send out
their environmental people to survey the site. The area is
within a wilderness eight miles southeast of Shark Valley and is
accessible only by helicopter. The park reports that no serious
resource damage occurred. [Keith Whisenant, ACR, EVER, via
CompuServe message from Bill Sturgeon, RAD/SERO, 1/16]
91-14 - Olympic (Washington) - Threat to Park
A park visitor reported finding a dead spotted owl nailed to a
park sign about a mile from the visitor center in Port Angeles
on the 14th. A threatening note was attached to the juvenile
bird which implied that a "fire to ignite social unrest" had yet
to be lit. The park is working closely with US Fish and
Wildlife Service special agents and their lab technicians to
gather further information. A significant reward is being
offered by Fish and Wildlife for information on the incident.
[Curt Sauer, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes,
RAD/PNRO, 1/16]
91-15 - Grand Teton (Wyoming) - Rescue
On January 10th, M.L. and R.H., both of California,
obtained a climbing permit for the Black Ice couloir, a long,
steep ice climb on the northwest side of the Grand Teton. They
planned to return on the 13th; when the pair failed to return by
7:00 p.m. that evening, friends reported them as overdue. Park
rescue personnel were highly concerned, since the climbers'
route is considered to be one of the most inaccessible,
difficult and dangerous routes in the Teton range. A winter
storm had also moved into the area on the night of the 10th and
was in the process of dropping over three feet of snow on the
mountains. A ground rescue effort up Garnet Canyon was ruled
out on the morning of the 14th due to unacceptably high
avalanche danger. A hospital-based helicopter from Idaho Falls
was brought in at midday on the 14th to initiate an air search
once the weather improved. A flight was attempted that
afternoon, but the crew was unable to find any sign of the
climbers in the lower elevations of the search area. Higher
flights were impossible due to snow and strong winds. The
weather cleared somewhat on the morning of the 15th. A
twin-engine BK 117 helicopter was subsequently employed to fly
two rangers up toward the Grand. They spotted M.L. and R.H.
near the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton at 11,600 feet and were
able to land, pick the two men up, and evacuate them to the
valley floor. The climbers were uninjured. Though running low
on food and fuel, they had elected to wait out the storm due to
their concern over the avalanche hazard on the descent route.
[Telefax from Teri Pancoast, GRTE, 1/16]
91-16 - Everglades (Florida) - Blimp Crash
A large Air Force-owned blimp deflated over the park and landed
on some mangroves yesterday afternoon. The blimp was tethered
in the Keys when its lines broke and it began drifting.
Aircraft pursued it, then gave it a radio order to deflate when
it was about 20 miles north of Flamingo. The collapsed blimp
settled into an area of the park which is inaccessible by either
foot or boat, and will have to be removed by helicopter. The
park will cooperate with the Air Force in efforts to remove it.
[Hunter Sharp, DR, EVER, via telephone report from Steve Smith,
RAD/SERO, 1/17]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Bison Management
On January 15th, the District Court of Montana denied the Fund
for Animals' request for emergency injunctive relief. The court
came to the following conclusions based on testimony given at
the hearings (these conclusions are not necessarily those of the
NPS):
(1) the bison population of approximately 3,000 represents a
surplus of 600 head over capacity;
(2) allowing natural regulation to control herd size is
"management through non-management;"
(3) about half of the Yellowstone bison herd is infected with
brucellosis;
(4) bison and livestock readily transmit brucellosis to each other;
(5) the 1990 Interim Bison Management Plan is equivalent to the
actions implemented in 1985, and, therefore, covered by the
environmental assessment conducted at that time;
(6) sterilization is not a viable means of control in bison;
(7) "Montana has received undeserved bad press and criticism for
reacting reasonably to a dangerous situation created by federal park
policy"; and
(8) "the Park Service can maintain its 'hands-off' policy of
bison non-management only so long as it has the cooperation of
Montana."
On the western side of the park, one bull was seen four to six
miles inside the boundary. No other sightings were reported in
the west. In the north, a large herd of over 100 bison was
reported on the Blacktail Deer Plateau between six and eight
miles inside the boundary. Another herd of 28 was near Undine
Falls, also six to eight miles inside the boundary. [Wildlife
and Vegetation Division, WASO]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Martin at regional chief
rangers' meeting, Arlington, VA (1/14-1/18); Coffey at Society for Range
Management annual meeting, Arlington, VA (1/14-1/17); Henry at meeting
with aircraft overflight research contractors, Harpers Ferry, WV
(1/14-1/18); Farabee at meeting on climbing bolting problems with
USFS, Phoenix, AZ (1/18-1/19).
Branch of Fire: Erskine at Zion (1/14-1/15) and museum curators'
workshop, Washington, DC (1/15-1/18); Gale at Zion (1/14-1/16) and review
of fire management for managers course, Denver, CO (1/16-1/17); Mattingly
at Zion (1/14-1/16); Farrel at museum curators' workshop, Washington, DC
(1/15-1/18); Botti at Western Region managers' workshop on fire effects
monitoring at Golden Gate (1/15-1/18).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
SEAdog: 1/650