RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date:  Monday, September 25, 1989

INCIDENTS

89-289 - Eastern Areas - Hurricane Hugo

The following is a brief summary of the impacts of Hurricane Hugo on several
eastern parks as of Friday afternoon:

- Christiansted - A team of seven park rangers was en route to the park
Friday morning to protect NPS facilities, including the fort and its
collection of artifacts, but was recalled when it was determined that the
military would provide sufficient protection to the park. The park lost
three houses and five vehicles. The superintendent currently estimates that
the park will need to employ a five KW generator to provide air conditioning
for its collection until power is returned, and that it will cost $600,000
to build new housing and $400,000 to operate the park from San Juan NHP in
Puerto Rico for the next five months.

- Virgin Islands - The superintendent reports that there's been structural
damage in the park, and that several park residences have been flattened or
heavily damaged. He estimates that it will cost $1 million to replace the
five houses lost to the hurricane.

- San Juan - Although the park had no major structural damage, they estimate
that it will cost $250,000 to replace damaged doors, windows and other
property losses.

- Fort Sumter - The park, which is comprised of Forts Sumter and Moultrie
and is located in Charleston harbor, was hit by the full force of the
hurricane, which traveled up the harbor with wind speeds as high as 130
m.p.h. The bridge from the mainland to Sullivan's Island, where Fort
Moultrie is located, has collapsed, and access is now by water. A 17 foot
wall of water passed over Fort Sumter and caused damage estimated at about
$1 million.

- Kings Mountain - The park, which is located on the South Carolina/North
Carolina border, reports that about 1,500 trees fell in the park, that the
sewer line was broken, and that they had no electricity.

- Cape Hatteras - The park received heavy surf Thursday, and was closed and
evacuated. Some minor damage and overwash occurred there, but the park was
reopened on Friday morning.

- Cape Lookout - The park was closed Thursday and the island was evacuated.
Little damage was inflicted by the hurricane. The park reopened Friday
morning.

- Great Smoky Mountains - The park received about four inches of rain early
on Friday morning. Water in local streams and rivers was reported to be
rising over both bridges and highways. Several picnic areas were closed.

- New River Gorge - The park reported 50 mile per hour winds and heavy rains
falling as of noon on Friday. The river was reported to be well above
normal autumn levels and rising rapidly. Power was out. The park staff was
working with local authorities to coordinate possible river rescue
operations.

- Assateague Island - The superintendent closed the park to off-road vehicle
and backcountry use on Friday due to high water. The restrictions were to
be lifted on Saturday. The visitor center was also closed for the day.

- Shenandoah National Park - High winds throughout the park forced the
closure of Skyline Drive due to falling trees and limbs. It was not known
when it would reopen.

89-290 - Everglades (Florida) - Two Airplane Crashes with Four Fatalities

On September 22nd, NPS personnel on an orientation flight for Congressional
staff members discovered the wreckage of a Cessna 150 approximately 1/4 mile
west of the Shark Valley access road. Rangers dispatched to the scene found
the bodies of F.S., 31, of North Miami, and L.S., 27,
address unknown, in the wreckage. F.S. and L.S. had been missing since
leaving North Perry Airport on the 20th. F.S. was a new pilot who'd
received his private license on the 15th; L.S. was his first passenger.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating. On the morning of the 24th, a Cessna
172 went down one mile southwest of the Shark Valley tower, killing both
occupants. The plane was registered to Airmin, Inc., of Miami, but the
occupants have not yet been identified. The FAA and NTSB investigators who
were on-scene to inquire into the earlier crash are also looking into this
one. Metro Dade homicide and crime scene units are also involved.
(Telephone reports from Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, and UPI news story).

89-291 - Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) - PCB Spill

On September 16th, two electric transformers were dumped next to the visitor
center parking lot, and up to 80 gallons of oil leaked onto the ground and
into a storm drain. A field test for PCB's proved positive (greater than 50
parts per million). Soaker pads were used in the drain, and park staff
removed six inches of contaminated soil. The park has offered a reward of
$500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s)
who dumped the transformers there. (Mac Heebner, CR, GETT, via CompuServe
report to RAD/WASO).

89-292 - Golden Gate (California) - Oil Spill

On the 21st, oil began coming ashore in the park at Kirby Cove, China Beach,
Ocean Beach, Baker Beach and around the Cliff House area. The oil was in
the form of globules of from one to six inches in diameter, dispersed from
one to two feet apart. There was no visible oil on the water's surface.
The Coast Guard is making a complete assessment of the situation on all
ocean beaches as far north as Stinson Beach. Ridel1 Environmental Company
cleaned up Kirby Cove later that day, and will probably work on the
remaining park beaches. There are no apparent threats to wildlife, and
beaches have been posted with signs notifying the public of the situation.
(Gil Soper, CR, GOGA, via CompuServe report from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).

89-293 - Glacier (Montana) - Significant Wildlife Incident

Four gray wolves (an adult female, her two female pups and another older
male) recently trapped on private ranch land west of Kalispell were
translocated to a remote drainage in south-central Glacier on the 14th.
Initially, the wolves were to be relocated to USFS land in the Great Bear
Wilderness; due to pressure from the Wool Growers Association, however,
Montana Governor Stan Stephens requested that the animals be relocated where
wolf populations are already confirmed. As of Wednesday, the adult female
had travelled approximately 40 miles southwest of the original drop site.
Her two female pups were still in the vicinity of the relocation site and
the older male had moved downstream a few miles. All wolves are radio-
collared and the USFWS is monitoring their movements regularly. The animals
will be removed if there should be any conflict with livestock. (CompuServe
message from Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC).

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION: Planning Level I.

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency       Area                  Fire                Acres   Contain

                  *** No major fires reported ***

3) FIRE ACTIVITY - 41 fires for 225 acres in last 24 hours.

4) ANALYSIS - Fire activity remains low. A RED FLAG WARNING has been issued
for low humidities in the higher elevations in the Washington Cascades.
RED FLAG WATCHES have been issued for isolated dry thunderstorms in
southern Washington and the Oregon Cascades.

5) PROGNOSIS - No significant fire activity is anticipated. Miscellaneous
overhead orders for assistance in Puerto Rico expected.

(NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530 MDT, 9/25/89).

OFFICE NOTES

We wish to extend our sincere thanks to all the parks and regional ranger
activities staffs who helped provide this office with continuing updates on
the impacts of Hurricane Hugo on Thursday and Friday. The reports were
highly informative and provided the foundation for briefings for the
Director and for the full Secretariat (Secretary Lujan, Undersecretary
Bracken and all Assistant Secretaries). Our particular thanks to Southeast
Region for their literally around-the-clock efforts to keep tabs on
developments in their parks and relay them to us as quickly as possible.
Thanks also to North Atlantic, National Capital and Mid-Atlantic regions for
their periodic updates, and to the remaining regions for their quick
response to our request for possible SET teams for duty in Southeast.

CALENDAR

Asterisks indicate new or revised entries:

October 1 - 5 - Rocky Mountain Chief Rangers' Conference, Wort Hotel,
Jackson, Wyoming.

October 11 - 13 - International Symposium on the Columbus Quincentennial,
Santa Fe, NM. Jointly sponsored by the NPS and the University of New
Mexico. Announced as an NPS training opportunity. Further information can
be obtained from the Spanish Colonial Research Center (FTS 474-8743 or
commercial 505-766-8743).

*October 16 - 20 - Desert Parks Workshop, Tucson, Arizona. For further
information, contact Frank Bono at Albright.

October 16 - 20 - Southwest Regional Chief Rangers' Workshop, Hot Springs,
Arkansas.

October 22 - 27 - Rendezvous XIII, joint meeting, Association of National
Park Rangers and Employee and Alumni Association, Arlington Resort Hotel and
Spa, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

*October 23 - 26 - POSTPONED. Interagency Workshop on Managing Vertebrate
Fossils on Federal Lands, Albuquerque, NM. Will be rescheduled for April.

October 24 - 27 - "The Scientific Challenges of NEPA: Future Directions
Based on 20 Years of Experience'', symposium, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Sponsored by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Address inquiries to Dr.
Stephen Hildebrand, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, Post Office Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6036 (615-574.7329).

November 5 - 10 - "Homespun to High Tech: Interpreting for Urban Audiences",
workshop, National Association of Interpretation, St. Paul/Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Contact NAT, PO Box 1892, Fort Collins, CO 80522 (303-491-6434)

November 6 - 9 - Employee Development Officers' Workshop, FLETC, Glynco,
Georgia.

November 6 - 8 - Regional Fire Coordinators' Meeting, Denver, Colorado
(tentative). Key topics will include FY 90 FPREPRO financial management, FY
90 recruitment, rewriting NPS-18 and an FMO orientation session for the
spring of 1990.

November 7 - 9 - "Symposium on the Interpretation of Literary and Visual
Arts Sites", Concord, Massachusetts. Sponsored by NARO Interpretive Skills
Team. The symposium will examine the relationship between the creative
process, writers and artists and their works, and the physical resources
through which they are interpreted. Contact David Day, NARO, Division of
Interpretation (617-223-5073).

November 10 - 11 - Fourth Annual Wilderness Emergencies Conference, Los
Abrigados Resort, Sedona, Arizona. Topics include wilderness improvisation
and rescue, management of backcountry trauma, long term care of the injured,
environmental illnesses, and survival and medical equipment. The
registration fee is $75 ($135 for physicians). For further information,
contact Sharon Harbeck, R.N., Flagstaff Medical Center (602-779-3366,
extension 4185).

November 13 - 17 - Law Enforcement for Managers, training session, FLETC,
Georgia. Rescheduled from October 30 - November 3. The course is targeted
at the management level and is intended to familiarize participants with
recent changes in Federal law, NPS authority and jurisdiction, policy and
guidelines, and civil liability. Contact Bill Supernaugh (FTS 230-2246 or
912-267-2246).

November 28 - 30 - Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program (SLETP)
Curriculum Conference, FLETC, Georgia. School coordinators will meet with
NPS staff to review curriculum in light of NPS-9 revisions and Servicewide
needs. Field input and suggestions welcome. Contact Bill Supernaugh (FTS
230-2246 or 912-267-2246).

November 28 - 30 - "Interpretation of Critical Resource Issues", Sheraton
Ocean Park Inn, Eastham, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the NARO Interpretive
Skills Team. The workshop will focus on the issues and techniques involved
in the interpretation of critical cultural and natural resource management
issues. Contact David Day, NARO, Division of Interpretation (617-223-5073).

December 11 - 15 - POSTPONED. Fire Management for Managers, 36-hour course,
Branch of Fire Management, Boise, Idaho. The course has been tentatively
rescheduled for mid-March.

(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

Ringgold, Loach and Healy at meeting in Denver on computerized incident
reporting system; Butts on travel; Kreis on SL.

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
SEAdog:     1/650 (Phone:343-6014; BAUD:2400)