- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, July 1, 1996
- Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, July 1, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-325 - Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota) - Aircraft Crash with Fatality
Two park employee discovered a crashed aircraft in the park's backcountry on
the afternoon of June 26th. The pilot and sole occupant, H.V., a
contract employee for North Dakota's Office of Intergovernmental Assistance,
was fatally injured in the crash. H.V. departed Fargo the previous day
and was headed to the park to conduct energy audits. He was reported overdue
on the 26th, and FAA began a search for him. The park, state highway patrol
and county sheriff worked jointly with FAA in the search. Efforts are
underway to remove the aircraft. [Jay Liggett, THRO]
96-326 - Devils Tower (Wyoming) - Special Event
The annual "Solstice Event" held in the park concluded peacefully on June
26th. The focus of the week was a "World Peace and Prayer Day," which was
held on June 21st. Several hundred Native American riders rode 1500 miles
from Canada to the park. Another 2,000 people, including Native Americans
and New Age practitioners, attended the week's events. Among other
activities held during the week were a Native American sun dance, a sacred
hoop run, and a scheduled First Amendment protest activity by a local climber
(a voluntary June closure to climbing is part of the park's climbing
management plan, now being tested in court). An Intermountain Field Area
special events team provided assistance on site from June 16th to the 26th.
Due to around-the-clock patrol coverage and an increased ranger presence, the
event went smoothly, with few arrests and citations. [Jim Schlinkmann, CR,
DETO]
96-327 - Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands) - Armed Robbery; Arrest
A couple from Maryland was robbed at gun point while hiking on the Lind Point
trail early on the afternoon of June 28th. They were able to provide an
accurate description of the suspect, but rangers and local police were unable
to find him on the trail or beach. Rangers saw a man fitting the description
coming down the trail near the visitor center about two hours later. When
ranger Elmo Rabsatt approached him, the man ran, but Rabsatt was able to cut
him off and apprehend him. The suspect was subsequently identified as T.J.
He had a bag with him which contained a Ruger .357 magnum, one
bullet, and a black t-shirt matching the one described by the victims of the
robbery. T.J. is believed to have committed another armed robbery in the
same area on June 5th. He is under arrest and awaiting a hearing on July
3rd. [Schuler Brown, VIIS]
96-328 - Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - Rescue
On June 15th, ranger Walt West received a report of a seriously injured
horseback rider near the Cataloochee Divide. The victim, J.B.D.,
suffered multiple injuries when his horse fell on him. Ranger medics and
EMTs and county EMS personnel responded. J.B.D. was found to weigh well over
300 pounds, thus ensuring a prolonged carry-out. Due to this fact and his
deteriorating condition, a night-time helicopter evacuation was attempted.
The Army Blackhawk helicopter from Fort Campbell had to abort its first
attempt, but was able to land at dawn and transport J.B.D. to the University
of Tennessee hospital, where he was treated for a possible broken femur,
possible broken ribs, hematomas and an injured arm. [Jason Houck, CR, GRSM]
96-329 - Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - MVA with Fatality
G.P., 44, was killed in a motorcycle accident on the Newfound Gap Road
on June 3rd. According to witnesses, G.P. was northbound and entering a
hairpin curve about a half mile from the Chimney Peaks picnic area when he
was thrown from his Kawasaki ZX-11. Traffic was light at the time. Park
medic Julie Parrish was on-scene within four minutes, but was unable to save
him. G.P. was an experienced rider and was wearing his helmet. [Jason
Houck, CR, GRSM]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire IMT 6/28 7/1 Con Con
CA San Bernadino NF * Bee T1 - 7,600 0 NEC
Angeles NF * Bichota Cx T2 - 1,500 35 7/3
Riverside RU * Circle -- - 1,143 85 7/1
* Pechanga -- - 1,336 100 CND
* Kitching -- - 530 100 CND
* Dove -- - 930 100 CND
Los Padres NF * Sunset -- - 150 100 CND
San Benito-Mont. RU * Indian -- - 675 100 CND
AZ Kaibab NF Bridger Cx T2 48,000 49,000 60 7/1
NM Santa Fe NF Nicole T1 395 395 100 CND
NV State Autumn Hills T1 3,800 3,800 100 CND
Las Vegas District * Deer -- - 1,000 95 7/1
WA Spokane District * Juniper -- - 11,000 90 6/30
UT Richfield District Little Sahara Cx T1 48,400 40,837 100 CND
Salt Lake District Sheep Rocks T2 10,000 10,000 100 CND
Fishlake NF Pole Creek T2 5,000 7,700 75 7/2
State Soldier Pass -- 7,050 7,620 100 CND
Manti-Lasal NF Abajo Cx T2 200 200 100 CND
Wasatch-Cache NF Railroad -- 305 305 100 CND
ID Boise District * Sinker Butte -- - 8,527 95 7/1
AK Statewide 33 limited
suppression fires -- - 365,002 -- --
ON Thunder Bay, Ontario Graham Cx T1 6,730 6,730 65 NEC
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
FIRE HIGHLIGHTS
San Bernadino NF - The Bee fire is burning two miles west of Idyllwild in
100-year-old fuels. Severe weather conditions and extreme fire behavior are
hampering control efforts. The communities of Idyllwild and Pine Grove and
the Soboba Indian Reservation are threatened. A mandatory evacuation has
been ordered for Idyllwild.
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 2 18 22 0 42 49 133
Acres Burned 1 207 5,669 0 238 8,089 14,218
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 155 198 56 16 359
Non-federal 56 55 3 0 17
CURRENT SITUATION
Significant progress was made yesterday on several fires in southern
California. Resource mobilization through NICC moderated.
NOTE: The National Park Service's Type I incident management team (Jim
Northup, IC) has been dispatched to the Mescalero reservation in New Mexico
to assist with extreme flooding there.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
Fire activity is expected to increase in several areas of the West due to
warmer and drier weather and the risk of fire associated with the upcoming
holiday weekend.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/1]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Sleeping Bear Dunes (Michigan) - Shipwreck and Artifacts Discovered
Park employees recently discovered wreckage of the ship Three Brothers near
the shore of South Manitou Island. The remains of the 165-foot lumber
hooker, which was built in 1888 and sank in 1911, were uncovered by natural
forces. The hull is nearly intact, and contains many artifacts from that
time period. The bow rests at a depth of 12 feet, and the stern at a depth
of 45 feet. The discovery has caused a steady increase in scuba diving in
the area. [Patrick Schad, SLBE]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) Park Police-Park Ranger Meeting Summary - A meeting was held on June 20th
to discuss the implementation of the five-point proposal for closer
relationships between the Park Police and NPS law enforcement rangers (see
the May 22nd Morning Report for details of this proposal). Participating
were Bob Langston, chief, US Park Police; Terry Carlstrom, deputy field
director, NCFA; and Rick Gale, deputy chief ranger, Ranger Activities, WASO.
The following synopsizes the key points of the meeting:
o Several items were put on temporary hold:
* Review of a dual memorandum of understanding with FLETC - Action
on this item is pending further discussion on why two separate
MOUS constitute a problem.
* Public safety needs and staffing analysis at Gateway and Statue
of Liberty/Ellis Island - Action on this item is pending the
review of the results of the same analysis recently conducted at
Golden Gate/Presidio.
* Joint law enforcement budget strategies - Review and analysis of
this issue will be largely based on the results of other joint
reviews.
o Work on several items will begin immediately:
* Conduct an analysis of workload needs and staffing levels for law
enforcement functions in central offices - This work group will
be chaired by Bill Briggle, superintendent, Mount Rainier, and
will consist of Dale Dickerhoof and Bob Marriott from WASO Ranger
Activities, a field director or deputy field director, the Alaska
SSO law enforcement specialist, an SSO law enforcement specialist
to be named by the chief of Park Police, two park
superintendents, and two chief park rangers.
* Review the potential for consolidation of USPP and NPS FLETC
curricula - A work group headed by Paul Henry, superintendent,
NPS/FLETC, and a Park Police official to be named by the chief of
Park Police will investigate the potential for combining basic
law enforcement training curricula at FLETC.
o Action which begin immediately:
* Identify and resolve, insofar as possible, perceptions (real or
imagined) of Park Police officers by park rangers and of park
rangers by Park Police officers - A work group chaired by Joe
Lawler, superintendent, National Capital SSO, and composed of an
equal number (two or three each) of Park Police officers and park
rangers will attempt to identify and put to rest perceptions and
preconceived notions about each law enforcement group by the
other.
Work group actions will begin as soon as participants have been named and the
chairs have organized their various tasks. [Rick Gale, RAD/WASO]
2) Demonstration Fee Projects - This past spring, a call went out Servicewide
for proposals for proposed recreation fee demonstration projects. A list was
developed from the responses which contained 114 projects in 86 parks. In
June, the Service was asked to provide a list of projects which could be
started this summer - projects which had public support and could go forward
without additional funding, additional staff, comprehensive planning, or any
guarantee of a return of funds before FY 97. Nineteen projects in 13 parks
met these criteria, and were submitted to the Department of Interior on June
25th. NO selections have yet been made, nor is there any certainty that any
aspect of the fee demonstration program will be implemented this summer.
[Tim Stone, Fee Program Manager, RAD/WASO]
3) SCA Hiring - The Student Conservation Association is still placing
resource assistants and conservation associates in the field for FY 96 and
the first quarter of FY 97. They can be brought on as late as August and
September. If you're interested, please contact the SCA resource assistance
program office at 603-543-1700. [R. Flip Hagood, Director of Government
Relations, SCA]
4) NPS-12 Review - WASO's Division of Environmental Quality is seeking the
widest possible review of a new version of NPS-12, the guideline for
preparing environmental impact analysis under the National Environmental
Policy Act. If you'd like to receive a copy of the draft and provide
comments, please send a cc:Mail message to Jacob Hoogland at NP-WASO-ENV/POL.
The subject should be "Review Draft." [Jake Hoogland, DEQ/WASO]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS CALENDAR
Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains meetings, conferences and events, and a second, which contains
workshops and training courses. If you know of a conference, meeting,
workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and implications,
please send the information along. Entries are listed no earlier than FOUR
months before the event, EXCEPT in instances in which registration dates
close much earlier. Asterisks indicate new entries; brackets at end of entry
indicate source of information. Brevity is appreciated.
7/9-12 -- "Wetlands '96: Forming Fair and Effective Partnerships,"
Association of State Wetland Managers National Symposium,
Washington, DC. There will also be a session on wetland, flood
plain, and river on-line services and GIS applications. Contact:
518-872-1804. [Leslie Kreuger, AQ/WASO]
7/10-12 -- "Educating for Sustainable Watersheds," University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI. Sponsored by the Global Rivers Environmental
Education Network (GREEN). Contact: GREEN, 313-761-8142. [Frank
Panek, WRD/WASO]
7/14-18 -- International Congress on the Biology of Fishes, San Francisco
State University, San Francisco, CA. Sponsored by the American
Fisheries Society. Contact: Don MacKinlay, Fisheries and Oceans,
Vancouver, BC, at 604-666-3520. [Frank Panek, WRD/WASO]
7/17-19 & 22-23 -- Annual Conference, Society of Ecological Restoration,
Brunswick, NJ. Contact: 608-262-9547. [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]
7/21-24 -- Rocky Mountain Field Trip on Environmental Issues in Oil and Gas
Operations, Hovenweep and nearby areas, CO. Participants on the
trip, jointly sponsored by BLM, the Colorado School of Mines and
the Service's Geologic Resources Division, will visit
environmentally and culturally sensitive areas which have oil and
gas exploration or production issues. Contact: Bruce Heise at
NP-WASO-GRD or 303-969-2017. [Bruce Heise, GRD/WASO]
8/4-7 -- 28th Annual Meeting, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation,
Sioux City, IA. Contact: Robert Gatten, 910-334-5391, or Joy
Vogt, 605-945-3452. [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]
8/13-16 -- "The Delta: Connecting Points of View for Sustainable Natural
Resources," Cook Convention Center, Memphis, TN. Contact:
National Association of Conservation Districts, 202-547-NACD.
[Frank Panek, WRD/WASO]
8/13 -- "Wildlife Management in the U.S. National Park System: The Self-
Regulation Theory Revisited," discussion session to be held at
the annual meeting, Ecological Society of America, Rhode Island
Convention Center, Providence, RI. Contact: Mary K. Foley, 617-
223-5024; Ronald Hiebert, 402-221-4856; or Dan Huff, 303-969-2651
(all are on cc:Mail by name).
8/14-18 -- Oregon-California Trails Association Annual Convention, Elko, NV.
Contact: Helen Sundall, 402-397-9794. [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]
8/24-26 -- Meeting, African American Museum Association, Tampa, FL.
Contact: 513-376-4611 (phone), 513-376-2007 (fax). [Diane Vogt
O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
8/25-29 -- Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Dearborn, MI.
Contact: Frank Panek, 703-358-1856. [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]
8/27-9/1 -- Annual Meeting, Society of American Archivists, San Diego, CA.
Contact: SAA at 312-922-0140 (phone), 312-347-1452 (fax),
info@saa.mhs.compuserve.com (Internet), or http://volvo/gslis
/utexas/edu/~us-saa/. [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
9/11-14 -- Annual Meeting, American Association for State and Local History,
Nashville, TN. Contact: 615-255-2971 (phone) or 615-255-2979
(fax). [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
9/18-21 -- "Strategies for Battlefield Preservation and Partnerships," Third
National Battlefield Preservation Conference, Chattanooga, TN.
Co-sponsored by the American Battlefield Protection Program and
Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP. Contact: Hampton Tucker via
cc:Mail or at 202-343-3580. [Tanya Gossett, ABPP/WASO]
9/22-26* -- "GIS and Water Resources," 32nd Annual Conference and Symposium,
American Water Resources Association, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Contact: Cheryl Hallam, USGS, 703-648-5755. [Sheila Lee,
T&GD/WASO]
10/16-20* -- National Preservation Conference, Chicago, IL. Contact: Michelle
Becker-Jones, 202-673-4039. [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]
10/19-21* -- Annual Meeting, American Society of Landscape Architects, Los
Angeles, CA. Contact: ASLA, 202-686-2752. [Sheila Lee,
T&GD/WASO]
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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