RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Thursday, July 25, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-308 - Olympic (Washington) - Followup on Oil Spill
As of the latest report, received on Tuesday evening, analysts
were predicting that the spill from the Tenyo Maru would move to
the southeast and approach within ten to fifteen miles of the
Washington coastline by Wednesday. The oil was then expected to
head to the south and move down the coast. Oil spill cleanup
operations are underway. Several Interior agencies which have
areas that could be affected by the spill, including the NPS,
Fish and Wildlife Service, and BIA, have been notified and are
beginning preparatory activities. [Telefax from NOAA, 7/24;
report from John Donahue, OEA/WASO, 7/24]
91-315 - Big Bend (Texas) - Followup on Body Discovery
The investigation of the death of the person whose body was
found in the Rio Grande on the 19th continues. The victim's
teeth and finger pads were found to have been removed, and it
has been determined that he died from blunt trauma to the head.
According to the coroner, the body had been in the river for
more than ten days. A Chevrolet sedan registered to a female at
a fictitious address in Houston was found in the nearby
Blackdyke area hidden under brush, and investigators are
attempting to determine if there is a linkage between the body
and the vehicle. The two people last seen with the vehicle are
still missing. The FBI has assigned an agent to the
investigation. [Roger Moder, BIBE, via telefax from RAD/SWRO,
7/24]
91-322 - Big Bend (Texas) - Fatality
The body of a child was found in a burned van in the Solis
backcountry campground recently. It's been determined that the
van arrived in the park some time between July 13th and the 20th.
The van's owner reportedly was to have given custody of his
daughter to her mother on July 11th. When the father and child
failed to arrive, she contacted authorities. The father is
still missing. Solis and Blackdyke, scene of the above incident,
are separated by four hours of backcountry roads, and it is
unknown whether the incidents are related. [Roger Moder, BIBE,
via telefax from RAD/SWRO, 7/24]
91-323 - Death Valley (California) - Search in Progress
A major search has been begun for P.H., 41, who is
overdue from a roundtrip hike from Badwater Springs to Telescope
Peak. P.H.'s car was found along the road by ranger patrols on
Sunday, July 21st. The search got underway when investigators
learned on the 24th that P.H. was to have arrived in Oregon on
July 23rd. Daytime temperatures have approached 120 degrees,
with ground temperatures above 180 degrees. Because of the high
heat, it has not been possible to utilize dog teams. [Dale
Antonich, CR, DEVA, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke,
RAD/WRO, 7/24]
91-324 - North Cascades (Washington) - Falling Fatality
On July 21st, H.F., 44, and S.S., both from Hawaii,
went on a day hike to Cascade Pass. After reaching the summit
around 6:00 p.m., H.F., a geologist, decided to leave the trail
and descend directly down the steep rocky sloop to the Cascade
River road. S.S. hiked back down the trail and waited for
H.F.; when he failed to arrive, S.S. went back up the trail to
look for him. Just before 9:00 a.m. the next morning, S.S.
went to the Marblemount backcountry office and reported that H.F.
was overdue. Rangers began an immediate ground search and
summoned a helicopter. Just before noon, rangers in the
helicopter spotted Fok's body. H.F. had descended 700 vertical
feet from the summit and was bushwhacking through thick
huckleberry and hemlock when he apparently stepped off a rock
cliff, fell about 20 feet, struck his head, then slid down
another 50 feet. The body was evacuated by helicopter and
turned over to the local coroner for an autopsy. [CompuServe
message from RAD/PNRO, 7/24]
91-325 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Theft
During the night of July 23rd, a thief or thieves broke into a
campground pipe safe and attempted to break into two others in
the park. A hook from a vehicle power winch was hooked on to
the safe padlocks and pulled until something gave way. Two
attempts were unsuccessful; on the third try, the weld on the
pipe safe plate broke and the contents were removed. This is
the second year that rangers at Sequoia/Kings have seen this MO
employed, and are trying to develop leads from it. District
Ranger Mike Murray would like to hear from anyone who has
experienced similar problems. You can reach him at 2095653341
x510 or FTS 4613341 x510. [Mike Warren, SEKI, via CompuServe
message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/24]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) ACTIVITY LEVEL Planning Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/24 7/25 Status
AK BIA Southwest Area B544 4,710 4,710 NEC
FWS Up. Yukon Zone B460 77,770 79,610 NEC
MT USFS Gallatin NF Thompson Crk. T1 7,746 7,746 CN 7/26
WA USFS Mt. Baker
Snoqualmie NF Illabot 400 340 CN 7/29
ID BLM Burley Dist. Bear Trap 400+ 2,000 CN 7/24
Alaska also has 11 fires under modified suppression strategy for
382,085 acres and 42 fires under limited suppression for 545,357 acres.
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 NEC No estimate of containment
CS Confinement strategy DM Demobed
3) 1990/1991 COMPARATIVE ACTIVITY SUMMARY
Fires Acres
1990 (Year-to-date) 39,412 2,030,936
1991 (Year-to-date) 40,824 1,740,533
1990-1991 (% difference) + 4% 14%
4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack operations are increasing in many
areas in the West because of thunderstorms. Smokejumpers are
still being deployed. Fires are remaining small because of
moisture accompanying the storms.
5) PROGNOSIS - The potential for holdover fires from recent
lightning activity exists. No resource shortages expected.
[Fire Management Situation Report, NIFCC Intelligence Section,
7/25]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Saguaro (Arizona) - Peregrine Falcons
Members of the resource management and visitor protection staff
are monitoring two adult and three fledgling peregrine falcons
who have been regularly observed in the area around Helen's Dome
in the Rincon Mountain wilderness over the past month. Although
peregrines were observed in the area last summer, this is the
first indication that they have successfully nested there.
Arizona, which has over 200 confirmed nests in the state and the
highest number of nesting pairs outside of Alaska, has made no
efforts to reintroduce peregrines in the state. [Bryan Swift,
CR, SAGU, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/24]
THIS DAY IN NPS SAR HISTORY...
July 25, 1935 Dr. Carl Sharsmith, now 88 and the oldest living
active park ranger, fell 100 feet of Yosemite's Mt. McClure and
suffered a broken hip and a gashed forehead. A member of his
party used an animal taxidermy kit to sew up his head. [Butch
Farabee, PAIS]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Dick Martin is the acting division chief.
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Coffey at conference of
regional resource management specialists, Indiana Dunes, Indiana
(7/22-7/26); Schamp and Marriott at National Technical
Investigators' Association training seminar, Washington, DC
(7/22-7/26).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Broyles at RX95 faculty meeting, Fort
Apache, Arizona (7/23-7/26); Bristol at COR training, Seattle,
Washington (7/22-7/26); Clark conducting prevention analysis for
Yellowstone (7/20-7/28); Cook at S290 training development
session, Denver, Colorado (7/22-7/25); Gale in NAR for fire
suppression review at Acadia, Cape Cod and elsewhere (7/20-7/26).
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