- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, September 4, 1997
- Date: Thurs, 4 Sep 1997
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, September 4, 1997
Broadcast:
INCIDENTS
97-65 - Padre Island NS (Texas) - Follow-up on Attempted Murder
On August 20th, M.C. was sentenced to 12 years in jail by a federal
judge for attempted murder. M.C. was convicted by a jury in June for his
attempt to kill two Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens and his assault on
a deputy constable in the park on February 18th. The wardens and deputy
constable had joined in a vehicle chase of M.C. which originated within
the city of Corpus Christi. M.C. entered the park, drove his vehicle
across the dunes to a point about 200 yards off the main park road a mile
south of the park's north boundary, then shot at the wardens and deputy. The
three officers returned fire. M.C. sustained a gunshot wound to the
upper chest, but none of the officers was injured. Rangers were first on
scene after the exchange of shots and arranged for M.C.'s medical
evacuation. The park's criminal investigator participated in the joint state
and federal investigation. [Mark Foust, ACR, PAIS, 8/29]
97-525 - Hawaii Volcanoes NP (HI) - Hiking Fatality
Around 9 a.m. on the morning of September 1st, E.R., 38, of
Littleton, Colorado, and her companion, K.D., started hiking down
the park's seven-mile Keauhou Trail en route to a coastal campsite at Halape.
The two had spent the night in the park and had a healthy breakfast before
starting out on their hike. About halfway down the trail, E.R. began to
stumble, became disoriented, and could not speak coherently. The pair
continued to slowly make their way down the trail until E.R. collapsed
around 2 p.m. at a point about two miles from Halape. K.D., a doctor,
recognized that E.R. was suffering from the high heat (93 degrees) and
humidity and made numerous attempts to rehydrate E.R. and keep her
temperature down. K.D. eventually left her and hiked the remaining two
miles to Halape to get help. She contacted two men; one hiked out and
summoned help, the other, R.V., a doctor from New Zealand, returned to
the scene with K.D. and joined her in the attempt to keep E.R. alive.
The park was notified of the incident around 9:30 p.m. and ranger James Mar
flew by helicopter to the area with county fire and rescue personnel,
arriving at 11:20 p.m. K.D. and R.V. advised that E.R. had succumbed
about an hour previously. The body was flown out, and an autopsy will be
performed to determine cause of death. K.D. told investigators that the
pair had prepared well for the hike and that they were both in good physical
condition. They had plenty of food and water and drank about six quarts of
water between them that day. They were not prepared, however, for the
extreme heat and humidity. [Yvette Ruan, CR, Mardie Lane, PIO, HAVO, 9/3]
97-526 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Assist; Artifact Repatriation
During a drug task force search of the Page, Arizona, home of G.J. last
April, officers found and seized numerous artifacts, including three Tusayan
black-on-red bowls, two unidentifiable grayware bowls with black paint on red
slip, two unidentifiable whiteware bowls, one Prescott grayware Verde black-
on-gray bowl, one Gallup black-on-white ladle, three Tusayan grayware jars
(possibly Keet Siel), two Tusayan corrugated pitchers, and two Tusayan
corrugated ollas. The items were turned over to park investigators for
follow-up investigations. Interviews with G.J. revealed that the artifacts
came from sites around the Black Mesa coal mine on the Navajo reservation and
that they were taken in the late 1980s. G.J. was a heavy equipment operator
at the mine and searched for the items after work. G.J. abandoned the
artifacts to the NPS, and they were recently turned over to the BIA for
repatriation to the Navajo nation. [Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA, 8/11 and 8/27]
97-527 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Flooding
Following heavy rains in the Wahweap area on September 1st and 2nd, Lakeshore
Drive was closed due to large mud and sand flows across the road. Strong
gusting winds accompanying the rain also broke off a power pole along the
drive. Park maintenance workers were able to reopen the road on the
afternoon of the 2nd, but one overlook remains closed. The road to the
Chains was also closed, as it was washed out in several places and large
amounts of rock and gravel washed across numerous sections. The areas
impacted by this storm are four to six miles from lower Antelope Canyon,
where 11 people drowned during a flash flood three weeks ago. Weather
forecasts are calling for continuing monsoon rains throughout the rest of the
week. (Tomie Patrick Lee, CR, GLCA, 9/3)
97-528 - Gateway NRA (NY) - Aircraft Accident
On the afternoon of Saturday, August 30th, C.S., 53, a Coast Guard
auxiliary pilot, was attempting to take off from the Coast Guard runway on
Floyd Bennett Field in a single-engine Navion Rangemaster aircraft when the
engine failed and the landing gear struck a fence separating Coast Guard from
National Park Service property. The aircraft skidded several hundred feet
before coming to rest on one of the abandoned NPS runways, which was being
prepared as an overflow parking area for visitors attending the park's
Brooklyn County Fair. The accident occurred less than 500 feet from the
fair, which was attended by 12,000 visitors. None of the three persons on
board was injured. The estimated damage to the aircraft is in excess of
$100,000. With the concurrence of the FAA, the damaged airplane was hoisted
onto a mobile helicopter landing pad and towed to the Coast Guard Air
Station. [Lt. Michael Fellner, USPP, GATE, 8/31]
97-529 - Delaware Water Gap NRA (PA/NJ) - Drowning
A 25-year-old man from the People's Republic of China drowned at Milford
Beach on the afternoon of September 2nd. The victim had been canoeing on the
Delaware River with a group of graduate students from the University of
Medicine and Dentistry, located in Kearny, New Jersey. The group had stopped
for lunch at Milford Beach. A companion, identified as R.Y., attempted
to swim across the river and began struggling in the water. Several members
of the party went to R.Y.'s rescue. R.Y. survived the incident, but the victim
apparently drowned while trying to assist with the rescue effort. The
investigation is continuing. The name of the victim is being withheld
pending notification of the next of kin. [Doyle Nelson, CR, DEWA, 9/3]
97-530 - Ozark NSR (MO) - Falling Fatality/Drowning
Rangers in the park's North Unit recovered the body of W.S., 27,
from Lipps Bluff Hole, a popular swimming hole on the Current River, on the
evening of August 31st. W.S. was last seen jumping into the water from the
top of a 21-foot-high bluff. Physical evidence indicated that he'd suffered
a severe blow to the back of his head. Although no one saw the accident
occur, it is suspected that W.S. struck the back of his head on the bluff as
he jumped. The incident is being investigated by the county and by park
criminal investigator Dan Madrid. [Gary Smith, Acting CR, OZAR, 9/2]
97-531 - Death Valley NP (CA) - Search; Suicide
On the afternoon of August 26th, ranger Sarah Bondareff came upon an
unoccupied vehicle parked along Highway 190 just inside the eastern entrance
to the park. The air temperature at the time was approximately 115 degrees.
A registration and warrant check revealed that the owner, D.H.B.,
58, was under investigation for sexual misconduct with his granddaughter and
had been listed as a missing person. He was also reported to be potentially
armed. Bondareff secured the vehicle and located possible foot tracks
associated with it nearby. A hasty search by an NPS aircraft was fruitless.
The Inyo County sheriff's office assumed responsibility for the incident late
that night and began a ground search. D.H.B.'s body was found in a ravine
about a mile from his car the following evening. He had died from a single
gunshot wound to his chest. [Scot McElveen, ACR, DEVA, 9/3]
97-532 - Point Reyes NS (CA) - Assist; Marijuana Seizure
Marin County deputies detected a marijuana garden off the Point Reyes -
Petaluma Road near the park's boundary during an aerial search on August
28th. The park was asked to assist with eradication of the plants. Rangers
and a criminal investigator from Golden Gate NRA subsequently raided the plot
with deputies and seized a total of 2,100 marijuana plants. [Frank Dean,
Assistant Superintendent, PORE, 9/2]
97-533 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Theft Arrest
On August 23rd, a visitor reported the theft of $20,000 worth of jewelry from
her room at the Anasazi Lodge. Rangers Brian Stackowitz and Charles Brown
investigated the case and identified two suspects, both housekeepers at the
lodge. Bullfrog subdistrict ranger Dixon Freeland and criminal investigator
Jim Houseman interviewed both suspects and obtained a confession from
F. "T." J., 23, of Kayenta, Arizona. All the jewelry has been
recovered except for one diamond earring. F.J. also confessed to two
additional thefts from lodge rooms in which he stole just under $1,600 in
cash. On August 31st, John was arrested on six felony theft and burglary
charges. [Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA, 9/2]
[Additional reports pending....]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Tue Wed % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 9/2 9/3 Con Con
CA Riverside RU Pauba ST1 7,000 7,200 100 CND
Orange County Santiago ST1 600 600 NR NR
WY Black Hills NF Dewey II T2 3,200 4,415 90 9/3
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
Saturday, 8/30 0 2 6 1 30 23 62
Sunday, 8/31 1 1 6 0 28 18 54
Monday, 9/1 2 1 27 0 20 39 89
Tuesday, 9/2 2 11 11 0 114 51 189
Wednesday, 9/3 2 5 2 1 42 46 98
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Saturday, 8/30 9 30 6 2 4
Sunday, 8/31 55 154 19 21 32
Monday, 9/1 57 142 17 6 87
Tuesday, 9/2 87 169 16 10 4
Wednesday, 9/3 61 52 16 5 92
CURRENT SITUATION
Large fire activity continued yesterday (Wednesday) in the Rockies, and
initial attack increased in California. Very high and extreme fire indices
were reported in California, the western Great Basin and northern Rockies.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/4]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Yellowstone NP (WY) - Update on Wolf Restoration Project
Twelve litters of pups were born in the nine packs of wolves in the park this
spring. It appears that 40 to 50 pups will be added to the 47 adult wolves
now roaming the park. The rough breakdown is as follows - four wolves in the
Crystal Creek pack, ten in the Leopold pack, seven in the Soda Butte pack, 11
in the Druid Peak pack, 23 in the Rose Creek pack, 12 in the Chief Joseph
pack, and two each in the Thorofare and Wahakie packs. The balance are in an
unnamed pack or are newly released, captive, lone or un-monitorable free-
ranging wolves. [Douglas Smith, Project Leader, Yellowstone Gray Wolf
Restoration Project]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No submissions.
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).
"No healthy man who delivers himself into the hands of Nature can possibly
doubt the doubleness of life. Soul and body receive separate nourishment and
separate exercise, and speedily reach a stage of development wherein each is
easily known apart from the other. Living artificially in towns, we are
sickly, and never come to know ourselves. Our torpid souls are hopelessly
entangled with our torpid bodies, and not only is there a confused mingling
of our own souls with our own bodies, but we hardly possess a separate
existence from our neighbors."
John Muir, August, 1873, from an
article in "Overland Monthly"
* * * * *
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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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