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Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, September 23, 1999
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Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 09:11:48 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, September 23, 1999
INCIDENTS
99-571 - Acadia NP (ME) - Double Fatality
Park dispatch received a report that two visitors had been swept into the
ocean on Schoodic Peninsula just before 10 a.m. on September 20th. Ranger
Bill Weidner and Navy personnel responded and were soon joined by Maine
Marine Patrol officers. The two bodies were located in the surf by a local
fisherman who was guided in by bystanders. Neither had a pulse when he
pulled them from the water. The two victims - M.C., 61, and
R.C., 51, both of Charleston, Maine - were pronounced dead at a
local hospital. The Croteaus were evidently sightseeing along the shore at
Schoodic Point when a wave knocked them into the surf. Conditions were
unremarkable at the time of the incident; seas were averaging one to three
feet, with occasional larger swells. Witnesses report that the two were
standing dangerously close to the surf at the time of the accident and had
already been showered by one wave. [David Buccello, CR, ACAD, 9/20]
99-572 - Hot Springs NP (AR) - Attempted Armed Robbery
The park observation tower concession cashier saw two men climbing over a
rock wall adjacent to the tower around 3 p.m. on September 17th. They were
wearing black ski masks; one carried a sawed-off shotgun, the other a
machete. The cashier and two other employees locked themselves in an office,
leaving six park visitors in the lobby. The masked men unsuccessfully
attempted to gain entry into the office, then left the tower after striking a
surveillance camera with the machete. No one was harmed and nothing was
stolen. Rangers, city police, state troopers and FBI agents responded
immediately to the concession employee's call for help. The men were not
located, but the masks, shotgun and machete were found in a duffel bag on an
apartment building porch the following day. Further investigation by rangers
and FBI agents led to the identification of two teenage suspects. They have
been questioned, and the U.S. attorney's office has been contacted for
guidance. The two had apparently been contemplating robbing either the tower
or the county fair. [Bruce Cunningham, LES, MWRO, 9/21]
99-573 - Gateway NRA (NY/NJ) - Rescue
On the afternoon of September 17th, Park Police officers Robert O'Brien and
Kenneth Delaney were flagged down by a citizen who advised them of a
windsurfer in trouble off the beach area in Great Kills Park. The officers
were able to locate the surfer approximately one mile off shore. Delaney met
with NYPD aviation officers and boarded their helicopter to aid in the search
and rescue. Meanwhile, O'Brien drove to Nichols Marina in Great Kills Park
and found a boat owner who was willing to take him out to search for the
surfer. After approximately 20 minutes, the surfer, J.H., was located
and pulled onto the boat. J.H. said that he had been trying to reach the
shore for over a half hour but could not make it due to the high winds and
rough water from Hurricane Floyd. J.H. refused medical treatment. [John
Lauro, USPP, GATE, 9/21]
99-574 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Arson
A fire was reported on August 31st around 3:30 p.m. near the base of
Washington's Column in Yosemite Valley. Ranger Mary Hinson quickly hiked to
the fire, which was located on a rocky talus slope in live oaks. She
detained R.M., who was running from the area. When Hinson questioned
him about what he was doing in the area, he gave evasive answers and a false
name. Hinson arrested him for giving false information and walked him out of
the area. The fire was suppressed using helicopter water drops at a cost of
$2,700. R.M. was interviewed in custody, but maintained that he had
nothing to do with the fire, even though he had 30 cigarette lighters in his
vehicle. Special agents investigated the fire and found evidence which tied
R.M. to other small fires in the area, all of which had gone out. The
U.S. attorney's office declined to prosecute felony arson charges. On
September 21st, R.M. pled no contest to setting illegal fires (36 CFR
2.13) in magistrate's court. A probation investigation has been ordered, and
restitution for the cost of suppression will be sought as part of sentencing.
[Dan Horner, SA, YOSE, 9/22]
99-575 - Ocmulgee NM (GA) - Special Event
The park hosted the 1999 Ocmulgee Indian Celebration last weekend. Over 100
Southeastern Native Americans participated in the event, displaying various
crafts and lifeways, telling traditional stories, and performing both
traditional and contemporary Native American dances and music. The Southeast
Region's special events team assisted park staff with security for the event.
About 300 also volunteers helped out. No major incidents occurred. About
15,000 people visited over the three days, including 5,000 area fourth-
graders. [Jim David, Superintendent, OCMU, 9/21]
99-576 - Indiana Dunes NL (IN) - Special Event
Over 9,000 people attended the 22nd annual Duneland Harvest Festival on
September 18th and 19th. The event featured crafts, demonstrations and
performances celebrating the region's past. The festival, held at the
Chellberg Farm and Bailly Homestead, is the major annual fundraising event
for park partner Friends of Indiana Dunes. [Al Nash, PAO, INDU, 9/22]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Tue Wed % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 9/21 9/22 Con Con
CA Shasta-Trinity NF Big Bar Cx T1/2 51,707 53,403 50 UNK
Los Padres NF Kirk Cx T1/2 32,023 36,728 20 UNK
TX State Williamsn Ranch -- 11,000 11,000 85 9/23
Breckenridge -- 450 450 95 9/22
OR Siskiyou NF Sebastopol T2 120 300 88 9/25
Deschutes NF * Spring River -- - 113 95 9/23
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; RBF = resource benefit fire, no containment action being
taken; LR = last report unless significant activity occurs
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Sunday, 9/19 2 4 14 2 215 38 275
Monday, 9/20 2 1 8 0 289 28 328
Tuesday, 9/21 4 6 2 1 193 27 233
Wednesday, 9/22 1 2 6 0 129 34 172
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Sunday, 9/19 173 244 74 2 3,521
Monday, 9/20 229 282 65 0 1,560
Tuesday, 9/21 241 257 69 0 1,419
Wednesday, 9/22 218 264 65 4 1,466
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack was moderate in the South, Northwest and northern California
yesterday, but minimal elsewhere.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in California, Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Indiana, Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee.
NICC has posted four FIRE WEATHER WATCHES - for increasing southwest winds
and low humidities this afternoon and evening in northern Idaho and northwest
Montana; for low relative humidity and strong winds late today in the
Columbia Basin in Oregon; for strong gusty winds associated with a dry cold
front this afternoon and tomorrow in eastern Washington; and for low relative
humidity this afternoon in the Florida panhandle.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/23]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND EDUCATION
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Correction - A number of alert readers noted that yesterday's Morning Report
was dated October 22, 1999. A sudden drop in temperature in eastern
Pennsylvania, the drought-induced early leaf change, and the arrival of the
equinox evidently conspired to create a momentary but compelling illusion of
October. It is still September, you're still in FY99, and you still need to
balance the books. [Editor]
MEMORANDA
No entries.
INTERCHANGE
No entries.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
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, September 22
House Resources Committee (Young): Markup of the following bills:
o H.R. 20 (Gilman, NY), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
to construct and operate a visitor center for the Upper Delaware Scenic
and Recreational River on land owned by the State of New York.
o H.R. 748 (Stupak, MI), a bill to amend the act that established the
Keweenaw National Historical Park to require the Secretary of the
Interior to consider nominees of various local interests in appointing
members of the Keweenaw National Historical Parks Advisory Commission.
o H.R. 1615 (Sununu, NH), a bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
to extend the designation of a portion of the Lamprey River in New
Hampshire as a recreational river to include an additional river
segment.
o H.R. 1665 (Bateman, VA), a bill to allow the National Park Service to
acquire certain land for addition to the Wilderness Battlefield in
Virginia, as previously authorized by law, by purchase or exchange as
well as by donation.
o H.R. 2140 (Deal, GA), a bill to improve protection and management of
the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in the State of
Georgia.
o H.R. 2547, a bill to provide for conveyance of lands interests to
Chugach Alaska Corporation to fulfill the intent, purpose, and promise
of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
The hearing will be held at 11 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Murkowski): Markup of the
following bills:
o S. 340 (Allard, CO), a bill to amend the Cache La Poudre River Corridor
Act to make technical corrections, and for other purposes.
o S. 25 (Landrieu, LA), a bill to provide Coastal Impact Assistance to
State and local governments, to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands
Act Amendments of 1978, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of
1965, the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act, and the Federal Aid
in Wildlife Restoration Act (commonly referred to as the Pittman-
Robertson Act) to establish a fund to meet the outdoor conservation and
recreation needs of the American people, and for other purposes.
o S. 819 (Graham, FL), a bill to provide funding for the National Park
System from outer Continental Shelf revenues.
o S. 710 (Lott, MS), a bill to authorize the feasibility study on the
preservation of certain Civil War battlefields along the Vicksburg
Campaign Trail.
o S. 905 (Santorum, PA), a bill to establish the Lackawanna Valley
American Heritage Area.
o S. 1093 (Bingaman, NM), a bill to establish the Galisteo Basin
Archaeological Protection Sites, to provide for the protection of
archaeological sites in the Galisteo Basin of New Mexico, and for other
purposes.
o S. 1117 (Lott, MI), a bill to establish the Corinth Unit of Shiloh
National Military Park, in the vicinity of the city of Corinth,
Mississippi, and in the State of Tennessee, and for other purposes.
o S. 1324, boundary expansion at Gettysburg NMP.
o S. 1349 (Thomas, WY), a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct special resource studies to determine the national significance
of specific sites as well as the suitability and feasibility of their
inclusion as units of the National Park System.
o S. 986 (Reid, NV), a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to
convey the Griffith Project to the Southern Nevada Water Authority
The hearing will be at 9:30 a.m. in 366 Dirksen.
Thursday, September 30
House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on:
o H.R. 1864 (Hansen, UT), a bill to standardize the process for
conducting public hearings for Federal agencies within the Department
of the Interior.
o H.R. 1866 (Hansen, UT), a bill to provide a process for the public to
appeal certain decisions made by the National Park Service and by the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
o H.R. 2541 (Taylor, MS), a bill to adjust the boundaries of the Gulf
Islands National Seashore to include Cat Island, Mississippi.
The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.
LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
The following bills either directly or indirectly pertaining to the NPS have
been introduced since the last Morning Report listing of new legislation
(September 16th):
o H.R. 2832 (Pallone, NJ), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to establish a program to inventory, evaluate, document, and
assist efforts to restore and preserve surviving United States
Life-Saving Service stations.
o H.R. 2839 (Bass, NH), a bill to amend the Act which established the
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, in the State of New Hampshire, by
modifying the boundary, and for other purposes.
o H.R. 2857 (Doolittle, CA), a bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act to ensure congressional involvement in the process by which rivers
that are designated as wild, scenic, or recreational rivers by an act
of the legislature of the State or States through which they flow may
be included in the national wild and scenic rivers system, and for
other purposes.
o H.R. 2861 (Green, WI), a bill to require the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct a study on and develop recommendations to increase the
safety of visitors to units of the National Park System.
o S. 1584 (Santorum, PA), a bill to establish the Schuylkill River Valley
National Heritage Area in the State of Pennsylvania.
NEW LAWS
The following bills have passed Congress and been signed into law: Submission
pending.
o Public Law 106-53, signed into law on August 17th - "An Act to provide
for the conservation and development of water and related resources, to
authorize the United States Army Corps of Engineers to construct
various projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United
States, and for other purposes." Section 208 deals with technical
aspects of the south Florida ecosystem restoration which pertain to
Everglades NP; Section 342 mandates the development of a shore erosion
plan for a portion of a beach erosion control and hurricane protection
project that affects Fire Island NS.
* * * * *
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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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