- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, June 12, 1998
- Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, June 12, 1998
INCIDENTS
98-243 - Hovenweep NM (CO) - Follow-up on Search for Felons
The search for the two fugitives wanted for the murder of officer Dale
Claxton, the wounding of three other officers, and the attempted murder of
Hovenweep superintendent Art Hutchison has come to a virtual standstill. The
primary focus at present is on investigation. The territory between
Hovenweep and Glen Canyon is still considered to be the area where they're
most probably located. An NPS incident command has been established and is
comprised of personnel from Mesa Verde, Glen Canyon, Zion, and the Southeast
Utah Group. A call was made for 17 Level 1 commissioned rangers for a 21-day
assignment to assist on the operation; so far, 13 rangers have been brought
on board. The operational objects are as follows:
provide for the security of park staff, park residents, and visitors;
maintain normal park operations;
provide for two-person patrols for routine operations;
protect park resources; and
support local sheriffs.
The two Intermountain Region special events teams are being held in reserve
in case of another blow-up necessitating a large influx of highly-trained law
enforcement personnel to manage the situation. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, SEUG,
6/10]
98-284 - Great Smoky Mountains NP (TN/NC) - Rescue
On the morning of June 7th, G.C., 38, of Maryville, Tennessee, was
helping set up ropes for a rappel off Look Rock near the Foothills Parkway.
One of G.C.' companions reported that G.C. had a sit harness on
but was not tied in and was standing on the edge when he fell about 35 feet.
Ranger Al Voner responded and coordinated the rescue efforts. G.C. was
conscious, but could not move. He was taken to an ambulance, driven to a
nearby landing zone, then transferred to a medivac hospital for the flight to
the University of Tennessee hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
His spleen and a kidney were removed; he also suffered a major contusion on
one lung, five broken ribs, a broken wrist and toes, and an injury to his
head that required 21 stitches. [Jack Piepenbring, DR, GRSM, 6/11]
98-285 - Gulf Islands NS (MS/FL) - Special Event
President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain visited the park on June 9th along with
the undersecretary of the Navy and the governor of Florida. Aznar
participated in the 300th anniversary celebration commemorating the Spanish
presence in the Pensacola area. The event was held at Fort Barrancas, a unit
of the park located on the Pensacola Naval Air Station. The event included
the arrival of the Spanish tall ship "Elcano" with an escort from the Blue
Angels, the Navy's precision flight team. The event was managed under ICS in
conjunction with the Secret Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service,
Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Navy public affairs. The park
assisted with law enforcement, dignitary protection, public information, and
media support. [CRO, GUIS, 6/10]
98-286 - Saint-Gaudens NHS (NH) - EMS Incident
A visitor reported finding an unconscious man on the lower end of the park's
Ravine trail shortly before the park closed on the afternoon of June 8th.
The visitor, an orthopedic surgeon, returned to the man along with rangers
while emergency medical assistance was summoned. The victim, a 27-year-old
man from Claremont, New Hampshire, was lying at an odd angle on a hillside
adjacent to the trail. He was unresponsive, and a neck injury was suspected.
He was flown by helicopter to the Dartmouth-Hitchock Medical Center in
Lebanon and admitted to intensive care. His injuries were later found to be
non-traumatic, and he was released from the hospital on the following day.
Rangers determined that he hadn't checked in at the park's entrance station
and may have entered the site via one of several hiking trails. No vehicles
were found at the trailheads, though. The cause of his injury remains
unknown and is under investigation. [Greg Schwarz, CR, SAGA, 6/11]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Wed Thu % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 6/10 6/11 Con Con
FL Apalachicola NF Holiday T2 6,000 6,007 50 6/15
Merritt Island NWR St. Johns 1 -- 500 500 80 6/12
State Georgetown #2 -- 711 711 90 6/15
Geneva -- 2,000 2,000 70 6/12
Fox Command -- 1,000 1,000 95 6/9
AK Fort Greely Carla Lake T1 57,060 58,160 25 NEC
NM State * Encinosa -- - 325 40 6/13
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
Monday, 6/8 1 3 2 7 140 18 171
Tuesday, 6/9 0 21 3 1 88 8 121
Wednesday, 6/10 0 36 2 0 43 6 87
Thursday, 6/11 2 40 0 0 66 9 117
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Monday, 6/8 30 75 21 1 505
Tuesday, 6/9 47 81 18 3 403
Wednesday, 6/10 44 62 18 2 401
Thursday, 6/11 50 76 23 2 423
CURRENT SITUATION
There was little fire activity nationally yesterday. NICC continues to
process overhead orders for Mexico and the South. Central American nations
have reported 17,000 fires totaling more than 2.10 million acres.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in units in Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Florida.
No red flag watches or warnings have been posted for today.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/12]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Yellowstone NP (WY) - Draft Bison EIS
A draft environmental impact statement (EIS) to address bison management in
and around the park will be released to the public this week for a 120-day
comment period. The EIS will recognize that there is no single solution to
the complex issue of bison management; therefore, seven different
alternatives will be offered, covering a wide range of options. These
include managing bison within specific population ranges; a safe and
effective vaccination for bison; capture and testing of bison for
brucellosis; purchase of critical winter range from willing sellers; a fair
chase hunt; and quarantine. The draft EIS is the result of a joint effort by
the state of Montana, the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS), the Forest Service, and the NPS. The draft is a
work in progress and the final document may change considerably, depending on
the results of the public comment period. The three federal agencies remain
committed to working with the state on a viable, long-term bison management
plan that protects Montana's brucellosis class-free status and also permits a
wild, free-ranging bison population. Public meetings on the EIS will be
scheduled in over a dozen cities. The locations, dates, and times will be
announced in the near future. The EIS will be available for public review
from June 12th to October 16th. To obtain a copy, write to the Bison
Management Plan EIS Team, National Park Service, Sara Bransom, DSC-RP, P.O.
Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225-0287; phone (303) 969-2310; or visit the
web site at http://www.nps.gov/planning/current/htm. Written comments on the
draft EIS should be mailed to the above address. [Wayne Brewster, YELL]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
EXCHANGE
No entries.
* * * * *
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.
--- ### ---