- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, June 10, 1998
- Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, June 10, 1998
INCIDENTS
98-249 - Mammoth Cave NP (KY) - Follow-up on Apparent Drowning
Rangers recovered the body of an unidentified man from the Green River on
June 3rd. The victim matched the description of J.S., 33, who has
been missing since last Sunday; personal effects also correspond, but
positive identification will be determined by the state medical examiner.
The search for J.S. was abetted by the Corps of Engineers, which held
back releases from the upstream Green River Reservoir. It's been determined
that Dallas Fultz, 35, who was operating the boat when it overturned, was
impaired by alcohol and drugs at the time. The park continues to work with
the FBI in the continuing investigation. [Henry Holman, Acting CR, MACA,
6/13]
98-270 - Lake Roosevelt NRA (WA) - Plane Crash; Two Fatalities
On the morning of June 6th, a single-engine plane hired by a contract
archeological crew working for the Colville tribes crashed into Lake
Roosevelt at Rickey Point, approximately five miles south of Kettle Falls.
The pilot and owner, B.O., 53, of Reno, Nevada, and the passenger,
J.M., 39, of Sparks, Nevada, were both killed. J.M. was an
archeologist and apparently was taking aerial photos of the site that the
crew had been working. Witnesses reported that B.O. made a very low pass
after J.M. had completed his work, flew up lake, returned, successfully
executed a barrel roll, then attempted a loop. He did not have enough
altitude to complete the loop, though, and hit the lake nose first at a 20 to
30-degree angle about 100 yards from the shore. A boat reached the accident
site within five minutes and found only scattered debris. Tribal and
volunteer divers located the plane at a depth of 90 to 100 feet; both B.O.
and J.M. were found within the wreckage. A Bureau of Reclamation barge and
crane lifted the plane to the surface, where county rescue workers freed the
bodies. [Bruce Edmonston, DR, LARO, 6/9]
98-271 - Big Bend NP (TX) - Drug Smuggling Arrest
Ranger/pilot Jim Unruh was conducting an aerial patrol of the international
border near the Santa Elena crossing early on the morning of June 3rd when he
spotted a truck crossing the Rio Grande River into the United States. Ranger
Lorante Veress and a Border Patrol agent responded and stopped the vehicle.
The nervous driver consented to a search. Forty-three pounds of marijuana in
brick form were found in two zippered nylon bags in the vehicle's trunk. The
driver was arrested. [Kathy Hambly, DR, BIBE, 6/5]
98-272 - Padre Island NS (TX) - Rescue; Arrest
On the morning of June 1st, an off-duty Border Patrol agent on vacation in
the park notified dispatch of an unconscious man found face-down in the surf
25 miles from the visitor center on South Beach. A Coast Guard rescue
helicopter was summoned and an EMT certified ranger responded in a four-
wheel-drive pickup. The agent had pulled the man from the water and treated
him for shock and hypothermia. The victim's eyes were open and he had normal
vital signs, but he was unresponsive. The Coast Guard helicopter arrived
shortly thereafter and flew him to a hospital in Corpus Christi. The man
reportedly regained consciousness and began talking to a Coast Guard medic
during the flight. Another ranger talked to him in the hospital's intensive
care unit. The victim claimed no knowledge of where he'd been born, where he
was from, or how he'd gotten onto the remote section of beach. Fingerprints
were taken and submitted to the FBI fingerprint lab in Virginia. The victim
meanwhile asked that his picture be put on television and in the papers to
assist in his identification. A ranger coordinated the investigation and
contacts with the media. Over the next several days, many calls were
received from people who had seen and spoken to the victim. He had used at
least two different aliases within the last month and had recently been seen
camping alone on the beach. On June 4th, the fingerprint lab identified the
man as R.S. from Massachusetts. His name had been entered in NCIC
as an endangered missing person, but NCIC also revealed that he was wanted by
local authorities in Massachusetts on felony larceny and drug charges.
R.S. was released from the hospital and locked-up in the county jail,
where he awaits extradition. When arrested, R.S. again said that he had
no memory of his identity. [Mark Foust, PAIS, 6/5]
98-273 - Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Sexual Assault Conviction
On July 27, 1997, rangers worked a reported sexual assault at Harbor Bay.
The suspect, A.E., was on probation for a prior sexual assault
in El Paso at the time. A.E. was involved in another incident at Harbor
Bay two months' later; this time, he was beaten for attempting to sexually
assault two juveniles and was dumped outside the park. When rangers and FBI
agents attempted to get his parole revoked, A.E. disappeared. The FBI
subsequently got a tip from his girlfriend advising that he would be arriving
in Dallas on a particular flight. They arrested him when he got off the
plane. A.E. appeared in court in May and pled guilty to a felony sexual
misconduct charge stemming from the first incident. He is awaiting
sentencing. [Dale Thompson, CR, LAMR, 5/21]
98-274 - Fredericksburg NMP (VA) - Special Event
On May 23rd, the park hosted the second annual placement of luminaria in the
national cemetery in Fredericksburg. Over 400 volunteers, mostly Boy Scouts
and Girl Scouts, helped place some 16,000 luminaria on the graves of soldiers
from the Civil War, Spanish American War, and two World Wars. The program
ran from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. and was attended by almost 3,000 people. "Taps"
was played every half hour to honor the nation's fallen veterans. [Mike
Johnson, CR, FRSP, 5/25]
98-275 - Everglades NP (FL) - Special Event
A memorial tribute to the late Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who died at the age
of 108 on May 15th, was held at Royal Palm visitor center on the evening of
May 23rd. Among the attendees and speakers were the state's lieutenant
governor and attorney general, county and state representatives, and close
friends. Messages were sent by the president, vice president and secretary
and were read by superintendent Dick Ring. About 600 people attended the
public ceremony. Douglas was a powerful, persuasive and untiring advocate
for the creation of the park. Her book on the Everglades, "River of Grass,"
was published in 1947, the same year that the park was dedicated. Douglas
received the medal of freedom in 1993 and had a wilderness area in the park
named after her in 1997. The memorial tribute was planned, organized and
executed under the incident command system. [Reed Detring, EVER, 5/28]
98-276 - Fort Vancouver NHS (WA) - Special Event
The park hosted the traveling Vietnam Veteran's Memorial - "The Wall That
Heals" - for four days on the historic parade ground in the park in late May.
Several thousand people visited the wall and attended special Memorial Day
ceremonies. Rangers Bill Ellis and Charles Beall and VIP John Devlin from
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., joined Fort Vancouver
rangers in providing interpretation and visitor assistance. On Memorial Day,
a bugler at Fort Vancouver played "Taps," with a bugler at the memorial in
Washington playing an echo. The linkage was coordinated by Turner Network
Television. A special use permit was issued for the event. Chief ranger
Gregg Fauth was the NPS program coordinator. [Tony Sisto, Superintendent,
FOVA, 5/29]
98-277 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - MVA with Fatality
E.B., 70, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, was killed in an accident on the
parkway on June 8th. E.B. had left his home five minutes prior to the
accident. His vehicle left the road and struck a tree. [Tim Francis, ACR,
NATR, 6/9]
98-278 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - MVA with Fatality
The park received a report of a serious accident at milepost 216.5 (just
north of the Virginia-North Carolina line) at 4 p.m. on June 7th. Rangers
Jolene Johnson and Greg Moore responded. A motorcycle had crossed the
centerline and struck a Ford Explorer head-on. The driver of the motorcycle,
G.H., of Mount Airy, North Carolina, was flown first to a local
hospital, then to a hospital in Winston-Salem, where he died of massive
injuries. The operator of the Explorer was treated for minor injuries and
released. Parkway motorcycle accidents often result from motorcycles
crossing the centerline in sharp curves due to excessive speed. [CRO, BLRI,
6/9]
98-279 - National Capital Parks (DC) - Assist; Rescue
The crew of Eagle 1, the U.S. Park Police helicopter, assisted the city fire
department on an attempted suicide on June 7th. A 26-year-old male fell
about 100 feet from Chain Bridge. Eagle 1 orbited above the scene until
police and fire personnel could locate, stabilize and transport the patient
to a hoisting area. The helicopter's crew then lifted the victim on board
and flew him to a nearby hospital, where he is listed in critical condition.
[Henry Berberich, RLES, NCRO, 6/8]
98-280 - Mammoth Cave NP (KY) - Body Recovery
Rangers recovered the body of an unidentified woman from the rain-swollen
Green River on June 2nd. The victim has been identified as D.M.,
who disappeared during a flood which occurred about 75 miles upstream from
the park on May 31st. The state medical examiner has ruled the death as
accidental. [Henry Holman, Acting CR, MACA, 6/3]
98-281 - Gateway NRA (NJ/NY) - Body Recovery
On the afternoon of June 5th, rangers John Parsons and Jesse Jack responded
to a fisherman's report of a body floating near the shoreline at the northern
end of the park's Sandy Hook Unit. They retrieved the body of a 35 to 40-
year-old woman who had been in the water for several days. Wind and tide
conditions indicated that she'd recently floated in from waters to the north
or northwest. Preliminary autopsy findings do not indicate the cause of
death, but alcohol and drugs are suspected. Identification efforts are
underway. The investigation is being handled jointly by the park, FBI, state
police, and county and local authorities. [Thomas Lobkowicz, LES, GATE, 6/7]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Mon Tue % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 6/8 6/9 Con Con
FL Apalachicola NF Holiday T2 5,548 5,915 50 NR
Merritt Island NWR St. Johns 1 -- 1,800 280 80 6/9
State Carter Clay -- 650 650 100 CND
Georgetown #2 -- 711 711 90 6/10
Geneva -- 2,000 2,000 100 CND
Georgetown #1 -- 307 307 100 CND
Flager Estates -- 500 500 100 CND
Fox Lake -- 500 1,800 100 CND
* Fisherman Road -- - 260 100 CND
* Fox Command -- - 1,000 100 CND
* Palm Coast 98 ST - NR NR NR
AK Fort Greely Carla Lake T1 45,260 56,460 0 NEC
State (Tok Area) Walker Forks -- 2,500 3,000 0 NEC
AZ Apache-Sitgreaves NF Coleman -- 200 415 100 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
Saturday, 6/6 - - - - - - -*
Sunday, 6/7 1 3 1 1 26 8 40
Monday, 6/8 1 3 2 7 140 18 171
Tuesday, 6/9 0 21 3 1 88 8 121
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Saturday, 6/6 - - - - -*
Sunday, 6/7 28 58 17 2 408
Monday, 6/8 30 75 21 1 505
Tuesday, 6/9 47 81 18 3 403
NICC reports were not transmitted on cc:Mail on Saturday or Sunday.
CURRENT SITUATION
Fire activity was moderate throughout the nation yesterday.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in units in Texas, New
Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Florida, New York, and Minnesota.
No red flag watches or warnings have been posted for today.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/10]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Shenandoah NP (VA) - Pest Management
Shenandoah National Park and ARAMARK Sports & Entertainment, Inc., have
agreed to manage nuisance pests using integrated pest management (IPM)
methodologies at guest facilities in the park. ARAMARK operates all
restaurants, lodges, cabins, and stables in the park. The plan signing
took place May 26th. Although this is not the first IPM plan for a
concessioner, it is one of few in the system and represents a step in helping
get industry on-board with reducing pesticide usage and thinking and working
holistically. IPM was formally instituted as the means for conducting pest
management on federal properties by a presidential order signed in August,
1979. Unlike many government initiatives that come and go with changing
administrations, IPM has lasted through the years because the systems
approach is effective and helps reduce the need for chemical pesticides. For
copies of the ARAMARK IPM plan, contact Robbie Brockwehl, the park's
concessions specialist, via cc:Mail. [James Akerson, Forest Ecologist, SHEN]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Correction - Yesterday's Morning Report contained an incident report on the
shooting of a charging black bear at Lake Clark NP&P (98-268). It said that
the bear had cubs with her. It should have read "The bear was an older sow
without cubs." [Editor]
Internet Manual Available - Ken Mueller, who has just completed the NPS
intake trainee program, has prepared a manual on the basics of Internet
design and history as a final project for that program. The manual can be
obtained from the administrative issues bulletin board. [Kenneth Mueller,
WASO]
MEMORANDA
No entries.
EXCHANGE
No entries.
* * * * *
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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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