Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Closures Due to Bear Incidents
Pebble Creek Campground and West Thumb Geyser Basin are temporarily
closed due to bear activity, and bear warnings have been posted in Lamar
and Slough Creek backcountry areas. Other restrictions could be
implemented as necessary. The closures stem from a pair of incidents. A
sub-adult grizzly bear (unknown sex) entered Pebble Creek Campground on
Sunday, June 1st, and bounced on an unoccupied tent, crushing the tent
to the ground and rolling around on it. The bear then left the area.
Owners of the tent were not present during the incident, but the
incident was witnessed and reported by other Pebble Creek campers. There
were no injuries, and the bear did not obtain any human food. Video
footage taken of the bear indicates it could be the same bear park staff
unsuccessfully tried to capture last year after receiving several
reports of a bear crushing tents and being chased out of backcountry
campsites in the Lamar area. Park staff have temporarily closed Pebble
Creek Campground (it was only partially open due to high water levels)
and are attempting to capture the bear at this time. On the following
evening, a woman on the West Thumb Geyser Basin boardwalk had an
encounter with a probable grizzly bear (sex unknown). She and her family
were touring the basin when they noticed another visitor taking
photographs of something in a wooded area. A bear came out of the wooded
area and stepped onto the boardwalk in front of the woman, who was in
front of her family by a few feet. The woman told rangers that she
didn't see the bear until it was near her. The bear then approached her
and stood on its hind legs (it appeared to be between six and seven feet
tall) but did not touch her. The woman fell to the ground and kept
still. As she was lying on the boardwalk, the bear bit her twice —
neither bite breaking the skin — and stood over her for a moment.
When the woman's husband screamed at the bear, it departed the area. The
woman declined medical treatment offered by the Park Service on Monday.
The West Thumb Geyser Basin has been temporarily closed to evaluate the
situation.
[Submitted by Public Affairs]
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (PA)
Drowning in Raymondskill Creek
On Thursday, June 5th, F.M., 19, and three friends climbed
over a rail fence near Raymondskill Falls and entered a stretch of the
creek between two waterfalls that's posted closed to swimming. Due to
rains that have fallen throughout the month, the ground has become fully
saturated and most of the runoff has gone into area creeks and rivers,
increasing their volume and currents and making them hazardous to enter.
All four swam in the creek; three of them made it back to shore, but
F.M. tried to climb out on a partly-submerged tree, slipped and went
over the 40-foot lower falls. Over the course of Thursday evening and
the next three days, repeated efforts were made to reach F.M.'s
body, which rangers believe is caught in a hydraulic at the bottom of
the falls. Search dogs repeatedly alerted at that spot, confirming that
premise. Members of the park's dive team and Northeast Search and Rescue
have been unable to get close to the falls, and efforts to locate the
body with a remote camera have also been fruitless. Water levels in the
creek rose over the course of the weekend due to hard rains on Saturday.
Rangers are currently evaluating options as to how to proceed from here.
Ed Whitaker, Pennsylvania district ranger, is IC.
[Submitted by Bill
Halainen, PIO]
Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River (NY,PA)
Search Suspended for Probable Drowning Victim
Efforts to find the body of 17-year-old O.O. of Union, New
Jersey, have been suspended due to weather, low visibility and hazardous
conditions in the Delaware River. O.O. was rafting on the Delaware
River with other members of a New Jersey high school group last Monday
when their raft capsized in Butler's Rift rapids. O.O., who was not
wearing a lifejacket that had been provided to him by the operator of
the commercial rafting company, disappeared in the river. A state police
helicopter, state police divers and rangers searched for him for most of
the week until conditions mandated a suspension of the operation. This
incident occurred only a few miles from the above-noted drowning in
Raymondskill Creek.
[Submitted by Cliff Daniels, Law Enforcement
Specialist]
Pipe Spring National Monument (AZ)
Special Event: Visitor Center/Museum Opening
A grand opening celebration for the new Pipe Spring NM — Kaibab
Band of Paiute Indians Visitor Center and Museum took place on Saturday,
May 31st. The facility is located next the park on the Kaibab Paiute
Reservation. The visitor center and museum contain information and
exhibits on the history and culture of the tribe and the park and orient
visitors to the northern reaches of Grand Canyon NP/Grand Canyon
Parashant NM. The center is managed jointly under a cooperative
agreement. Approximately 320 people attended the event, including
officials from the tribe, the NPS, BLM and DOI. Traffic and crowd
control support were provided by BIA and Zion NP law enforcement.
[Submitted by John Hiscock, Superintendent]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Monday, June 9, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
There were 89 new fires on Friday, 72 on Saturday, and 83 yesterday.
The Tok River Fire in Alaska was fully contained on Saturday; a Type 2 team has been assigned to the Thomas Fire, which is burning in ponderosa pine in the Apache-Sitgreaves NF south of Alpine, Arizona. About 500 firefighters and overhead have been committed.
Fire Danger
| State |
6/4 |
6/5 |
6/6 |
6/7 |
6/8 |
6/9 |
| Alaska |
VX |
-- |
VX |
VX |
-- |
VX |
| Arizona |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| California |
VX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Colorado |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Nevada |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| New Mexico |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Oklahoma |
VX |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Texas |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Utah |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
VX — Very high to extreme
Fire Weather Watches and Warnings
A fire weather watch has been issued for winds and low relative humidity for portions of southwest Utah.
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
6/4 |
6/5 |
6/6 |
6/7 |
6/8 |
6/9 |
| Crews |
43 |
43 |
56 |
69 |
63 |
58 |
| Engines |
34 |
33 |
56 |
103 |
77 |
48 |
| Helicopters |
9 |
10 |
18 |
18 |
21 |
19 |
| Air Tankers |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Overhead |
190 |
587 |
560 |
653 |
643 |
720 |
National Team Commitments
| State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Fire |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
| AK |
T2 |
Reed |
Tok River/State lands |
5,995 |
100% |
CND |
| AZ |
T2 |
Kvale |
Thomas/Apache-Sitgreaves NF |
1,971 |
5% |
UNK |
| NM |
FUM |
Rath |
Dry Lakes Cx/Gila NF |
4,675 |
0% |
UNK |
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Ash Mountain / Hospital Rock Hazard Fuel Reduction Project (Prescribed Fire Treatment,Prescribed Mechanical Treatment)
Between June 6 - 20, National Park Service fire crews will be conducting a hazard fuel reduction project in the Ash Mountain and Hospital Rock areas of Sequoia National Park (between 1,700 and 3,000 feet in elevation). This project includes mechanical treatments (cutting brush and thinning) as well as igniting prescribed fires. (full report)
Estimated containment date: June 20, 2003[Submitted by Jody Lyle, jody_lyle@nps.gov, (559) 565-3703]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide Training
Weekly Listing of Operations Training Opportunities
Operations Training Calendar
This calendar appears every Monday as an addendum to the Morning Report and a separate entry for InsideNPS. It is not meant to be replace the Learning Place; rather it is a quick summary of available training with links (as available) to relevant Learning Place pages. Please note:
- New entries are in bold face.
- Submissions for other training courses should conform to the style used here.
- Please include the URL to the web sites where readers can obtain the requisite forms and/or find out additional information about the training course. If a URL is not specifically listed, the announcement can likely be found on the Learning Place, the NPS training page found at http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc.
- Closing dates for applications are underscored.
**********************************************************************************************
June
June 23 — 25: Staffing, Classification and Compensation Practitioner's Training, San Francisco, CA. Training on a variety of topics and issues and provision of state-of-the-art information and guidance to assist practitioners in their consultant and management advisory roles. On-line registration can be done at http://www.doi.gov/ppm/. For more information, contact Lisa Williams (Lisa_Williams@ios.doi.gov, 202-208-6755) or Winford Hooker (Winford_Hooker@ios.doi.gov, 202-208-7949). [DOI LAN Team]
July
July 14 — July 25: Physical Security (PSTP-307), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on June 12th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
July 29 — August 7: Basic Law Enforcement for Supervisors (BLESTP-307), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on June 30th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
August
August 4 — August 15: Technical Investigative Equipment (TIETP-309), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on June 26th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
August 4 — August 14: Driver Instructor (DITP-302), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on June 26th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
August 4 — August 15: Defensive Tactics Instructor (DTITP-302), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on June 26th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
August 5 — August 14: White Collar Crimes (WCCTP-303), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on June 30th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
August 5 — August 8: Fundamentals of Special Park Uses, Albuquerque, NM. The course provides comprehensive guidance on all aspects of special park uses, from First Amendment issues to filming and photography to wireless telecommunications sites. Added this year is a component on temporary food services and other health and safety issues related to special park uses. NPS Management Policies, 36 CFR, and DO-53 and RM-53 will be covered in depth. NOTE: This is the only course offering this year. Closes on June 27th. Email nomination forms via Lotus Notes to Margie Fresquez or fax them to her at 505-988-6099. Fore more information, contact either Lee Dickinson in WASO (202-513-7092), or Delpha Maunders in Santa Fe (505-988-6015). [Delpha Maunders, IMRO]
August 11 — August 15: Archeological Resource Protection Training (XP-ARPTP-301), Milwaukee, WI. Closes on June 26th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
August 11 — August 22: Firearms Instructor (FITP-309), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on June 30th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
September
September 8 — September 19: Small Craft Enforcement (SCETP-301), FLETC, Glynco, GA.. Closes on August 5th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
September 8 — September 19: Physical Security (PSTP-308), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on July 28th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
September 9 — September 18: Basic Law Enforcement for Supervisors (BLESTP-308), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on July 29th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
September 9 — September 18: White Collar Crimes (WCCTP-304), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on July 30th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
September 15 — September 26: Firearms Instructor (FITP-310), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on July 28th. [Wiley Golden, FLETC]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Biscayne National Park (FL)
Protection Ranger Detail
The park is seeking a commissioned ranger interested in being detailed to Biscayne NP for a portion of the summer operating season or longer. Biscayne is the largest marine park in the system; it contains almost 180,000 acres, 97% of which are underwater. The park has a multitude of opportunities for a motivated ranger. Visitor-based contacts include alien smuggling, boating under the influence, bow riding; resource-based contacts include lobster mini-season, 19jj vessel groundings, and fish checks. The park will pay travel, housing and salary costs for a qualified candidate. This is a good opportunity to gain experience in a maritime setting, to be involved in the 16 USC 19jj process, and to work with some of the best AUSA's in the country. Priority consideration will be given to individuals with previous boating experience. If interested, contact chief ranger Holly Rife at 305-230-1144 ext. 3071
[Submitted by Holly Rife, Chief Ranger]
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.