- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, August 16, 1996
- Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, August 16, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
*** NOTICE ***
Please check cc:Mail again within a few hours for an important memorandum
from Director Kennedy regarding the current wildfire emergency.
INCIDENTS
96-449 - Grand Teton/Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Follow-up on Special Event
The Service's Type I all-risk incident management team and the staffs of the
two parks continue to provide support for the First Family's vacation and
related presidential activities. Yesterday's operations focused on providing
logistical support and security for a hike Mrs. Clinton took in Grand Teton
and Chelsea Clinton's rock climb. A total of 69 people - 59 from the NPS -
are currently committed to the Challenge '96 Incident. [Kim Dreyfus, IMT,
GRTE]
96-470 - Noatak (Alaska) - Search and Rescue
Two kayakers on the Noatak River damaged their craft 22 days into a planned
45-day float down the river, then camped in one location for 21 days until
help arrived (it took two weeks for other river floaters to get word of their
problem out to Kotzebue). A state game protection officer in a Cessna 185
with wheels made a high-risk landing and take-off in less than 600 feet in
order to evacuate one of the kayakers. A commercial float plane operator
then made an equally daring landing in a Cessna 206 on floats in shallow
water near a rapid on a bend in the river in order to reach the second
kayaker. Ranger Richard Kemp circled overhead, providing instructions to the
pilot of the 206 in order to guide him through the rocks on the river.
Because of weight restrictions, 110 pounds of gear had to be left behind.
The kayakers reported that they had difficulty maintaining body heat due to
cold temperatures and rationed food. They both lost weight, but were
otherwise in good condition. [Jon Peterson, CR, NWAK]
96-471 - Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio) - Marijuana Eradication
On August 14th, rangers removed and eradicated marijuana being cultivated on
four plantations found within the park by ranger Cheryl Hess. The street
value of the 154 plants removed has been placed at $308,000. Criminal
investigator Gary Pace and North District rangers continue their
investigation of several suspects. Over the past several years, the park has
eradicated over $7 million in cultivated marijuana and successfully
prosecuted nine individuals. [CR, CUVA]
96-472 - National Capital Parks (D.C.) - Drowning
Park Police officers were called to the swan boat concession on the Tidal
Basin on the afternoon of August 14th to investigate a report of a disorderly
person. As the officers approached the area, the man, who was perched on a
railing at the water's edge, shouted to them to not come any closer, then
jumped into the water. He swam out into the basin, stopped, then disappeared
under the water. Attempts to locate him were unsuccessful. His body was
subsequently recovered by divers. The identity of the man, believed to be in
his 30s, is being withheld until relatives are notified. The investigation
into the death continues. [Bill Lynch, LES, NCSSO]
96-473 - Upper Delaware (Pennsylvania/New York) - Drowning
On the afternoon of August 13th, a 14-year-old boy was wading in the Delaware
River with friends and family members when he apparently stepped into an
eight- to ten-feet-deep section of the river. He surfaced twice, yelling for
help, then disappeared. Members of his group were unable to rescue him.
Ranger Cliff Daniels and a New York state trooper made a free dive recovery
and began CPR within 40 minutes of the incident, but were unable to revive
the boy. [CRO, UPDE]
96-474 - Grand Teton (Wyoming) - MVA with Fatality
A.S., 24, of Santa Cruz, California, was killed in a one-car
rollover accident near Glacier View overlook just before noon on August 8th.
A.S. apparently lost control of his vehicle, causing it to roll over and
eject him in the process. A.S. received massive head injuries and was
pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the accident is still under
investigation. A.S. was probably not wearing a seatbelt. [Colin Campbell,
CR, GRTE]
96-475 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - MVA with Fatality
Shortly before noon on August 3rd, J.B., 40, of Moncks Corner,
South Carolina, was fatally injured when the pickup truck he was operating
left the parkway, traveled about 150 feet down an embankment, and struck
several trees. Rangers Tony Welch and Shannon Maness responded along with
five local emergency response agencies. Extrication was extremely
complicated and time-consuming. J.B.'s wife, B.B., was a passenger and
suffered multiple injuries. She is expected to recover. There are
indications that J.B. was traveling at a high rate of speed prior to the
accident. [CRO, BLRI]
96-476 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Suicide
R.T., 52, of Crozet, Virginia, drove his vehicle onto the east
shoulder of Skyline drive just north of the I-64 bridge on the morning of
August 13th, then apparently shot himself in the chest with a .357 revolver.
An investigation is underway, but all indications are that his death was a
suicide. [Rick Childs, SHEN]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level V
The preparedness level has gone up one step to the highest of the five
possible preparedness levels. Preparedness Level V goes into effect when the
following conditions are met: Several geographic areas are experiencing major
incidents which have the potential to exhaust all agency fire resources; 625
crews committed nationally.
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 8/15 8/16 Con Con
CA Sequoia/Kings Can. NP Kaweah T1 1,000 3,300 35 NEC
Yosemite NP Ackerson Cx T2 340 3,000 3 NEC
Stanislaus NF Rogge T2 NR 3,000 0 NEC
Mendocino NF Fork T1 7,500 15,000 20 8/20
Shasta-Trinity NF Rock T2 1,000 800 5 NEC
Altuna T2 100 100 100 CND
Horse T1 150 150 100 CND
Riverside RU Wolfskill ST1 8,420 13,197 50 8/14
* Cabazon -- - 600 0 8/15
Tuolumne-Cal. RU Tuolumne Cx ST1 10,300 10,300 100 CND
Esperanza Cx -- 3,150 3,150 100 CND
San Luis Obispo RU * Fifty-Eight ST1 - 6,000 0 NEC
OR Umatilla NF Bull T2 350 2,000 NR NEC
* Tower T2 - 100 0 NEC
* Summit -- - 300 0 NEC
Malheur NF Wildcat T1 11,600 10,030 25 NEC
Warm Springs Agency Simnasho T1 65,000 95,000 40 8/20
Wallowa-Whitman NF Sloan's Ridge T1 11,400 10,416 80 8/16
Salt Cx T1 46,100 46,655 50 8/18
State Donneybrook -- 118,000 NR NR NEC
Wheeler ST2 21,988 12,000 90 8/17
Vail District Cow Hollow T2 40,000 NR NR NEC
Willamette NF South Zone Cx T2 1,000 1,500 0 8/21
Umpqua NF Spring T2 300 450 5 8/30
* North Upmqua -- - 240 10 8/21
* Tiller -- - 120 90 8/16
Fremont NF Alder Ridge T2 2,000 100 0 NEC
Burns District Bartlett Mtn. -- 2,000 1,800 50 8/15
NV Winneumcca District Humboldt T2 18,800 18,800 85 8/16
Wooter -- 120 120 100 CND
Toiyabe NF Mt. Jackson T2 1,000 1,000 100 CND
Trout Canyon -- 150 150 100 CND
Elko District Shoemake -- 10,500 17,000 30 8/21
Gold Quarry Cx T2 1,000 11,500 40 8/16
Battle Mtn. District Jersey -- 1,300 1,300 40 8/16
MT Lewis and Clark NF Coyote T1 3,200 3,200 65 8/19
Bitterroot NF Willow Creek T2 410 410 30 NEC
Nez Perce NF Moose Butte Cx T2 225 225 85 8/16
Swet/Warrior T2 28,000 28,000 0 NEC
UT Fishlake NF Adelaide Cx T2 15,160 15,160 100 CND
Hens Peak -- 580 580 85 8/18
Uinta NF Daniels T2 485 xxx 80 8/15
ID Caribou NF Lime Kiln #3 -- 1,000 1,000 100 CND
WY Big Horn NF Moncrieffe -- 300 300 100 CND
State Spring Creek -- 6,400 6,400 80 8/14
Rock Springs District Sugar Loaf -- 300 300 90 8/15
FL State * David Barrow -- - 10,000 0 NEC
AK Statewide 17 fires -- 434,199 434,199 -- NSS
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; LPS = limited
protection status
NPS FIRE NARRATIVES
Sequoia-Kings Canyon - The Kaweah fire has burned about 2,560 acres within
the park. Park residences at Ash Mountain have been evacuated. A pump house
was destroyed yesterday, and a portion of the Southern California Edison
Company flume was burned. High temperatures and steep terrain have hindered
containment. A national Type I team will be taking over today from the state
Type I team initially assigned to the fire. A total of 25 crews, 88 engines
and four helicopters are currently committed.
Yosemite - The Akerson complex consists of 13 fires burning along the border
between the park and the Stanislaus National Forest. Forecasted winds will
shift to the west and possibly the northwest, which will threaten over 20
dwellings and summer homes. Fuels in the area are extremely heavy. The
national competition for resources has impeded containment efforts. A total
of seven crews, 13 engines and two helicopters are currently committed.
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Monday, 8/12 4 11 27 0 70 178 290
Tuesday, 8/13 25 4 33 0 76 288 426
Wednesday, 8/14 18 66 107 1 120 389 701
Thursday, 8/15 3 9 80 2 123 224 439
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Monday, 8/12 365 558 131 26 2,264
Tuesday, 8/13 552 949 165 21 2,147
Wednesday, 8/14 507 869 127 27 2,405
Thursday, 8/15 613 813 122 27 2,539
CURRENT SITUATION
Fire activity continued throughout the West yesterday. A Type I team was
dispatched to southern California. Significant progress was made on many
large fires in the eastern Great Basin. Mobilization of resources through
NICC remained high.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
Strong high pressure aloft will weaken and shift east today as a weather
disturbance moves into southwest Canada. This system will push a dry cold
front across the Cascades of Washington and Oregon, with windy conditions
developing in eastern Washington and eastern Oregon. Cooler and more humid
air will move into areas west of the Cascades. Monsoon moisture will be
pushed south and east, resulting in widely scattered thunderstorms for the
southern Rockies and desert Southwest.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/16; Ed Duncan, YOSE, and Tom
Nichols, SEKI, 8/15]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
St. Croix (Wisconsin/Minnesota) - Mussel Relocation Project
Under the direction of the National Biological Service (Dr. Greg Cope and Dr.
Diane Waller) and funded by the National Park Service, 450 native mussels
were relocated during the week of July 29th as part of a study to conduct a
relocation of mussels into a system-specific refugium in the NPS-managed zone
of the St. Croix River. The purpose of the project is to refine mussel
relocation protocols and to serve as a conservation measure to protect the
mussel fauna of the St. Croix from a zebra mussel infestation. Two species
of unionid mussels representing the subfamily Ambleminae (Pimpleback,
Quadrula pustulosa, and Spike, Elliptio dilitata) and one representing the
subfamily Lampsilinae (Higgins' Eye pearly mussel, Lampsilis higginsi) were
collected from the lower St. Croix river by divers and relocated under
federal endangered species permits. The refugia site is located upstream of
a navigation control site established to regulate boat traffic to vessels
which have not been operating in zebra mussel infested waters. Two
federally-endangered mussel species, the Higgins' Eye and the Winged
Mapleleaf mussel (Quadrula fragosa), and fifteen state-listed species reside
in the St. Croix, which supports one of the most diverse communities of
native mussels in the Upper Mississippi. This project is an important step
in protecting the mussel fauna of the St. Croix and for providing criteria
for relocating mussels. [Sue Jennings, RMS, SACN]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
6(c) Retirement - In a meeting held with the Department on July 30th, it was
agreed that there would be an administrative process established to cover all
employees occupying 6(c) designated primary and secondary positions for their
past service in 6(c) coverable positions. This will be an agency
administrative process to complete the NPS transition to the 6(c) system, NOT
an individual claims process. Under this administrative process, employees
occupying 6(c) designated positions may receive 6(c) coverage if their prior
service can clearly be documented as having been the performance of
qualifying law enforcement or firefighting work. Parks will be encouraged to
complete the appropriate designation of all positions for 6(c) coverage
within a short time frame. The administrative process which will establish
whether prior positions required the performance of 6(c) qualifying law
enforcement (or firefighting) work is currently under construction. It is
very important to add the caveat that the administrative process will not go
forward until it has been reviewed by the solicitor for legal sufficiency.
[John Reynolds, Deputy Director)
MEMORANDA
Please check cc:Mail again within a few hours for an important memorandum
from Director Kennedy on the current wildfire emergency...
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
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
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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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