INCIDENTS

---

Effigy Mounds National Monument (IA)
Heavy Rains and Flooding Temporarily Close Park

During the night of May 21st, an intense thunderstorm passed over the park and the surrounding area, saturating already wet soils. Intense, heavy rains fell on the park, causing major flash flooding.  Although none of the park's structures were damaged, substantial portions of the park's trail system were washed out and gutted, requiring that they be closed for visitor safety. Storm drains in the parking lot became plugged due to tree debris and large rocks, resulting in water, mud, and debris overflowing onto the visitor center parking lot, sidewalks, and lawn. In some places, the mud and debris was a foot deep. The park's maintenance crew was called in to clean up and reopen visitor use areas as soon as possible. Weekend maintenance employee assisted the Iowa Department of Transportation in clearing a portion of State Highway 76 that was blocking access to the park. DOT crews also utilized park equipment to clear toppled trees. During the following night, another intense rainstorm hit the area, dropping more heavy rain on flooded areas. One of the counties that the park is located in has been declared a federal disaster area. The local community of McGregor was closed due to the flash flooding. A local U.S. Fish and Wildlife office was hit hard by the same flash flooding. The park loaned FWS equipment to assist in the cleanup. Mud, water, tree debris, and rocks again overflowed into park visitor use areas; State Highway 76 was again blocked and State Highway 18, which provides access to the park from the south, was closed for a good portion of the day on May 23rd due to large mudslides, debris piles, and trees. The park was closed for cleanup on both May 22nd and 23rd, then reopened on the 24th — except for the trail system, which was partially reopened on May 25th.  A large section of the trail may be closed most of the summer due to the washout of a footbridge.
[Submitted by Phyllis Ewing, Superintendent]

Assateague Island National Seashore (VA)
Capture of Wanted Man

T.B., who was wanted by Maryland state authorities for impersonating a police officer, was sighted within park boundaries at Assateague State Park campground on the morning of Monday, May 24th. A multi-agency, federal-state search was launched to find and apprehend T.B., who was considered to be armed and dangerous. Field raining rangers Dana Condron and Dave Rapp and trainee Kevin Donnell joined the search. Shortly thereafter, T.B. was spotted swimming in the surf by park researchers. Condron and Donnell assisted state rangers with his arrest, detention and transport. He is currently in state custody, facing various criminal charges and parole violations.
[Submitted by Mike Anderson, Chief Ranger]

Big Cypress National Preserve (FL)
Marijuana Cultivation Arrests

On May 24th, B.B., 29, and T.H., 43, both of Davie, Florida, were charged with cultivation of marijuana within the park. They each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $500,000 fine. On May 22nd, rangers and Collier County deputies arrested the two men near Oasis Visitor Center as they hiked out of a swamp from a cultivation site and were loading equipment in their parked vehicle.
[Submitted by Ed Clark, Chief Ranger]

Sitka National Historical Park (AK)
Vandalism Incidents

With the arrival of longer days and drier and warmer weather, Alaska's urban national park reported an upswing in law enforcement incidents. On Sunday, May 2nd, the park's picnic area was vandalized, but the vandals were identified through personal items left at the scene and subsequently cited. A week later, the same area was again vandalized, but suspects have not yet been identified. On May 5th, a 55-gallon drum used in interpretive demonstrations was stolen from the park's maintenance yard. On May 17th, a wooden park bench valued at $350 was burned at the site of the former Sheldon Jackson College fire pit, a traditional party site that is now part of the park. Four days later, four people — three juveniles and an adult — were arrested for alcohol consumption near the Russian Memorial. Two were parole violators and one had previously been involved in a purse-snatching incident in the park. The park intends to heighten patrols in an effort to check continuing after-hour vandalism and alcohol-related incidents.
[Submitted by Jane Tranel, Communications Office, ARO]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

---

National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report Highlights — Tuesday, June 1, 2004

Preparedness Level 1

NIFC reports 114 new fires yesterday, all contained by initial attack.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, New Mexico and Nevada.

Warnings and Watches

No watches or warnings have been posted for today.

National Resource Commitments

Day	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue
Date	5/26	5/27	5/28	5/29	5/30	5/31	6/1
Crews	57	46	43	38	36	35	36
Engines	85	100	86	102	85	53	57
Helicopters	19	13	22	22	21	15	12
Air Tankers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Overhead	428	475	570	526	534	499	473

National/State Team Commitments

Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name. Asterisks indicate state teams.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres 5/27	Acres 6/1	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
NM	T2	Bateman	Peppin Fire Lincoln NF	25,000	31,500	40	UNK
VA	T2	Hendricks	Corapeake Road Great Dismal Swamp NWR	---	273	100	CND
FL	T2 *	Jones	Road 1 Fire State lands	---	2,500	NR	NR
AZ	T2	Kvale	KP Fire Apache-Sitgreaves NF	10,056	15,181	90	UNK
NM	T2	Winchester	Lookout Fire Cibola NF	5,280	5,280	100	CND

Further Information

This report is meant to present just highlights of the current fire situation. Two other NIFC sites provide much greater detail:

Full NIFC Situation Report (PDF file) — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf

National Fire News — http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html

Information on the NPS Fire Management Program Center (FMPC) and on park fires can be found at:

FMPC — http://www.nps.gov/fire

Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news

Everglades National Park (FL)
Blocks J & H Fire (Wildland Fire,Prescribed Fire Treatment)

The pine rockland savannahs of Everglades National Park represent the remaining intact fragment of a pine stand that used to extend from the Everglades nearly to Ft. Lauderdale. These pines, a variety of which occurs virtually nowhere else but the Everglades, require frequent fire. This burn was conducted to maintain the natural frequent fire regime that is required for the survival of this unique habitat. Up until May 14, the prescribed fire was considered successful in meeting management objectives. However a persistent pattern of extremely dry weather entrenched over South Florida caused the fire indices to drop below acceptable levels. When the soil moisture of the hardwood hammocks is above 82%, as it was at the time of ignition, fire will not carry through the hammocks. Fires normally burn up to the fringe of the hammocks, but moist soils prevent fire from creeping through the understory vegetation. Weather conditions led to a reduction of the moisture levels in the hammocks and caused the fire to fall out of prescription. On May 14, the fire was observed creeping into several large tropical hardwood hammocks in Block H & J that house multiple threatened and endangered plants and animals. Fire prescription and implementation were both designed to exclude fire from penetrating sensitive hardwood hammocks that grow in the interior of the fire perimeter. As a result, the incident shifted from a prescribed burn to a suppression effort on May 14. (full report)
The fire is now 100% contained. Reburns are still occurring within the perimeter as fuels continue to dry out. Mop up has begun and rehabilitation is scheduled to begin May 31.
Status: Pineland fire roads adjacent to the burn are currently closed as they are holding lines. Engines are identifying and mitigating hazard snags, and it is expected trails will re-open upon control. Due to extreme fire danger, smoking on trails and setting, building, maintaining, attending, or using a campfire or charcoal grill are prohibited. Stoves fueled by petroleum or liquid propane gas (lpg) are allowed in designated campgrounds and picnic areas.
Acreage: May 4: 205 acres, May 5: 800 acres (2 day total) May 6: 1000 acres (3 day total), May 29: 1,450 acres (26 day total).
Resources Committed: One Type 3 engine, one Type 5 engine, four Type 6 engines, two hotshot crews, a squad of firefighters, two light helicopters, a single-engine air tanker (SEAT), and two taskforce leaders. The Type 3 Incident Management Team for this fire is also managing expanded staffing for initial attack.
Estimated containment date: Containment: 5/29/04[Submitted by Barb Stewart, Fire Information Officer, Barb_Stewart@nps.gov, 305-242-7898]

Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Long Jim Rx Fire (Wildland Fire)

Prescribed fire that developed spots north of fire with suppression actions taken immediately. (full report)
Long Jim fire is 100 percent contained in patrol status
Acreage: 285
Estimated containment date: 05/09/2004

OPERATIONAL NOTES

---

Alaska Region
Comment Period Extended for Regulations

The National Park Service is extending the public comment period on proposed changes in the regulations that apply to parks in Alaska. The comment period has been extended by 15 days until June 16, 2004. Generally, the proposals are existing designations, closures, openings, and other provisions established by park superintendents. These had been annually compiled in park compendiums. These provisions are now being put forward for public consideration as part of a regulations package. The changes would add consistency to the meaning of terms and to the regulations in effect in each of the 16 units of the National Park System in Alaska. The proposed regulations deal with a variety of topics including camping limits, use of bear spray, campfires,airstrips and closures of facilities to protect public safety and for other reasons. The proposed regulations would add or delete language for several park-specific provisions, including Denali, Glacier Bay, Katmai and Kenai Fjords National Parks. The review process used to develop proposals included consultation with the State of Alaska to seek views of appropriate officials and to provide maximum conformity with state rules on adjacent lands as well as active participation where NPS is proposing variation from similar state regulations.The National Park Service intends the review process started by this proposed rulemaking to be ongoing, with regularly recurring rulemaking proposals to maintain up-to-date regulations that are responsive to changing public and resource needs. A copy of the proposed regulations is available by writing to National Park Service, Regional Director, 240 W. 5th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska, 99501, or on the web at www.nps.gov/akso/. Comments are due by June 16, 2004 and may be submitted by mail to the above address, or by e-mail to akro_regulations@nps.gov. Please include "Attn: Part 13 Rules" in the subject line and your name and return address in the body of your Internet e-mail message. Finally, comments may be delivered in person to Regional Director, 240 West 5th Ave., Anchorage, Alaska 99501.[Submitted by Jane Tranel, jane_tranel@nps.gov, 907-644-3513]

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.