RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Friday, June 14, 1991
INCIDENTS
90-359 - Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - Followup on
Arrests
Three men were arrested for hunting bears in the park late on
the night of September 28, 1990, and the subsequent
investigation resulted in federal charges against each of them.
On April 30th, judgement was rendered by the U.S. magistrate in
Bryson City, North Carolina. Both W.P.O. and S.O.
pled guilty to violating the Lacey Act, and each was
sentenced to five years probation, fined $1,000, and ordered to
pay $1,035 in restitution for one black bear. H.L.R.
was found guilty of aiding and abetting the hunters and was
sentenced to two years probation and fined $500. All three men
were banned from all federal lands in North Carolina and
Tennessee during the periods of their probations. Two vehicles
and a firearm were seized in the case, but were returned to the
defendants as part of the plea bargain. Although the state
elected not to file charges, the North Carolina Wildlife
Resources Commission was instrumental in the development of the
federal case. [CompuServe message from Jason Houck, CR, GRSM,
6/12]
91-218 - Glacier (Montana) - Search; Arrest for Wildlife
Reintroduction
On June 7th, S.O. and R.T. arrived in the
park and obtained a backcountry permit for three nights in the
Quartz area. The hikers reportedly lost the trail in Cummings
Meadow and became separated while trying to regain it. Neither
party had a map, but Trosper had a compass and was able to find
his way back to the trailhead. He waited a day and a half for
Obert to return before reporting him missing to park rangers.
Trosper also confessed that S.O. had two 15-month-old gray wolves
with him and that he intended to release them in the park. It
was also determined that S.O. had little food, but was well
equipped and very experienced at survival. A helicopter and two
dog teams were brought into the park to begin a search for him
on June 10th, but S.O. returned to the Quartz Creek trailhead
before the dog teams could be deployed. Rangers met him there.
The wolves had been roaming freely while S.O. had been in the
backcountry, but had returned to him on several occasions; he
was able to successfully capture them and bring them to the
Polebridge Ranger Station that evening. S.O. was charged with
introducing wildlife into a park area and improper disposal of
refuse. He appeared before a U.S. magistrate on the 11th and
pled guilty to both charges. The magistrate fined him $500 and
sentenced S.O. to six months in jail for each of the two
charges, but deferred sentencing pending S.O.'s successful
transfer of ownership of the wolves toa credible institution
within 30 days. The magistrate also said that he would deduct
any cost S.O. incurs in legally relocating the wolves from the
$1,000 fine, and told S.O. that it would be up to the park to
decide whether recovery of search costs approximately $3,400
would be made a part of the sentence. Superintendent Gil Lusk
has stated that the park will pursue restitution of all costs
associated with the incident. During the investigation of the
case, rangers learned that S.O. had purchased the male/female
pair as small pups in his home state of Tennessee and that he
had raised them on mountainous property in the eastern part of
the state. S.O. claimed that they were full-blooded wolves and
said that they had been taught to hunt small game and existed
only on what they caught. He intended to leave the wolves to
establish a new pack rather than to join the existing Camas pack.
It is likely, however, that the introduced animals would have
been killed by wolves from that pack; even if this hadn't
happened, the wolves could have introduced diseases or wolf
hybrids conditioned to people among them. Further details on
S.O.'s sentence will be released as information becomes
available. [Telefaxed news release from Amy Vanderbilt, GLAC,
6/12]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION Preparedness Level II
One geographic area experiencing high fire danger. Numerous
Class A, B, and C fires occurring and a potential exists for
escapes to larger (project) fires. Minimal mobilization of
resources from other geographic areas occurring. The potential
exists for mobilizing additional resources from other geographic
areas.
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 6/13 6/14 Status
AK FWS Yukon Delta NWR B242 3,500 3,500 CL
NOTES:
Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report).
T1 and T2 indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
Status - The following abbreviations are employed:
* NR No report received * MS Modified suppression strategy
* CN Contained * MN Being monitored
* CL Controlled * None No estimate of containment
* CS Confinement strategy
3) ANALYSIS - Most areas around the country are experiencing
initial attack activity, but no large fires are currently
burning.
4) PROGNOSIS - No resource shortages are anticipated.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0543 MDT, 6/14]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No reports today.
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Marriott and Schamp at
critical incident stress review team meeting, Arlington, VA
(6/11-6/14); Coffey on annual leave (6/13-6/14); Martin on annual leave
(6/13-6/14); Halainen on annual leave (6/14)
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Norum at meeting of NWCG prescribed fire and
fire effects working team, Fairbanks, AK (6/906/15).
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)
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