RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Monday, December 2, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-636 - Big Cypress (Florida) - Rescue
Around 4:30 p.m. on November 29th, S.C., 18, and R.A.,
43, both of Miami, were hunting in the park's Loop Unit when R.A.
mistook S.C. for a game animal and accidentally shot him in the back with
#4 shotgun pellets from a range of 50 feet. R.A. ran three and a half
miles to Highway 41 to get help. He contacted a ranger there at 6:20 p.m.;
the ranger then notified local law enforcement, EMS and air rescue agencies.
Since the hour was late, an air rescue unit from Metro Dade was also
summoned. Severe weather soon closed in on the area and the first air
rescue unit canceled its mission. The Metro Dade helicopter continued to
the Oasis ranger station and landed there with the assistance of rangers,
who set up ground lighting. The Metro Dade unit declined to fly further,
however, due to further worsening of the weather. When the crew learned
that it would take five hours to walk in, retrieve S.C., then carry him
out, they reversed that decision and decided to make an attempt to reach
him. Ranger D.B. Wangerin joined the crew on the flight in. They found
S.C. within 15 minutes, but lost him while attempting to find a place to
land. After touching down, Wangerin and a crew member searched for S.C.
while the crew kept the engines running so that the helicopter wouldn't
sink in the mud. S.C. was soon found and brought back to the helicopter,
which by this time was running low on fuel. The pilot called for a ground
crew with emergency lights and asked them to set up at Oasis. The
helicopter lifted off just after 8:30 and immediately flew into total
white-out conditions. The pilot brought the helicopter down to tree-top
level in his efforts to find Oasis, but was unsuccessful. A subsequent
attempt to find a nearby jetport was also fruitless. Just as both engine
fuel warning lights came on, the crew spotted a clearing near the visitor
center and residential area in Shark Valley in Everglades and the pilot was
able to land without incident. Fuel trucks were summoned and topped off
the helicopter's tanks. The helicopter then flew to a nearby hospital,
where S.C. was admitted. At the time of the report yesterday, S.C. was
in critical condition. [Telephone report from Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, 12/2]
91-637 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Poaching Arrest
On November 14th, rangers conducting a surveillance operation for poaching
activity observed a vehicle being operated in a suspicious manner and
attempted to make a car stop. The driver, E.R.K., refused to stop
and fled the scene with rangers in pursuit. E.R.K.'s vehicle left the road
on a sharp curve, hit a tree and was totalled. R.A., Jr., a
passenger in the vehicle, ran into the woods; E.R.K. was arrested for
driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to stop. No weapons
were found in the vehicle, but several new scopes were found. Rangers
surmised that R.A., who was still not known by name, took a weapon with
him when he fled, an assumption later confirmed by investigators. They
also found that both the weapon and scopes were stolen. The investigation
into the incident continues. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 11/22]
[More pending incident reports will appear tomorrow...]
CALENDAR
Calendar appears in the morning report every other Monday. If you know of
a conference, meeting or training session with Servicewide interest and
implications, please provide the specifics to Bill Halainen in Ranger
Activities. Entries are listed no earlier than four months before the
event. An asterisk (*) indicates a new entry; a plus (+) indicates a
revised entry - subsequent comments explain the revision. Brackets at end
of entry indicate source of information:
December 6 - 7 - Overview of Archeological Protection, Fort Worth, TX. For
application procedures, contact Dr. William Butler at FTS 327-2875 or 303-
969-2875. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
December 9 - 10 - "Monitoring the Effects of Forestry Activities on Streams
in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska", EPA workshop, Seattle, WA.
Registration fee of $20. For further information, call Rick Edwards, EPA,
206-553-8511 or FTS 399-8511. [Kathy Jope, RAD/PNRO]
December 9 - 13 - Law Enforcement for Managers, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Funded
by LEEDC/FLETC. For application procedures, contact your regional training
office. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
December 11 - 14 - Annual convention, National Campground Owners
Association, San Diego, CA. NPS employees have been offered the members'
registration rate of $210 per person for the entire convention, or $75 per
day for the days when seminars will be given. Lodging and some meals will
be extra. The educational program will focus on operations and maintenance;
the trade show will feature the latest in equipment and services. Call
703-471-0143 for registration information, or Priscilla Baker at 202-208-
4917 or FTS 268-4917 for further information. [Priscilla Baker, Tourism]
December 16 - 17 - "Monitoring the Effects of Forestry Activities on
Streams in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska", EPA workshop, Eugene, OR.
Registration fee of $20. For further information, call Rick Edwards, EPA,
206-553-8511 or FTS 399-8511. [Kathy Jope, RAD/PNRO]
January 6 - 10 - Natural Resource Communications, California State
University, Chico, CA. For further information, call Dr. Jon K. Hooper at
916-898-5811. [Kathy Jope, RAD/PNRO]
January 9 - March 25 - Basic Law Enforcement for Land Management Agencies,
FLETC, Glynco, GA. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC. For application procedures,
contact your regional training office. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
January 13 - 17 - "Critical Issues: Museum Security and Fire Protection",
Williamsburg, VA. The objectives of the course are to incorporate museum
practices into physical security and structural fire protection programs
and to reinforce cooperative working relationships that ensure improved
overall museum collections protection. Funded by benefitting accounts.
For further information, contact Connie Hudson Backlund, Mather EDC, FTS
925-6402 or 304-535-6402.
January 13 - May 6 - Seasonal Law Enforcement Ranger Academy, Colorado
Northwestern Community College, Rangely, CO. For further information and
application, contact Steven Whittmore at 303-675-3306. [Steve Whittmore,
CNCC]
* January 22 - 23 - Introduction to Global Positioning Systems and
Geographic Information Systems for Natural Resource Managers, College of
Forestry and Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
$100 registration fee prior to January 10th; $125 thereafter. Enrollment
limited to 100 people. For further information, contact the Office of
Conference Services at 303-491-7501. [Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]
January 27 - 31 - Archeological Resource Protection Training, Glen Canyon,
Page, AZ. Funding by LEEDC/FLETC subject to availability of FY 92 funds.
[Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
+ January 28 - March 27 - Land Management Investigator Training, FLETC,
Glynco, GA. Previously listed as Basic Law Enforcement for Land Management
Agencies. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC. For application procedures, contact your
regional training office. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Marriott on AL (12/2); entire
staff at planning meeting, Mather EDC, Harpers Ferry, WV (12/5-12/6).
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Gale serving as incident commander for 50th
anniversary of Pearl Harbor, U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, HI (11/25-12/9);
Broyles at smoke health hazard conference, Missoula, MT (12/3-12/5).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Branch of F&A (WAS0) - FTS 268-5572/5573 or 202-208-5572/5573
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO
SEAdog: Branch of R&VP - 1/650
Branch of F&A (WASO) - 1/655