RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Friday, September 6, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-464 - Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) - Car Clouting Arrests
Between July 17th and September 3rd, there were 11 car clouts in
the park in which visitors lost over $5,000 in property. On the
latter date, however, a surveillance team comprised of rangers
from the park caught H.W.H., Jr., 28, in the
process of breaking into a car and arrested him for larceny from
a motor vehicle. H.W.H. had employed a coat hanger to reach
through one of the car's windows and pop a door lock; he had
then taken a woman's purse and its contents, which were together
valued at $166. H.W.H., who has served time for numerous
larcenies, burglaries and forgeries, was subsequently
incarcerated in the Adams County prison on a fugitive from
justice warrant from Maryland. When caught, H.W.H. was driving
a 1989 Mercury Sable (West Virginia tag 6NL109) which he'd
stolen from another NPS area in June. H.W.H. also told
investigators that he'd been travelling the eastern seaboard
since December of last year. Rangers and local and state
authorities have begun a joint investigation into H.W.H.'s
activities during that time. Rangers do not believe, however,
that H.W.H. was responsible for all 11 car clouts. Please
notify Joe Bowden, the park's law enforcement specialist, if you
have any additional information which might tie these incidents
with those that you are investigating. He can be reached at
717-334-0909. [CompuServe message from Mac Heebner, CR, GETT, 9/5]
91-465 - Amistad (Texas) - Drowning
Around 4:00 a.m. on August 26th, the park received a report that
F.G., 57, of Fort Stockton, Texas, was missing.
F.G. and three companions were in a john boat which was
heavily loaded with camping equipment; when they began taking on
water, the operator powered the boat up in an attempt to bring
it out of the water, but instead capsized it. Three of the
occupants were able to swim to shore. F.G. was last seen
clutching an ice chest. There were three flotation devices on
board, but F.G. was not wearing one. Rangers and Texas Parks
and Wildlife officers, assisted by a Border Patrol helicopter,
began a search early that morning. F.G. has not yet been
found and is presumed drowned. The search will continue for the
next few days in hopes of recovering the body. Alcohol is
suspected as a contributing factor in the drowning. [Larry
Barnett, AMIS, via CompuServe message from Bonnie Winslow,
RAD/SWRO, 9/5]
91-466 - Yosemite (California) - Jail Fire
On August 28th, a highly intoxicated and violent prisoner in the
park jail's holding cell knocked loose the intercom system
located behind a mesh grill in the cell's ceiling. The intercom
landed on the mesh grill and the holding cell's spotlight
ignited the intercom wires. The fire smoldered for some time
before the onduty jailer discovered it. The fire destroyed the
jail's intercom system, and it's estimated that it will cost
approximately $1,000 to replace it. The jail does not have
either sprinkler or fire alarm systems. [Scott Erickson, CR,
YOSE, via CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 9/5]
91-467 - Padre Island (Texas) - Illegal Fish Take
Because of unusual activity involving boat launchings over
several nights at the end of August, rangers notified Customs
officials that they suspected that drugs were being brought
ashore in the park. Rangers Gary Carroll and L.D. Rummond
joined Customs officers in a surveillance of the park's North
Beach. Late on the afternoon of August 31st, the team
apprehended four men with about 500 pounds of illegally netted
red snapper. Rangers also located and confiscated a gill net
buried on the beach. The case was turned over to state
authorities for prosecution. [CompuServe message from Bonnie
Winslow, RAD/SWRO, 9/5]
91-468 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Marijuana Cultivation
Arrests
On the evening of September 3rd, rangers arrested J.R.B.,
29, of Fayetteville, West Virginia, and B.D., 41, of Oak
Hill, West Virginia, on felony counts of cultivation of
marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
J.R.B. and B.D. were seen leaving a marijuana patch which was
under surveillance by rangers. They were found to have
approximately five pounds of highgrade sensamilla marijuana in
their possession. The plantation was found to contain 87 plants,
each with a value of about $3,000. Rangers subsequently found
an additional 52 plants. The information which lead to the
discovery of the plantation was gained through the park's
involvement with an interagency drug task force. [Telefax from
Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/5]
91-469 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Illegal Discharge of
Pollutants
On August 13th, Sandstone District rangers began a criminal
investigation of a possible violation of federal statutes
governing clean water by a local coal preparation plant owned
and operated by Mountain Laurel Resources in Mount Hope. The
investigative information and data collected by rangers was
shared with the Office of Surface Mining's Branch of Reclamation
and Enforcement and with the West Virginia Division of Energy.
Following an onsite inspection of the plant by representatives
from the two agencies, Mountain Laurel Resources was cited for
failing to maintain adequate drainage systems (two counts) and
for failing to maintain copies of appropriate inspection data.
Rangers will continue monitoring discharges from this plant and
will alert OSM of any additional violations. New River Gorge is
a member of a joint environmental crimes task force headed by
the U.S. attorney's office. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI,
9/5]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) ACTIVITY LEVEL Planning Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 9/5 9/6 Status
MN NPS Voyageurs NP Lucille Lake 430 430 CN 9/6
Net Lake 510 510 CN 9/6
ID USFS Payette NF Rush Creek 5,000 NR
UT BLM Cedar City Dist. Big 200 350 CN 9/6
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) FIRE ACTIVITY 165 fires for 19,350 acres reported in the
past 24 hours.
4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack has increased in North and South
Zones, the Northwest and the Great Basin as a result of dry
lightning. Some fires are escaping initial attack.
5) PROGNOSIS - Fire activity is expected to increase in Oregon,
Idaho, southwest Montana, and Wyoming.
[Fire Management Situation Report, NIFCC Intelligence Section,
9/6]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) Since 1989, the NPS and other federal agencies have based
wetland protection measures on a definition of wetlands that was
developed jointly by the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Soil Conservation Service and Environmental
Protection Agency. Three criteria are used to define a wetland
hydrology, soil type and vegetation. Perhaps the most
significant application of this interagency definition has been
identifying sites subject to the Section 404 program regulating
the dredging and filling of wetlands. A revision which would
narrow the definition of wetlands has been proposed. A draft
revision of the technical manual for delineating wetlands was
published in the Federal Register on August 14th (Volume 56,
Number 157, pages 4044640480). Comments are being accepted for
a limited period of time. [Kathy Jope, RAD/PNRO]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief (Acting): Martin on annual leave (8/31-9/8).
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Schamp on annual leave
(9/3-9/6); Lee instructing at WinstonSalem State University, NC
(9/3-9/6).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Farrel on structural fire review,
Rapid City, SD (9/3-9/6); Gale at DOI interregional fire
coordinator meeting, Minneapolis, MN (9/4-9/5); Norum at fire
behavior steering committee meeting, Portland, OR (9/4-9/6).
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