INCIDENTS

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Catoctin Mountain Park (MD)
Investigation of Significant Security Concern

On Wednesday, June 4th, the NCR communications center was notified by the Custom and Border Protection Agency at Boston's Logan Airport that they were detaining P.T., 25, on a warrant from Catoctin Mountain Park. P.T. had been cited by rangers Don Stanley and Travis Baker for violating a lawful order and disobeying official signs related to Camp David on November 3, 2002. When P.T. failed to appear in court, rangers investigated and found that he had left the United States for France. A warrant for him was entered in NCIC and the Customs TECS system. Continued investigation of P.T. led to the discovery of information that suggested he potentially posed a serious threat to homeland security. Other agencies accordingly joined the investigation. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement became interested in visa violations. The FBI and Joint Terrorism Task force determined that P.T. had studied for small plane pilot's license near the District of Columbia and had taken aerial photographs of a nearby national park area. The Secret Service had previously contacted P.T. for a security violation at the Winter Olympics in Utah. P.T. was interviewed at Logan Airport by the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Secret Service and arrested by NPS special agent Glenn Van Neil and Boston NHP ranger Christopher O'Shea on the warrant from Catoctin. P.T. appeared before a federal magistrate in Boston and was released with conditions insuring his appearance in magistrate's court in Frederick, Maryland. On July 18th, P.T. appeared in U.S. district court for his initial appearance on charges of violating a lawful order and disobeying official signs. P.T. agreed to waive his initial appearance and settle the charges through a plea agreement. He pled guilty to the charges and will pay fines of $455 for violating a lawful order, $25 for disobeying an official sign, and $20 in special assessment. In addition, the magistrate accepted a plea agreement with three conditions. P.T. is permanently banned from all NPS areas in the District of Maryland and has been ordered to stay away from Secret Service protected sites. The judge was prepared to place P.T. on supervised probation, but P.T. told the court he is leaving the United States in September to start a four-year doctoral program in Europe. Supervised probation in this court is limited to defendants who are in the United States, so P.T. was placed on unsupervised probation. By P.T.'s own admission, being led away in handcuffs and leg irons and spending a night in jail convinced him that his behavior at Catoctin was inexcusable, even stupid. When he appeared in federal district court in Frederick, Maryland, on July 18th, he was a changed man. Although it appears he is not a threat at this time, all involved agencies are now aware of his past activities and associations.
[Submitted by Roger Steintl, Chief Ranger]

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (LA)
Visitor Bitten by Water Moccasin

D.L. was walking on a section of the Ring Levee Trail in Barataria Preserve on the afternoon of July 30th when he stepped off the trail and reached down without looking and was bitten on the left index finger by a water moccasin. Two puncture wounds were visible on his finger. D.L. quickly made his way to the Barataria Preserve Visitor Center, where interpretive staff called 911 and provided basic first aid until an ambulance arrived to transport D.L. to West Jefferson Hospital emergency room. Advance life support included the administration of an intravenous anti-biotic and six vials of anti-venom. The snakebite was not considered life threatening, but D.L. was admitted and is expected to remain in the hospital for an unknown period of time. Protection rangers conducted an interview with D.L. at the emergency room and notified family members of the incident.
[Submitted by Leigh Zahm, Supervisory Protection Ranger]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Drowning in Little River

On July 19th, the park was notified of a possible drowning in the area of the Sinks on the Little River. Rangers from Cades Cove and North District, campground personnel from Cades Cove and Elkmont, and rescue and EMS units from Blount County and Gatlinburg responded. They found that W.R., 15, of Canton, North Carolina, had fallen while crossing the river on the rocks above the Sinks and was swept over an eight- to ten-foot drop into a pool, where he became trapped underwater in the rocks. His father and bystanders worked to release him from the rocks; after being submerged for approximately 15 minutes, W.R. was finally brought to the surface. CPR was begun immediately. After several minutes of CPR, W.R. started breathing spontaneously about four times a minute, but remained unresponsive. Rescue personnel brought W.R. up a steep rock face to the road, where he was loaded into a Gatlinburg FD ambulance. He was transported to a landing zone in Wear's Valley, then flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville by Lifestar helicopter. On July 24th, the park was notified that W.R. had died without regaining consciousness. The case ranger is Helen McNutt, who was also IC of the rescue.
[Submitted by Communications Center]

Cape Hatteras National Seashore (NC)
Man Drowns in Rip Current

E.S., 55, of Hampstead, Maryland, was swimming in the ocean at the east end of Ocracoke Island with his friend Joanne Brasfield when the pair got caught in a rip current. Brasfield was able to make it to shore, but could not find E.S. She called 911 and ranger Dan Vrchota responded from a short distance away. Vrchota summoned assistance from the Coast Guard, Ocracoke VFD and other rangers. About an hour later, Coast Guardsmen found and recovered E.S.'s body.
[Submitted by Paul Stevens, Law Enforcement Specialist]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Friday, August 1, 2003

Preparedness Level 5

Initial attack yesterday was moderate in the Great Basin, Rockies, Southwest and southern California and light elsewhere. Three of the 306 newly-reported fires escaped initial attack; another 13 large fires were contained.

Fire Danger

Day	7/27	7/28	7/29	7/30	7/31	8/1
Alaska	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Arizona	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
California	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Colorado	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Hawaii	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Idaho	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Montana	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Nevada	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
New Mexico	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Oklahoma	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Oregon	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
South Dakota	VX	--	--	VX	--	VX
Texas	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Utah	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Washington	--	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Wyoming	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX

VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
VX — Very high to extreme

Fire Weather Watches and Warnings

A RED FLAG WARNING has been issued for dry lightning in California in the Sacramento Valley and western foothills from Yuba City south, the East Bay area, the southern Mendocino National Forest, and Napa, Sonoma, and Marin Counties.

National Resource Commitments

Day	7/26	7/27	7/28	7/29	7/30	7/31	8/1
Crews	536	538	494	462	386	458	489
Engines	983	1,007	865	736	663	768	826
Helicopters	162	166	170	164	148	151	167
Air Tankers	5	4	6	7	5	3	3
Overhead	3,437	3,337	3,829	3,814	3,286	3,502	3,472

National Team Commitments

New team commitments or changes in teams are indicated in bold face.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
ID	ACT	Ribar	Salmon-Challis NF Fires	---	---	---
MT	ACT	Mann	Flathead NF/Glacier NP Fires	---	---	---
MT	T1	Stam	Robert Fire Flathead NF/Glacier NP	19,000	5%	UNK
MT	T1	Raley	Trapper Creek Complex Glacier NP	19,000	35%	9/5
MT	T1	Bennett	Wedge Canyon Fire Flathead NF	22,000	30%	UNK
MT	T1	Frye	Black Frog Complex Bitterroot NF	7,500	40%	UNK
ID	T1	Mortier	Slims Fire Nez Perce NF	7,200	10%	UNK
ID	T1	Martin	Cramer Fire Salmon-Challis NF	5,614	100%	CND
ID	T1	Sexton	Hot Creek Fire Boise NF	23,761	40%	UNK
WA	T1 ST	Anderson/ Furlong/ Ghormley	Fawn Peak Complex Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	74,368	35%	UNK
ID	T2	Brunner	North Fork Lick Fire Payette NF	250	0%	8/8
CA	T2	Szcepanik	Big Valley Complex Modoc NF	25	80%	8/1
ID	T2	Gray	Toboggan Fire Idaho Panhandle NF	200	5%	UNK
UT	T2	Broyles	Centerville Fire State Lands	500	35%	8/3
OR	T2	Hoff	Kelsay Complex Umpqua NF	1,100	30%	UNK
MT	T2	Chrisman	Hidden Lake Fire Beaverhead/Deerlodge NF	3,500	80%	8/2
MT	T2	Sandman	Ross Creek Fire Kootenai NF	195	80%	8/2
ID	T2	Kechter	Hunt Creek Fire State Lands	558	40%	8/3
UT	T2	Suwyn	Joe Hatch Fire Moab FO, BLM	250	80%	UNK
WY	T2	Blume	Ditch Creek Fire Bighorn NF	370	100%	CND
OR	T2	Morcom	Clark Fire Willamette NF	4,964	90%	8/2
OR	ST	Thorpe	Frog Hollow Fire State Lands	750	80%	UNK
WA	ST	Berndt/ Andring	Hatten Road Fire Spokane District, BLM	5,460	100%	CND
ID	FUM	Bonefeld	Shasta Fire Nez Perce NF	139	N/A	N/A

Fire and Aviation Management
NPS Fire Summary - Friday, August 1, 2003

Glacier National Park

An area command team (Mann) is coordinating the Type 1 teams assigned to the Robert, Trapper Creek Complex, Wedge Canyon and Ross Creek Fires.

Robert Fire (19,000 acres; 5% containment) — Wednesday's inversion lifted by noon yesterday in most areas and fire activity rapidly increased. Crews continued burnout operations on the east and west flanks. The fire remains a major threat to communities along the North and Middle Fork drainages of the Flathead River and the communities within Glacier National Park. Evacuations have been implemented in West Glacier, Lake Five and Glacier National Park Headquarters. Structure protection is in place for 200 residences and 24 commercial properties. Stam's Type 1 team continues to manage the fire.

Trapper Creek Complex (19,000 acres; 35% containment) — There is potential for the fire to spread across the U.S./Canadian border and also into the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, if the fire continues north and east across the Continental Divide. The Trapper Creek fire is moving to the east and the Wolf Gun fire is moving to the north. Fire managers and the Canadian Park Service are developing cooperative suppression and contingency plans. Smoke continues to impact Glacier National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta and Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Ground fires with torching, spotting and short interior crowning runs were observed. Crews temporarily disengaged from suppression activities on the south flank due to torching reburns near the line and resulting spot fires. Fireline construction was hampered due to spotting, incomplete burning along the fire perimeter and difficult terrain. Structure protection is in place for three commercial properties. Raley's Type 1 team is managing the fire.

Wedge Canyon Fire (22,000 acres; 30% contained) — Conditions for extreme fire behavior are in place with very dry fuels and hot, dry weather. Active ground fire with short duration runs and individual and group torching was observed. Crews are constructing fireline in an effort to hold the fire south of Trail Creek. The Canadians have completed a ten mile dozer line/fuel break 100 feet north of the international border. Evacuations remain in effect from Moose Creek to the Canadian border. Evacuated residents are being informed daily on the fire's status through community meetings held each morning and evening. Structure protection is in place for 100 residences. One additional residence has been confirmed lost. Bennett's Type 1 team is managing the fire.

Yosemite National Park

No new fires were detected on Wednesday, despite thunderstorms in the area. The Kibbie and SOK (Son of Kibbie) Fires are now being managed as the Kibbie Complex. The Stanislaus NF has agreed to allow these fires to cross the boundary between the park and the forest, so joint planning is underway. The SOK Fire has burned under a tenth of an acre and has low to moderate potential for survival. The 30-acre Kibbie Fire is burning in lodgepole pine and was fairly active; fire behavior included torching of trees and short-range spotting.

Six other fires — the Duncan, Cascade, Tamarack, Blue Bluejay and 8000 Fires — are being managed as the Duncan Complex. Together, they have burned 99 acres, with all but six of that total on the Tamarack Fire.

Other Park Fires

Fire operations elsewhere in the system include:

• El Malpais completed 260 acres of the 300-acre Big Tubes Prescribed Fire on Wednesday and planned on burning the rest yesterday.
• Bryce Canyon reported one new fire in the Yovimpa area yesterday.
• Rocky Mountain has a single wildland use fire — the Lost Fall Fire — which has burned less than a tenth of an acre in the Comanche Peaks Wilderness.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
GS-12/13 District Ranger

On August 6th, the park will be issuing vacancy announcement MP03-23 for the GS-12/13 district ranger for Lake District. It is a permanent full-time position and will be announced servicewide. The announcement will close on August 26th.
[Submitted by Lisa Helms]

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (IA,ID,IL,KS,MO,MT,ND,NE,OR,SD,WA)
Park Ranger (Interpretation)

Dates: 07/30/2003 - 08/13/2003

For all the adventurous, energetic people who want to travel the trail of Lewis and Clark., please see the vacancy announcement at USAJobs for employment with the Corps of Discovery II.

This announcement is open to the public. These are "term" positions that may extend through 2006 when Corps II will end. We anticipate at least t five persons will be hired. The job will require extensive travel.  The job announcement closes August 13, 2003. We anticipate that jobs will begin sometime in September.

We are particularity looking for seasonal rangers from any agency, or other recent college graduates with a knowledge and interest in Lewis and Clark. This announcement is advertised on USA Jobs: www.usajobs.opm.gov (search NPS, Park Ranger, Interpretation).
[Submitted by NATIONAL PARK SERVICE , 402 221 3456 ]

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.