Yosemite National Park (CA)
Major Marijuana Plantation Discovered
On October 8th, rangers from the Wawona District were working a boundary patrol in the Iron Creek Drainage for illegal hunting activities when they discovered a large marijuana garden. They also spotted several men in the garden in the process of harvesting thousands of plants. The men immediately fled the area when they saw the rangers, who opted not to pursue and instead pulled back to a secure surveillance point and requested additional assistance.
An immediate aerial reconnaissance of the area was done by law enforcement personnel in the park's fire management helicopter to determine the size of the garden. The garden was situated on the boundary, partially in the Sierra National Forest and partially within the park.
Park and Forest Service personnel monitored the garden through the night. On October 9th, the park's special response team, Forest Service officers and Mariposa County Sheriff's Department officers entered the plantation, secured it, collected evidence, and began eradicating plants. Items found at the site linked the garden to one of the Mexican drug trafficking organizations currently being investigated in central California.
During the operation, 7,049 plants were seized, along with approximately 23 pounds of processed marijuana. Based on the quality and size of these marijuana plants, the estimated street value of this crop has been placed at $30 million.
Late that afternoon, a local citizen reported two men walking out of the woods near the Wawona golf course. Rangers were dispatched and detained them. The rangers who discovered the garden positively identified them as the men who had fled the previous afternoon. They were taken into custody by the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, as they were outside the park when spotted.
The park's criminal investigations unit is working with the sheriff's office and Forest Service to develop intelligence on the drug trafficking organization involved and to prepare the case for prosecution.
The park, benefiting from the similar experiences of
Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs and Hawaii Volcanoes NP, is battling the
unacceptable safety and resource effects of foreign-sponsored marijuana
growing on park lands by working with surrounding jurisdictions to
preclude establishment of illegal operations in the Yosemite region.
Initial assistance from Washington has aided this prevention-oriented
campaign. Once in a park, these operations are difficult, expensive and
dangerous to remove. Yosemite's objective is to aggressively check the
activity before it is entrenched.[Submitted by Chief Ranger's
Office]
Great Falls Park (VA)
Kayaker Missing After Being Swept Over Falls
On the afternoon of Tuesday, October 19th, a visitor reported that a kayaker who was attempting to run Great Falls was in trouble.
Within seconds of this notification, another kayaker arrived at the ranger office to report that he and his friend were running the falls and that his friend had disappeared after having to exit his boat, then being pushed over the last drop of the falls.
Rangers immediately notified county rescue personnel and organized a response. Park Police officers from Great Falls also responded. Boats from Fairfax County and Montgomery County rescue units conducted searched, but the swift current and high waves kept them from getting near the base of the falls and foggy conditions grounded helicopters.
The two kayakers had evidently run the falls at least three times
earlier that day. The victim reportedly had difficulties in several of
the smaller, upper level drops before eventually being pushed over the
falls in a very dangerous area.
Despite the efforts of the
victim's friend to locate him, only the victim's boat, paddle and a few
other items could be found immediately after the accident. Search
efforts were called off for the day at about 4:30 p.m. The victim's life
jacket surfaced and was retrieved from the river later that
evening.[Submitted by Jesse Reynolds, Supervisory Park Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Thursday, October 21, 2004
Preparedness Level 1
There were just nine new starts yesterday. None escaped initial attack. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in California.
Weather Forecast
A couple of weather systems will be moving through the West with most of the precipitation expected from Arizona and New Mexico northward into Montana.
Warnings and Watches
No warnings or watches have been issued for today.
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 |
10/20 |
10/21 |
% Con |
Est Con |
|
FL |
FEMA |
T2 |
Muir |
Hurricane Response, Saufley Field NAS |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
|
Date |
10/15 |
10/16 |
10/17 |
10/18 |
10/19 |
10/20 |
10/21 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crews |
121 |
132 |
117 |
31 |
15 |
9 |
28 |
|
Engines |
300 |
307 |
247 |
82 |
30 |
11 |
25 |
|
Helicopters |
27 |
39 |
28 |
12 |
9 |
6 |
4 |
|
Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Overhead |
695 |
820 |
404 |
411 |
217 |
169 |
155 |
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
Fire and Aviation Management
Memorandum: "National Fire Plan Awards for FY 2004"
To: Regional Directors
From: Deputy Director A. Durand Jones /s/ A. Durand Jones
Subject: National Fire Plan Awards for FY 2004
Due Date: November 19, 2004
Please see the attached call for nominations for the FY 2004 National Fire Plan awards. Last year the Wildland Fire Leadership Council developed six new National Fire Plan awards to recognize those Federal and non-Federal persons or groups who went beyond the call of duty to ensure healthier forests and wild lands. The National Park Service had several award winners whom were honored at the National Fire Plan meeting in Reno , NV , in March of 2004.
This year nominations will be accepted in seven categories (see attached memorandum signed by the Assistant Secretary — Office of Policy, Management and Budget dated September 24, 2004.). National Fire Plan Awards information is located at http://www.fireplan.gov/awards. At this website, you will find information on the award program including categories, criteria, and process for submission. These awards will be presented at the National Fire Plan meeting in Albuquerque , New Mexico, February 14-18, 2005. Nominations must be submitted by November 19, 2004 .
I encourage you to submit nominations for these national awards. This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the efforts of the personnel working so diligently on many exceptional projects.
[Submitted by Sue Vap, sue_vap@nps.gov, 208-387-5225] More Information...
PARKS AND PEOPLE
National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
Archeology and Collections Program Manager
Dates: 10/18/2004 - 10/29/2004
The National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) seeks an Archeologist to manage the Center's Archeology and Collections Program. NCPTT (www.ncptt.nps.gov) is a research center of the National Park Service located on the campus of Northwestern State University in historic Natchitoches, LA. Natchitoches offers a number of cultural and recreational activities. Salary begins at $58,665 or 69,762, depending on education and experience. This position closes 10-29-04. For a complete announcement and information on how to apply, please visit http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/ and search for announcement NPS WASO-04-044B.
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.