RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           CC: RAD Information Net

Day/date:  Wednesday, February 1, 1989

INCIDENTS

No incidents reported.

FIELD REPORTS

An account has been set up for the three children of Hawaii Volcanoes park
ranger Kimo Cabatbat, 37, who died of cancer in January (see 1/23 morning
report). The funds accumulated in the account will eventually be
transferred to a high interest account or mutual fund. Donations can be
sent to The Children's Fund, PO Box 96, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 96718.
Checks should be made payable to Nanette Cabatbat. The park's chief ranger
writes: "This was the end of a year and a half battle he waged against
cancer in such a manner that very few knew it was even occurring. It was
only in the last few weeks that he was not carrying out his duties as
Kalapana District Ranger, fishing with his children and friends, and
actively involved in emergency and law enforcement actions associated with
the erupting volcano and widespread marijuana cultivation. While the loss
of Kimo as a friend and fellow worker in the law enforcement, fire
suppression and rescue fields is felt deeply by all of us, his spirit of
'aloha', leadership and high dedication to his family and profession will
live on with us all." (Jim Martin, CR, HAVO - via WRO).

The US Attorney's Office in Boise has charged four loggers with dropping
lighted cigarettes in the Targhee NF last July, thereby kindling the North
Fork Fire, the largest of the fires that burned in Yellowstone last summer.
The generic cigarette brand found at the point where the fire began was
traced to the nearby Fort Hunt Indian Reservation. Investigators then
checked the Forest Service registry and interviewed area residents to see
who had signed up for logging on the day the fire began. Eventually, they
were able to identify four suspects, all of whom admitted to smoking the
generic brand of cigarettes. Roy Momerak, Herbert Butler, Nathan Wright and
Leland Owens, all of the Blackfoot, Idaho, area, were charged only with
petty offenses - dropping lighted cigarettes and littering - and face $500
fines and jail sentences of up to 6 months if convicted. The four were not
charged with arson, since there was no indication that the fire was
deliberately set. If they had, the could have been liable for the entire
cost of the damages and suppression efforts - about $18 million - that
resulted. (Washington Post, 2/1/89).

OFFICE NOTES

1) A group of ten people from the DOI, FBI, USFWS, BIA, and NPS (Andy
Ringgold and Mike Healy from RAD and John Kolodny from IDS) went to Delaware
yesterday to take a look at the state's incident-based reporting system.
The system is based on the statewide use of the same incident forms, with
coding and data input occurring at the central office. The system provides
the ability to generate routine monthly and annual summaries as well as
queries of files for numerous specialized reports or analyses. The reason
for the trip was to review a state system which seems to be working well and
which is equivalent in size and workload to a federal agency. The next step
in developing a Departmental program is expected to be a week-long work
session at the end of this month to review existing bureau reporting
capabilities and to develop basic forms to comply with FBI reporting
requirements. (Andy Ringgold, RAD, WASO).

STAFF STATUS

Loach in Marana.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
FTS 343-4874/4875 or 202-343-4874/4875