- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, June 20, 1996
- Date: Thurs, 20 Jun 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, June 20, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-251 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Follow-up on Double Homicide
The investigation into the two homicides continues. Only limited information
is being disseminated because of the nature of the inquiry. Over 100 people,
including 20 FBI agents, were involved with the incident last week. Members
of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and Student Conservation Association
and other volunteers have also assisted. Over 400 leads have been culled
from reports received through the toll free number established for
information relating to the murders; each is being investigated. At this
time, no particular lead is driving the investigation. The incident
management team is planning on transferring the incident back to the park
today. The park will continue a smaller investigation under incident
management. [Greg Stiles, SHEN]
96-288 - North Cascades (Washington) - Employee Death
Park biologist Jonathan Bjorkulan, 44, passed away on Thursday, June 13th,
after a seven year struggle with Huntington's disease. Jonathan began
working at North Cascades as a seasonal backcountry ranger in 1973 and worked
every year thereafter (except for 1975) as a biologist. He accepted a career
position in 1987. Jonathan began the park's long-running study of bald
eagles wintering on the Skagit River, compiled years of data on migrating
raptors, contributed to an extensive survey of the park's high lakes, and
added to the understanding of this diverse park in many other ways. He's
survived by his wife, Cindy, who is supervisor of the park's visitor center,
and by his daughters, Melissa and Erika. Condolences may be sent to them at
2772 Lyman-Hamilton Road, Sedro-Woolley, Washington 98284. There will be a
memorial gathering at Riverfront Park in Sedro-Woolley on Sunday, June 23rd,
at 2:30 p.m. A potluck will follow. [Tim Manns, CI, NOCA]
96-289 - Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska) - Search; Probable Climbing Fatality
On Wednesday, June 12th, five climbers from Guadalajara, Mexico, were pinned
down in a temporary site at the 10,400-foot level of Mount St. Elias, waiting
out a storm. L.V., 25, went outside the tent and was digging away
deep snow to prevent its collapse when their campsite was buried by a slab
avalanche. The four inside the tent were able to free themselves by digging
and cutting their way out of the tent. They located their shoes and a pack
with a radio, but could not find L.V. None of the climbers had
transmitter/receiver beacons. The storm continued for another day. On
Friday, they broadcast a message that was picked up by a Northwest Airlines
jetliner. Rescue efforts were begun by rangers, Alaska state troopers,
Kluane National Park (Canada) wardens, and the pilot who had originally flown
the group to the mountain. The four surviving climbers were rescued that
evening. An attempt was made to fly a team to the site to look for
L.V., but debris, high winds and hazardous conditions made it unsafe to
insert the team. Additional flights of the area are planned, but no recovery
efforts will be mounted until L.V. is sighted. No other climbers are
on the mountain at this time. [Tim Saskowsky, IC, WRST]
96-290 - Redwood (California) - Ship Sinking
Rangers received a report of a vessel in trouble just offshore from the
Crescent Beach area on the evening of June 14th. They responded and
contacted the Coast Guard, who in turn established radio contact with the
ship's crew. The captain of the Via Mariah, a 53-foot sailboat, refused
assistance and intended to sail away from shore when the winds changed. But
the vessel's anchor slipped around 3 a.m. the following morning. The boat
was washed in towards shore, took on water, and subsequently sank. There
were no injuries to the two-person crew, and no immediate environmental
threats. At the time of the report, arrangements were still being made to
remove or salvage the vessel, which had just completed a four-week trip from
Hawaii to Crescent City. [Curt Vade Bon Coeur, REDW]
96-291 - Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii) - MVA with Multiple Serious Injuries
On Monday, June 10th, two vehicles were heading west along Highway 11 at a
high rate of speed. One of them, a Volkswagen Jetta, crossed the center
line, left the roadway, hit a tree which took off the driver's side door,
then hit a rock mound head-on and came to rest upside down on volcanic ash.
The driver and all seven passengers were injured; two were ejected from the
vehicle, and one was pinned inside and had to be extricated. They sustained
a variety of injuries, including massive facial trauma, collapsed lungs,
fractured bones, and multiple internal injuries. The driver has undergone
eight hours of reconstructive surgery to his face and jaw and is expected to
undergo additional surgery. Blood tests indicate that he had a blood alcohol
level of .101. His vehicle was neither registered nor insured.
Approximately 30 park, county and military personnel responded to the
accident. [CRO, HAVO]
96-292 - Redwood (California) - Assist; Felony Arrest
On the afternoon of June 13th, national and state park rangers responded to a
report of a man barricaded in a motel who was shooting a gun out onto the
highway. The rangers, who were first on scene, closed Highway 101 and
Davison Road to all traffic. Two rangers then approached the motel to see to
the safety of bystanders. The suspect, who had access to two .22 caliber
long pistols, came out of his room, got into a car, and tried to leave the
scene. Rangers blocked him in with a patrol vehicle until sheriff's deputies
and state officers could arrive. The agencies involved got the man out of
his vehicle at gun point and arrested him without further incident. The man
had apparently stormed into a room, brandishing a pistol, yelling that the
room was his, and demanding that everyone leave. He never fired the gun.
The county is investigating. [Jeffery Black, REDW]
96-293 - C&O Canal (Maryland/D.C.) - Illegal Aliens
Over the past three months, Park Police officer Eric Hafener has arrested 11
illegal aliens who were in possession of counterfeit INS resident alien cards
and Social Security cards. Hafener encountered all 11 while patrolling the
shoreline of the Potomac River, checking for fishing licenses and other
resource violations. Those arrested have been charged under 18 USC. Two
have pled guilty and await deportation procedures. INS is conducting a
follow-up investigation. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCFDO]
96-294 - Upper Delaware (Pennsylvania/New York) - Double Drowning
J.J., 25, and R.J., 21, drowned on the afternoon of
Friday, June 14th while swimming with two companions in the Delaware River
near Narrowsburg. Park staff and local dive rescue teams conducted a hasty
search for the pair, but were unsuccessful. Recovery efforts were begun that
evening and continued through the weekend. The bodies were found and
recovered on Sunday evening. [CRO, UPDE]
96-295 - St. Croix (Wisconsin/Minnesota) - Drowning
On June 6th, the park received a request for assistance in a search from the
staff at a Minnesota state park. E.C. of St. Paul had disappeared
from a camp site near the river where he and several classmates had been
camping and partying the night before. An extensive, multi-agency land and
water search was conducted over the next week. On June 12th, his body was
located floating about 200 yards down river from the point last seen.
Alcohol is assumed to have been a contributing factor. [CRO, SACN]
96-296 - Lake Mead (Arizona/Nevada) - Drowning
On the afternoon of June 16th, G.R., 25, of North Las Vegas, was
floating on an inflatable raft at North Boulder Beach when observers saw him
fall off and disappear. His body was recovered later in the afternoon. The
circumstances leading to his death are not yet known. He was not wearing a
life jacket. [CRO, LAME]
96-297 - C&O Canal (Maryland/D.C.) - Drowning
On June 8th, R.I. and a female companion were seated on rocks
adjacent to the Potomac River at Great Falls when R.I. stood up to leave,
apparently lost his balance, and fell into the river. Rangers, Park Police
officers, and local police and fire personnel conducted an extensive but
fruitless search for him. His body was recovered from the river near Three
Sisters Island three days later. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCFDO]
96-298 - C&O Canal (Maryland/D.C.) - Probable Drowning
K.G., a 38-year-old homeless man, fell into the canal near 30th Street
in the District on June 16th. Two city police officers pulled him from the
water. Although he was barely conscious at the time, he later died. An
autopsy is scheduled. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCFDO]
96-299 - Redwood (California) - MVA with Fatality
B.S., 21, was heading southbound through the park on Highway 101 on
the evening of June 17th when he lost control of his motorcycle on a curve,
crossed the center divider, and ran head on into a northbound Honda Accord.
The Accord then sideswiped a second car. B.S., who was traveling at least
90 mph, died on impact. The driver of the Accord sustained moderate injuries
and was taken to a local hospital. Rangers assisted in closing the highway,
investigating the incident and removing the body. Alcohol is believed to
have been a contributing factor. [Byron Scott, REDW]
96-300 - Natural Bridges (Utah) - Assist; MVA with Serious Injury
A single-vehicle rollover accident occurred a mile west of the entry road to
the park on Sunday, June 9th. Rangers Dougan and Nickel responded,
stabilized the injured, and requested an Air Life helicopter to medevac two
of the five injured occupants. The helicopter arrived and loaded up, but was
unable to take off due to an engine malfunction. A passing motorist offered
to help. The pilot said that he'd appreciate the assistance, but only if the
motorist was a helicopter mechanic. It turned out that he was and that he
even had the necessary part in his motorhome. He fixed the helicopter,
allowing it to depart and transport the injured to a hospital. [Jim Dougan,
CR, NABR]
96-301 - Statue of Liberty (New York) - Special Event
Protection rangers and Park Police officers provided security for the Olympic
flame as it passed through the park on the morning of June 18th. The Olympic
flame arrived from Battery Park by Circle Line Ferry. It was carried around
the statue by three torch bearers before departing by ferry for Jersey City,
New Jersey. There was a great deal of media interest. No problems were
encountered. [Scott Pfeninger, CRO, STLI]
96-302 - Independence (Pennsylvania) - Special Event
On Wednesday, June 19th, the Olympic torch began its journey from
Philadelphia in front of Independence Hall. Despite rain and a 5 a.m.
starting time, between 200 and 300 people gathered to see the torch off.
There were no incidents. [Ann Marie DiSerafino, INDE]
96-303 - Point Reyes (California) - Special Event
On June 12th, the park learned that a large, unauthorized meeting of the
Rainbow Gathering was planned for the coming weekend at Limantour Beach. The
organizers had not contacted park management and had distributed flyers
incorrectly stating that plenty of campsites were available. Further
investigation revealed that this was a regional gathering and that about
1,000 people planned on attending. Due to their stated intent to camp
illegally and the lack of sanitation facilities, the park established a
checkpoint at the park entrance, allowed 75 members of the group to enter,
then turned away about 1,000 other would-be Rainbow Gathering participants.
The group was generally cooperative, and there were no arrests or major
incidents. Golden Gate rangers provided assistance. [Frank Dean, CR, PORE]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire IMT 6/14 6/20 Con Con
NM Gila NF LL Cx T1 4,600 8,578 0 NEC
State * Ricardo -- - 520 80 6/20
MN Superior NF * S. Temperance T2 - 1,890 25 6/22
UT Fishlake NF * Pole Creek T2 - 1,700 35 NEC
ID Boise District * Assist #3 MH -- - 600 100 CND
* Jarvis -- - 1,000 65 6/20
CA San Diego RU * Spencer -- - 200 100 CND
Madera-Mariposa RU * Mercy -- - 19,500 100 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 2 1 17 4 63 23 110
Acres Burned 265 0 2,325 767 28,899 1,887 34,143
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 64 73 35 3 361
Non-federal 21 20 5 0 176
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack increased yesterday in southern California and Alaska. Most
other areas reported minimal to moderate fire activity. Very high to extreme
indices continue to be reported by numerous units in the Southwest. The
Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec continue to report high fire
activity.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for gusty winds and low relative
humidities for southeastern Utah and northern and central Arizona. The
potential for initial and extended attack fire operations continues in the
Southwest and Alaska.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/20]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Bryce Canyon (Utah) - Aircraft Overflight Study Results
Last year, the park conducted a noise monitoring study in order to establish
a baseline of information on aircraft overflights. Sound monitoring
equipment was borrowed from WASO Ranger Activities. Sampling locations were
selected along the entire length of the park and were chosen at random to
cover all daylight hours, seven days per week. Results indicated that
aircraft could be hear an average of nearly 19 percent of the time. Although
high altitude jets accounted for the highest percentage of aircraft noise,
the most frequent complaint received by the park concerned sightseeing
helicopter flights. It appears that park visitors "tune out" the sound of
jets, but are very aware of the sound of helicopters. For a copy of the
report, contact Richard Bryant via cc:Mail or at 801-834-4900. [Rich Bryant,
RMS, BRCA]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No submissions.
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
OBSERVATIONS
"Why not each year send thousands of school children through the national
parks? Mother Nature is the teacher of teachers, these parks the greatest
schools and playgrounds. No other school is likely to inspire children, so
to give them vision and fire their imagination. Surely the children ought to
have this extraodinary opportunity."
Enos Mills
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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