- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, May 21, 1996
- Date: Tues, 21 May 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, May 21, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-214 - Yosemite (California) - Search and Rescue
During the evacuation of Yosemite Valley due to the flooding of the Merced
River on May 16th, the park's search and rescue office was advised that two
parties of climbers were apparently in distress on El Capitan. The first
party, comprised of Austrian climbers C.Z. and C.W.,
was perched on a small ledge on the Shield route; neither had
storm gear, and they had spent the previous night exposed to heavy rain and
wind. An attempt to deliver survival equipment to them by helicopter was
aborted due to severe downdrafts. A SAR technician was then lowered 1,000
feet from the top of El Capitan. He was able to rig the climbers onto
ascenders and evacuate them. They were flown to the valley for medical
evaluation and treatment. The other party, which was on the North American
route, appeared to be in better condition. The rescue was canceled when the
climbers decided that they could rescue themselves. [CRO, YOSE]
96-215 - Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - Accidental Shooting
While hunting turkeys early on the morning of May 18th, P.D. of
Butler, New Jersey, was accidentally shot by his companion, J.A. of
Newark, New Jersey. J.A. said that he thought he saw a turkey running by
him and took a shot at it. P.D. had attempted to warn J.A. of his
location by whistling and was starting to stand up when J.A. fired. P.D.
was able to drive himself to the hospital and took J.A. with him. Doctors
removed one pellet from his forehead and another from his right forearm.
J.A. was charged under a New Jersey statute for reckless endangerment.
Ranger Pete Roehrs and state officers are investigating. [Barry Sullivan,
DR, DEWA]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire IMT 5/20 5/21 Con Con
CO Pike/San Isabel NF Buffalo Creek T1 9,700 10,000 60 5/25
Arapaho/Roos. NF Crystal T2 180 180 100 CND
AZ Coconino NF Horseshoe T2 7,500 7,700 80 5/23
CA San Diego RU Pala -- 350 350 100 CND
Kern County Blackwell -- 500 500 100 CND
Bakersfield District * Overlook -- - 2,080 30 5/21
FL Ocala NF Major #1 -- 1,600 3,155 85 6/1
GA Okefenokee NWR Pintail -- 300 300 100 CND
Heading Notes
Unit -- Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire -- * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
strategy
IMT -- T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con -- Percent of fire contained
Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 0 4 3 1 144 22 174
Acres Burned 0 4 2,080 4 1,018 3,038 6,144
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 72 78 25 9 338
Non-federal 8 28 1 0 56
CURRENT SITUATION
Significant progress was made yesterday on large fires in the Rockies and in
the Southwest. High to extreme fire dangers persist in the Southwest.
Resource mobilization through NICC decreased yesterday.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
Initial attack and large fires are expected to continue in the Southwest.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/21]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Fraud Training - The Office of the Investigator General in the Department of
Interior is conducting training sessions for all employees as part of its
outreach program to educate them in prevention of fraud, waste and abuse in
programs and operations. The presentation consists of an explanation of the
mission of the IG and training on investigative methods for identifying
fraud. If you're interested in scheduling a session, contact Bob Marriott at
NP-WASO-POPS. [Bob Marriott, RAD/WASO]
Environmental Contaminant Investigations Training Course - Although training
courses are normally listed in the training calendar which appears in the
Morning Report on every other Monday, applications for the following course
are due in to the Fish and Wildlife Service this week. The course, entitled
"Environmental Contaminants Investigations," will be held in Reno from August
12th to the 16th. It will focus on investigations of contaminants associated
with mining, oil development and agriculture and their relationship to
wildlife protection. The course is open to biologists and law enforcement
officers. If you'd like the application package, send your name and fax
number to Einar Olsen at NP-NCRO-FIN. [Einar Olsen, NCFDO]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
UPCOMING IN CONGRESS
Stacey Rickard, who normally prepares the information for this section of the
Morning Report, has transferred to Fort Sumter. The Office of Legislative
and Congressional Affairs is presently looking at alternatives for
dissemination of information on activities in Congress. In the interim,
interested readers with access to the Worldwide Web can log onto the office's
home page for comprehensive updates and schedules of hearings and markups,
floor actions, the status of all NPS-related bills, history of those bills,
and related information. The Web address is: www.nps.gov/legal.
OBSERVATIONS
"The term National Park System is a meaningful one. National designates
ownership, responsibility, interest, importance and quality. System implies
a variety of units, combined to form an organic whole with common control and
balance. The distinctive word is park, for it designates a specific type of
land use, perpetuity, purpose and visual character."
Robert Coates, from "Quotes:
Conservation, Parks, Natural
Beauty," DOI, 1966
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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