Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Concession Employees Injured by Bison
The second of two bison incidents to occur in the Old Faithful area
within two weeks happened around 9 p.m. on the night of Friday, May
23rd. A 40-year-old Xanterra Parks and Resorts employee was bumped by a
bison near Columbine Dorm in the vicinity of Old Faithful Lodge Cabins.
The bison knocked her into a tree, then bumped her a second time; she
was not gored, but experienced back and neck pain. She was taken by
ambulance to West Yellowstone, then flown to Eastern Idaho Regional
Medical Center in Idaho Falls for further evaluation and treatment. The
first incident occurred at 4:30 a.m. on May 13th when another Xanterra
Parks and Resorts employee was walking to the employee dining room near
the Old Faithful Inn in the dark without a flashlight. The 50-year-old
man felt the ground shaking, then was pushed to the ground by a bison.
Although the bison stepped on him and bruised him with its horns, he was
not gored. He was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for
evaluation and treatment and has since returned to work. Neither
incident was witnessed, so it is not known if the bison were bulls or
cows. Bison are more dangerous than they first appear; they can weigh up
to 2,000 pounds and sprint up to 30 miles per hour. It is against the
law to approach within 25 yards of them.
[Submitted by Public
Affairs, Yellowstone NP]
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Helicopter Extrication of Seriously Injured Visitor
On May 21st, park staff were involved in the rescue of a man who had
been bucked off a horse in Havasupi Canyon and was paralyzed. The
initial report was taken by the Arizona Department of Public Safety,
which dispatched a helicopter to the canyon. After assessing the
situation, DPS asked the park for help with extrication of the victim,
A.D. A.D. had to be lifted out of a narrow canyon with
several aerial hazards, such as old telephone lines. Since the park
helicopter couldn't land, ranger Greg Moore was lowered to A.D. via
short-haul. Moore prepared A.D. for extrication, after which he was
short-hauled 200 feet up to the shelf where the DPS helicopter was
waiting. A.D. was then flown to Flagstaff Medical Center for
treatment. Borden Miller was the pilot of the park helicopter; Mark
Murray served as the spotter.
[Submitted by Jennifer Flynn, Incident
Commander, Grand Canyon NP]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
There were 104 newly-reported fires yesterday, none of which escaped initial attack.
Two large fires continue to burn in Alaska. Type 2 teams have been assigned to each. A total of 11 crews are committed to these fires.
Fire Danger
| State |
5/23 |
5/24 |
5/25 |
5/26 |
5/27 |
5/28 |
| Arizona |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| California |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Colorado |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Michigan |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Minnesota |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Nevada |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
-- |
-- |
| New Mexico |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Oklahoma |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Texas |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Wisconsin |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
-- |
VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
VX — Very high to extreme
Fire Weather Watches and Warnings
No warnings or watches have been posted for today.
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
5/23 |
5/24 |
5/25 |
5/26 |
5/27 |
5/28 |
| Crews |
10 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
23 |
30 |
| Engines |
30 |
52 |
45 |
27 |
44 |
40 |
| Helicopters |
6 |
9 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
5 |
| Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Overhead |
474 |
461 |
430 |
423 |
483 |
442 |
National Team Commitments
| State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Fire |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
| AK |
T2 |
Jandt |
Iliamna/State lands |
5,360 |
95% |
5/30 |
| AK |
T2 |
Kurth |
Rex Bridge/State lands |
1,500 |
60% |
5/29 |
Everglades National Park (FL)
L67 Fire
The lightning-caused L67 Fire (350 acres) continues to burn south of the Tamiami Trail between the L67 Canal and Shark Valley. It is being managed to accomplish resource objectives. Twenty-three firefighters and overhead have been committed.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Golden Spike National Historic Site (UT)
GS-025-11 Chief Ranger
The park is currently recruiting for a GS-025-11 park ranger (law enforcement) to serve as chief of the Division of Resource and Visitor Protection, Resource Management, and Interpretation. The person selected for the position will manage the full range of protection operations, interpretation and visitor services, and natural and cultural resource management programs. She/he will serve as a member of the park's management team and fully participate in decision-making, planning, programming and management of operations. The chief ranger maintains an active public relations program with park neighbors; state, federal and local agencies and law enforcement groups; cooperating association, etc. The vacancy announcement (IMDE-03-42) can be viewed on www.usajobs.opm.gov. For area information, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/gosp. The closing date is June 5th.
[Submitted by Mary Risser, Superintendent, Golden Spike NHS]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.