INCIDENTS

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Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Closures Due to Serious Flooding

Torrential rains fell on the park on August 27th and 28th, damaging numerous park roads and facilities (these storms were separate from the storm reported in the Morning Report and InsideNPS yesterday). A number of temporary closures have accordingly been put into effect. Due to the flash flood damage, the following have been closed until further notice:

• the Indian Cove Area, including Indian Cove Road south of Indian Cove Ranger Station, Indian Cove Campground, Indian Cove group campsites, and the Rattlesnake Canyon day use area;
• Route 11, Pinto Basin Road, from White Tank Campground to Cottonwood Visitor Center (there's also no access to Old Dale and Black Eagle Mine Roads from the park);
• Covington Flats Road, including the road to Upper Covington Backcountry Board, the road to Lower Covington day use area, and the road to Eureka Peak; and
• Keys Ranch Road to the ranch gate.

Many areas in the park received from three to five inches of rain last week, with between one and three inches pelting many park locations in one 24-hour period alone. Some of the storms were characterized by high winds, heavy rains, and occasional hail. In the Wilson Canyon area on Route 11, a 300-foot section of road was deeply undercut by flood waters, creating a hazardous situation. More than six miles of road in the Pinto Basin area have been covered with rocks, mud, and debris. In the Indian Cove area, campground access roads have been washed out, and many campsites have been covered with fresh mud. Fortunately, these storms caused no visitor injuries or accidents. Many other facilities were unaffected and remain open. Further updates on facility closures will be issued as conditions change. For current information on park road and travel conditions, visitors can call 760-367-5500.
[Submitted by Joe Zarki, Public Information Officer]

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HI)
Follow-up on Hurricane Jimena

Both the park and the island of Hawaii fared well during the hurricane's passage through the area. Heavy rains, moderate surf and light rains were reported as the hurricane passed about 50 miles out to sea from the park. No damage or injuries have been reported. The hurricane's winds dropped from over 100 mph to around 85 mph upon arrival and continued decreasing until it became a tropical storm. More than four inches of rain fell on the park on Sunday night; heavy rains continued on Labor Day. The park's visitor centers, concessions operation, and Kilauea summit all returned to normal operations on Monday. The park's campgrounds, backcountry, eruption site and Chain of Craters Road remained closed until yesterday morning but have now reopened as well.
[Submitted by Paul Ducasse, Chief Ranger]

Valley Forge National Historical Park (PA)
Hate Crimes Conviction

A five-year-old case came to a conclusion in federal district court in Philadelphia on August 8th with the sentencing of J.H. for hate crimes violations — specifically, desecration of a monument. J.H., who had a known association with the local chapter of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was sentence to 27 months incarceration, followed by three years probation, the maximum possible sentence. J.H. was charged with spray painting swastikas on the "Patriots of African Descent" memorial, the first of its kind in the NPS. He was also convicted of similar desecration to a synagogue in Philadelphia in November of 1998. J.H.'s capture in Florida and return to Philadelphia to stand trial resulted from a joint investigation conducted by park staff and FBI agents. J.H. pled guilty to the charges. Supervisory ranger Lewis Rogers was the park lead investigator.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Marijuana Garden Eradication

On August 21st, the park conducted a marijuana eradication operation which coincided with a joint operation near the park boundary involving Tulare County deputies and BLM rangers. The park special agent, LE rangers and two county deputies with dogs hiked into a remote canyon in the park and located a garden complex with five garden plots. Rifle and shotgun ammunition were found in the camp, which also contained a lookout post. One person was seen fleeing the area as the team approached the grower's campsite. A BLM ranger arrested one grower later in the day as he hiked to the road from the park garden site; a second grower was also arrested as he arrived in his vehicle to pick up the first grower. The two men who were arrested, both Mexican nationals, had two-way radios in their possession. Over a two-day period, 1, 030 marijuana plants were eradicated and removed from the park. If allowed to mature, the plants would have a street value of $4,120,000. The plants were taken to an off-park site and destroyed. The investigation remains open.
[Submitted by Al DeLaCruz, Special Agent]

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (AZ)
Drug Interdiction with Four Arrests

Rangers stopped a 2000 Cadillac Escalade SUV at a Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 85 at the park's north boundary for impeding traffic and weaving within the lane of travel on August 20th. The vehicle was registered to a rental car company in Phoenix. All four occupants were from Phoenix as well, but none was listed as a legal driver on the rental agreement. The operator, who was on parole after serving seven years for assault, had no proof of insurance. All three passengers — one a pregnant woman — had misdemeanor warrants against them. An NPS drug dog alerted to the driver's door; a closer inspection of the luggage rack led to the discovery of 11 gift-wrapped packages containing a total of 255 pounds of marijuana. All four were arrested. The driver is facing charges for possession of narcotics. The NPS case agent is SA Susan Morton.
[Submitted by Bo Stone, Park Ranger]

Blue Ridge Parkway
Car Clouting Arrest, Indictment

J.M., 69, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Roanoke on August 22nd on five counts of theft and possession of stolen property stemming from an arrest for a car clout that occurred in the park. A maintenance employee saw J.M. break into a motor home rented by tourists from the Netherlands on July 28th. He called the incident in, then followed J.M., keeping rangers advised of his location until they could make a stop. The rangers found numerous stolen items in J.M.'s vehicle and discovered that his license plate was rigged to be flipped down and unreadable. A Shenandoah NP ranger was called in to assist with the investigation. Over the next several days, rangers from the two parks began making connections with clouts that had occurred from Pennsylvania to Georgia. NPS special agents were then brought in who contacted other agencies and jurisdictions. Some of the items were linked to three other vehicle break-ins from areas near the park. Investigators are continuing in their efforts to link the remaining items to other thefts. The indictment charges J.M. with possessing stolen property, theft, possessing burglary tools, destruction of property, and failing to display a license plate properly, all of which occurred on federal property. If convicted of the charges, the maximum penalty faced by the defendant is up to three years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for possessing stolen property, up to one year of imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 for theft, up to ten years imprisonment and a fine of $2,500 for possessing burglary tools, up to six months imprisonment and a fine of $5,000 for destruction of property, and a fine of $200 for failing to display his license plate properly.
[Submitted by John Garrison, Staff Ranger]

Natchez Trace Parkway (AL,MS,TN)
Fatal Auto Accident

R.P., 27, of Eupora, Mississippi, was killed in a single-vehicle accident at MP 182 on the parkway during the early morning hours of August 17th. R.P.'s Ford Ranger went off the road, clipped a sign, then hit several trees before coming to a stop. The visitor who reported the accident said that the vehicle was totally engulfed in flames when he came upon the scene. Rangers from the Kosciusko District and Choctaw County officials responded and investigated.
[Submitted by Jackie Henman, Assistant Chief Ranger]

Blue Ridge Parkway
Fatal Motorcycle Accident

J.M. and C.M. were riding up the parkway on their motorcycle on August 17th when it went off the road on a curve and crashed. J.M., who was operating the bike, sustained only minor injuries, but C.M. was seriously injured and had to be medevaced to the University of Virginia Hospital. She died two days later. Kathryn Brett was the case ranger.
[Submitted by John Garrison, Staff Ranger]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Summary - Wednesday, September 3, 2003

Preparedness Level 5

Initial attack was moderate in the western Great Basin and light elsewhere on Monday, and light everywhere on Tuesday. A total of 114 new fires were reported on Monday and 124 on Tuesday; of these, a total of six escaped initial attack and became large fires.

Fire Danger

Day	8/22	8/23	8/24	9/1	9/2	9/3
Alaska	VX	VX	VX	--	--	--
Arizona	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
California	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Colorado	VX	VX	VX	--	--	VX
Hawaii	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Idaho	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Kansas	--	--	VX	--	--	--
Minnesota	VX	VX	VX	--	--	--
Montana	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Nevada	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
New Mexico	--	VX	--	--	VX	--
North Dakota	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Oklahoma	VX	VX	VX	--	VX	--
Oregon	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
South Dakota	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Texas	--	VX	VX	--	VX	--
Utah	--	--	--	--	--	--
Washington	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Wyoming	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX

VX = Very high to extreme danger

National Resource Commitments

Day	8/21	8/22	8/23	8/24	9/1	9/2	9/3
Crews	569	550	588	570	471	470	406
Engines	1,134	1,226	1,139	1,112	773	793	690
Helicopters	174	174	161	199	162	161	159
Air Tankers	1	2	0	2	0	0	1
Overhead	4,869	5,170	5,607	6,006	4,350	4,416	4,144

National Team Commitments

Teams are listed alphabetically by type. New team commitments or changes in teams (as of this report) are indicated in bold face.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
MT	ACT	Greenhoe	Lolo-Bitterroot NF Fires	---	---	---
MT	ACT	Mann	Flathead NF/Glacier NP Fires	---	---	---
MT	ACT	Ribar	Montana Fires	---	---	---
MT	ACT	Rounsaville	Montana Fires	---	---	---
OR	T1	Anderson	B&B Complex Deschutes NF	50,253	45	UNK
MT	T1	Cable	Robert Fire Flathead NF/Glacier NP	52,083	70	10/1
MT	T1	Cable	Middle Fork Complex Glacier NP	6,360	5	10/1
MT	T1	Cable	Rampage Complex Glacier NP	15,783	0	10/1
MT	T1 T2	Cable Saleen	Trapper Creek Complex Glacier NP	18,883	65	10/1
MT	T1	Gelobter	Black Mountain 2 State Lands	7,061	100	CND
MT	T1	Mortier	Blackfoot Lake Complex Flathead NF	19,132	7	9/30
ID	T1	Sexton	Sapp Fire Nez Perce NF	11,463	65	UNK
ID	T1	Sexton	Slims Complex Nez Perce NF	14,473	75	UNK
MT	T1	Stam	Fish Creek Complex Lolo NF	31,756	50	9/12
MT	T1	Studebaker	Lincoln Complex Helena NF	37,812	76	10/1
MT	T2	Benes	Cathedral Peak Complex Custer NF	2,778	22	10/1
MT	T2	Broyles	Mineral/Primm Fire State Lands	22,542	75	9/20
ID	T2	Brunner	Beaver Lake Complex Clearwater NF	24,495	60	UNK
MT	T2	Chrisman	Crazy Horse Fire Flathead NF	11,100	70	10/1
WA	T2	Furlong	Square Lake Fire Okanogan/Wenatchee NF	903	40	9/30
MT	T2	Kechter	Cooney Ridge Fire State Lands	24,540	55	10/15
MT	T2	Larsen	Burnt Ridge/Sheep Camp Complex Lewis and Clark NF	2,930	95	9/4
MT	T2	Saleen	Wedge Canyon Fire Flathead NF	50,249	76	9/15
MT	T2	Swope	Gold 1 Fire Bitterroot NF	8,296	85	9/10
MT	T2	Walker	Rathbone Fire Gallatin NF	3,010	75	9/15
CA	T2	Wendt	Cod Complex Tahoe NF	335	0	UNK
CA	ST	Chuchel	Santa Clara Complex Santa Clara Unit, CDF	30,170	100	CND
ID	FUM	Clark	Middle Fork Complex Salmon-Challis NF	27,596	NR	UNK
ID	FUM	Cones	Cayuse Lake Complex Clearwater NF	11,913	N/A	N/A
ID	FUM	Cones	Clear/Nez Complex Clearwater NF	10,614	N/A	N/A
MT	FUM	Weldon	Little Salmon Creek Complex Flathead NF	42,980	N/A	N/A

PARK FIRE SITUATION

Glacier NP

An area command team (Mann) is coordinating the teams assigned to the Blackfoot Lake Complex, Middle Fork Complex, Trapper Creek Complex, Crazy Horse, Rampage Complex and Little Salmon Creek Complex.

The Small Business Administration will hold a public meeting for the business community this evening at park headquarters. A public meeting was held yesterday evening at the Canyon Elementary School. Another will be held at West Glacier Elementary School this evening.

Robert Fire

The fire has burned 52,083 acres and is 70% contained. Full containment is expected by October 1st. The fire was pretty inactive yesterday due to an inversion over the area. When there is fire growth, it continues to burn parallel to the Going to the Sun Highway. Crews are working to encourage this parallel burning so the highway won't have to be closed in the future. If this active fire behavior continues, the fire will likely merge with the Trapper Creek Complex. Resource commitments as of today (yesterday's figure in parentheses):

• IMT — Cable's Type 1 team
• Firefighters/overhead — 592 (593)
• Crews — 10 (10)
• Engines — 15 (7)
• Helicopters — 3 (3)

Wedge Canyon Complex

The fire has burned 50,249 acres and is 76% contained. Full containment is expected by September 15th. A small Australian contingent is assisting in fire suppression efforts. The team is reassessing Division C of the Wedge Fire and working on some new strategies/tactics. They are looking at some direct attack alternatives and assessing what resources are needed and what kind of weather is required. Structure protection remains in place. There currently are no road closures on this fire. The Wolf Gun Fire continues its daily growth. This fire is being monitored exclusively by air with no ongoing suppression actions. The Paul Bunyan Fire is being monitored. Resource commitments as of today (yesterday's figure in parentheses):

• IMT — Saleen's Type 2 team
• Firefighters/overhead — 617 (858)
• Crews — 11 (14)
• Engines — 26 (32)
• Helicopters — 9 (9)

Rampage Complex

The fire has burned 15,783 acres and is 0% contained. Full containment is not expected until October 1st. Yesterday, firefighters were busy with checking actions and cold trailing. Firefighting resources are being placed on the Continental Divide to suppress slopovers from the Double Mountain Fire. It could actively burn in the Upper Coal Creak and Park Creek drainages in the afternoon, with short duration crowning possible. The other fires continue to back toward the Middle Fork Flathead River with slow ground fires. They are expected to reach the river later this week. Structure protection remains in place for 30 residences. All backcountry trails and the backcountry campground at Upper Two Medicine and Two Medicine Lakes have been closed because of potential fire danger. The Fish Creek, Avalanche and Big Creek Campgrounds remain closed. Sperry Chalet is now closed for the season and all trails in that area are closed. Resource commitments as of today (yesterday's figure in parentheses):

• IMT — Cable's Type 1 team
• Firefighters/overhead — 51 (181)
• Crews — 1 (7)
• Engines — 6 (4)
• Helicopters — 3 (3)

Trapper Creek Complex

The fire has burned 18,883 acres and is 65% contained. Full containment is expected by September 5th. The fire is being monitored by ground and by air when weather permits. Smoldering and creeping with short duration upslope runs were observed yesterday due to the inversion. Resource commitments as of today (yesterday's figure in parentheses):

• IMT's — Cable's Type 1 team (Trapper Creek, Trout Fires) and Paul's Type 2 team (Wolf Gun and Paul Bunyan Fires)
• No resources are reported to be committed to the fire at present.

Middle Fork Complex

Crews made good progress on the Belton fire and continued to minimize the threat to West Glacier. At some point, with the current active burning, the Belton and Center fires will burn together.

Yellowstone NP

The East Entrance Road was opened full time yesterday at 6 a.m. with no stopping along a 16-mile stretch of the road. Lower speed limits may be posted due to heavy traffic and firefighters along the road. Depending on smoke conditions, there may be pilot cars leading traffic over the road. The road could close again at any time if smoke or fire conditions make travel unsafe. U.S. Highway 191 remains open with reduced speeds and pilot car escorts through the area affected by the fire. Backcountry trails currently closed due to fire activity include the Turbid Lake, Jones Pass, Ninemile, Avalanche Peak, Pelican Valley to Mist Pass, Pitchstone Plateau, Beula Lake and Union Falls Trails, and the west ends of Bighorn, Fawn Pass, Fan Creek, Sportsman Lake, Daly, and Black Butte trails.

East Complex

Most of the planned fireline on the East Fire Complex has been constructed and good progress is being made on rehabilitation. The incident is now being managed a Type III team. Tim Klukas, the park's prescribed fire specialist, is IC. Mop-up and rehab are progressing. The current size estimate of the two fires combined is about 23,500 acres. The fires are 90% contained. The East Fire is approximately 18,052 acres and continues to burn high on the north side of the Crow Creek drainage in the vicinity of Silvertip Peak. The estimated containment date has been moved back to September 15th because of a decision to not establish control lines on approximately two miles of fire perimeter through a 1919 burn area located on the southwest corner of the East Fire near Clear Creek. The fire has not been active in the burn area and a contingency line has been established. The fire will be monitored for growth from the air until a season-ending weather event. Good progress is being made in all divisions as crews are mopping up along direct lines that were constructed during cool, moist weather that occurred late last week. Yesterday's efforts were concentrated along the Crow Creek Pass and Sylvan Pass areas. Three crews have been working near Silvertip Peak, northeast of Crow Creek Pass to complete mop-up and fireline rehab. Engine crews are continuing to patrol the East Entrance Road, mopping up and removing newly fallen trees. Resource commitments as of today (yesterday's figure in parentheses):

• Firefighters/overhead — 63 (47)
• Crews — 2 (1)
• Engines — 2 (2)
• Helicopters — 6 (6)

Rathbone Fire

The fire has burned 3,010 acres and is 65% contained. Full containment is expected on September 15th.

Other Park Fires

Fire operations elsewhere in the system include:

• Grand Teton NP — There are two WFU fires burning in the park — the Elk Ridge Fire (.2 acre) and the Falcon Fire (83 acres). Cook's fire use management team is managing both of them along with four others on two adjacent national forests. Precipitation ranging from .07 to .82 inches was received over the complex from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning. The rain and cooler temperatures resulted in no fire activity. Plans are being made to transfer command of the six WFUs from Cook's FUMT to one or more fire use managers.
• Mount Rainier NP — The Mount Rainier Complex consists of three fires — the Panther Fire (contained at 56 acres), the Redstone Fire (53 acres), and the Chenuis Fire (contained at 1 acre). The intensity of the Redstone Fire is expected to increase as the humidity drops and temperatures rise. It is being assessed and monitored.
• North Cascades NP — The NOCA Complex consists of seven WFU fires. The complex has burned approximately 904 acres, with fires ranging from 0.1 acre to 650 acres in size. All are burning in remote areas with natural barriers to fire spread, such as rocky cliffs. The Big Beaver Fire is the biggest of these. Fire managers are monitoring the fire and watching trigger points to the east of the fire near Ross Lake. The Big Beaver Trail was closed because of concerns about long range spotting. The Klawatti Fire (20 acres) and the Tricouni Fire (204 acres) have burned into cliffs and are not expected to grow. Most of the smoke visible in the park is from fires outside the park. Fire activity on adjacent units (Darrington and Mount Baker ranger districts) of the Mount Baker Snoqualmie NF continues to impact the park with smoke. About 2,000 acres of fire are being managed in a modified suppression strategy. One fire is threatening the closure of a park road. All roads in the park complex are open for visitor use.
• Yosemite NP — Four new fires, all started by lightning on August 31st, have been added to the Kibbie Complex (712 acres). The new fires range in size from a quarter acre to just under six acres. The fires are being jointly managed by the park and the Stanislaus NF. The trail between the Kibbie Lake Junction, (East of Kibbie Lake near its entrance to Yosemite National Park) and Styx Pass (near its exit of Yosemite National park) along the Kibbie Ridge, and the trail between Lake Eleanor and Kibbie Lake are closed because of fire activity in the area.

North Cascades National Park (WA)
North Cascades National Park Service Complex (Wildland Fire,Wildland Fire Use)

Fire personnel continue to monitor seven, lightning-caused fires in the park. The current most active fire is Big Beaver. These fires are burning in remote, fire use areas with natural barriers to fire spread, and are being allowed to play their natural role in the ecosystem. An eighth fire, Colonial, which is 0.25 acre in size, is being suppressed due to its location near visitor services. (full report)
Big Beaver grew to at 650 acres yesterday with no additional spots at this time.
Status
As of today, park managers have closed a 7-mile section of the Big Beaver trail from its beginning at Ross Lake extending northwest to the National Park/Recreation Arear Boundary near the mouth of McMillan Creek.
Acreage: North Unit fires: Big Beaver (650 acres), Skymo Ridge (.25 acres) South Unit fires: Tricouni (204 acres), Klawatti (18 acres), Little Devil (.5 acre), Marble Creek (.1 acre), Hidden Lake Peak (.5 acre)
Resources Committed: Aircraft: 3 helicopters; Personnel: NPS=10, USFS=3, WA Dept. of Natural Resources=4
Estimated containment date: unknown[Submitted by Annie Larsen, annie_larsen@nps.gov, 360-873-4590 x7193]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Fire and Aviation Management
Detail Opportunity for Fire at 2003 National Interpreters Workshop

DETAIL OPPORTUNITY
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE — FIRE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
NATIONAL INTERPRETER'S WORKSHOP
NOVEMBER 11-15, 2003, SPARKS, NEVADA

Description: The Servicewide Fire Communication and Education Office, located at the National Interagency Fire Center, in Boise, Idaho, is offering a detail opportunity for up to six NPS employees to attend this year's National Association for Interpretation convention in Sparks, Nevada. Individuals selected will be responsible for staffing the Fire Communication and Education booth in the exhibit area of the National Interpreter's Workshop, Tuesday, November 11 through Thursday, November 13, 2003, for a minimum of two, two hour shifts while the exhibit area is open. The NPS Fire Communications and Education program will fund conference registration, travel and per diem up to $1,000. Salary and benefits are to be funded by the benefiting account.

Selection Criteria: NPS Employees who are not funded by fire management, who have had experience as a Fire Information Officer, on a fire crew or fire overhead positions will be considered. This is an excellent opportunity to share your fire experience with other NPS employees and to talk about the National Park Service Fire Management Program.

Application Procedure and Deadline: To apply, discuss this opportunity with your supervisor, obtain their approval, complete the attached nomination form (be sure to include your fire experience) and e-mail it to Roberta D'Amico at Roberta_D'Amico@nps.gov by COB Thursday, September 4, 2003. Selections will by made by Friday, September 12, 2003.

For more information:
Contact: David Elkowitz, Chief of Interpretation, Big Bend National Park
(Coordinator of NPS Fire Management Exhibit - 2003 National Interpreter's Workshop)
E-mail: David_Elkowitz@nps.gov
Phone: 432-477-1107 (Mountain Time)

Roberta D'Amico, NPS Fire Communications and Education Program Lead
Fire Management Program Center, Boise, Idaho
E-mail: Roberta_D'Amico@nps.gov
Phone: 208-387-5239 (Mountain Time)

Application attached.
[Submitted by David Elkowitz or Roberta D'Amico, David_Elkowitz@nps.gov or Roberta_D'Amico@nps.gov, 432-477-1107(David); 208-387-5239 (Roberta)] More Information...

Boston National Historical Park (MA)
Emergency Hire LE Positions

The park is currently recruiting for a number of emergency hire law enforcement personnel. Applicants with Level II commissions are encouraged to apply. Housing may be available. If interested in these non-competitive, temporary positions, please send a resume directly to the name and address below. These emergency hire positions could be converted to full-time seasonal positions. For more information, please call Suzanne Smith, deputy chief ranger, at 617-242-5632.
[Submitted by Suzanne Smith]

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.