RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Wednesday, September 18, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-487 - Santa Monica Mountains (California) Followup on Employee
Death
Mike Williams, the park resource management specialist who died
on Saturday, began working in Santa Monica Mountains as a
biological technician in 1987 and at the time of his death was a
GS7 resource management specialist. He is survived by his wife,
Katie Williams, two teenaged sons and a daughter. Condolences
may be sent to Katie Williams at 5502 W. 98th Street, Los
Angeles, CA 90045. [CompuServe message from Carl Christensen,
RAD/WRO, 9/17]
91-494 - North Cascades (Washington) - Climbing Fatality
On September 14th, a party of climbers M.M., 19, B.N.,
41, T.H., 40 and R.K., 47, all of
Washington was ascending the Northeast Buttress of Goode
Mountain when an accident occurred which led to B.N.'s death.
M.M. was free-climbing and leading a pitch on rock at 7,200-feet;
although tied into B.N., he was not being belayed. While
climbing, M.M. knocked off a piece of rock. He yelled a
warning, but B.N. was unable to avoid the rock, which knocked
him off the face of the buttress. Although B.N. fell 140 feet
and sustained head wounds, broken bones and probable internal
injuries, he was breathing when his climbing partners reached
him. R.K. remained with B.N., while M.M. and T.H. hiked
out for help. At about 3:00 a.m. on the 15th, T.H. fell
about 110 feet while crossing a glacier, but was not seriously
injured. He and M.M. finally reached Bridge Creek later that
morning and reported the accident. The park immediately
dispatched a helicopter and rescue team to the area. R.K. was
found at about 6:30 p.m. A radio was lowered to him, and he
reported that B.N. had stopped breathing sometime during the
night. R.K. was evacuated by helicopter and B.N.'s body was
transported to Stehekin, where it was subsequently transported
to Chelan. [SEAdog message from Dave Spirtes, NOCA, 9/17]
91-495 - Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska) - Illegal Taking of Moose
Two cases of illegal moose kills were investigated by rangers
and regional staff last week. Suspects in both cases claimed
that the kills occurred in preserve land and not within park
boundaries. Rangers working from aircraft and the ground
located kill sites within the park and matched bone and hide
cuts with the animals taken by the hunters. The suspects were
again questioned, and this time confessed to killing the moose
within the park. Three others were also implicated in the
illegal taking. Some meat and four rifles were seized. Each
hunter will be charged $1,000 in fines for shooting and
possessing moose within the park. The three accomplices will be
charged with violations of other regulations, including filing
false information and operating ATV's without permits. [Jay
Wells, CR, WRST, via telefax from C. Stroble, RAD/ARO, 9/16]
91-496 - Katmai (Alaska) - SAR; Illegal Taking of Bears
A state biologist spotted a "HELP" distress signal and fire in
the park on September 9th, landed, and came upon M.H.,
24, of Palmer, Alaska, who reported that his partner, D.V.,
36, of Lakewood, Colorado, was missing from his hunting
camp on Lake 584. Rangers Joel Collins and Steve Hurd, assisted
by an air service pilot and a state trooper, searched the area
and spotted D.V. at a lake six miles west of Lake 584.
Collins then returned to retrieve M.H. While doing so, M.H.
told Collins that he had killed two bears in defense of his life.
Hurd and D.V. then arrived, and Hurd observed game meat,
later identified as moose, hanging in three bags about a foot
above the ground, and two dead, two to threeyearold brown bears
near the bags. M.H. said that he and D.V. had killed the
moose on the 4th. After D.V. left to fill his moose tag,
M.H. said that he returned to the kill site and had come upon
the two bears. He said that he fire five rounds from a .22
handgun, but the bears refused to move. When he left and
returned to camp, one of the bears reportedly followed him. He
fired six more rounds from the .22 toward the bear without
effect. When the bear arrived in camp and was not put off by
additional shots, M.H. said he shot it with a .300 caliber
rifle. He shot the bear twice more as it retreated. M.H. said
he did not skin it because he was concerned about his missing
partner. When D.V. did not return to the camp, M.H. set up
the distress sign. While awaiting discovery, M.H. said he
heard another bear approach his camp, and saw it take down a bag
of hanging meat. When it allegedly threatened him, he shot and
killed it. The park fined M.H. for improper food storage, and
the state has charged him with illegal taking of bear. [Telefax
from RAD/ARO, 9/16]
91-497 - Acadia (Maine) - Search and Rescue
At 8:30 p.m. on the evening of September 16th, W.L., 38,
of Rochester, Michigan, was climbing alone on steep wet granite
in darkness on the ocean cliffs near Blackwoods Campground when
he fell about 20 feet and was knocked unconscious. He was
discovered by his camping companion, M.V., of Utica,
Michigan, who sent visitors for help. Rangers were notified at
9:00 p.m. and mounted a full technical rescue. Eight rangers,
assisted by eight members of Mount Desert Island Rescue and five
members of the Northeast Harbor ambulance company, stabilized
W.L. at the scene, then raised him a vertical distance of
approximately 120 feet and carried him to an ambulance. W.L.
is currently at a hospital in Bangor, where he is listed in
critical condition with three major skull fractures and brain
injuries. Ranger Jim Grover led the operation, and rangers
Charlie Jacobi and Tom Silocka set up and led the technical
evacuation. The rescue was hindered by wet rock and very rugged
climbing conditions. None of the rescuers were injured.
[Telefax from Norm Dodge, CR, ACAD, 9/17]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Brady in Grand Teton (9/16-9/20).
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Martin and Smith at
NIBRS beta test training, Philadelphia, PA (9/16-9/17 and
9/15-9/20, respectively); Marriott at drug program review, ORPI,
and DARE training, GRCA (9/15-9/20).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Hurd at aviation management council
meeting, WASO (9/19); Spruill at aviation management work group
and council meetings, WASO (9/17-9/19); Gale at 50th anniversary
planning meeting, U.S.S. Arizona, Pearl Harbor, HI (9/16-9/23);
Broyles at faculty meeting for RX-90, Harrison, VA (9/16-9/21);
Farrel at meetings in WASO and Harpers Ferry Center, WV
(9/17-9/27).
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