RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Wednesday, August 14, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-308 - Olympic (Washington) - Followup on Oil Spill
Patches of oil were seen yesterday about five miles southeast of
the wreck site. Leakage from the Tenyo Maru continues at the
same rate. Skimming with the new boom will continue while a
hose/suction operation is set up. The ROV submersible began
installing a clamping device on one of the ship's portholes; the
device will be used to hold the suction hose in place. Pumping
operations may begin today. Beach cleanup activities continue,
and there is a report that new oil has come ashore at Anderson
Head. The total bird count is now 4,222; of these, 3,437 were
found dead. The interagency beach assessment team is continuing
preliminary shoreline surveys. Another seven and a half miles
remain to be completed. The shoreline from the Ozette Indian
Reservation to the Makah Indian Reservation remains closed to
the public. All other park areas are open. [Telefax from
Michael Smithson, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/13]
91-396 - Coronado (Arizona) - Significant Vandalism
During the night of August 12th, the ramada at the Montezuma
Pass overlook was seriously damaged by vandals, who climbed on
the roof and broke most of its cement tiles. The ramada was
reroofed just three weeks ago at a cost of nearly $4,000. An
investigation by rangers and officers from the Cochise County
Sheriff's Department resulted in leads which have so far led to
the arrest of one person. Other arrests are possible. [Ed
Lopez, Superintendent, CORO, via CompuServe message from Carl
Christensen, RAD/WRO, 8/13]
91-397 - Glen Canyon (Utah/Arizona) - Pipe Bomb
A six-inch-long pipe bomb was found by a camper in Lone Rock
Canyon on August 7th. The camper was looking for firewood when
he came upon the device. Rangers secured the area in shifts
and the incident was reported to ATF and the Army EOD unit at
Fort Douglas, Utah. EOD personnel arrived the following day and
examined the bomb with a portable xray device. They found that
it was filled with either black powder or gun powder. Although
it was inert because it had been soaked in lake water, no rust
was evident on the bomb's steel shell. It had a hobby store
type fuse inserted through a sealed drill hole in the side of
the pipe. [CompuServe message from Phil Hibbs, GLCA, 8/10]
91-398 - Petrified Forest (Arizona) - Arrest of Escaped Felon
On August 7th, a state highway patrolman stopped a suspicious
vehicle on Interstate 40 15 miles east of the park's Painted
Desert entrance. One of the occupants, G.L., who was
wanted on charges of felony assault on a child, fleeing arrest
and giving false information, fled into the desert, triggering
an multiagency manhunt which involved park rangers. On the
evening of August 8th, ranger John Stobinski noticed a
suspicious male visitor in the Puerco Ruins parking lot and took
him into custody for questioning. While riding to park
headquarters, the man confessed that he was G.L. He was
turned over to officers from the Apache County Sheriff's
Department. The sheriff's department and state have expressed
great appreciation for Stobinski's action, as their search had
concentrated in an area about 20 miles southeast of the park.
[Gary Cummins, Superintendent, PEFO, via CompuServe message from
Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 8/13]
91-399 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Illegal Fishing/Hunting
Operation
Last April, an informant told rangers in the Bluestone
Subdistrict that an illegal commercial fishing and hunting guide
service was operating out of a small community within the
subdistrict. After three months of investigation and
surveillance, rangers determined the location, method of
operations and ownership of the guide service, known as New
River/Greenbrier Bass Unlimited. This information was provided
to West Virginia DNR officers and a cooperative undercover
fishing trip on the New River was booked with the guide service.
The owner of the service, a prominent attorney from the state
capital in Charleston, was subsequently arrested. The attorney
is vowing to take the case to the state supreme court to test
DNR's authority to license and permit guide services on state
waters. The park is investigating possible federal charges of
illegal commercial operations within the park. [Telefax from
Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 8/13]
91-400 - Denali (Alaska) - Attempted Rescue
On the morning of August 7th, G.K., 47, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, suffered a heart attack while at Polychrome Pass
on the park road. Ranger Rich Erving and two members of
G.K.'s party, one a doctor and the other a nurse,
immediately began CPR. Rangers John Thompson and Bernadette
Kane, a registered nurse, responded from the Toklat River area,
and ranger Cody Cole flew in on the park helicopter from the
Glen Creek area of Kantishna. The litter-equipped helicopter
took G.K., Cole and Kane to the clinic in Healy. While at
the clinic, G.K.'s heartbeat and breathing resumed, and he
was subsequently taken by park helicopter to the hospital in
Fairbanks. G.K. died late that evening. [Telefax from Ken
Kehrer, CR, DENA, 8/9]
91-401 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Timber Trespass
Rangers arrested two individuals and charged them with timber
trespass under 18 USC recently. The U.S. Attorney has accepted
the case and will prosecute under the criminal statutes of the
law. This is the third timber trespass case in the park
investigated by rangers this year. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR,
NERI, 8/2]
91-402 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Felony Arrest
On August 11th, ranger Jeff Hodge received a report of a driver
weaving on a park road. Hodge subsequently stopped W.S.
of Arkansas. W.S. had a loaded .357 revolver, loaded .22 and
270 rifles and a hunting knife within his reach. An NCIC check
of serial numbers on the weapons showed that the 270 was stolen.
While confirming this discovery by phone, rangers learned that
the other two weapons had also been stolen from family members
in Arkansas. They also found that W.S. had also taken two
other firearms and a camcorder. Pawn shop receipts for these
items were found in W.S.'s vehicle. W.S. has a history of
mental problems, and alcohol was a factor in the incident. He
is being held in the county jail pending extradition to Arkansas.
[CompuServe message from ROMO, 8/12]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) ACTIVITY LEVEL Planning Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 8/13 8/14 Status
ID USFS Salmon NF * Kitchen T1 1,500 NEC
AZ FWS Buenos Aires NWR * Guijas 250 CN 8/14
BIA Papago Res. * East Chuichu 177 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 NEC No estimate of containment
CS Confinement strategy DM Demobed
3) 1990/1991 COMPARATIVE ACTIVITY SUMMARY
Fires Acres
1990 (Year-to-date) 45,139 3,521,746
1991 (Year-to-date) 56,570 1,916,514
1990-1991 (% difference) + 25% 45%
4) FIRE ACTIVITY 199 fires for 5,795 acres reported in the past
24 hours.
5) ANALYSIS - Numerous new fires are being reported in the Great
Basin, Northwest and Northern Rockies. Initial attack has been
successful on most of them, but some extended attack operations
are underway in the Northern Rockies and Great Basin.
6) PROGNOSIS - Initial attack activity will likely continue. No
problems are anticipated.
[Fire Management Situation Report, NIFCC Intelligence Section,
8/14]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) NBC news will have a feature on NPS rangers on its Sunday
morning show on August 18th.
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief (Acting): No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Coffey on annual leave
(8/12-8/16); Schamp at semiautomatic weapon evaluation task force
meeting, Arlington, VA (8/13-8/15); Marriott in SER (8/13-8/15).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Bristol at computer specialist
management information meeting, Seattle, WA (8/12-8/14); Norum on
trip to approve research sites, Fairbanks, AK (8/16-8/26); Botti
at Western Region budget formulation meeting, San Francisco, CA
(8/13-8/14); Erskine on annual leave (8/12-/16); Broyles on
annual leave (8/12-8/14).
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