El Malpais |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2025. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Thursday, February 8, 1990 On Monday, January 29th, a resident of Gallup, about 50 miles west of the park, left a 30-page suicide note and headed out to the hills north of town. The woman had previously attempted suicide over financial problems; this time, she signed over her car and house to friends and paid all her bills before departing. A hasty search was conducted later that day, but no clues were found. The park was contacted and asked to provide support in the management of the search. On Tuesday, air scent dogs alerted three times, but winds precluded following the scent. No clues of any kind were found on Wednesday, and the search was suspended. (Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, via CompuServe message from RAD/SWRO, 2/7/9 0).
On February 9th, a person or persons cut through a chain link fence, forced open a door, and stole $3,500 worth of power tools, fire gloves and a radio from the park. The burglar(s) even took the time to dismantle a table saw and squeeze it through the fence. (CompuServe report from RAD/SWRO, 10 a.m. EST, 2/13/90).
L.R., 54, was arrested by rangers and other officers on August 7th at his home in Grants, New Mexico, on charges of cultivating marijuana in the park. Prior to the arrest, 12 live plants and six dead plants were removed from the monument. The cannabis site was first spotted last March. Over 100 pots made of linoleum strips and filled with potting soil were discovered in a fenced area. In April, the first sprouts were noted, and 47 marijuana plants were found growing in the pots by early May. The participants in the arrest were members of the Cibola County Inter-Agency Narcotics Task Force, which includes rangers and representatives from BLM and the New Mexico Army National Guard. (Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, via telefax from RAD/SWRO, 8/7).
Over the course of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, park personnel assisted the state of New Mexico on three search and rescue operations for woodcutters in the Zuni Mountains, which are adjacent to the park's northern and northwestern boundaries. The woodcutters were stranded when heavy snows fell in the mountains. All of the subjects were found in good condition. A park employee served as incident commander on each of the three operations. [CompuServe message from Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 12/2]
At 4:00 p.m. on the afternoon of June 9th, the park received a report from BLM and Customs agents that 14 people had been seen exiting the lava flow area at the south end of the park, and that indications were that they'd been pot hunting. Ranger Darwin Vallo was the first to respond, and was eventually joined by chief ranger Ken Mabery and rangers Al King and Cindy Ott Jones. The state highway patrol was contacted and arrived at the scene, which was about 30 miles from town on a dirt road, within 20 minutes. State fish and game officers also responded. A total of 24 people were intercepted as they returned to three vehicles which were parked along the roadside. They were asked for and received permission to be searched. One of the first packs which was inspected contained a black on white Anasazi ladle with an estimated value of $1,500. All the packs contained collection bags, professional padding, knee pads and digging implements. Other items discovered included a weapon, two antlers and two World War II bomb parts. The area was secured at 5:30 p.m. The interagency ARPA task force, which had been contacted and summoned by park dispatch, arrived at about 10:00 p.m. and conducted further interviews. They also went to the group's camp three miles away, but found no other artifacts or contraband. During the interviews, investigators learned that a member of the group, S.H., was operating an outfitter guide service for treasure hunters, and that he had charged each of the individuals $5,000 to hunt for treasure. The individuals accompanying him said that they believed that S.H. had obtained the necessary permits for them to participate in such a hunt. Hoskins, however, had not obtained a commercial license from either the park or from the nearby BLM natural conservation area. No charges have been filed, but BLM and the park will be filing a joint complaint against S.H. through the U.S. attorney's office. Mabery emphasizes that the success of the operation was attributable to excellent interagency cooperation, noting that all parties were able to communicate through common radio frequencies and that command was deferred to BLM as the lead agency at the appropriate time. He asks that any areas who have had dealings with S.H. contact him. [Telefax from Jim Radney, RLES, RAD/SWRO, 6/11]
Early on the evening of February 17th, a man stopped at NPS ranger Leslie DeLong's residence in the Zuni Mountains near the park and reported that his wife and her sister were overdue from a trip into the mountains. The two ladies were in their 50s; one had severe asthma that required oxygen treatment, but did not have oxygen with her. Neither was prepared for the eight degree temperatures that were forecast for the area. The state police mounted a search with the assistance of park and BLM employees. Their vehicle was found in a snow bank at 9 p.m. Both women had stayed in the vehicle for warmth and were okay. [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 2/19]
On March 15th, three park employees assisted the state on the ICS overhead team on a search for a twin-engine Beechcraft with four men and a container of cobalt 60 on board. The plane went off radar just before midnight on the 14th at the 10,500-foot level on the east side of 11,300-foot Mount Taylor. Search efforts were delayed until dense clouds lifted just before noon on the 15th. the plane was located about a half hour later about 500 feet below the summit and just slightly south of its last known course. All four died on impact; the cobalt 60 container was found intact. About 70 searchers from several agencies were involved in the effort. [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 3/17]
During the evening of March 18th, a storm moving through the area dropped significant amounts of rain on the park. Normally dry creeks were already swollen with spring runoff, and the rains put Agua Fria Creek in the northwest corner of the park into flood stage for the first time since the park was established. Flood waters flowed into Junction Cave and washed out the access road to the parking lot for Junction Cave, Bat Cave and El Calderon. The graveled road is used by visitors and by land owners to access their property south of the park. [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 3/22]
On June 9, 1992, rangers intercepted about two dozen people exiting the park with a variety of artifacts. Upon further inquiry, they learned that a member of the group, S.H., was operating an outfitter guide service for treasure hunters, and that he had charged each of the individuals $5,000 to hunt for treasure. S.H. had spoken before a dozen service clubs in the Denver area between September, 1991, and February, 1992, and had told listeners that he knew the location of Spanish treasure worth millions which had been lost in 1756. He said that interested persons could join him in the recovery effort for $5,000 each. About 30 men joined up; together with silent partners, they paid S.H. about $130,000. The expedition then headed for El Malpais. S.H. was unable to "find" the cave with the gold, but did come upon and remove a black-on-white Anasazi ladle from about 1050 AD. When contacted by El Malpais and BLM rangers and other enforcement officers, they also had pottery and World War II bomb parts in their packs. The artifacts, packs, tools and a .357 revolver belonging to Hoskin's son were seized. The subsequent investigation by El Malpais rangers Cindy Ott- Jones and Al King and BLM agents Steve Fleming and Ed Petrovsky resulted in interviews with all participants. Rocky Mountain Regional Office coordinated involvement of the IRS, Postal Service and Colorado attorney general's office. A search warrant was served on S.H.'s residence and documentary evidence was seized. Subpoenas produced bank records, testimony, car purchase data and other information. On June 10th, a Federal grand jury returned three felony mail fraud indictments against S.H.. The indictments lead to front page news articles and radio and TV stories. A segment on NBC included hidden video and audio recordings of S.H. soliciting participants. More legal actions, including ARPA charges, CFR misdemeanors and civil proceedings, are pending. [Erny Kuncl, RMRO, 6/16]
On June 25th, R.P., a member of the Hoskins "treasure recovery" expedition to El Malpais, was charged with possession of archeological resources (36 CFR 2.1) in magistrates court in Denver. R.P. discovered and removed an Anasazi black-on-white ladle dated at about 1050 A.D. while on the expedition. Rangers recovered the ladle at the scene during a search of the backpacks of the expedition's participants. Of significance was the use of Rule 58(C)(2) of the Rules of Criminal Procedures (under Procedure for Misdemeanors and Other Petty Offenses) to move the venue from New Mexico to Colorado for R.P.'s appearance before the magistrate. R.P. is a resident of Denver. This aspect of the Hoskins case was also covered by the media. [Erny Kuncl, RAD/RMRO, 6/28]
On Friday, August 6th, R.P. appeared in U.S. magistrate's court in Denver and pled guilty to possession of archeological resources taken from El Malpais in June, 1992, while he was a member of Steve Hoskins' "Spanish gold treasure recovery expedition." R.P. discovered and removed an Anasazi black-on-white ladle dated at about 1050 A.D. R.P., who is a bass player in a regionally prominent country and western band, was sentenced to pay a $510 fine and perform six months of public service doing ARPA educational spots. Hoskins is scheduled for trial on three felony counts of mail fraud in district court in October. Other legal actions are also being considered by the assistant U.S. attorney (AUSA) in Denver and by the AUSA in the District of New Mexico. [Erny Kuncl, RAD/RMRO, 8/6]
On August 20th, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta notified the park that a blood sample taken from a seasonal fire control aid had tested positive for hantavirus, the disease which recently killed a number of Navajos on tribal lands to the northwest of the park. Infected individuals experience flu-like symptoms until rapid infection of lung tissue occurs and the patient essentially drowns in body fluids. Infection occurs by breathing dust contaminated by rodent waste excretions. Although the disease has a 70% mortality rate, the infected employee is recovering and left the area to return to college on August 27th. Doctors at the CDC anticipate a complete recovery. While the exact cause of the infection is unknown, the CDC suspects that the employee contracted the disease while living in the district bunkhouse - a ranch house which was acquired when the monument was established and subsequently converted to seasonal quarters and a district office. The house/office was heavily infested with mice at the time of the incident and the population was increasing rapidly. Up to a dozen were being trapped each night. The regional office and park have begun a review of all park operations to assess risks to park employees and their families. The district ranger station has been closed to all use, and the district ranger and his spouse may be relocated. Region will soon release a directive advising all employees of the serious nature of the disease and the need to take prudent and practical precautions when dealing with rodents, especially the white-footed deer mouse. It will also require an inventory of park structures and other work areas - including archeological and historic projects - where employees might be in danger of infection, and will advise employees and their families to use the recommended CDC methods for dealing with rodents and their wastes. [Jim Walters, RAD/SWRO, 9/1]
Thirty-four National Guardsmen from four states have been cleaning up unexploded World War II bombs from the park. One remote area of the park, the McCartys Crater area, was used as a training target during the war for flyers from Kirkland Air Force Base (then an Army airfield). They have already located 18 live 100-pound bombs and nine detonators in a one-square- mile area. The original plan was to clear a nine-square-mile area suspected of containing over 50 bombs, but it has since been determined that a complete clearance of this area will not be possible. Demolition of all devices found in the park will occur today. A number of new caves were also discovered during the project. [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 5/17]
The National Guardsmen involved in the bomb clean-up operations noted above discovered a plastic package containing 12 pounds of a white substance in a remote area of the park. The package had broken open either from weathering or a fall from a low-flying plane; the contents were also weathered. A field test for cocaine proved positive. The material was brought to a Customs lab, but the second test proved inconclusive. They have sent the material to Atlanta for more tests. The package has markings on it indicating that it may have come from or been destined for Colorado. The age of the substance is as yet unknown. [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 5/17]
The cleanup of explosives by National Guard troops has been completed. A total of 21 bombs and nine arming fuses were removed from the park and destroyed, but clearance was completed on only one square mile of park land. Another eight square miles remain to be cleared. Until that time, the area can not be opened to the public. Further clearance operations, however, are not on the military's project priority list. [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 5/25]
On August 27th, the park hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for a multi- agency center that will be constructed adjacent to Interstate 40 over the next two years. Representatives from the five partner agencies that will be involved in staffing the center provided uniformed staff for the ceremony, which included speeches by Senator Pete Domenici and Congressman Joe Skeen. On stage were officials from 20 partner organizations involved in the center's construction. Staff from El Morro, Petroglyphs and Capulin Volcano provided assistance in managing the event. [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 8/30]
While working on a visitor use survey at the Zuni-Acoma trailhead on June 26th, interpretive specialist Leslie DeLong was struck by lightning. DeLong was in the process of contacting visitors in a convertible and had just touched its canvas top when the lightning entered her right hand and exited through her right foot. According to witnesses, she neither lost consciousness nor was knocked down; she was disoriented for a few days, however, and was hospitalized for observation. She has since been released. [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 7/1]
On November 12th, J.S.O., 32, went into convulsions while hiking the Zuni-Acoma trail. Members of the party hiked out across very rough lava to the trailhead and drove ten miles to a BLM ranger station to report the incident. A doctor happened to be in the station and volunteered to respond. The nearest park ranger was two hours away, so local EMS and law enforcement personnel were dispatched to the scene. J.S.O. was stabilized and evacuated. He had no history of any prior medical condition that would have caused these convulsions. [Ken Mabery, MA, ELMA]
Gang members vandalized two visitor use areas on the afternoon of March 10th. Eight facilities were spray-painted, including a newly-completed comfort station that was scheduled to be opened the following day. Graffiti was also painted on natural features at four locations inside Junction Cave. Repair and restoration costs are estimated at between $3,000 and $5,000. Visitors witnessed the incident and reported it to a state police officer. The officer and a park ranger apprehended two gang members. Charges will be filed following consultation with the U.S. attorney's office. [Allen King, CR, ELMA]
Heavy rains which fell on the area over the past week caused flash floods in many areas of the park. The Lava Falls developed area, which includes an access road, parking lot and interpretive trail, was particularly hard hit. Preliminary indications are that at least 150 feet of road has been washed away or completely covered over with silt. The road lies on a broad, half- mile wide sheet flow plane which is now saturated. This has made access for evaluation difficult, since the remaining sections of the road may now be unstable. The area was scheduled to be fully opened to the public this fall, but it now appears that relocation and reengineering of the access roads will be necessary. [Ken Mabery, MA, ELMA]
Last spring, members of the Brewton Locos gang vandalized two visitor use areas in the park, causing several thousand dollars in damage. Visitors witnessed the incident and reported it to a state police officer. The officer and a park ranger apprehended two gang members, A.B. and J.M. The pair subsequently accepted a plea agreement and pled guilty to misdemeanor charges of injuring federal property (18 USC 1361). On November 1st, they were sentenced to three years' probation and required to pay a total of $2,154.68 in restitution. A.B. was also sentenced to three months of supervised probation at a halfway; J.M. was ordered to provide 40 hours of community service. [Allen King, CR, ELMA]
Acting on a report from interpretive staff, protection rangers contacted a group of nine juveniles (including several people previously involved in shoplifting from an NPS information center, vehicle vandalism, and illegal cave entry incidents) as they were exiting an officially closed bat colony cave in the El Calderon area of the park. They were subsequently cited for a host of violations, including acts of vandalism to signs and to a vehicle, killing wildlife, and illegal entry of the cave area. A total of 16 violation notices were issued, with fines at this time totaling $2,700. Members of the group are facing additional charges, courtesy of the Cibola County, New Mexico Sheriff's Department. [Fred Moosman, Supervisory Law Enforcement Specialist]
On the morning of Friday, November 3rd, members of a multi-agency search team were able to locate and evacuate a park visitor whose vehicle had become disabled in an extremely rugged and remote area. The woman, nearly 70 years old, had driven her Volvo sedan across extremely rough, two-track backcountry routes in the Cerritos de Jaspe area of El Malpais National Monument and BLM's El Malpais Conservation Area under the mistaken belief that she was on a commonly used park touring road. The search team received weak and fragmented cellular telephone calls from the woman that only added to the difficulty of finding her. She remained lost in the park through Thursday night, during which time the temperature dropped to 22 degrees. Following 17 hours of fruitless ground searches, a New Mexico Department of Public Safety helicopter was requested. The helicopter's crew quickly located the woman. She had reached country so rugged that few patrols are generally attempted in the area since damage is likely even to four-wheel drive vehicles. The woman was in excellent condition, having spent the night in her car. Rangers and officers from the New Mexico Department of Public Safety assisted her in returning to her vehicle, which was then towed out of the area for repairs. Participating in this operation along with park staff were the Cibola County Sheriff's Department, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, the Civil Air Patrol, and the Mount Taylor Search and Rescue Team. [Fred Moosman, Supervisory Law Enforcement Specialist]
While working on the Barbell Fire in the Cerritos de Jaspe region of the park, resource advisor Steve Baumann found the shrapnel and casing of an exploded bomb and what appeared to be an unexploded bomb from the World War II era. The fire crews were evacuated and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team from Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque was requested. The McCartys Crater area in El Malpais was used as a bombing range from 1942 to 1944, when 100 pound "iron bombs" loaded with TNT were dropped on targets to train bomber crews. Over the past 23 years at El Malpais, there have been five "unexploded ordnance" (UXO) incidents that required an EOD team to evaluate and dispose of bombs. On July 23rd, the Kirtland EOD team cleared the area, inspected the vintage weapon, and detonated the bomb. With the UXO neutralized, fire crews returned to managing the Barbell Fire. [Dana Sullivan]
A natural resource crew in the process of conducting cave surveys in the interior of the park last Tuesday came upon human skeletal remains. Rangers and state police began a joint investigation that same day to determine if a crime had occurred. Early on Wednesday morning, park staff and members of a state police crime scene team hiked out to the rugged, remote area where the remains were found to examine the scene. The bones were scattered and evidence of animal activity was found; a few pieces of weathered clothing and weathered credit cards were also found at the scene. The remains were sent to the state medical examiner's office for further investigation. Positive identification of what turned out to be two victims was made through dental records provided by the families of J.C. and his daughter C.T., who disappeared on June 20, 2002. The bones are being sent to the University of North Texas, where they will be analyzed by a forensic anthropologist to determine if foul play occurred. [Leslie D. DeLong, Chief of Visitor Services]
On December 1st, rangers were notified of a homicide that had occurred within the park's boundaries. The victim had been shot on a park trail and dropped 150 feet into a collapsed lava tube. The initial investigation by the Grants Police Department led to the identification of two suspects in the local area. They were brought in for questioning and one admitted to the crime and gave information that led to the location of the victim. New Mexico State Police assisted with the investigation and crime scene processing. The New Mexico State Police tactical team and NPS rangers worked together to safely recover the victim via a Tyrolean traverse and ascending and descending systems. New Mexico State Police are the lead investigators for this incident. [Dana Sullivan, Chief Ranger]
The NPS is seeking information on an illegal timber harvest of alligator juniper trees in the park. The trees are not listed as endangered, but they grow extremely slowly and some of the stolen trees could have been hundreds of years old. Removal affects the biodiversity and overall health of the local ecosystem. The incident is under investigation. Source: El Malpais National Monument June 15, 2022 On June 9, the Cerro Bandera Fire started on private land just west of the park boundary near CR 42 and NM 53. The NPS closed the CR42 section of the park (Chain of Craters), and access to NPS 300 and Big Tubes is currently closed. As of June 12, the fire is 939 acres, 85% contained, with 132 assigned personnel. Source: El Malpais National Monument, Inciweb
The Encerrita Fire is located approximately 15 miles south-southwest of Grants, New Mexico. It was caused by lightning on June 15. As of June 25, the fire is 2,496 acres with 107 personnel assigned. Rainfall in the area on June 24 has slowed the spread. The Continental Divide Trail and Zuni-Acoma Trail in the park are both closed. Source: Inciweb, El Malpais National Monument
The Encerrita Fire is located approximately 15 miles south-southwest of Grants, New Mexico. It was caused by lightning on June 15. As of July 3, the fire was 2,499 acres and 30% contained, with 107 personnel assigned. Rainfall in the area on June 24 has slowed the spread. The Continental Divide Trail and Zuni-Acoma Trail in the park are both closed. Source: Inciweb, El Malpais National Monument
The Encerrita Fire is located approximately 15 miles south-southwest of Grants, New Mexico. It was caused by lightning on June 15. As of July 11, the fire was 2,499 acres and 91% contained, with 4 personnel assigned. The Continental Divide Trail and Zuni-Acoma Trail in the park are both closed. Source: Inciweb, El Malpais National Monument
The Encerrita Fire is located approximately 15 miles south-southwest of Grants, New Mexico. It was caused by lightning on June 15. As of August 1, the fire was 2,499 acres and 91% contained, with 4 personnel assigned. On August 3, the Zuni-Acoma Trail and Continental Divide Trail reopened. Source: Inciweb, El Malpais National Monument, El Malpais National Monument Facebook page | |