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Subject: Fwd:NPS Morning Report - 7/20/98
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Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1998 14:11:42 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, July 20, 1998
INCIDENTS
98-309 - Great Smoky Mountains (NC/TN) - Follow-up on Shooting of Ranger
In early July, a federal grand jury indicted J.L., Sr., 47, for
the murder of ranger Joe Kolodski. J.L. was charged with murder of
Kolodski while he was performing his official duties; murder of Kolodski
while Kolodski was assisting ranger Anthony Welch, who was performing
official duties; attempted murder of Welch; and assault with intent to do
bodily harm to a park visitor. On July 9th, a federal judge ordered a
psychological exam of J.L. to determine if he is competent to stand trial.
Attorney general Janet Reno is not expected to decide if she will seek the
death penalty until the evaluation is completed. The case continues to draw
extensive media attention, particularly regarding the possibility of the
death penalty. Additional details have also been provided about the
investigation. As was noted in previous reports, J.L. was apprehended on
the day of the murder as he came out of the woods and onto a remote dirt road
on the Cherokee reservation. He was captured - unarmed and without
resistance - by two Cherokee game wardens. Rangers were able to backtrack
J.L. to the crime scene. Additional evidence was found while establishing
his trail. J.L.'s escape route was from the high elevation crime scene
down a steep and densely wooded drainage to the base of the mountain. A
significant amount of evidence was recovered during the investigation and is
currently being evaluated by the FBI laboratory. A 7.62 bolt-action rifle
was recovered which is believed to be the murder weapon. The FBI continues
to serve as the primary investigatory agency; extensive assistance is being
provided by Great Smoky Mountains NP rangers. J.L. refused to make a
statement after being arrrested and has made no comments to date. Both Great
Smoky Mountains NP and Blue Ridge Parkway are still being supported by
rangers detailed to the area. Kolodski's wife and children are being
supported by the NPS family and local friends as they attempt to cope with
the tragedy. Cards and/or donations may be sent to the family in care of
Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains NP, 130 West Bruce Street, Suite #1,
Sevierville, TN 37862. Additional follow-up reports will appear in the
Morning Report as the case progresses. [John Mattox, CI, GRSM, 7/17]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Thu Sun % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 7/16 7/19 Con Con
FL State Suwanee Cx T1 36,508 36,508 99 NEC
Jacksonville 2 T2 16,163 16,860 90 NEC
Flagler/StJohn Cx T1 94,656 94,656 90 7/20
GA Okefenokee NWR Honey Scrub Cx T1 7,094 7,099 50 8/1
TX State * No Name -- - 225 UNK NEC
* Spade -- - 1,100 UNK NEC
NV Carson City District * Sand -- - 7,000 40 7/21
Ely District * Eldridge -- - 700 UNK NEC
* Union Cx T2 - 7,860 75 7/20
MT Custer NF * Parkside T2 - 133 50 7/20
OR Burns District * Fifteen Cent -- - 650 90 7/20
UT Moab District * Hovenweep -- - 1,500 10 7/21
State * George -- - 8,000 60 NEC
NM State * Fresques -- - 320 0 NEC
AZ Phoenix District * McCarrin -- - 220 0 NEC
Tonto NF * Granite -- - 100 70 7/20
CO Craig District * Peekaboo -- - 140 0 NEC
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; UNK = unknown
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
Thursday, 7/16 0 9 4 0 115 13 141
Friday, 7/17 1 2 17 1 66 42 129
Saturday, 7/18 1 10 24 0 53 45 133
Sunday, 7/19 1 16 35 4 79 74 209
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Thursday, 7/16 66 378 81 9 1,239
Friday, 7/17 82 387 86 10 1,044
Saturday, 7/18 53 299 59 2 813
Sunday, 7/19 76 369 91 9 832
CURRENT SITUATION
Fire activity increased yesterday in the Southwest, Rockies and the Great
Basin; initial attack continued in Texas because of extreme fire indices and
widespread thunderstorms.
Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Florida, Georgia, Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, California, and
Washington.
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for today for dry thunderstorms and very
hot and dry conditions in central and eastern Wyoming.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/18-20]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
EXCHANGE
No entries.
MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS CALENDAR
Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains meetings, seminars, conferences and events, and a second, which
contains workshops and training courses. If you know of a conference,
meeting, workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and
implications, please send the information along.
Entries are listed no earlier than FOUR months before the event, EXCEPT in
instances in which registration dates close much earlier. Asterisks indicate
new entries; brackets at end of entry indicate source of information.
Brevity is appreciated.
7/29-30 Seminar: Available Options for Wood Protection
Location: Denver Service Center, CO
Details: Options for protecting wood from pests and associated
environmental and human risks.
Contact: Carol DiSalvo or Ken Franc
Phone/fax: DiSalvo: 202-219-8936, Franc: 303-969-2165; ---
E-mail: Carol DiSalvo at NP-WASO-ENV/POL, Ken Franc at NP-
DEN1
Submitter: Carol DiSalvo
8/13-16 Meeting: Pecos Conference
Location: Pecos NHP, NM
Details: The focus of this year's annual conference will be on
the archeological concepts of culture. Short papers
are also solicited on archeological breakthroughs,
updates, unique discoveries, challenges and concerns.
Contact: Judy Reed, Pecos NHP, PO Box 418, Pecos, NM 87552
Phone/fax: --- ; ---
E-mail: Judy Reed at NP-PECO
Submitter: Pecos NHP
8/19-29 Meeting: Northeast Bat Working Group Organizational Meeting
Location: Greene Hills Manor, Barree, PA
Details: The objectives are to establish bat conservation
goals throughout the eastern states and to identify
state and provincial working groups.
Contact: Jim Kennedy, North American Bat Conservation
Partnership
Phone/fax: 512-327-9721; 512-327-9724
E-mail: jkennedy@batcon.org
Submitter: Carol DiSalvo, IPM, WASO
8/20-22 Meeting: "Stuff of Women's History: Using Artifacts,
Landscapes and Built Environment to Research and
Teach about Women's History in the Classroom"
Location: Seneca Falls, NY
Details: This conference, which features a series of lectures,
slide shows, workshops and sessions, is co-sponsored
by Women's Rights NHP. NPS training credit will be
arranged. Registration is $35; travel and per diem
are benefitting account.
Closes: Registration closing date: Not specified.
Contact: John Dichtl, Organization of American Historians
Phone/fax: 812-855-7345; ---
E-mail: senecafalls@oah.org, or www.indiana.edu/~oah/
sowh.html
Submitter: Vivien Rose, WORI
8/31-9/6* Meeting: Society of American Archivists
Location: Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, Orlando, FL
Details: The conference will feature 68 sessions (nearly 100
hours) of sessions on many educational tracks. See
next week's calendar for pre-conference workshops.
Registration is $285 for non-members, and $235 for
members before August 30th.
Closes: N/A - but all registration after August 30th will be
on site.
Contact: Diane Vogt O'Connor for particulars; the hotel (407-
934-4000) for reservations (must be before August
30th).
Phone/fax: --- ; ---
E-mail: Diane Vogt O'Connor at NP-WASO-CSD
Submitter: Same
9/16-19 Meeting: Fourth National Conference on Battlefield
Preservation
Location: Westin Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, SC
Details: The conference will explore the tools and techniques
used to define historic battlefields and effective
methods of protecting battlefield land.
Contact: Hampton Tucker
Phone/fax: 202-343-3580; ---
E-mail: Hampton Tucker at NP-WASO-HPS
Submitter: Same
10/10-13 Meeting: Third Biennial North American Water Trails
Conference/Chesapeake Water Trails Workshop
Location: National Conservation Training Center (NCTC),
Shepherdstown, WV
Details: Topics include access, stewardship, building
partnerships, and reducing conflicts. There will be
a presentation by Parks Canada and field trips on
October 10th.
Closes: Not given, but registration will be limited.
Contact: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Phone/fax: 717-236-8825; 717-236-9019
E-mail: acbpa@pipeline.com
Submitter: Don Briggs, RTCAP Potomac Field Office, PSO
10/13-16 Meeting: Fifth Conference on Fossil Resources: Partners
Preserving Our Past, Planning Our Future
Location: Rapid City, SD
Details: Themes include education and outreach, science and
research on public and tribal lands, paleo resource
management, and partnerships. A field trip is
included in the registration cost of $150.
Closes: Early registration closing date: August 1st.
Contact: Rachel Benton, Badlands NP
Phone/fax: 605-433-5261; 605-433-5404
E-mail: Rachel Benton at NP-BADL
Submitter: Same
10/15 Meeting: Call for Papers: "On the Frontiers of Conservation:
Discovery, Reappraisal, and Innovation," Tenth
Conference on Research and Resource Management in
Parks and on Public Lands
Location: Asheville, NC
Details: The conference will not be held until March 22-26,
1999, but the deadline for papers is October 15th.
Abstracts are welcome on any topic related to
research, resource management, and education in parks
and protected areas, and from any field in cultural
or natural resources. There will be a management
track to highlight case studies and practical
applications, a track for research findings and
policy discussions, and a regionally-focused
Appalachian issues track.
Closes: N/A
Contact: George Wright Society
Phone/fax: 906-487-9722; 906-487-9405
E-mail: gws@mail.portup.com; www.portup.com/~gws/ gws99.html
Submitter: Dave Harmon, GWS; Bob Krumenaker, SHEN
10/24* Event: 35th Anniversary, Horace Albright Training Center
Location: Grand Canyon NP, AZ
Details: An open house and evening program will take place on
the 24th. If you are a former training manager,
instructor or student, please send along your tales,
impressions, thoughts or memories regarding the
center.
Contact: Bob Karotko
Phone/fax: 520-638-7988; 520-638-2953
E-mail: Bob Karotko at NP-HOAL
Submitter: Same
10/24 Event: 25th Anniversary, Opening of Alcatraz
Location: Golden Gate NRA, CA
Details: Tentative plans are for a day-long celebration and
re-dedication on Saturday, October 24th. An
overnight stay is included. The park is attempting
to contact every NPS employee "who has ever done time
on the Rock."
Contact: Jim MacDonald or John Cantwell
Phone/fax: 415-705-1045; ---
E-mail: GOGA Alcatraz at NP-GOGA, or goga_alcatraz@nps.gov
Submitter: John Cantwell, GOGA
* * * * *
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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