- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, September 12, 1997
- Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, September 12, 1997
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-172 - Golden Gate (California) - Follow-up on Armed Robbery
On January 20, 1996, three armed men robbed the Presidio Exchange at
gunpoint. About $200,000 in cash, jewelry and money orders was stolen. Each
of the suspects wore a ski mask to conceal his identity. A joint
investigation by the Park Police and FBI determined that the money orders
were being cashed at various locations in the Bay Area. A search warrant
served in Oakland in April, 1996, produced a majority of the stolen money
orders and a money order machine. The chief suspect, L.S., fled the
state and was later arrested in Louisiana on a federal warrant. On August
20th, Shaw was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison, followed by
probation and $1,600 in restitution. Detective Jeff Weisenburger was the
lead investigator. [Lt. Kevin Hay, USPP/GOGA, 9/11]
97-553 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Search in Progress
Rangers are searching for two people who were swept away down Phantom Creek
yesterday afternoon after being caught in chest-high water from a flash flood
which came down a side drainage. A third person in the party was also swept
downstream for about a half mile, but was able to get to shore and walk to
nearby Phantom Ranch to report his missing companions. A ground search of
the Bright Angel Creek area was underway last night. A helicopter was
employed until dark. About 27 people are involved in the search operation.
Phantom Creek runs from the north side of the canyon into Bright Angel Creek,
which then flows into the Colorado River. Scattered thunderstorms dropped
rain over the park yesterday; approximately two inches fell in the North Rim
area. [Grace Gifford, PIO, GRCA, 9/11]
97-554 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Lightning Injuries
Two German visitors were seriously injured by a lightning strike while
sitting on a rock at Mohave Point at 4:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The man
was struck directly by the lightning and sustained critical injuries; the
woman received first and second degree burns over ten percent of her body.
Bystanders performed CPR on the man until rangers arrived and provided
advanced life support. He was later flown to Flagstaff Medical Center. The
woman was taken by ambulance to the same hospital. Mohave Point is an
exposed overlook on the West Rim about four miles west of South Rim Village.
Although it was cloudy and there had been thunderstorms during the day, it
was not raining at the point at the time of the incident. [Grace Gifford,
PIO, GRCA, 9/11]
97-555 - Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Falling Fatality
Park dispatch received two cellular phone calls from local law enforcement
agencies just before 9 p.m. on September 10th, each relaying a hiker's report
that he'd come across what appeared to be the body of a dead hiker below the
Loft on Mount Meeker. Ranger May Beth Lisse was already on the trail not far
from the reporting party and contacted him within the hour. Lisse was on
scene by 11:15 p.m. and confirmed the fatality. Rangers Scot Bowen and Patty
McGlynn Shafer were flown in by contract helicopter to conduct the
investigation. The body of the victim, subsequently determined to be 26-
year-old T.M. of Denver, was flown out and turned over to the county
coroner. The apparent cause of death is severe trauma from a 150-foot fall
from a series of ledges. T.M. signed the trailhead register at 8 a.m. on
September 9th, but the time of the accident is unknown. This is the park's
sixth fatality this year. [John White, Dispatch, ROMO, 9/11]
97-556 - Buffalo NR (AR) - MVA with Fatality; HazMat Spill
A southbound tractor trailer contracted to Tyson's Chicken Corporation went
out of control on a curve on Highway 7 near the Pruitt ranger station around
noon on September 10th, rolled over, slid along the pavement, and struck an
embankment on the shoulder of the northbound lane. The driver, S.J.
of Clarksville, Arkansas, was killed when he was ejected from the vehicle.
The truck was carrying 27,800 pounds of liquid sludge, a by-product of
chicken processing. About 200 gallons of sludge leaked from the trailer.
Park personnel used sawdust to build a containment dike to prevent the
material from entering a nearby river. Eight park employees witnessed the
accident, as they were just adjourning from a safety committee meeting which
had been held in the area. Assisting agencies included the local sheriff's
department, state police, and local fire and ambulance crews. The majority
of the cleanup was handled by a contract crew and was completed by the
following day. [Gary Kiramidjian, DR, BUFF, 9/11]
97-557 - Yosemite NP (CA) - MVA with Serious Injury
On August 18th, 66-year-old S.S. of Valencia, Spain, was seriously
injured when the tour bus in which he was riding sideswiped a rock
outcropping along the El Portal Road. The accident occurred when an
unidentified motor home traveling in the opposite direction crossed over the
center line and forced the bus off the road. A large rock from the
outcropping broke through a side window and struck S.S. in the face. He was
extricated from the bus by El Portal EMS and rescue crews and flown to a
hospital in Modesto. [Ruth Middlecamp, PR, YOSE, 9/11]
97-558 - Yosemite NP (CA) - EMS Rescue
J.S. was bitten by a rattlesnake while walking on a trail near Vernon
lake on the afternoon of August 24th. His brother hiked out 11 miles and
reported the incident. Ranger/paramedic Heather Lee flew to the scene in the
park's helicopter and provided advanced life support. J.S was flown to a
hospital in Modesto, where he received 14 vials of anti-venom and made a
complete recovery. This was the third rattlesnake bite recorded in the park
this year. [Mike Kerns, PR, YOSE, 9/11]
97-559 - Cuyahoga Valley NRA (OH) - Marijuana Cultivation Arrests
In early August, rangers from both districts working together on a summer
marijuana cultivation detection program found a small marijuana plot near the
Virginia Kendall unit of park. Electronic surveillance equipment was
installed and monitoring of the plot began. The plot was visited on at least
one occasion by two men, and rangers were able to obtain registration tag
numbers from a vehicle parked in a nearby parking area. In early September,
rangers discovered that the electronic surveillance unit had been detected,
apparently following a heavy rain, and had been dug up and thrown into a
nearby pond. The marijuana, still on-site, was confiscated as evidence. The
local assistant U.S. attorney (AUSA) was consulted; although there was
agreement that there was not enough marijuana at the site to warrant
prosecution for cultivation, the AUSA said he would support lesser charges
should interviews of the suspects result in confessions. On September 11th,
rangers Lois Neff and Richard Vasquez conducted interviews of the two
suspects with the assistance of a local police department. They obtained
confessions of marijuana cultivation and the destruction of government
property solely through the use of circumstantial evidence. One of the two
men also turned over a duffle bag filled with bongs, pipes, cultivation
manuals and a cultivation video. The men were charged with vandalism of
government property and possession of a controlled substance. The government
will also pursue restitution in full for the electronic equipment destroyed,
which was valued at $2,000. State charges for cultivation may be made by the
police department, as the pair confessed to starting the seedlings in their
homes last spring. [Dale Silvis, SDR, CUVA, 9/11]
97-560 - Buffalo NR (AR) - Marijuana Eradication
During the first few days of September, rangers, state game officers and
members of the local drug task force conducted marijuana detection flights
over the park. A total of 107 plants - some as tall as ten feet - were
located and destroyed. The plants were all near each other along a remote
section of the river in the park's middle district. Evidence indicates that
the growers were reaching the plants by horseback. The estimated value of
the plants has been placed at $100,000. No suspects have yet been
identified. [Bob Howard, LES, BUFF, 9/10]
97-561 - Canyon de Chelly NM (AZ) - BASE Jumping Arrests
On the evening of Monday, September 8th, residents of the Canyon del Muerto
area of the park reported that three men had parked at a popular overlook,
unloaded parachuting equipment, and BASE jumped into the canyon. BASE
jumping has become an increasing popular sport at Canyon de Chelly, but it
has proven difficult to catch the participants. In this case, canyon
residents were quick to report the vehicle, which was then staked out by park
rangers and tribal police. Rangers Cal Bahe and William Yazzie, with the
assistance of the Navajo tribal police, apprehended the trio when they
returned to the vehicle late that night after hiking out of the canyon.
Michael Muscat, 45, Clarence Ferguson, 24, and Aaron Neill, all from
California, were cited for trespassing and air delivery. They paid all
fines with credit cards; their equipment was returned to them on Wednesday.
All three realized that BASE jumping was illegal in the area, but did it
anyway. They followed a local woman as she hiked out of the canyon because
they were not familiar with any of the trails. The local woman reported
being "scared" by the men. They also stated that they were jumping whenever
possible on their trip through the Southwest and may be heading towards
Canyonlands and the Moab area. [Anna Marie Fender, Superintendent, CACH,
9/11]
97-562 - Midwest Regional Office (NE) - Assist; NAGPRA Case
On April 4th, deputies served a search warrant on the residence of J.S.
at his house in Indianola, Nebraska, as part of a drug
investigation. In that search, they also found a large quantity of
prehistoric artifacts and human skeletal remains. J.S. took the remains
from Red Willow Lake, a Bureau of Outdoor Reclamation (BOR) area near McCook,
Nebraska. BOR asked the Service's Midwest Regional Office for assistance, as
the agency does not have an enforcement branch. SA Guy Whitmer investigated
the case. Charges were filed, and J.S. pled guilty to theft of
government property (18 USC 641) on July 16th. He was fined $1,000. ARPA
charges were not filed due to the statute of limitations. Investigation
revealed that J.S. was not involved in artifact trading and only
collected for his personal possession. The remains were returned to BOR,
which has repatriated them under NAGPRA procedures. [Guy Whitmer, SA, MWRO,
8/18]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Wed Thu % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 9/10 9/11 Con Con
UT Salt Lake District * Pennie -- - 700 75 9/12
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
Sunday, 9/7 1 2 3 0 28 15 49
Monday, 9/8 6 4 5 0 59 33 107
Tuesday, 9/9 2 1 12 0 88 34 137
Wednesday, 9/10 2 3 19 0 23 72 119
Thursday, 9/11 2 2 43 0 58 51 156
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Sunday, 9/7 60 31 9 7 0
Monday, 9/8 59 99 12 4 32
Tuesday, 9/9 23 65 8 2 2
Wednesday, 9/10 20 87 13 3 3
Thursday, 9/11 19 85 10 0 9
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack and large fire activity increased yesterday in the eastern
Great Basin. Initial attack was high in the Northwest, but minor elsewhere.
Very high to extreme fire indices continue in several units in California,
the Great Basin and the northern Rockies.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/12]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Reports pending.
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).
"Here [Yosemite] it is six or seven thousand feet above the sea, yet in all
that tranquil scene we feel no remoteness, no rest from care and chafing
duties, because here they have no existence. Every sense is satisfied. For
us there is no past, no future. We live in the present and are full. No
room for hungry hopes, none for regrets, none for exultation, none for fear."
John Muir, August, 1875, from "John
of the Mountains"
* * * * *
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
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.
--- ### ---