- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, September 17, 1997
- Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, September 17, 1997
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
97-542 - Olympic NP (WA) - Follow-up on Helo Accident with Deaths, Injuries
Additional information has been received on the medical status of the five
employees injured in last Friday's helicopter crash and on addresses for
sending get well notes to them and condolences to the survivors of those who
died in the accident. Christopher Cantway, a backcountry SCA and volunteer
in his first year at the park, and David Leeman, a volunteer with the park's
fire management office, were treated and released from the hospital shortly
after the accident. Both are recovering from their injuries. Heidi
Pedersen, who has been a member of the park's owl crew for the past three
years, should be released from the hospital today and will spend at least the
next few weeks with friends in Port Angeles. Cindy Stern, an SCA member of
the owl crew last year and a park employee this past summer, suffered a
broken back and other injuries and will probably be in the hospital for
another couple of weeks. She is regaining feeling in her legs and should be
able to walk again shortly. Robert Feldmann, a German national who worked as
a volunteer campground host this summer, underwent oral surgery on Monday to
repair a double fracture of his jaw. He also suffered lacerations to his
buttocks, face and head and a fractured ankle. He will probably be released
within two weeks and return to Germany. The three people who were killed were -
Taryn Hoover, Kevin Peterson and Rita McMahon.
The park also wishes to express its thanks for all the supportive notes sent
to members of the park staff. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 9/16]
97-564 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Follow-up on Search
The search for a Diamond River Adventures' river trip passenger who was
reported missing on Sunday, September 14th, has been scaled back due to a
lack of any significant clues in the area where he was last seen. The
passenger has been identified as J.F., 43, of Rock Falls, Illinois. J.F.
was last seen in camp on the evening of the 13th, five miles above Diamond
Creek, where the trip was scheduled to end. The park conducted a helicopter
search on Sunday and began interviewing other passengers. On Monday, search
operations involved 40 people from the park and four other agencies, a dog
team, three trackers and two helicopters. The primary search area will now
be limited to the Colorado River downstream from the camping spot. [Rod
Torrez, Assistant PIO, GRCA, 9/16]
97-566 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Assault on Rangers
On September 6th, rangers were called to the Ahwahnee Hotel regarding a room
burglary. An intoxicated man had reportedly entered a room and stolen
wallets and alcohol. When confronted by the occupants of the room, the man
fled, falling on a flight of stairs in his attempt to get away. When the
rangers found him, he was bleeding from his face and mouth. The man resisted
arrest and attempted to strike the rangers; during the struggle, he spit
blood directly into the eyes and mouth of one of them. He was booked into
the park jail on felony counts of assault on a federal officer, burglary, and
being under the influence of alcohol. [Brian Smith, SPR, YOSE, 9/16]
97-567 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Rockslide; Rescue
A rockslide on the Mist trail near the top of Nevada Falls on September 14th
resulted in a serious head injury to a visitor. Although the trail was
crowded with hikers at the time, the only person injured was a 63-year-old
man who was trapped for about 15 minutes under a tree which came down in the
slide. Bystanders were able to lift the tree off him prior to the arrival of
rescuers. Because of high winds blowing at the time, a helicopter short haul
evacuation was not possible. Rangers and SAR team members had to carry him
by litter about a mile to a landing zone, where he was picked up by
helicopter, flown to Yosemite Valley, and transferred to a medical helicopter
that took him to a hospital in Modesto. Over 40 people were involved in the
rescue. [Brian Smith, SPR, YOSE, 9/16]
97-568 - Cumberland Gap NHP (TN/KY/VA) - Rescue
L.S. of High Point, North Carolina, was seriously injured when he fell
while attempting to rappel from a cliff near Pinnacle overlook on August
20th. L.S. entered the area just before dusk and, using a small nylon
rope, attempted to rappel over the cliff. The rope broke and L.S. fell
about 20 feet. He managed to climb out to his vehicle and drive to the
visitor center, where visitors found him lying on the pavement and summoned
rangers. L.S. was transported to a hospital in Middlesboro, Kentucky,
where he was treated for severe head injuries; he was then transferred to the
University of Tennessee Medical Center for further treatment. The area where
L.S. attempted his rappel is closed to this kind of activity. [Charlie
Chadwell, SPR, CUGA, 9/16]
97-569 - Joshua Tree NP (CA) - Search and Rescue
On the evening of Saturday, September 13th, the park received notification
that C.W. of Los Angeles had suffered a shoulder injury while
scrambling among boulders in a rocky canyon near Indian Cove campground. A
rescue team of about 20 people, including park and county sheriff's office
employees and members of a local SAR team, began a search for C.W. among
steep rocky cliffs and a maze of boulders. The search was hindered by
darkness, rough terrain and high heat and was halted at 3:30 a.m. The search
was resumed with the assistance of a county helicopter the following morning,
and C.W. and companion John Kim were found and evacuated. C.W. was taken to
a hospital in Joshua Tree. [Cynthia Von Halle, PIO, JOTR, 9/16]
97-570 - Cumberland Gap NHP (TN/KY/VA) - Ginseng Poaching
On August 25th, H.H. of Tiprell, Tennessee, and A.T.Y. of
Middlesboro, Kentucky, were apprehended within the park with digging tools
and 29 ginseng roots in their possession; on September 1st, D.R. of
Beaver, Ohio, and K.P. of Washington Court House, Ohio, were
apprehended with digging tools and 24 ginseng roots in their possession. All
four were charged and the tools and ginseng roots were confiscated. Ginseng
is currently selling for $13 per ounce on local markets. [Charlie Chadwell,
SPR, CUGA, 9/16]
97-571 - Glacier NP (MT) - Special Event
Vice president Al Gore visited the park on September 2nd to highlight the
issue of global climate change. Gore spoke to 300 invited guests and park
visitors on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake outside the Many Glacier Hotel.
After the speach, he took an eight-and-a-half mile round-trip hike to
Grinnell Glacier to get a first-hand look at the possible effects of global
climate change. Senator Max Baucus, superintendent Dave Mihalic, Biological
Resources Division global change research coordinator Dan Fagre, park
interpreter Dave Casteel, park rangers, Secret Service agents, and local and
national media accompanied the vice president on the hike. The park managed
the incident under ICS and worked closely with the Secret Service and with
White House staff. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 9/11]
97-572 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Special Event
During the month of August, the park held two commemorative/celebratory
events in honor of the park's 125th anniversary. On August 17th, an event
was held at Mammoth Hot Springs to honor the "protectors of Yellowstone" -
the agencies, groups and corporations that have contributed to the national
park idea and the protection of the park over its 125-year history. Vice
president Gore, Department of Army assistant secretary Robert Walker,
Department of Interior secretary Bruce Babbitt and director Robert Stanton
attended and spoke. The ceremony concluded with the dedication of a new
self-guided walking trail through historic Fort Yellowstone. On August 25th,
a program was held at Old Faithful to take a retrospective look at the park's
first 125 years and a contemplative look forward to its next 125 years.
Invited speakers presented their thoughts on the value of Yellowstone and the
importance of the national park idea. Speaking were senator Craig Thomas of
Wyoming, the governors of Wyoming and Montana, the regional director and
others. During both events, special interpretive programs, including
programs and activities for children, were available throughout the day at
the event location. [Cheryl Matthews, YELL, 9/8]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Mon Tue % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 9/15 9/16 Con Con
MT Charles Russell NWR * Hubbard -- - 800 100 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
Friday, 9/12 1 1 16 0 28 18 64
Saturday, 9/13 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
Sunday, 9/14 0 2 8 1 6 19 36
Monday, 9/15 1 2 4 1 5 24 37
Tuesday, 9/16 0 4 1 2 24 15 46
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Friday, 9/12 10 16 6 0 2
Saturday, 9/13 NR NR NR NR NR
Sunday, 9/14* 4 38 6 0 2
Monday, 9/15 18 49 8 0 65
Tuesday, 9/16 7 18 6 1 0
* No reports received from southern California.
COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT
1997: YTD Ten Year Average: YTD
Number of fires 52,737 62,691
Acres burned 2,749,945 2,841,620
CURRENT SITUATION
Large fires were reported in the northern Rockies yesterday. There was
little activity elsewhere. Very high fire indices are still being reported
in southern California, the western Great Basin and the northern Rockies.
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for strong, gusty, southwest winds
associated with a cold front in Nevada.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/17]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Bevinetto Fellowship - The vacancy announcement for the Bevinetto Fellowship
is now open and closes on September 26th. Copies of the announcement may be
obtained from AVADS. The fellowship is a two-year program which is conducted
under the auspices of the Capital Training Center in Washington. The first
year is spent on the Hill on the professional staff of the Senate
Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic Preservation and Recreation; the
second is spent in the NPS Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs.
Because the prospect of living and working in Washington brings up concerns
and considerations for many employees, Steve Shackelton (first year fellow)
and John Piltzecker (second year fellow) are inviting those who are thinking
about applying to contact them to ask any questions they might have and to
get briefed on the program - including fellowship duties, skills required,
commuting logistics, cost of living, and transitioning out of the program at
the end of the fellowship. Shackelton can be contacted at 202-224-7555;
Piltzecker may be reached at 202-208-3756. [Steve Shackelton]
CIRS/NIBRS Update - The Uniform Federal Crime Reporting Act of 1988 requires
federal agencies that engage in law enforcement activities to provide data to
the FBI electronically through the national incident-based reporting system
(NIBRS). The case incident reporting system (CIRS) was developed to meet
this mandate and to provide parks with a means to collect data for their use.
The LAN version of the CIRS program is in the final stages of testing at
several parks and should be ready for full release in a couple of weeks. The
central computer which will receive all these reports should be up and
running next month and able to take park reports shortly thereafter. All
parks should be ready to transfer their reports by January 1st. If your park
hasn't yet begun a CIRS program and need assistance, please contact Bob Reid
ASAP so that he can schedule the necessary work this fall. NPS programmers
will also be working with DOI to program their computer to receive crime
reports electronically, also beginning in January. This process will save
the considerable time currently required to compile these reports manually at
the parks and WASO. [Bob Reid, RAD/WASO @ SERO]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
Parkwatch Program Information - Redwood N&SP is experiencing increased
vandalism, break-ins, car clouts, larcenies from government buildings, thefts
of resources, etc., and is exploring the creation of a Parkwatch program
which would include a reporting hot line and reward system. Rather than
reinvent the wheel, they would like to hear from parks which already have
such systems. Please contact chief ranger Bob Martin via cc:Mail and/or send
any information, SOPs, flyers, and other material on your park's program to
him at Redwood N&SP, 1111 Second Street, Crescent City, CA 95531.
* * * * *
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.
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