- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, August 18, 1997
- Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, August 18, 1997
Broadcast: By 1000 ET (DELAYED)
*** NOTICE ***
Due to software conversion on the LAN at Delaware Water Gap NRA and the down
time needed to resolve and/or purge associated bugs, gremlins and glitches,
there were no Morning Reports from Tuesday, August 12th, through Friday,
August 15th.
INCIDENTS
97-453 - Theodore Roosevelt NP (ND) - Employee Death
Maintenance employee Joseph Kranski, 54, died of an apparent heart attack on
August 13th. He was working at his normal duty station at the Painted Canyon
visitor center when he collapsed. An ambulance was on scene within minutes
and transported him to a hospital in Dickinson, where he was pronounced dead
an hour later. Joe begin working in the park as a seasonal employee in 1978
following years of work in oil fields. He leaves his wife, L. [Jay
Liggett, CR, THRO, 8/13]
97-454 - Glen Canyon NRA (UT/AZ) - Flash Flood; Eleven Fatalities
On Tuesday, August 12th, eleven people who had entered Antelope Canyon from
the adjacent Navajo Reservation were killed when caught by a sudden flash
flood which funneled a wall of water through the very narrow canyon (the
canyon begins on the reservation and empties into Lake Powell). Six of the
twelve were members of a Trek America tour group; only the guide survived. A
joint, inter-agency search was begun which involved park staff, state and
county officers, tribal police, and members of the county SAR team and Page
fire and rescue department. Searchers also employed dog teams, divers, boats
and helicopters in the effort. One body was located immediately, but no
others were found on Tuesday or Wednesday. The flood deposited about five
feet of silt and left a debris field near the lake which consisted of a dense
mat of highly compressed and entwined vegetative material with the overall
consistency of peat moss. This mat, which ranged in thickness from two to
six feet, floated on two to seven feet of water, which in turn covered a
second layer of debris. The method of searching through the debris field
involved personnel in wet suits working chest deep in water and compressed
debris in extreme heat and water temperatures in the 80s. Working conditions
were described as hellish. Two victims were found on Thursday; five more on
Friday; none on Saturday. A boater on Lake Powell discovered a floating body
about a mile from the debris field on Sunday, bringing the total number of
recovered victims to nine. Additional personnel were brought in from Grand
Canyon's SAR team late in the week, as Glen Canyon rangers were needed in the
park (the Wahweap subdistrict alone had a major medical, a drowning and a
mayday call from a swamped boat, all on Wednesday). Because of the
exceedingly difficult working conditions and the unusually disagreeable
nature of the recovery efforts, the park has employed a three-person CISD
team from Zion, a two-person CISD team from Arches/Canyonlands, and two
mental health professionals from Tucson for critical incident stress
debriefings. The sessions have been open to all agencies and have been
heavily utilized. [Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA, 8/12-8/17]
97-455 - Hawaii Volcanoes NP (HI) - Eruption; Loss of Major Cultural Site
At 3 a.m. on August 11th, park criminal investigator Jeffrey Judd reported
that active lava flows had reached the walls of the Waha'ula Heiau and were
beginning to flow across the floor of the temple. By 7:30 a.m., lava had
covered most of the structures at the site. Waha'ula Heiau contained a
complex of heiau (temples) that tradition associated with the high priest
Pa'ao, who came from Tahiti or Samoa in the 13th century. A more recent
structure in the complex was used by Kamehmeha I and remained in use until
the year 1819, when the Kapu system of government was overturned. The Heiau
is believed to be the origin point of the political and social system that
evolved into the Hawaiian culture described in Captain Cook's visit in the
1700s and has been called the "Classic Hawaiian Culture." Over the past 13
years, thousands of significant archeological features have been covered by
the advancing lava flows from the Puu O'o eruption. The flow continues.
[Jim Martin, Superintendent, HAVO, 8/11]
97-456 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Homicide/Suicide
On the morning of July 11th, rangers attempted to contact an out-of-bounds
camper in a Ford F-150 pickup truck at Frog Rock, about seven miles south of
Mammoth. Although it was difficult to see through the heavily tinted camper
shell windows, it appeared that there were two bodies underneath a blanket.
The bodies of N.J.R., 69, and her son, R.R., both of
Blackfoot, Idaho, were found, along with the remains of a dead cat.
Preliminary results of the autopsies and scene investigation indicate that
Ronald Reimann shot his mother twice in the head with a .357 magnum, killed
the family cat, then shot himself once in the head. The R.s were
eluding Idaho law enforcement authorities who were seeking them for grand
theft. Both reportedly had extensive credit problems as well. Other
information revealed that the R.s were involved in check fraud in
several Pacific Northwest states. The trucks Idaho plates had been altered.
[Brian O'Dea, YELL, 8/14]
97-457 - Voyageurs NP (MN) - Structural/Wildland Fire
The Koochiching County sheriff's office notified the park of a structural
fire on an island just north of Kawawia Island on Rainy Lake around 9:30 p.m.
on Friday August 8th. They also advised that a propane tank may have been
involved. District ranger Larry Johnson, district work leaders Bill Johnson,
and fire tech Kurt Folgelberg responded 15 miles by boat and discovered that
a use and occupancy cabin had burned to the ground and that the fire, pushed
by strong southwest winds, had burned about 35 acres straight across the
island. The fire was spotting, and burning embers were blowing to the next
island north and threatening another cabin. The three employees provided
structural protection for that cabin and a second on the west side of the
island where the fire originated. An additional crew was brought in; mop-up
was underway on the morning of the 11th. Investigation revealed that the
cabin's owner and his stepson had been at the cabin and had left a grill with
burning charcoal on the back deck while they visited friends. The strong
winds apparently blew a chair into the grill and knocked it over, starting
the fire. The value of the cabin, bunkhouse, outhouse and dock was placed at
$35,000. The original crew has been credited with saving the other two
cabins and preventing the fire from spearing to several islands to the north.
[Bruce McKeeman, CR, VOYA, 8/11]
97-458 - Mammoth Cave NP (KY) - ARPA Theft; Recovery
On July 31st, the director of the Earthwatch group conducting artifact
cataloguing along the Lantern Tour route in Mammoth Cave reported an artifact
missing from their work site. The artifact was identified as a hammer stone
used by prehistoric Indians to fashion tools for gypsum mining operations.
Information received from other Earthwatch members led to the recovery of the
hammer stone the next day and the identification of an Earthwatch volunteer
as a suspect. Although she denied any knowledge or involvement in the theft,
a consent search of her personal effects led to the recovery of a pre-
historic cane torch fragment and evidence linking her to the hammer stone
theft. She was immediately discharged from the program. The case has been
presented to the U.S. attorney's office for prosecution. [CRO, MACA, 8/11]
97-459 - Glen Canyon NRA (UT/AZ) - Boating Fatality
D.B., 44, and his wife N.B., 45, both of Chatsworth, California,
departed Dry Rock Creek in an 18-foot rental vessel and headed for Dangling
Rope Marina on the morning of August 7th. The vessel crashed into a rock
wall only minutes after their departure. N.B. was killed, and D.B.
sustained life-threatening injuries. He was flown to a hospital in
Page, then to Flagstaff, where he was listed in stable condition at the time
of the report. Dangling Rope subdistrict ranger Lisa Slobodzian served as
IC. The accident investigation is continuing. A CISD session was conducted
for park staff the following day. [Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA, 8/11]
[Numerous additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Sun Sun % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 8/10 8/17 Con Con
CA Los Padres NF Hopper T1 23,000 24,800 100 CND
Sequoia NF Choke T2 2,800 4,100 100 CND
Jacks T2 3,300 5,693 100 CND
Lassen NP Huffer T2 2,290 2,290 100 CND
Angeles NF * Narrows T1 - 11,510 51 NEC
OR Umatilla NF * Mile Post 248 T2 - 1,100 100 CND
* Star -- - 2,400 100 CND
Prineville District * Gable Creek -- - 750 100 CND
WA Wenatchee NF * Gold Creek T2 - 435 100 CND
State * Old Trails -- - 600 100 CND
* Red Lake T2 - 1,200 100 CND
NV Elko District Snow Creek -- 475 575 100 CND
UT Richfield District * Hilltop -- - 750 100 CND
NC Pocosin Lakes NWR * Sunday Best -- - 135 100 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
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
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FIVE DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Wednesday, 8/13 1 11 7 0 68 33 120
Thursday, 8/14 2 6 7 1 74 23 113
Friday, 8/15 1 5 5 3 90 34 138
Saturday, 8/16 2 0 4 0 47 22 75
Sunday, 8/17 2 0 8 0 30 21 61
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Wednesday, 8/13 118 141 53 13 809
Thursday, 8/14 157 221 47 17 487
Friday, 8/15 151 235 52 20 542
Saturday, 8/16 191 199 48 13 765
Sunday, 8/17 190 218 44 13 694
COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT
1997: YTD Ten Year Average: YTD
Number of fires 45,779 56,242
Acres burned 2,618,956 2,212,326
CURRENT SITUATION
Containment objectives were achieved on all large fires in the Northwest and
eastern Great Basin yesterday, and firefighters made significant progress on
the Narrows fire. Resource mobilization through NICC remained minimal. Very
high and extreme fire indices are being reported in California, Nevada,
Arizona and Oregon.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/14-18]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Report pending.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Regs/Jurisdiction Update - The following actions have recently taken place:
o 36 CFR Part 2: Minor corrections have been made to the package, based
on comments from the solicitor's office. It will now need to go back
to the solicitor for surnaming.
o 36 CFR Part 3: Any comments concerning part 3 should be sent to Bob
McKeever at Lake Mead via cc:Mail or by calling him at 702-293-8939.
Ranger Activities is considering removing the regulation concerning
personal watercraft (jet skis) from the package and moving it forward
alone as an interim (emergency) rule. The language would prohibit
personal watercraft, except where designated by the superintendent.
More as this develops.
o 36 CFR Part 14 - Rights-of-Way: The proposed rule was signed by the
assistant secretary on November 13, 1996 and approved by OMB. the
question regarding information collection has been resolved, but OMB
has asked the NPS to hold publication until October 1st.
o 36 CFR 4.15 - A proposed rule changing the seatbelt regulation as a
result of an executive order was published in the Federal Register on
July 28th. The proposed rule would require all occupants of motor
vehicles whose seats are equipped with seatbelts or child restraint
systems to use same at all times while in parks when the vehicles are
in motion. The proposed rule would not require another traffic
violation to occur before the vehicle may be stopped for a seatbelt
violation, as in the current regulation. This reg will apply in all
NPS areas. The comment period closed on September 26th. A copy of the
proposed rule can be obtained by addressing a cc:Mail message to Dennis
Burnett at NP-WASO-POPS. On the subject line, enter the word SEATBELT.
The computer will automatically retrieve the document and send you a
copy.
o 36 CFR Part 7.9: The final rule concerning zebra mussels at St. Croix
NSR was published in the Federal Register on June 23rd. It became
final on July 23rd.
o 36 CFR Part 62 - National Natural Landmarks (NNL): The final rule has
been reviewed by the assistant secretary and will next be reviewed by
OMB.
o 36 CFR Part 11 - Arrowhead and Parkscape Symbols: The rule is still in
the assistant secretary's office.
[Dennis Burnett, RAD/WASO]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
OBSERVATIONS
This section, which appears intermittently in the Morning Report, contains
observations regarding the National Park Service, the System and the several
professions of park employees. Today's observation has been excerpted from a
collection of quotations entitled "John Muir: In His Own Words," compiled and
edited by Peter Browning (Great West Books, 1988).
"Another glorious Sierra day in which one seems to be dissolved and absorbed
and sent pulsing onward we know not where. Life seems neither long nor
short, and we take no more heed to save time or make haste than do the trees
and stars. This is true freedom, a practical sort of immortality."
John Muir, from the Atlantic
Monthly, June, 1869
* * * * *
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pertaining to receipt of 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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