Morning Report Excerpts - 2000 Second Part
The Morning Report includes accidents and incidents in the National Park System. Here are some reports you might find interesting.
00-246 - Arches/Canyonlands NP's (UT)
Assist; Manhunt
Paul Trimble, an inmate at the Grand County Jail in Moab, Utah, escaped from a cellblock through a ventilation shaft on the evening of May 31st. He'd earlier been overheard saying that he was going to escape and that he would kill anyone who got in his way. All available law enforcement personnel in the region were asked to help assist in securing the area. Eight rangers from the two parks were assigned to roadblocks and perimeter security duties. Trimble was stopped at a roadblock near Monticello. He turned his stolen vehicle around and fled at a high rate of speed, with state and city officers in pursuit. He left the highway and headed down a dirt road, but crashed the vehicle, suffering extensive injuries. He was taken into custody and is currently in a hospital in Salt Lake City.
[Jim Webster, CR, ARCH, 6/1]
00-249 - Glen Canyon NRA (UT/AZ)
Memorial Day Weekend Incidents
The holiday weekend, which is traditionally one of the liveliest anywhere in the system, was busy but manageable. There was 24-hour protection coverage in the two busiest subdistricts, Wahweap and Bullfrog, made possible through the assistance of a number of neighboring parks - Death Valley, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Mesa Verde, Curecanti, Dinosaur, and Canyonlands. County and state agencies also helped out. A total of 811 case incidents were recorded over the weekend, including a rape, nine weapons violations, ten disorderly conducts, 59 alcohol-related violations, ten boat and jet ski accidents, and 26 EMS calls. An interagency drug task force spent the weekend in Bullfrog and made eleven drug arrests. Another 27 drug arrests were recorded by Utah Highway Patrol and Kane County officers. Cocaine, mushrooms and "Ecstasy" were commonly found. Only one major SAR occurred. Rangers reunited a 15-year-old girl with her family after she spent a night stranded on a ledge 1,000 feet above the lake.
[Cindy Ott-Jones, CR, GLCA, 6/2]
99-593 - Zion NP (UT)
Follow-up on Poaching Incidents
Over a period of from two to three weeks last September, four local men made numerous trips up the Kolob Terrace Road, which passes through the park and private inholdings, and shot and killed at least 18 deer and one adult bull elk. The head and antlers were removed from the elk, but all the deer and elk were left to rot. A joint investigation conducted by rangers John Bueg and Pat Zurcher and officers from the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources led to their identification and arrest. In May, Kade Stratton pled guilty to four counts of wanton destruction of protected wildlife and was sentenced to a year in prison and 36 months probation, ordered to pay a $6,400 fine to an anti-poaching fund, barred from possession of any firearms, and prohibited from hunting or fishing for the next 15 years.. The judge also ordered him to complete 200 hours of community service, write a letter of apology to the people of Utah for publication in a local newspaper, and forfeit his 1980 truck and three rifles. Co-defendants Robert Juber and Joshua Murphy were previously found guilty. Juber was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, and 18 months of probation; Murphy got 90 days in jail and 36 months of probation, forfeited his 1988 truck and three rifles, and must pay $5,600 to a wildlife restitution fund. The fourth member of the group, Jason Llewellyn, goes on trial next week.
[Scott Cooper, Dispatch, ZION, 5/23]
00-325 - Joshua Tree NP (CA) - Follow-up on Bee Attack
Four hikers were attacked by a swarm of bees on Sunday, June 25th, at the Negropolis Formation, about four miles from the park's west entrance station. Each was stung repeatedly, with one victim receiving over 100 stings and breaking his leg while fleeing the attack. The bees have since been positively identified as Africanized honey bees. The area adjacent to the attack was closed to the public for over a week. Rangers made several attempts to find the hive with the assistance of pest management personnel from San Bernadino County and one of the four victims, but all efforts to locate it have so far been unsuccessful. The area has reopened. Cautionary information is being distributed at visitor centers and entrance stations. [Patrick Suddath, DR, JOTR, 7/9]
NPS FIRES - July 22, 2000
Mesa Verde NP (CO) - The lightning-caused Bircher Fire started on Thursday, July 20th, on county land and soon burned into the park. Since it was evident that the fire might burn toward the park's sole access road and its campground at Morefield, the park's evacuation plan was put into effect and structural fire protection was organized for Morefield Village. By late that evening, the fire had burned about 1,000 acres, with a hundred or so on park land. It has now burned a total of 3,500 acres and is just 5% contained. Two outbuildings were destroyed; six residences, five commercial buildings, and 20 outbuildings are threatened. The weather forecast promises little improvement over the weekend. A total of 354 firefighters and overhead personnel, 20 engines and a helicopter are committed.
NPS FIRES - July 23, 2000
Mesa Verde NP (CO) - The Bircher Fire has burned 6,000 acres along the park's east rim and is just 5% contained. A total of 506 firefighters and overhead personnel have been committed; a Type II team is assigned.
Hovenweep NM (CO) - A Type II team has been assigned to this fire, which is threatening structures and power lines. Crews were pulled back yesterday because of erratic fire behavior.
The following was excerpted from an article by Electa Draper in today's Denver Post and pertains to both of the above fires:
"The lightning-sparked fire scorching the east rim of Mesa Verde National Park made a big push south Saturday, blazing 3 or 4 miles down the Mancos River Valley and invading the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. The fire, which had burned 6,000 acres by evening, destroyed a historic cabin and damaged a lookout tower.
"The blaze is uncovering previously unknown ancient Anasazi sites in the park, spokesman Justin Dombrowski said. Thirteen archaeologists were working alongside fire crews to try to protect ruins and artifacts in the fire's path. 'We have absolutely no idea about when this fire will be contained,' Dombrowski said.
"Fire behavior analyst Mike Frary of Meeker said that the fire has become plume-dominated, which means it was big enough to create its own environment and weather, including cumulus clouds and wind patterns. 'It's become extremely hazardous,' Frary said. 'It's got so much energy.' The fire didn't weaken overnight, which is atypical, Dombrowski said. Instead, it consumed hundreds more acres of pinyon, juniper, oak brush and stands of firs. Saturday afternoon, as predicted, the fire 'blew up,' raging bigger and smokier. Fire managers estimated late in the day that the fire stretched about 8 miles long, north to south, and was almost 2 miles wide in places. The Mancos River formed the fire's eastern boundary.
"The fire is keeping its distance of several miles from the park's world-famous attractions, the fabled cliff dwellings of the ancient Puebloan Indians, officials said. But fire managers were alarmed by today's forecast for western Colorado, which includes more heat and even dry lightning. 'The big picture is that West Slope is burning,' Dombrowski said. The fear is that resources will have to be stretched too far as fires proliferate in the region.
"From the incident command at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds, another towering smoke plume could be seen dominating the skyline 30 miles to the west. A human-ignited fire near Pleasant View and Hovenweep National Monument had taken off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, quickly hitting 150 acres in steep and rugged desert terrain, Durango-based Forest Service fire manager Mark Lauer said. Two 20-person teams and several air tankers were peeled off the Bircher fire at Mesa Verde to help fight the Pleasant View blaze, which was burning on public and private land, threatening several homes. At least 10 were evacuated. And Lauer was told at 8:30 p.m. that lightning ignited a fire in the high country near Pagosa Springs.
"Mesa Verde National Park and two county roads in the Mancos Valley, closed since the fire started Thursday afternoon, remain off-limits. A few dozen park residents were allowed to stay behind. By evening, the fire stayed several miles away from park residences and main buildings. By evening, firefighters had a line around the northern tip of the fire, roughly 5 percent of the inferno's perimeter, incident commander Joe Hartman said. It offered protection for Morefield Village, a large campground with a store, amphitheater, ranger station and gas station that was less than a mile from the blaze. . .
"Temperatures here hit the mid-90s, and humidity was mercilessly low, in single digits. A heavy brown and gray pall settled low on the landscape, from Mancos to beyond Cortez, blanketing Montezuma County for much of the day. Thin haze unfurled eastward to Durango and beyond, and as far west as the Utah state line. . ."
00-426 - Canyonlands NP (UT) - Search, Aircraft Crash with Two Fatalities
Noted BASE jumper Earl Redfern, 43, and fellow jumper Clint Ford, 22, were killed in a plane crash on July 18th about three miles north of the park. The aircraft was not located until 9 a.m. on July 23rd. An intensive air search for their plane was conducted by local pilots, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP). Five park employees who are also CAP members participated in the search effort. On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 18th, Redfern, who resided in Moab, Utah, and Ford, who resided in Brush, Colorado, departed the Canyonlands airport in Ford's Grumman AA-5 aircraft to look for potential BASE jumping sites. They did not file a flight plan. Temperature in the area at the time of departure were between about 105 and 108 degrees. When they failed to return from the flight, Redfern's employer, a local air taxi operator and another local pilot flew the area, looking for them. Their efforts proved fruitless, however, so they notified CAP, which began search operations. The UHP helicopter joined in the search on Saturday, July 22nd. On the morning of the 23rd, the crash site was found in Mineral Canyon, about 15 miles southwest of the airport. It appears that the aircraft clipped a wing on the edge of the canyon wall and fell to the base of the Windgate formation, where it burned beyond recognition. The bodies of the Redfern and Ford were recovered by Grand County Sheriff's Office personnel. Redfern was the leader of the group of BASE jumpers who were jumping in the same general area last December. One jumper's chute hung up on the cliff after deployment. Park personnel assisted the sheriff in extricating that jumper during a technical night operation. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 7/24]
NPS FIRES - July 25, 2000
Mesa Verde NP (CO) - Bircher Fire (22,000 acres, 15% containment, Type I team, 679 firefighters and overhead): The fire made a major run to the west toward park facilities yesterday, almost doubling in size. A change of wind direction and movement of the fire into an old burn kept the plume-dominated fire less intense. Burnout from the park's main road at Far View Village began well in advance of the fire front. Only slight damage was sustained to the roof of one structure. Structure protection is on-going. The park remains closed.
The tail rotor of a Puma helicopter making water drops came apart in flight over the fire on Sunday. The helicopter landed safely, though, and there were no injuries. Two investigators from OAS are on scene.
00-430 - Zion NP (UT) - Multiple Rescues
On the afternoon of July 19th, rangers responded to a report of a visitor with a broken leg on the Upper Left Fork of North Creek. Rangers Cindy Purcell and Scott Cooper found 51-year-old Robert Sproul a quarter mile below Russell Gulch. Sproul had jumped six feet from a boulder and suffered what appeared to be an angulated fracture to his lower right leg. Due to the narrow slot canyon, a short-haul extrication was not possible. The park's technical rescue team and gear were flown by a BLM contract helicopter to the rim, and Sproul, Purcell and Cooper were raised 475 feet to the rim through heavy brush and over cliff bands. Upon reaching the rim, Sproul was transported by a medivac helicopter to a local hospital. Rescue operations were conducted entirely in the dark and took until daybreak to complete. The rescue team came upon another incident while being flown out of the area - a 33-year-old male with a severely sprained ankle at the head of Russell Gulch. He was flown out in the contract helicopter. Kevin Killian was IC. [Aniceto Olais, CR, ZION, 7/25]
ALMANAC - Monday, July 31, 2000
On this date in 1909, President William Howard Taft proclaimed Mukuntuweap National Monument in southwestern Utah. Ten years later it was included in Zion National Park.
00-440 - Zion NP (UT) - Multiple Injury EMS Response
On the afternoon of July 31st, over 40 members of an American Trails West tour group were picnicking on the grassy area in front of Zion Lodge when a strong down canyon wind snapped the trunk of a 30-inch diameter cottonwood tree, which then fell over onto several members of the group. Four teenagers were transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center for treatment of suspected C-spine and other injuries. No serious injuries were found, however, and the four were treated and released. Nineteen people, three ambulances and sundry emergency response vehicles from the park and two neighboring agencies responded. Kevin Killian was IC. [Chuck Passak, Chief of Operations, ZION, 7/31]
00-449 - Timpanogos Cave NM (UT) - Park Closure
The park was closed on the afternoon of July 30th due to the proximity of the Oak Hill Fire. The human-caused blaze traveled up a west-facing slope over rugged terrain and spotted into American Fork Canyon, where the park is located. Highway 92 south of the fire through American Fork Canyon remains closed, and a Forest Service campground two miles from the park has been evacuated. At the time of the report (Wednesday), the fire had moved within 500 yards of the park's northwest boundary. Superintendent Kit Mullen has delegated fire management authority to a Type I team assigned to the Wasatch Complex, a group of five fires currently burning in the Uinta National Forest. The park's fire crew has been working on hazard fuel reduction around park structures; interpretive rangers have been assigned to assist the Forest Service and Utah Department of Transportation with road closures and manning on-site information stations. Chief of interpretation Suzanne Flory is the public information officer for the fire. Administrative personnel have been supporting park operations with assistance from maintenance staff. The park will remain closed until further notice. [Kathleen Gonder, AO, GOSP, 8/2, for TICA, whose server is down]
00-449 - Timpanogos Cave NM (UT) - Follow-up on Park Closure
The park was closed on the afternoon of July 30th due to the proximity of the Oak Hill Fire. The human-caused blaze traveled up a west-facing slope over rugged terrain and spotted into American Fork Canyon, where the park is located. The fire has since burned about 900 acres to the northwest of the park and is 15% contained. It's spreading slowly to the north and northwest, away from the park, and has not spotted significantly. When the fire approached the park in the early hours of July 31st, the computer server and critical files were removed from the administration office. The server was placed back on line late on August 3rd and communications with the park have been fully restored. The Oak Hill Fire is being managed as part of the Wasatch Complex. Red-carded park staff were formed into a crew and required to remain in the park around the clock. The Type I team managing the complex advised park staff to reduce fuel around park buildings, which was done. The road in lower American Fork Canyon and the park were closed, but both have reopened. A map of the fire can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/uinta/fire/wasatchcomplex/maps.html; details on the fire are also available at that site. [Kit Mullen, TICA, 8/6]
00-456 - Zion NP (UT) - Falling Fatality
Georg Sender, 63, of Illertissen, Germany, died from head injuries when he fell 10 to 15 feet while hiking off-trail near the top of Angel's Landing on August 2nd. Several EMT's and a Swiss emergency room physician were nearby and provided immediate medical assistance, including CPR. The latter was terminated after 45 minutes after consultation with the physician on scene and medical control at Dixie Regional Medical Center. A hiker in the vicinity used his cell phone to call for help, and park personnel were dispatched to the scene; an NPS trail crew working nearby was first to arrive. The body was removed by helicopter. Counselors were on scene to provide assistance to witnesses and family and conduct a CISD debriefing for responders. Sender was traveling with Rotel Tours of Germany. Seventeen park personnel and a BLM contract helicopter were involved. Chuck Passeck was IC. [Tom Haraden, Acting CI, ZION, 8/2]
00-479 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue
Six members of the park's SAR team hiked into Orderville Canyon on the evening of July 25th in response to a report of a 43-year-old visitor with an ankle injury. Jack Reno of Clovis, California, had been canyoneering with two friends when he rolled his ankle and suffered a severe fracture. His companions left him behind and hiked three-and-a-half miles to report the accident. While waiting for help to arrive, Reno crawled about a quarter mile down the canyon. Four members of the SAR team spent the night with him and were joined in the morning by six more team members. Reno was carried out on a litter through several deep pools in The Narrows on the North Fork of the Virgin River, then floated by raft about two miles to Riverside Walk. He was evacuated by ambulance to a hospital and treated for his injury. Cindi Purcell was IC. [Dispatch, ZION, 7/31]
00-480 - Arches NP/Canyonlands NP (UT) - Search
On August 1st, a 13-year-old boy from Woodstock, Illinois, was mountain biking on a backcountry trail outside of Moab (and directly across the Colorado River from Arches NP) with his father and other members of a youth group. He biked ahead of his group, took a wrong turn, and became lost in very rugged desert canyon terrain. An initial search was conducted that night by county SAR team members; it proved fruitless, so a major search was begun the following day. The NPS was asked to assist and contributed 18 employees to the effort. The incident involved well over 100 people from numerous local, county, federal, private and volunteer organizations and received significant regional media attention. Arches and Canyonlands employees worked as trackers, ground searchers, dog team members, aerial searches, and support staff in plans, logistics and communications. Ranger Gary Haynes was the plans section chief. Environmental conditions were a major consideration, with daytime temperatures reaching 110 degrees, steep canyons, and rough and rocky terrain. The search continued until mid-day on August 5th, when trackers found the boy's body about two-and-a-half miles from his abandoned bicycle. There were no injuries or heat-related illnesses during the operation despite the prevailing conditions. [Jim Webster, CR, ARCH, 8/7]
00-500 - Bryce Canyon NP (UT) - Visitors Injured by Lightning Strike
On August 16th, two park visitors were injured by a lightning strike at the Inspiration Point overlook. Nicholas Baldwin of England was standing under a low tree near the overlook when he was injured by an indirect strike. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, then flown to Salt Lake City. He is in critical but stable condition. A second, as yet unidentified visitor was taken by private vehicle to a local hospital, where he was treated and released for flash burns from what is believed to have been the same lightning strike. [Clyde Stonaker, BRCA, 8/17]
00-532 - Haleakala NP (HI) - Falling Fatality
On Saturday, August 12th, visitors saw a naked man deliberately jump from the top of the 195-foot Makahiku Falls. They said that he surfaced once before sinking in the pool at the base of the falls. Local fire and EMS personnel assisted in locating the body, which was found 12 feet under the surface of the pool. The victim was identified as 23-year-old Joshua Bartholomew of Utah. Ranger Roger Mayo is investigating for the park. Suicide has been ruled out by evidence collected at the scene. [Greg Moss, HALE, 8/15]