RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date:  Monday, May 1, 1989

INCIDENTS

89-80 - Denali - Search and Rescue Incidents

On the evening of April 23rd, rangers in Talkeetna received word that a
Piper Super Cub which had been flying in the Ruth Gorge area was overdue,
and that an ELT (emergency transmitter) signal had been picked up from that
general area. Bad weather, however, precluded any immediate response. In
the interim, the pilot of a commercial aircraft reported that he'd talked
with the plane's pilot, who said that he'd crashed near a small hut in the
Sheldon Amphitheater and that he and his two passengers - one of whom was
seven months pregnant - were uninjured. The pilot also reported that he'd
crashed due to a stall which occurred while he was trying to land on the
glacier and investigate an SOS one of his passengers had spotted in the snow
near the hut. The SOS had been stamped into the snow by a climber whose
partner had broken a femur or hip bone while attempting to climb an ice
pillar on Mt. Johnson. The climber had descended avalanche-prone slopes to
the hut in an attempt to get help; once the pilot transmitted the
information on the radio, the climber returned to his injured partner.
Weather continued to prevent any possible rescue effort until the evening of
the 26th, when an Army H-3 arrived at the scene and evacuated the injured
climber and his partner. At the same time, a Chinook helicopter landed and
picked up the victims of the plane crash. As it turned out, two of the
crash victims, including the pregnant woman, had in fact sustained minor
injuries. The injured climber was taken to Humana Hospital in Anchorage,
and he is reported to be in stable condition following surgery. (Tom
Griffiths, CR, DENA, via RAD/ARO).

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION

a) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

* Spring Creek Fire - Gateway - 5 - 6 acres:

The underground fire has been burning in the Spring Creek landfill since
last July 4th. The landfill is part of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and
is adjacent to the community of Howard Beach. Activity has increased in the
last week due to warmer temperatures and Stage Two drought conditions in New
York City. Dark, acrid smoke is venting from a five to six-acre section of
the landfill, resulting in complaints to Gateway from residents living up to
ten miles away. The smoke is suspected to contain toxic chemicals from
hazardous materials that may have been disposed in the landfill. People
have complain of eye irritation, nausea and respiratory problems from
inhaling the smoke. Several unsuccessful attempts have been made since last
July to excavate and extinguish the fire. Gateway has contracted with the
firm of Boots and Coots to evaluate the situation and recommend a
suppression strategy, and has arranged for representatives from the Office
of Surface Mining to inspect the site and provide further recommendations.

b) OTHER AGENCY

* Pin Hook Fire - State of Florida/NF's in Florida - 13,500 acres:

The fire received half an inch of rain yesterday and did not cross the state
line into Georgia as expected. If precipitation continues as forecast,
containment should occur today. A Type I Team (Kitchens) has been assigned
and a unified command with the Florida department of forestry has been
established.

* Perfect Fire - Olympic NF - 300 acres:

The fire is burning in slash and heavy fuels and is 10% contained. No
estimate of full containment has yet been made.

* Rambo - State of New Mexico - 1,500 acres:

The fire has been contained.

2) FIRE ACTIVITY - 14 fires for 2,024 acres reported over weekend; the
year-to-date total is 17,065 fires for 407,817 acres.

3) ANALYSIS - No problem activity reported.

4) PROGNOSIS - Fire activity in the southeast and northwest is decreasing,
but the potential for fire activity continues in the southwest due to very
high to extreme fire dangers.

(NIFCC Intelligence Section, 1800 MDT, 4/30/89; briefing statement from
RAD/NARO on Spring Creek Fire).

CALENDAR

Asterisks indicate new or revised entries:

May 2 - 4 - Mid-Atlantic Region Chief Rangers' Conference, Oglebay, West
Virginia. Contact Chris Andress, FTS 597-5348.

May 7 - 9 - Northeastern Fish and Wildlife Conference, Ellenville, New York.
Contact Frank Panck, Department of Environmental Conservation, State
University of New York, Building 40, Stony Brook, New York 11790.

May 5 - 15 - Western Region Chief Rangers' Training Workshop, Clarion Hotel,
San Diego, California.

May 8 - 12 - Resource Threats Workshop, Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado. The
workshop will focus on the National Environmental Policy Act, but will
include other legislation that can be used to influence federal, federally-
licensed or private undertakings that potentially impact NPS resources.
Contact Frank Buono, Albright (602-638-2691) or Jake Hoogland, Environmental
Compliance, WASO (FTS 343-2163).

May 8 - 12 - North Atlantic Region Chief Rangers1 Conference, Cape Cod NS,
Massachusetts.

May 8 - 12 - "Practical Approaches to Riparian Resource Management",
educational workshop, Billings Plaza Holiday Inn, Billings, Montana.
Jointly sponsored by several Federal and state land management agencies.
For further information, contact Andrea Darling at 406-652-5197.

May 18 - 20 - "High-Intensity Fire in Wildlands: Management Challenges and
Options", conference, Ramada Inn North, Tallahassee, Florida. For further
information, contact Tall Timbers Research Stations, Route 1, Box 678,
Tallahassee, FL 32312 (904-893-4153).

May 23 - 26 - "Fire Policy and Strategies in Wilderness and Parks, Past and
Future", symposium, Bozeman, Montana. Sponsored by the NPS and DSFS.
Contact Paul Weingart (403-586-8625) or Jim Saveland (912-744-0252).

May 31 - June 5 - WASO/Regional Chiefs of Interpretation Workshop,
Yellowstone, Wyoming. Topics will include Servicewide interpretation and
education and Yellowstone fire interpretation for the summer of 1989.
Contact Mike Watson, Interpretation, WASO, for further information.

June 12 - 16 - Aviation Management Workshop, Boise, Idaho. Contact Butch
Farabee, RAD/WASO (FTS 343-4188 or 202-343-4188).

June 19 - 22 - "Our National Grasslands", forum, Kirkwood Motor Inn,
Bismarck, North Dakota. Topics include review of historical and economic
importance of national grasslands. Keynote speaker will be Dale Robertson,
Chief, DS Forest Service. Conference celebrates the 50th anniversary of
national grasslands. Contact Joe Sainas, Forest Service, 1824 N. 11th
Street, Bismark, NC 58501.

(Calendar appears in each Monday's morning report. If you know of a
conference, meeting or training session with Servicewide interest and
implications, please provide the specifics to Bill Halainen in Ranger
Activities).

STAFF STATUS

All hands on board.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: FTS 343-4874/6039 or 202-343-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 343-5977 or 202-343-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER