- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, June 2, 1998
- Date: Tues, 2 Jun 1998
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, June 2, 1998
*** SPECIAL NOTICE ***
All flags are to lowered to half staff tomorrow, Wednesday, June 3, 1998, in
tribute to former Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona. Flags will return to
full staff on Thursday morning.
INCIDENTS
98-243 - Hovenweep NM (CO) - Shots Fired at Employee
Superintendent Art Hutchinson narrowly escaped gunshots fired at him by three
suspects fleeing after the shooting death of a Cortez, Colorado, police
officer on the morning of Friday, May 29th. After receiving a heads-up call
from Mesa Verde NP dispatch reporting that a shot had been fired at a truck
stop in Cortez and that the suspects' pickup was headed west towards
Hovenweep, Hutchinson informed his staff and headed out to close the entrance
gate. As he stopped to advise some visitors of the situation, he saw the
pickup approaching him at a high rate of speed, so pulled his unmarked
government sedan forward to avoid blocking the road, dove to the passenger
seat, and laid low while steering the car toward a barrow pit. The suspects
fired approximately 20 rounds at the car, but only two struck it. No shots
were fired at the visitors' vehicle. Hutchinson radioed dispatch, checked on
the visitors and advised them to leave the area. He was joined at that time
by a San Juan county deputy sheriff. The suspects bypassed the monument's
closed gates in favor of a side road about a mile further on, then abandoned
the vehicle in a nearby canyon. The search for the three men has since moved
north and is now focusing on the Dolores River east of the tiny settlement of
Cahone, Colorado, about 30 miles north of Cortez. Some 200 police officers
from four states and at least three federal agencies are trying to track down
the men, who are in their 20s or 30s, clad in camouflage clothing, and armed
with automatic weapons. The men reportedly also wounded two Montezuma County
deputies during a gun battle and chase along a county road. Two empty
assault rifles were found in their abandoned vehicle. [Public Affairs, Santa
Fe, 6/1]
98-244 - Parks Systemwide - Memorial Day Weekend Summaries
The following are summaries of events and incidents that occurred in two
parks on Memorial Day weekend:
New River Gorge NR (WV) - The park had a busy weekend, with the
following occurring over the period from Friday evening to Monday
afternoon:
Shots were fired in the Glade Creek campground from a moving
vehicle on the evening of the 22nd. There were no injuries. An
investigation is underway.
A 60-passenger river outfitter bus was forced off the road by
speeding vehicles on Cunard River access road on the afternoon of
the 23rd. The accident occurred at a narrow section of the road
with a steep embankment. The bus went off the road about eight
feet and rolled over on its side; fortunately, large trees caught
it before it continued over the embankment, as it would have
continued down another 50 to 60 feet. The bus had just unloaded
a full load of passengers. There were no injuries, but the bus
blocked the roadway, which leads to one of the major river access
points, for about six hours. It was removed on Sunday.
While dealing with the bus accident, rangers received a report of
a body seen along the New River just downstream of Cunard by a
group of rafters. The body was located around 11 p.m. The
victim had been dead for two to three weeks. The investigation
is continuing; the death is being treated as a homicide.
On Saturday, rangers responded to an incident in which a woman on
a horseback trip fell about six feet and sustained a head injury.
She was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Charlestown.
Rangers responded to a domestic assault at the Stonecliff Beach
camping area on Saturday in which a local man got into an
argument with his niece and sister. Two arrests were made.
Rangers conducted a VIP river trip for Northeast Region regional
director Marie Rust and her party on a class IV - V whitewater
section of the lower gorge of the New River on Saturday.
Rangers contacted a group of 12 college students with paintball
guns who were holding a "war" in the Fern Creek area. The war
was stopped and several minor injuries from paintballs were
treated.
Rangers responded to a report of an assault at Grandview on
Sunday. A local woman said that she'd been attacked by a
stranger along the Canyon Rim trail and pushed over a steep,
rocky slope, falling about six to eight feet. She said that
she'd spent the night along the trail, then walked out on Sunday.
She was disoriented and was treated for contusions and abrasions.
A search dog was used to locate the attack site, where her purse
was found. A sketchy description of the alleged assailant was
obtained. The investigation continues.
On Sunday evening, rangers received a report of a possible
drowning at Sandstone Falls. The person reporting the incident
said he saw a man wading across the top of the 30-foot-high
waterfall, then fall over. The river flow was high at the time.
A hasty search was conducted that night, then resumed on Monday.
It was called off when investigation revealed that the story may
have been fabricated.
On Monday morning, rangers received a report of a shooting
fatality in the Glade Creek area. The victim, W.H., 64,
of Beckley, was located at a pull-off on Royal Road and had a
fatal gunshot wound to his head. A joint investigation with
sheriff's department investigators indicates a probable suicide.
W.H. had recently been indicted on about 40 counts of sexual
assault on his daughter when she was between seven and fourteen
years old, and was to have appeared at an initial hearing the
following day. The investigation is continuing.
Visitation was heavy throughout the weekend, with campgrounds filled to
capacity.
Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - Visitation to Santa Rosa Island and adjacent
lands was heavy on all three days, with peak numbers on Saturday.
Prior to Hurricane Opal in 1995, which destroyed all of Highway 399
through the Santa Rosa area, Gulf Islands NS bore the impacts of large
numbers of vehicles parking along this highway. When the road reopened
in November, 1996, a roadside parking prohibition went into effect,
confining motor vehicles to developed parking areas only. As a result,
the vast majority of the 20-30,000 gay and lesbian visitors who used
the park's road shoulders and beaches during Memorial Day weekend
gatherings are now using the adjacent Santa Rosa Island Authority and
University of West Florida lands for parking and recreating. Rangers
strictly enforced the roadside parking ban all through the weekend. No
incidents occurred except for roofing nails being thrown onto the
roadway, a practice which has occurred in the past and has as its
objective the flattening of tires of vehicles belonging to gay and
lesbian visitors. Park management worked closely with the local gay
and lesbian community prior to the weekend to coordinate public
transportation issues affecting the park.
Glen Canyon NRA (UT/AZ) - The park had the quietest Memorial Day
weekend in recent years. Although several arrests were made for DUI
and drugs, the traditional big parties at Hobie Cat and Lone Rock did
not materialize. Gang fights and assaults have been largely eliminated
at the latter site, which is again being used by families.
Similar summaries are solicited from parks such as these that experience a
high degree of activity on this traditionally busy weekend. [Bill Blake, CR,
NERI, 5/26; CRO, GUIS, 5/29; Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA, 6/1]
98-245 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Disorderly Conduct
One of the main attractions each summer at the Outdoor Drama Theater in the
park's Grandview Unit is a play entitled "Hatfields and McCoys," which is
about the legendary hill-country feud from earlier this century. On May
17th, the Grandview Unit was filled with visitors who had come to see the
rhododendron blooming. Several witnesses saw a man in a "hillbilly hat" and
carrying a shotgun run into the woods near a popular trail, shouting epithets
about the Hatfields. Fearing for their lives, the visitors ran to the
visitor center and notified rangers, who evacuated the area and conducted a
search for the man along with Raleigh County deputies. They spotted the
man - subsequently identified as J.S. - exiting the woods with a gun in
his hand about 30 minutes later. J.S. evaded rangers for a few minutes, but
was eventually cornered near the theater prop building and arrested. During
the interview, investigators determined that J.S. is an actor in the play and
that he suddenly felt the urge to act out the play in real life. They also
learned that J.S. is under treatment for manic-depressive disorders, and that
he'd been drinking and smoking marijuana during the day. The latter
apparently triggered an episode of the former. J.S. was charged with
disorderly conduct and released, but discrepancies in his story are still
being investigated. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 5/17]
98-246 - Capitol Reef NP (UT) - Rescue
On Friday, May 22nd, L.C. and D.R., both experienced canyon
country hikers, were traversing a steep talus slope in an unnamed canyon of
the Waterpocket Fold when L.C. slipped and fell about 20 feet, dislodging
boulders as he went. One boulder, weighing about 300 pounds, landed on his
leg. D.R., who was able to jump clear, ran to L.C., and, with a burst of
adrenaline, lifted the boulder off his friend. He then hiked out of the back
country and drove 35 miles to reach a location where he could get cellular
phone reception and report the incident. A nine-person team from four park
divisions responded; ranger Jimmy Barna was the lead medic and IC. An air
ambulance was also dispatched. Barna reached L.C. just after 5 p.m.,
almost three hours after the fall had occurred. L.C. was suffering from a
broken ankle on one leg and compound fractures of the other. One foot was
nearly severed. The terrain was even rougher than anticipated, so ranger
Gary Olson was flown in with additional gear to lead a technical rescue and
evacuation to a landing zone a mile-and-a-half away. The team reached the
helicopter at 4 a.m. L.C. underwent the first of several rounds of surgery
the next morning. The response was hampered by problems with the park's
radio repeaters, which meant that the field team could not communicate with
park dispatch. Radio and phone relays through Glen Canyon NRA dispatch at
Bullfrog were crucial to the success of the response. [Tom Cox, CR, CARE,
5/23]
98-247 - Capitol Reef NP (UT) - Rescue
C.M. of Boulder, Colorado, was photographing a waterfall on the
Fremont River on the afternoon of May 15th when she stepped into the shallow
water on a rock shelf near the lip of the falls, lost her footing, and fell
25 feet, tumbling over sandstone ledges into a pool below the falls. She
suffered a large laceration/avulsion on her right leg; although her head
bounced against the rock on the way down, field and hospital examinations did
not reveal serious head or spinal injuries. Ranger Ryan Ault lead the
response. C.M. was taken by county ambulance to a northern Utah hospital
for reconstructive surgery. [Tom Cox, CR, CARE, 5/23]
98-248 - Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP (VA) - ARPA Conviction
On May 19th, J.M., 32, of Front Royal, Virginia, and C.B.,
29, of Bentonville, Virginia, were sentenced on misdemeanor convictions for
ARPA and possession of marijuana. These stemmed from their apprehension on
Spotsylvania Battlefield last August 24th and their guilty pleas on February
27th. Each received two years of supervised probation, which includes two
months of home detention for J.M. and four months for C.B.. Each has
also paid $1,500 in restitution. Additional conditions of their probation
include forfeiture of artifacts, metal detectors and a Smith and Wesson .44
magnum revolver; payment of all probation and home detention costs; and
prohibition from federal parks "other than using them as thorofares." [Mike
Greenfield, SPR, FRSP, 5/21]
98-249 - Mammoth Cave NP (KY) - Apparent Drowning
Late on the evening of May 30th, two members of a group of four campers
decided to take their boat out onto the Green River. Both of the men -
J.S., 33, and D.F., 35 - fell into the water when their
small boat capsized. D.F. was able to get to shore, but J.S.
disappeared. Rangers were advised at 10 a.m. the following morning. A
search was immediately begun which was supported by local SAR organizations
and included both dog and dive teams. Efforts were temporarily halted on
Sunday evening because of electrical storms in the area. The search was
still underway yesterday, and was being paralleled by an investigation in
conjunction with the FBI. [Bob Piontek, Acting CR, MACA, 6/1]
[Additional pending reports tomorrow...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Sun Mon % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 5/30 6/1 Con Con
FL Apalachicola NF Holiday T2 2,347 2,412 70 NEC
AK Fort Greely Carla Lake T1 31,620 34,400 0 NEC
NM Gila NF * Animas -- - 100 NR 6/2
AZ Safford District * Bridge -- - 451 100 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 I; 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 (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Friday, 5/29 0 2 1 0 31 22 57
Saturday, 5/30 0 0 1 0 4 0 5
Sunday, 5/31 0 1 3 0 9 9 22
Monday, 6/1 0 14 3 0 200 19 236
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Friday, 5/29 11 15 8 0 45
Saturday, 5/30 24 0 7 0 0
Sunday, 5/31 43 24 16 57* 175
Monday, 6/1 26 18 11 1 23
* This total is as it appears on the 5/31 situation report.
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack increased in the East yesterday.
Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in units in Texas, New
Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, New York and New Hampshire.
No fire weather watches or warnings have been posted.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/2]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
EXCHANGE
No entries.
UPCOMING IN CONGRESS
The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming weeks
on matters pertaining to the National Park Service or kindred agencies. For
inquiries regarding legislation pertaining to the NPS, please contact the
main office at 202-208-5883/5656 and ask to be forwarded to the appropriate
legislative specialist.
HEARINGS/MARK-UPS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
House Resources Committee - Hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 2893, to amend the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act to provide for appropriate study and repatriation of
remains for which a cultural affiliation is not readily ascertainable;
and
H.R. 3903, to provide for an exchange of lands located near Gustavus,
Alaska, and for other purposes.
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee: Oversight hearing on the
recreational fee demonstration program.
House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands: Mark-up of
the following bills (among others):
H.R. 2800, to provide for a study of the establishment of Midway Atoll
as a national memorial to the Battle of Midway, and for other purposes;
H.R. 3109, to establish the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in the
state of New York, and for other purposes; and
H.R. 3830, to provide for the exchange of certain lands within the
state of Utah.
THURSDAY, JUNE 18
House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands: Hearing on
the following bills (among others):
H.R. 2970, to amend the National Historic Preservation Act for purposes
of establishing a national lighthouse preservation program; and
H.R. 3746, to authorize the addition of the Paoli Battlefield in
Malvern, Pennsylvania, to the Valley Forge National Historical Park,
and for other purposes.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23
House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health: Oversight hearing
on fire and its effects on air quality.
FLOOR ACTION
No action scheduled on NPS legislation.
* * * * *
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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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