RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date:  Wednesday, October 18, 1989

INCIDENTS

89-263 - Fredericksburg (Virginia) - Follow-up on Car Clouting Arrest

J.W., who was arrested for breaking into a car on September 4th and
later implicated in other park car clouts, entered into a pre-indictment
plea agreement on October 13th. J.W. plead guilty to one count of
possession of 15 or more credit access devices; in return, no charges
concerning larcenies from autos within the park will be pressed. Sentencing
was set for December 15th. Efforts are now underway to assist other
jurisdictions in related investigations. Rangers are actively working with
five other police agencies across the country; four other police departments
are determining the merits of prosecuting their cases. (Mike Greenfield,
FRSP, via telefax to RAD/WASO).

89-321 - California Parks - Earthquake

Attempts were made last night to directly contact parks in central
California to determine any possible damage or injuries incurred during
yesterday's earthquake. Efforts to get through to most parks proved
fruitless due to the high volume of calls on trans-continental phone lines.
Sequoia/Kings and Lassen reported that the tremors had not reached them. A
call to Regional Director Albright revealed that there were no reported
injuries to employees in other parks and that parks outside the San
Francisco area were generally unaffected by the quake. Concerns are
currently focused on Pinnacles, south of San Francisco, and parks in the
city itself.

At 4 a.m. PDT this morning, Capt. Clayton Connor of WRO's Ranger Activities
called this office from a Park Police (USPP) field office and advised that,
as far as the Park Police knew, there were no injuries to visitors or
employees at Golden Gate. Damage assessments will be begun at first light.
The fire in the city's Marina District, which was seen on many television
stations last night, occurred close by the park's Fort Mason - Aquatic Park
area, but it is as yet unclear as to what impact the fire has had on park
grounds or facilities. At present, most damage appears to have occurred to
the south and east of San Francisco; there have been no reports of any
significant damage north of the city. The Park Police will probably be
seeking extra personnel to assist them, as they will be responsible for the
park and for providing support to the city. The regional office will be
closed today. (Reports via telephone to and from RAD/WASO and Operations,
WASO).

89-322 - Delaware Water Gap (Pennsylvania/New Jersey) - Airplane Crash

At 10 p.m. on the 15th, a single-engine Piper Warrior II was forced down on
the east side of Route 209 in the park. The pilot, J.K., 19, of
Houston, Pennsylvania, managed to put the plane down in a cornfield with
minimal damage to the plane and no injuries to the passengers on board -
J.G., 30, his wife, R.G., 25, and their eight-month-old baby, S.G.
It has been determined that the crash was caused by engine failure. (Jim
Arnott, CR, DEWA, via CompuServe report from Ginny Paci, RAD/MARO).

89-323 - Great Smokies (Tennessee/North Carolina) - Fatality

On the night of October 15th, the B. family of Zachary, Louisiana,
camped in Balsam Mountain Campground. When they checked their sleeping
baby, nine-month-old D.B., at 11 a.m., they found that he was not
breathing. CPR was begun and continued by a park medic who was summoned to
the scene. Despite their efforts, the boy died. The cause of the death is
thought to be SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). (Telephone report from
Bill Springer, RAD/SERO).

OFFICE NOTES

1) A drug questionnaire was sent out to the field in October with a due date
of November 15th for replies. The information solicited in this
questionnaire is critical. We apparently will get supplementary funds
(probably an additional $2.2 million over last year's $460,000) and FTE's in
1990 and have asked for further increase in 1991; we've also just received a
memo soliciting our needs and plans for FY 92 and 93. All our previous
requests for money were based on material that was limited in quality; we
need to get better data from you because allocations of future drug dollars
will be made based on the information culled from the questionnaires.
Requests for additional resources will also be based on the information you
provide. Please give us good material with which to help you. Again, the
purpose of the money is to enhance normal enforcement operations to more
effectively and safely confront problems of cultivation, smuggling,
manufacture, sale and distribution that occur on lands in the National Park
System. (Walt Dabney, Chief, RAD).

STAFF STATUS

Hodapp on travel, Farabee on AL.

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)