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Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, August 31, 1999
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Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 11:55:55 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, August 31, 1999
INCIDENTS
97-746 - Southwest SO (NM) - Follow-up: ARPA/NAGPRA Prosecution
During the fall of 1995, special agents from the Service's Southwest Support
Office and BIA initiated Operation Breaklink, an investigation into ARPA and
NAGPRA violations on Hopi tribal lands. The investigation, led by BIA,
resulted in 26 federal grand jury indictments against R.T. of
Payson, Arizona, for trafficking in sacred items and objects of cultural
patrimony from both Hopi and Acoma lands. R.T. had previously been
convicted of similar violations in an investigation which also involved the
NPS. R.T. was found guilty on 20 of the counts in December, 1997, and
sentenced to a lengthy jail term. Nine Hopi tribal members were subsequently
sentenced to a year each in tribal jail. After his original sentencing,
R.T. was found to be in violation of his probation from a prior New Mexico
NAGPRA conviction. He served six months for that violation and has since
been out, awaiting the ruling on his appeal of the Arizona charges. On
August 20th, the U.S. Court of Appeals (Ninth Circuit) upheld R.T.'s
convictions and sentence. AUSA Paul Charlton will be asking the court to
revoke R.T.'s release and that he be returned to prison to serve the
remaining 33 months of his sentence. [Phil Young, SA, Southwest SO, 8/24]
99-520 - East Coast Areas - Follow-up: Hurricane Dennis
Hurricane Dennis continues its slow movement toward the east-northeast this
morning, with highest sustained winds of 85 mph. It is not expected to move
much over the next 24 hours, and will likely be downgraded to a strong
tropical storm within the next 72 hours. It may "wander" back to the west
toward the coast during that period. A tropical storm warning remains in
effect from Cape Lookout, North Carolina, to Chincoteague, Virginia; gale
warnings extend from Chincoteague to Great Egg Inlet, New Jersey. The
following reports have been received from parks over the past 24 hours:
o Cape Lookout NS (NC) - Employees returned to the park this morning, and
a damage assessment is now underway. The mainland and park
headquarters suffered minor damage. The assessment of the North Core,
South Core and Shackelford Banks will be completed by this evening.
The park will remain closed until facilities are checked and determined
to be safe.
o Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - Hurricane force winds were blowing over
Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands yesterday evening, and all of Dare County
was being affected by gale force winds. Some dune line has been lost
along NC Highway 12 just north of Buxton and the road is covered by an
estimated five feet of sand. Some of the road in this area may have
been lost. The Cape Point campground is completely flooded, as is the
old site of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. The lighthouse itself fared
quite well and suffered only minor flooding. All facilities in the
three parks (Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM, Fort Raleigh NHS)
seem to have come through the storm with little damage. An assessment
flight will be made this morning.
o Fort Sumter NM/Charles Pinckney NHS (SC) - Wind speeds did not exceed
33 mph during the hurricane's near passage, and there was no
significant damage at either park. Fort Moultrie and Charles Pinckney
returned to normal operations yesterday; Fort Sumter was to reopen as
soon as the concession tour boats could be retrieved from their
hurricane moorings (no later than late this morning).
o Cumberland Island NS (GA) - The park experienced high winds, high and
heavy surf, and isolated showers, but suffered no damage. It reopened
yesterday morning.
o Castillo de San Marcos NM/Fort Matanzas NM (FL) - Neither of the parks
were closed to visitors at any time; both have resumed normal
operations. There was no damage to structures. There was also some
minor beach erosion at Fort Matanzas.
[Rick Black, Emergency Support Team, FEMA, 8/31; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO,
8/31; Bob Woody, IC, CAHA, 8/30; Chuck Dale, FOMA/CASA, 8/30; John Tucker,
FOSU/CHPI/MOCR; Denis Davis, CUIS, 8/31]
99-523 - Shenandoah NP (VA) - Search, Airplane Crash with Four Fatalities
A Cessna 172 aircraft flying from Newport News to Weyers Cave, Virginia,
disappeared from radar two miles east of the park near Flattop Mountain
around 9:40 a.m. on August 25th. Due to some confusion regarding the
probable location of the aircraft, the park was not notified until 1:30 p.m.
the following afternoon. Ground searches in the Flattop Mountain area and
along the park's boundary were begun that afternoon and continued into the
evening. Hasty searches were also conducted along the Appalachian Trail
within the park. The search was temporarily suspended due to heavy rains
that caused dangerous and slippery footing. A Dogs East search team located
the plane the following morning about three-quarters of a mile east of the
park on Flattop Mountain, All four passengers - two adults and two
children - were killed in the crash. [Rick Childs, DR, South District, SHEN,
8/27]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level IV
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Sun Mon % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 8/29 8/30 Con Con
CA Angeles NF Bridge -- 500 2,000 10 UNK
San Bernadino NF Willow T1 2,000 44,000 10 UNK
Mixing T2 2,500 3,000 70 UNK
Mad.-Mar.-Mer. RU * Coulterville -- - 500 0 UNK
* Merced -- - 500 0 UNK
Kern County * Wind -- - 300 0 UNK
Los Angeles County * Shannon -- - 1,650 40 UNK
Riverside RU Pine -- 2,065 1,523 80 8/31
Butte RU Butte Cx ST 32,879 32,879 100 CND
Shasta Trinity RU Shasta-Trin. Cx ST 2,500 2,500 95 8/31
Modoc NF Yellow-Pine Cx T2 26,491 34,441 50 UNK
Plumas NF MHRD Cx T1 10,412 12,587 30 UNK
FRRD Cx T1 3,650 3,755 72 UNK
Shasta-Trinity NF High Cx T1 18,500 18,500 15 UNK
Big Bar Cx T2 4,527 4,685 10 UNK
NV Ely FO Sellem T2 10,000 10,000 70 8/31
Winnemucca FO * L. Granite Creek -- - 300 100 CND
WA State Incident 64 -- 100 100 100 CND
MT Crow Agency Ash Creek -- 300 500 80 8/31
Glacier NP Anaconda -- 250 540 0 UNK
State * Briney -- - 800 30 UNK
UT Salt Lake District Flat -- 3,000 3,000 85 8/30
Marblehead -- 750 750 100 CND
State Clay Pit II -- 400 500 100 CND
ID Upper Snake District Nicky -- 350 350 100 CND
Lower Snake District * East Slick T2 - 1,000 5 8/31
TX State Topeka -- 1,700 1,700 100 CND
Pitchfork ST 1,500 1,500 20 UNK
McCormack -- 2,000 2,000 50 8/30
* Corbett Ranch -- - 140 80 8/31
Heading Notes
Unit Agency or Area Office = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA
state resource or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; FO =
BLM field office; District = BLM district; NWR = USFWS wildlife
refuge
Fire * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex
IMT T1 = Type I Team; T2 = Type II Team; T3 = Type III Team; ST =
State Team; FUM = Fire Use Management Team
% Con Percent of fire contained: UNK = unknown; NR = no report
Est Con Estimated containment date: NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; UNK = unknown; NR = no
report; LR = last report unless significant activity occurs
FIRE NARRATIVES (as of 8/30)
Yosemite NP - All fires continue to burn within prescription.
Zion NP - Firefighters continued interior burnout on the Dakota Fire. There
have been no threats on the perimeter over the past two days.
Glacier NP - The Anaconda Fire has burned 540 acres. It increased by about
30 acres on Sunday.
Great Smoky Mountains NP - The park is presently managing its second wildland
fire for resource benefits this year. The Blacksmith Fire was started by
lightning on August 19th and is located in the southwestern part of the Park
near Chilhowee Lake. During the first few days, the fire backed slowly down
slope from its ridge-top ignition point, burning 85 acres. Light rain last
week temporarily halted fire spread, but portions of the perimeter rekindled
and an additional ten acres have burned. Park biologists are delighted with
the fire's effects. Recent prescribed burning in the area has resulted in
new observations of rare plant and animal species. Personnel from the
Southeast's fire use module are monitoring the fire 24 hours a day due to
potential smoke problems on a nearby highway. Conditions are moderately dry
in the park and there is no rain in the forecast.
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Friday, 8/27 1 11 40 1 349 65 467
Saturday, 8/28 2 8 30 0 85 98 223
Sunday, 8/29 0 8 15 1 74 45 143
Monday, 8/30 3 5 18 1 230 31 288
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Friday, 8/27 457 910 118 19 1,885
Saturday, 8/28 468 797 127 21 2,616
Sunday, 8/29 419 756 103 6 2,196
Monday, 8/30 441 849 102 5 2,059
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack activity was moderate in most areas yesterday, but several new
large fires were reported. NICC continues to mobilize resources; competition
exists for Type I crews.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported on Sunday in Oregon,
Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming,
Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
NIFC has posted a RED FLAG WARNING for gusty northeast winds and decreasing
relative humidity in the Sacramento Valley in northern California and a FIRE
WEATHER WATCH for strong west winds and low relative humidity in southeast
Montana.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/31; Mike Warren, NPS FMPC,
8/30; Leon Konz, GRSM, 8/29]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND EDUCATION
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
INTERCHANGE
No entries.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
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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