RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Wednesday, April 24, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-120 - Lake Mead (Nevada/Arizona) - Unexploded Ordnance
A visitor reported finding an unexploded ordnance training
device at Jefferson Davis Cove on Lake Mohave on April 17th.
Ranger Glen Anderson and VIP Art Coleman investigated and found
an object which was approximately one and a half inches in
diameter and six inches long and had two wires protruding from
the top. Identifying lot numbers were ground off the device,
and it is believed that it was illegally obtained and
deliberately placed in the park. EOD personnel from Nellis Air
Force Base removed the device, which was estimated to have
contained about a pound of explosives. [Dispatch, LAME, via
CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4/22]
91-121 - Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska) - Poaching Conviction
J.M.S., 37, of Palmer, Alaska, who was arrested in the
fall of 1989 for poaching in the park, has been found guilty of
wanton waste in a state jury trial held in Glenallen. J.M.S.
had been hunting Dall sheep; he had salvaged only the cape and
horns from the sheep and had left the meat behind. He was
sentenced to 90 days in jail (83 suspended), ordered to pay a
$5,000 fine ($2,500 suspended), and prohibited from hunting for
five years. J.M.S. pled guilty in 1990 to federal charges of
unlawfully taking and transporting wildlife in the same incident.
He was fined $1,000, barred from hunting for two years, and
ordered to forfeit his scoped hunting rifle and spotting scope.
J.M.S. has been an avid sheep hunter for the past 30 years and
is a licensed taxidermist. [CompuServe message from Jay
Wells/Jim Hannah, WRST, 4/22]
91-122 - Joshua Tree (California) - MVA Involving Park Ranger
On the evening of April 20th, a drunk driver went through a stop
sign at 50 mph and collided with a patrol vehicle driven by park
ranger Nina Burnell. The driver kept on going and soon hit
another car head-on. He then attempted to flee on foot, but was
caught and arrested for felony drunk driving. His blood alcohol
registered .26. The driver was also found to be driving on a
revoked license and without auto insurance. Investigation
revealed that his license had been suspended for another felony
drunk driving incident. Burnell sustained an ankle sprain in
the accident; her partner, ranger Jeff Rickerell, suffered a
wrist sprain. All vehicles were total losses. [Paul Henry, CR,
JOTR, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4/22]
91-123 - Joshua Tree (California) - Illegal Weapons Possession
Charges have been filed on three juveniles for possession of
weapons an automatic machine gun, a rifle with a silencer
attached, and a homemade .22 caliber pistol with a silencer
attached while in the park. Names are being withheld due to
their ages. No further information is currently available.
[Paul Henry, CR, JOTR, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke,
RAD/WRO, 4/22]
91-124 - Joshua Tree (California) - Drug Arrests
Nine drug arrests were made in the park over the past weekend as
a result of an undercover drug operation. This brings the total
drug-related arrests for the year to 68. The park is also
investigating a threat made on a park ranger's life in
conjunction with the arrests. [Paul Henry, CR, JOTR, via
CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4/22]
91-125 - Joshua Tree (California) - Search and Rescue
On April 20th, the park received a phone call from a 911
operator in Wisconsin who said she'd received a report from a CB
operator in that state who said that he'd picked up a call for
help from a motorcyclist in Burdoo Canyon who had had a motor
vehicle accident and had suffered a broken leg. Rangers flew to
the canyon in a California Highway Patrol helicopter, found the
victim, and evacuated him to a local hospital. The motorcyclist
had made his call over a one-watt portable radio. [Paul Henry,
CR, JOTR, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4/22]
91-126 - Glen Canyon (Arizona/Utah) - Fuel Spill
During the night of April 16th, high winds blew the Wahweap
concession's marina fuel dock against the shore, thereby causing
a flexible diesel fuel hose to begin leaking. The spill,
estimated at a minimum of 100 gallons, was discovered at 7:00 am
on the following morning. Approximately 35 park and ARA Leisure
Services employees responded and deployed containment booms and
absorbent pads. An Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
hazardous materials specialist was dispatched from Phoenix to
provide technical assistance. Because of continuing gusty winds of up
to 40 mph, volatiles were released and fuel escaped into the
water table and outside the containment area. A new chemical
known as Bio-Safe was prescribed and 20 gallons of the material
were shipped by air to the scene. Application was complete by
10:00 pm. This was the first use of this material in Arizona,
which had only recently approved its use in the state. The
chemical is designed to cause molecular structure change to the
fuel, which then sinks to the bottom where algae begin digesting
it. The chemical appears to have worked well. Local wildlife
and fish appear to be minimally affected at this time. Cleanup
was completed 29 hours after discovery of the spill.
[CompuServe message from Larry D. Clark, CR, GLCA, 4/22]
[More pending reports tomorrow....]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No reports today.
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Dabney to Rocky Mountain Region superintendents'
conference (4/22-4/26) and Canyonlands (4/29-5/3).
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Halainen on detail to
House Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (3/8-4/26);
Henry on SL (indefinite).
Branch of Fire: Gale on NPS18 review in WASO (4/23-4/25).
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