RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Monday, August 5, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-308 - Olympic (Washington) - Followup on Oil Spill
Overflights conducted on Friday, August 2nd, revealed that oil
was continuing to dissipate from all areas along the Washington
coast. A small amount of oil continues to leak from the sunken
ship, but the flow rate is diminishing. The slick near the site
of the wreck reportedly consisted of tendrils of oil dispersed
over a wide area. Two small patches of tar balls remain at the
southernmost edge of the spill one located about nine miles
offshore from Grays Harbor, the other about four miles off Cape
Shoalwater. A remotelyoperated submarine sent down to the wreck
by the Canadian Coast Guard has shown the Tenyo Maru sitting
upright in heavy layers of silt on the ocean bottom with oil
"oozing like molasses" from a porthole at a rate of ten barrels
per day. Five skimmers are now in operation off the Washington
coast. Skimmers working along the southern end of the spill
reported no recoverable offshore oil yesterday. A 1900-foot oil
boom has been deployed in the vicinity of the wreck to
concentrate oil and facilitate skimming efforts there. It's
estimated that from 40 to 60 percent of the park's beaches have
now been oiled, with concentrations ranging from heavy to very
light. At Rialto Beach, an estimated 50 to 70 percent of the
debris on the drift line mostly kelp and other marine algae is
oiled. Cleanup crews worked the area from Rialto Beach to Hole
in the Wall yesterday, and cleanup operations continued at the
following beaches Hobuck, Waatch Point, Archawat, Tatoosh
Island, Sooes, Strawberry Point, and Cape Alava. A total of
1,884 bags of oily waste have been collected to date. As of
yesterday morning, just over 2,200 birds about 1,400 of them
dead had been brought in to the cleaning facility at Saint
Edwards State Park. Efforts to capture and relocate otters
remain unsuccessful, but no oiled otters have been reported
recently. The beached whale reported in Makah Bay several days
ago turned out to be a fuel bladder. Biologists from the Fish
and Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Wildlife (DW),
and a local zoo and aquarium continue to conduct boat surveys of
the coastal areas between Cape Alava and Destruction Island.
Park and DW biologists are conducting damage assessment studies
to measure the impacts of the spill on bird and intertidal
populations. All areas in the park are now open except for the
coastline from the Ozette Indian Reservation to the Makah Indian
Reservation. [Telefax from Cat Hoffman, Information Officer,
Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/4]
91-363 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Drug Arrests
On August 1st, ranger Chris Cessna stopped a motor vehicle with
three occupants in it when he observed open containers of
alcohol. A computer check showed that the operator was driving
on a revoked permit and that one of the passengers was wanted on
a felony weapons charge. A consent search led to the discovery
of $2,400 worth of marijuana, $700 work of methamphetamines and
$400 in cash in large bills. The vehicle had license plates
from another vehicle on it, and a check showed that the car was
stolen. The three occupants were arrested for grand theft auto
and for possession of dangerous drugs and controlled substances
with the intent to distribute. The U.S. Attorney's Office
authorized use of the state court system since one of the trio
had just finished five years' probation for a similar charge.
[Deryl Stone, CR, JEFF, via CompuServe message from Tom Thompson,
RAD/MWRO, 8/2]
91-364 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Arrest of
Escaped Felon
Ranger John Sherman saw a man soliciting park visitors from
money on August 1st. He ran an NCIC computer check on him and
found that the man was an escapee from a local state minimum
security center, where he was serving a 14-year sentence for
first degree robbery with a deadly weapon. Although he had a
history of being armed and physically violent, the arrest on an
outstanding state warrant was made without incident. [Deryl
Stone, CR, JEFF, via CompuServe message from Tom Thompson,
RAD/MWRO, 8/2]
91-365 - Yosemite (California) - Climbing Fatality
On July 28th, ranger in the Mather District received a report
that J.M., 20, of Polleck Pines, California, had
failed to return from a solo free climb between Fairview and
Mariuolumne Domes. Rangers began a search of the area, and the
park helicopter was called in. J.M.'s body was spotted from
the helicopter that evening. Rangers soon arrived at the
location and determined that J.M. had died from a fall from
an unknown height. [Kris Bardsley, YOSE, via CompuServe message
from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 8/2]
91-366 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Successful Search
On July 31st, rangers were advised that S.R., an
employee of Guest Services, Inc., the park's concessioner, was
missing, that he'd last been seen on the previous evening at
Sunset Rock in Giant Forest, and that he'd been intoxicated at
the time. A search was begun that morning and continued in to
the following day. A helicopter, a dog team and 35 searchers
were committed to the operation. Around 8:00 a.m. on August 1st,
S.R. walked out on his own and the operation was suspended.
No further information regarding the incident is available at
this time. [CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO,
8/2]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) ACTIVITY LEVEL Planning Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 8/4 8/5 Status
OR USFS Ochoco NF * Rock Crusher T2 264 264 CN 8/5
WA WA DNR State land * Chiliwist 150 250 CN
NV BLM Elko Dist. * Izzen Hood 16,400 7,000 CN 8/4
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) 41,595 2,951,920
1991 (Year-to-date) 52,615 1,877,603
1990-1991 (% difference) + 27% 35%
4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack continues throughout the West.
Some holdover fires should become visible because of winds and
heating.
5) PROGNOSIS - Initial attack activity is expected to continue.
[Fire Management Situation Report, NIFCC Intelligence Section,
8/5]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Upper Delaware (Pennsylvania/New York) - River Cleanup
During the week of July 15th, the park hosted its fourth annual
cleanup. Fourteen teams comprised of 49 park employees and
three VIPs scoured a 25mile section of the river from Hankins to
Tusten for litter and trash. During the weeklong effort, they
collected 23 cubic yards of trash, 71 tires, a bicycle, barn
beams with spikes, a vehicle hood, a gas tank, a vehicle door
and exhaust pipe, a washing machine, a railroad box car door,
several 55gallon drums, a construction barricade, a bent john
boat, and not surprisingly a kitchen sink. Points were
awarded for the type andamount of trash collected, with unusual
items bringing higher points. Most employees felt the river was
cleaner this year than last year. The event's judge, chief
ranger Glen Voss, will host a steak barbecue with his wife to
honor the winners of the event. Style points will be awarded at
the barbecue for the best litter picking team theme costume.
[Barbara Perry, UPDE, 7/29]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Martin on Pearl Harbor 50th anniversary
pre-planning site visit, Honolulu, Hawaii (8/5-8/7).
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Sisto on annual leave
(8/5); Coffey on annual leave (8/5-8/9).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Farrel and Gale instructing wildland
fire management course, Albright, Grand Canyon, AZ (8/4-8/6);
Broyles representing NPS at USFS technical fire management
steering committee meeting, Portland, OR (8/5-8/6); Erskine on AL
(8/5-8/16); Clark on AL (8/5-8/10).
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