Gulf Islands National Seashore (FL,MS)
Multiple Water Rescues, Multiple Drownings
Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, dangerous surf conditions and
deadly rip currents prompted authorities to fly red warning flags, hand
out fliers at toll bridges, and post signs warning the public to stay
out of the water. Thousands flocked to the beaches over the weekend;
despite the warnings, hundreds of visitors decided to risk the dangerous
conditions. Park staff, local EMS and fire/rescue personnel, lifeguards,
sheriff's deputies, highway patrol officers, and the U.S. Coast Guard
responded to over 90 drowning calls that ultimately led to three
confirmed fatalities in the county and one presumed dead in the park. On
Friday, August 29th, A.R. watched as his 15-year-old friend,
Nicholas Beeler, was pulled into the gulf after his kayak overturned
just after sunset. A.R. called 911 to alert authorities. Rangers
began a search with the help of local agencies. A Coast Guard helicopter
from Mobile responded and managed to locate the boy without his kayak in
the dark of night. A rescue swimmer was dropped into the ocean and
Beeler was airlifted to safety, treated and released to his parents. On
Sunday, August 31st, a 16-year-old Mexican juvenile drowned while
swimming in the Opal Beach area of the park. Rangers worked with
Escambia County Search and Rescue and the Coast Guard to locate the
boy's body. It was found the next day by search teams about
two-and-a-half miles from where he'd last been seen. Rangers made
contact with the missing man's family through the Mexican consulate.
That same day, ranger John Hughes twice shed his defensive equipment and
entered the dangerous surf to assist a young boy and an adult female
from the surf. Park lifeguards made numerous rescues during the period,
saving numerous lives. There were no fatalities at any of the guarded
beaches.
[Submitted by J.D. Lee, Chief Ranger]
Yosemite National Park (CA)
Assist with Rescue of Injured Searcher
On the afternoon of Saturday, August 23rd, J.F., a Mono
County volunteer searcher, was standing on a boulder that shifted and
rolled over his lower right leg, crushing and fracturing it. The
accident occurred during the joint, limited, continuing search for
missing hiker F.C. by Mono County and Yosemite National Park
(previously reported in InsideNPS on August 15th and The Morning Report
on August 18th). J.F. was near 10,000 feet in steep, rugged terrain
just outside of the park boundary. Mono County asked Yosemite's contract
helicopter to assist with the rescue. The park's Super 205 flew the
mission with two rescue team members, three helitack crew members, and
pilot Gary Spidell. The ship landed at a flat area about a mile from the
scene and rigged for the rescue. At about 6:30 p.m., ranger/paramedic
Keith Lober was inserted at the accident site by shorthaul under the
helicopter with helitack foreman Eric Small spotting. Lober stabilized
J.F. in a vacuum body splint and placed him in a Stokes litter.
J.F. and Lober were then shorthauled from the scene back to the
landing area, where J.F. was loaded inside the helicopter. They then
flew back to the park helibase and transferred J.F. to a waiting
commercial air ambulance. He was flown to Doctors Medical Center in
Modesto, where he underwent surgery to repair his injured
leg.
[Submitted by Keith Lober, SAR Manager]
Coronado National Memorial (AZ)
Drug Interdiction Operation
During the period from August 21st to the 24th, rangers and members
of the Border Patrol's BorTach team conducted special operations in the
park and area to interdict drug smuggling operations. About 20 smugglers
were seen packing loads through the eastern section of the park late on
the evening of the 22nd, but efforts to interdict the smugglers were
unsuccessful because rangers and officers were not able to get in place
in time. Other Border Patrol and Customs units were contacted to
follow-up on this information. The next morning, a group of 43 illegal
aliens were spotted and apprehended at the same location. A Border
Patrol helicopter assisting in the operation checked nearby Smugglers
Ridge to see if any scouts were there, using the high ground to monitor
interdiction operations. Observers spotted three scouts in a known scout
nest. Two of them were apprehended by an agent from the helicopter;
although the third fled from the mountain to avoid capture, he was
apprehended by rangers about a half hour later. Encrypted radios, cell
phones, binoculars and a 9mm semi-auto hand gun were taken from the
trio. On the evening of the 23rd, three more scouts were seen on
Smugglers Ridge. Five more "mules" were seen packing drugs through the
park, and were picked up and tracked by Border Patrol agents north of
the park. During the three-day operation, more than 250 illegal aliens
were seen passing through the eastern and central parts of the park. One
group of 13 illegal aliens was arrested on two different mornings during
the operation.
[Submitted by Thane Weigand, Chief Ranger]
Gulf Islands National Seashore (FL,MS)
Body Found at Ocean's Edge
On the morning of August 8th, the body of A.J. of New
Orleans was found at the waters edge in the Fort Pickens area of the
park by two Italian tourists. A.J. was wearing a backpack and had a
chain wrapped around him. His identity was not immediately known to
investigators, but was determined through the assistance of family
members in New Orleans who were searching the internet for missing
person's reports. The investigation into the circumstances that lead to
A.J.' death are on-going. The park is being aided in the investigation
by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
[Submitted by J.D.
Lee, Chief Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Report
There will be no national fire report today. Reports will resume on Monday.
Glacier National Park
Wedge Canyon Complex (Wedge Canyon Fire
and Wolf Gun Fire) (Wildland Fire,External Fire)
Over 50% of the
fire is located in Glacier National Park, while the other portion is on the
Flathead National Forest. Steep terrain, thick trees as well as dead and down
trees challenge firefighters on the fire.
The Wolf Gun Fire is the other active part of the Wedge Canyon Complex. It is
currently in patrol status, though it is a suppression fire. (full report)
A heavy smoke inversion settled over the fire
area until very late in the afternoon. This inversion slowed progress due to
the lack of helicopter support for the ground forces on the firelines. The
burnouts planned for the day had to be downsized to assure firefighter safety.
On the western-most corner of the fire, there was a small flare-up, which sent sparks over the line causing a small spot fire. Crews were able to surround and secure this spot fire by the end of the day.
In the Trail Creek area, the fire continued to back down the slopes, and is slowly reaching some less severe terrain. This will allow crews to work on safer terrain and allow construction of direct fireline around that uncontained portion of the fire. Over the next three or four days crews should secure this last remaining section of open line along the northern flank of the fire.
In the southeast portion of the fire, crews were able to make some progress toward connecting the firelines between the meadows and the old Akokala Trail. On Friday 9/4, crews expect to connect those two lines and burn out from them to solidify containment lines.
The Wolf Gun fire was not flown due to the smoky conditions, last known acreage — 10,700.
Status
Camas Creek Road is closed from both directions; North Fork Road is closed beyond Polebridge community.
Acreage: 9/4/03 - 51,117 acres.
Resources Committed:
- 220 Firefighters (crews)
- 9 Helicopters
- 26 Engines
- 617 Total Personnel
Estimated containment date: September 15, 2003[Submitted by Tina Boehle, tina_boehle@nps.gov, 801-413-0525]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (AZ)
New Chief Ranger
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is pleased to announce that Carol Burkhart has accepted the position of Chief Ranger and will EOD on 10/5/03. We are thrilled to have Carol join our team and feel very lucky to have attracted an individual with such comprehensive experience. Carol is coming to us from Cumberland Gap NHP where she is currently the Cultural Resources Program Manager. She started her National Park Service career in 1972 as a Park Aid and has held numerous positions since then including Maintenance Shop Clerk, Historian and Supervisory Park Ranger. To add to her extensive list of skills, her work experience isn't limited to the NPS arena; she has also been employed by the State of Alaska and a few private sector employers along the way.
Upon her arrival, Carol will be immersed in the current activities of CAGR, including the proposed boundary expansion efforts and the development of our General Management Plan. The really great news is that she is very familiar with these processes so her transition to life at CAGR should be (relatively) painless! When asked why she was interested in this position, Carol stated "I have missed the creative and social nature of interpretation, education, outreach and other ranger work.....I spent a large part of my youth in the deserts of Arizona. I am eager to return both to the field of rangering and to the place."
If you have the opportunity to visit us in the near future, please be sure and give a hearty welcome to Carol.
[Submitted by Diana Mills, Diana_Mills@nps.gov, 520-723-3172]
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.