The Morning Report for Friday, September 17, 2004

INCIDENTS

Southeast Region
Hurricane Ivan Roars Through South Central States

Early reports have been received from some areas. Gulf Islands NS has been hit hard enough to warrant outside assistance. Rick Brown's Type 2 Eastern IMT is accordingly mobilizing to head to Mississippi or Florida, depending on where the park feels that they'll be best positioned.

Gulf Islands NS — All power was reported out in both the Florida and Mississippi units yesterday. Cell phone calls were largely out due to downed cell towers and call volume. Overflights will be made as soon as possible to assess damage.

Blue Ridge Parkway — The park has implemented ICS (John Garrison, IC) to manage response to flooding and winds associated with Ivan. Lines of communications between organization levels and divisions have been established and procedures for implementing closures and other storm related actions developed. Contingencies have also been developed to address possible loss of electric and water service. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for much of western North Carolina. Forecasts continue to call for rainfall amounts of 10 to 15 inches in the mountains, with some higher peaks expected to receive 18 inches along east or south-facing slopes. Winds should also increase tonight, with sustained velocities of 30 to 40 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph. With the likelihood of major flooding, Buncombe County, North Carolina, which includes the City of Asheville, declared a state of emergency yesterday morning. Park campgrounds, except for the one at Peaks of Otter, were closed on Thursday. All picnic areas, except for those at Peaks of Otter and Humpback Rocks north of Roanoke, were also closed. Several road closures have been added to those announced Wednesday. At this time, the parkway in Virginia is closed, or is being closed, from milepost 71-76, from Petites Gap to Apple Orchard Overlook and from mile 121-136, from US 220 at Roanoke to Adney Gap. North Carolina closures are as follows (other closures are possible and will be made as warranted):

Milepost 299-305 at Grandfather Mountain.
Milepost 317-375 from US 221 near Linville Falls to Ox Creek north of Asheville.
Milepost 393-405 from NC 191 south of Asheville to NC 151.
Milepost 412-469 from US 276 to Cherokee

The Overmountain Victory special event, which draws public attention to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, an NPS-administered area, has been cancelled. Other event cancellations include the annual Heritage Days celebration at the Folk Art Center, and Sunday's non-NPS sponsored Bridge-to-Bridge bicycle race. The concessioner-operated snack bar, gift shop and camp store at Crabtree Meadows closed yesterday afternoon. Parkway visitor centers at Craggy Gardens, Waterrock Knob and Cumberland Knob also closed yesterday. Other visitor centers will stay open, conditions permitting, to facilitate communications with visitors.
Reports from Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Phil Noblitt, PAO, BLRI; JD Lee, Chief Ranger, GUIS.

Southeast Region
Hurricane Jeanne

Tropical Storm Jeanne became a hurricane yesterday, and is tracking toward the Florida coast. Three reports have been received:

Virgin Islands NP — The park was closed on Thursday, but expects to reopen today. The storm caused some flooding and left a lot of debris, but otherwise did not inflict any apparent significant damage.

San Juan NHS — The park lost power on Thursday, but also expected to reopen today. Minor wind and water damage is reported.

Biscayne NP — Park staff are closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Jeanne, which could reach them by Monday. Most operations will accordingly shutdown by this afternoon. The visitor center will remain open, however, and a scheduled coastal cleanup will go forward — unless conditions change. Island residents will remain in their homes for the time being, but have been asked to be prepared to leave by Sunday morning.

Reports from Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Linda Canzanelli, Superintendent, BISC.

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Major Marijuana Plantation Found and Eradicated

On Thursday, September 2nd, National Park Service rangers and law enforcement officers and personnel from cooperating agencies removed 18,926 marijuana plants that were being illegally grown in the wilderness in the East Fork drainage of the Kaweah River. The eradication teams consisted of 13 national park rangers, a special agent and 10 Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) officers. A Blackhawk helicopter and crew from Immigration and Customs Enforcement also participated and utilized employed infrared gear to monitor the site for growers. The plants were nearing maturity; had they been fully mature, the estimated street value would have been in excess of $75,000,000. NPS investigators collected substantial evidence from the various growing areas that point to certain individuals. The investigation is ongoing. Firearms and other weapons were seized along with evidence of the use of hundreds of pounds of fertilizers and pesticides. This marijuana farm operation was organized and well maintained, with numerous encampments throughout. Several acres of underbrush had been removed by the growers to facilitate their plantation under the cover of natural shrubbery and trees. Though it was well masked, this site was detected by aerial surveillance and through investigative leads that were gathered following the arrest of four Mexican nationals on August 19th. The individuals, as well as the driver and passenger of the vehicle that picked them up, are under investigation for conspiracy to grow marijuana on public lands. Operation No Grow, in this and previous operations, has resulted in the eradication of more than 36,500 plants this year.
[Submitted by Alexandra Picavet and Gregg Fauth]

Amistad National Recreation Area (TX)
Drug Smuggling Arrests

On August 27th, Border Patrol agents arrested two women for transporting 40 pounds of processed marijuana concealed in backpacks within their vehicle. Interviews with one of the women revealed that she'd met with several men on the Mexican side of Lake Amistad earlier in the week, then smuggled the drugs across the lake in a bass boat and took it out of the lake and placed on a trailer at one of the NPS public boat ramps. She also said that this was the drug organization's preferred method for smuggling drugs into the U.S. and that she'd helped move ten loads in the previous two months, including methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. The investigation into the larger drug organization continues. DEA is the lead agency in the case.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]

Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Rescue on Teewinot Mountain

Rangers responded to a report of an injured climber on Teewinot Mountain on the evening of September 5th. J.H., 31, of Arlington, Texas, injured his right ankle after falling approximately ten to twelve feet over a ledge while descending the mountain. J.H. and six companions had attempted to reach Teewinot's summit and were descending the steep East Face around 4 p.m. when the fall occurred. Two members of the party hurried down to the Jenny Lake Ranger Station to report the accident and request assistance. Rangers assessed the situation, evaluated the risk to rescue personnel as well as to the injured party, and decided that a wheeled litter evacuation would be safer than a helicopter evacuation. After contacting rangers at the Lower Saddle and verifying that all climbing parties had returned from the Grand Teton, it was determined that the chances of another accident were low and that sufficient numbers of rescue personnel were available to assist with evacuating J.H. J.H.'s relatively minor injury and the absence of a suitable helicopter landing zone near his location were also contributing factors in the decision to utilize a wheeled litter for evacuation. Nine rangers and two firefighters ascended approximately 3,200 feet to reach J.H. near the top of the Apex Trail — about 10,000 feet in elevation — at 7:30 p.m. After providing emergency medical care and stabilizing J.H. for transport, rangers began manually lowering him to the valley floor. In steeper areas, where the climber's trail was not adequate to accommodate the wheeled litter safely, rangers used a rope and anchor system to conduct a series of lowerings to bring J.H. down the mountain. The rescue party reached Lupine Meadows at 10:40 p.m., and members of J.H.'s climbing party drove him to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further treatment.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Friday, September 17, 2004

Preparedness Level 2

There was little fire activity yesterday. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

A Presidential disaster declaration has been issued for Hurricane Ivan for Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Teams are being deployed (see the table below), and numerous resources have been mobilized — aircraft, caterers, showers, national buying teams, Type 1 crews and miscellaneous overhead.

Weather Forecast

A storm system moving into the Pacific Northwest will bring increasing winds to the Sierras and Great Basin. The remains of Hurricane Ivan should continue to bring heavy rains to the Appalachians.

Warnings and Watches

A RED FLAG WARNING has been posted today for this afternoon for strong winds and low relative humidity levels across most of northern and central Nevada and in the west deserts of Utah.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH has been issued for Saturday afternoon for central Nevada due to strong winds and low relative humidity levels.

NPS Fires

For a brief supplemental narrative on each fire, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/news

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National/State Team Commitments

Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Changes in the status of a fire (type of team, change from a fire to a complex, etc.) are also noted in boldface.

Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name.

State	Agency	Team	IC	Fire/Incident and Location	9/16	9/17	% Con	Est Con

FL	FEMA	ACT	Mann	Hurricanes Frances/Ivan, Orlando	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
GA	FEMA	ACT	Williams-Rhodes	Hurricane Ivan, Atlanta	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

GA	FEMA	T1	Anderson	Hurricane Ivan, Atlanta	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
FL	FEMA	T1	Bennett	Hurricane Ivan, Orlando	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
FL	FEMA	T1	Ferguson	Hurricane Ivan, Eglin AFB	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
FL	FEMA	T1	Kearney	Hurricanes Frances/Ivan, NAS Jacksonville	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
GA	FEMA	T1	Lohrey	Hurricane Ivan, Atlanta	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
AL	FEMA	T1	Oltrogge	Hurricanes Frances/Ivan, Maxwell AFB	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
FL	FEMA	T1	Vail	Hurricanes Frances/Ivan, Orlando	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
GA	FEMA	T1	Wilcox	Hurricane Ivan, Atlanta	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
CA	USFS	T1	Gelobter	Tuolumne Fire, Stanislaus NF	800	800	95	9/17

FL	FEMA	T2 #	Koehler	Hurricane Ivan, Lakeland	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

# State team

National Resource Commitments

Day	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
Date	9/11	9/12	9/13	9/14	9/15	9/16	9/17

Crews	47	22	87	143	88	33	52
Engines	65	48	202	286	116	69	70
Helicopters	26	14	28	42	18	10	13
Air Tankers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Overhead	922	213	352	485	358	331	942

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 NPS Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) and on park fires can be found at:

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

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Servicewide
Upcoming Training Calendar

This listing is updated every Friday. It is not meant to replace any of the various training center calendars — just to augment them and provide a heads-up on new training courses. Please submit information to Bill_Halainen@nps.gov. New listings and revisions are in bold face.

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October 4 — October 5

Taser Instructor Course, Vicksburg NMP, Mississippi.

The park has confirmed that the taser instructor course will be held. The cost is $195. The new generation of tasers meet the RM-9 definition of an electronic control device. In order to sign up, go to www.taser.com. For more information, contact John Wilkins at 601-636-0583 or 601-831-1873 (cell).

October 4 — October 8

Law Enforcement Supervisor Refresher Training, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona.

The park is hosting a 40-hour LE in-service training designed specifically for LE and emergency services supervisors. Topics covered will include leadership through understanding behavioral diversity, situational leadership, work-related stress, ethics and values, and an LE supervisors' lessons learned forum. The training is presented by the FLETC Management Institute and IMR law enforcement and human resources staff. Tuition is $150. To register or for more information, contact South Rim shift supervisor Karyl Yeston at 928-638-7805 by September 24th.

October 18 — October 22

Survival Shooting Training (XP-SSTP-501), HIDTA Training Facility, Tucson, Arizona.

This course is not an FITP refresher — it is an export version of FLETC's survival shooting class that normally runs for nine days. This session will be 40 hours long, with each student shooting 3,000 rounds. The objective is to bring current NPS firearms instructors up to date with the same shooting skills and techniques that rangers attending the basic NRITP course are receiving. Nominations are due by COB on September 23rd. For more information, contact either Pat Gavin, IMR RLES, at 303-969-2642 or Bruce Hasson, FLETC, at 912-261-3762.

October 19 — October 28

Police Bicycle Training (PBTP-501), FLETC, Glynco, GA.

Basic knowledge, techniques, operational principles and legal considerations for police cyclists. Nominations are due by September 24th. For further information, contact either Wiley Golden (912-267-2246) or JR Tomasovic (912-554-4694) at FLETC.

November 1 — November 5

ARPA Training (XP-ARPTP), Tallahassee, Florida.

This is the FLETC course, developed in conjunction with the NPS, Forest Service and BLM. The closing date is October 1st. One page nominations should be emailed or faced to FLETC. For more information, call the center at 912-267-2246 or call JR Tomasovic at 912-554-4694.

November 1 — November 5

Annual Law Enforcement Refresher Training for Supervisors: Challenges of Leadership, The North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, NC.

This refresher program is designed to assist first and second line supervisors with providing leadership to the law enforcement patrol function. Tuition Is $75. Nominations must be submitted by October 1st. For more information, contact John Garrison at BLRI at 828-271-4779 x 240.

November 9 — February 1

Criminal Investigator Training (CITP-506), FLETC, Glynco, GA.

Basic criminal investigator training. Nominations are due by October 5th. For further information, contact either Wiley Golden (912-267-2246) or JR Tomasovic (912-554-4694) at FLETC.

November 15 — November 19

National Wildlife Origin and Cause Determination (XP-WFOCD-503/FI-210), Casa Grande, AZ.

Training on wildland fire investigation based on NWCG certification standards and training program. Nominations are due by October 5th. For further information, contact either Wiley Golden (912-267-2246) or JR Tomasovic (912-554-4694) at FLETC.

November 15 — November 19

Structural Fire Officer, Fire Management Program Center, Boise, Idaho.

The course will provide technical knowledge and leadership skills essential for command and control of emergencies using ICS. The course will include pre-planning, communications, decision-making, fire attack strategies/tactics and logistical support functions. Applications must be submitted by October 1st. For further information, contact Hal Spencer at 208-387-524 or vial email or go to http://inside.nps.gov/programs/functioncustompages.cfm?div=73&prog=358&fun=284&custompagesid=901

January 9 — February 5

Park Medic Training, University Medical Center, Fresno, Ca.
The course is designed to refresh the student's knowledge of basic life support and to provide instruction in advanced life support pre-hospital care. Certification: NREMT, Intermediate EMT, Park Medic. Tuition is $1,400 per student before December 3rd, and $1,600 thereafter. Applications are due by December 3rd. For more information, contact Skip Miller, Acting Branch Chief, Emergency Services, WASO, at 202-513-7093 or via email.

Servicewide
Upcoming Conference/Meetings Calendar

This listing is updated every Friday. Please submit information to Bill_Halainen@nps.gov. . New listings and revisions are in bold face.

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November 15 — November 19

27th Ranger Rendezvous, Association of National Park Rangers, Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center, Rapid City, South Dakota.

The theme of this year's Rendezvous is "Following in the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark — Exploration, Partnerships and Preservation." The objective of this annual forum is to exchange ideas that further the preservation and management of the National Park Service and the National Park System. This professional conference brings together people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines to exchange ideas, provide training, and listen to operational or governmental updates from agency leaders. For more information on the Rendezvous, a tentative agenda, and registration information, go to www.anpr.org.

November 16 — November 18

Third Mojave Desert Science Symposium and Poster Session, University of Redlands, California.

Registration is now open for the symposium, which is hosted in part by the National Park Service. Federal employees may take advantage of the early registration rate deadline of October 8th by registering using a training authorization or purchase order number. For more information, visit http://www.dmg.gov/mdss/, or email MDSS@qbsevents.com, or call 928-638-2200 (Pacific time).

March 6 — 10

Annual Convention, Association of Partners for Public Lands, Portland, Oregon.

The theme for this year's convention, Portland Pathways, was selected "to move us forward along our lines of learning and commitment to an increasingly connected systems of parks, forests, refuges, waters, open spaces and historic places." Basic registration is open through January 10th, regular through February 18th, and late thorough March 5th. For more information, call APPL at 301-946-9475 or go to www.appl.org

March 14 — 18

George Wright Society Biennial Conference on Parks, Protected Areas and Cultural Sites, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The theme of this year's convention is People, Places and Parks: Preservation for Future Generations. Proposals are being accepted in all areas of natural and cultural resources. The deadline for abstracts is October 8th. Details on the conference can be found at http://www.georgewright.org/2005.html. For further information, contact the society at 1-906-487-9722, or via conferences@georgewright.org.

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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.