RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                       MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date: Monday, April 30, 1990

INCIDENTS

90-81 - Chickasaw (Oklahoma) - Extensive Flooding

Heavy rains on April 26th caused extensive flooding throughout the park and
led to the closure of several areas. As of that date, the park had received
three-quarters of its normal annual rainfall, which is just over 38 inches,
and the rain was still falling heavily. The following areas of the park
have been affected:

* The level of Arbuckle Lake was ten feet above normal, and the lake was
filling up at the rate of a foot an hour. It was estimated that the lake
would reach its emergency overflow level some time on Friday. The lake
was closed to boat use. All parking lots, use areas and launching
facilities around the lake were closed and under water.

* Veterans Lake rose 18 feet overnight and was flowing two feet over its
  spillway.

* Travertine Creek had overflowed its banks and was within four to six
  inches of flooding the park's nature center.

* Rock Creek was flowing more than 19 feet above normal.

* All of Central and Cold Springs campgrounds and most of Buckhorn
  campground were closed.

* All of the eastern half of the Travertine District was closed.

* Many of the park's roads were under water and closed.

(Steve Miller, CR, CHIC, via CompuServe message from RAD/SWRO, noon EDT,
4/27/90).

90-82 - Baltimore/Washington Parkway (Maryland) - MVA with Fatalities

Park Police officers were notified of a one car accident on the southbound
side of the parkway near the NASA overpass just after midnight on the 27th.
A Honda Civic had attempted to pass vehicles in the right hand lane of the
parkway by passing on the shoulder, but had gone off the road, struck
several trees, crossed the highway, then struck several more trees in the
median. The car was reported to have been traveling at a high rate of speed
at the time. The four occupants of the vehicle were returning from a
baseball game when the accident occurred. The driver and one passenger were
killed; a third passenger was admitted to a hospital with neck injuries.
Preliminary investigation indicates that alcohol and excessive speed caused
the accident. ((CompuServe report from RAD/NCRO, 1 p.m. EDT, 4/27/90).

90-83 - Everglades (Florida) - Special Event

On April 21st and 22nd, President Bush visited the park and fished the
shallow waters of Florida Bay. Earlier in the week, the President met with
French President Mitterand in the Florida Keys. Rangers worked with Secret
Service agents and other officers to provide protection for the President
during his visit. (Faxed report to RAD/WASO and RAD/SERO from Mark Lewis,
LES, EVER, 4 p.m. EDT, 4/26/90).

RESOURCE PROTECTION/MANAGEMENT

Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - Members of the park staff are
currently working with the USFWS on a study regarding the possible
reintroduction of the red wolf in the park. Only 40 red wolves were known
to live in the wild as recently as 1970, so the entire population was
captured by USFWS and a captive breeding program was begun to insure the
continued survival of the species. By 1989, the population had reached 105
animals, with 91 in captivity. The draft USFWS recovery plan calls for a
total population of 550 wolves, with about 220 living in the wild. The
Smokies are considered a prime site for reintroduction. A major stumbling
clock to the wolf's survival in the wild are the coyotes which occupy much
of its range. Since the coyotes migrated their naturally, they are
considered a new native species. A study is now underway to determine how
many coyotes the park contains, where they are, and what they prey upon. If
the results are favorable, a few pairs of radio-collared wolves will be
released in the park and monitored. The modestly-sized wolf is not
considered a threat to visitors, but may help control the park's population
of exotic European wild boars. (Jason Houck, CR, GRSM).

OFFICE NOTES

1) IMPORTANT NOTICE: As of today, all Ranger Activities phone numbers have
been changed as a result of GSA's implementation of WITS (Washington
Interagency Telecommunications System) for our local calls and FTS 2000 for
long distance calls. Changed numbers are listed below. (Bill Halainen,
RAD/WASO).

2) Elmer J. Kurd, currently the deputy director for operations for the
Division of Forestry in Alaska's Department of Natural Resources, has been
selected as the new chief of the Branch of Fire Management. Hurd is
currently responsible for the supervision of three regional and 11
subordinate area offices which carry out the total program requirements for
the state in forest resource management and fire protection, along with
associated enforcement programs. He also supervises the chiefs of fire and
aviation management. Before working for the state, he served as chief of
the Branch of Fire Management for BLM's Anchorage District. He will ECO
here in Ranger Activities sometime in May or June. (Dick Martin, RAD/WASO).

3) Jim Radney of RAD/SWRO had successful surgery on the 26th to alleviate
his cerebral aneurism. He is currently listed in serious condition at Saint
Vincents Hospital in Santa Fe. He will probably be in the hospital for at
least another week, then home for an extended period of time. Get well
wishes can be sent to him at the hospital at 455 St. Michaels Drive, Santa
Fe, NM 87501. (RAD/SWRO).

CALENDAR

Asterisk (*) indicates new entry; plus (+) indicates revised entry.
Brackets at end of entry indicate source of information:

May 7 - 11 - North Atlantic Regional Chief Rangers' Conference, Eastham, MA.
Contact Capt. Dale Dickerhoof (FTS 223-5077, 617-223-5077) for further
information. [Dennis Burnett, CACO].

May 8 - 10 - Water Rights Workshop, Fort Collins, CO. The workshop will
deal with NPS water rights issues for field managers and central office
personnel who are engaged in water rights filings and adjudications. Frank
Buono at Albright is the coordinator. Contact your regional training
officer for further information. [Ann Baugh, Albright].

May 13 - 18 - DOI Annual Safety and Occupational Health Seminar, Delta Court
of Flags, Orlando, FL. Professional and collateral duty safety personnel
and managers are encouraged to attend. The registration deadline is April
13th. Inquiries should be made to Bill Andrle, USGS, FTS 959-7556 (703-648-
7556). [WASO Safety].

May 14 - 18 - Design for Parks, Cape Cod NS, MA. Ann Baugh at Albright is
the coordinator. Contact your regional training officer for further
information. [Ann Baugh, Albright].

May 16 - 19 - Third Symposium on Social Science in Resource Management,
College Station, TX. Dr. Jim Gramann is the coordinator. For further
information or details on registration, write Third Symposium on Social
Science in Resource Management, Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism
Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2261 (409-845.
4920). [Chris White, CPSU, Texas ASM]

May 21 - 25 - NPS Minerals Management, Denver, CO. Frank Buono at Albright
is the coordinator. Contact your regional training office for further
information. [Ann Baugh, Albright].

May 21 - 25 - ARPA Training, Saratoga NHB, Stillwater, NY. 40 hours.
Funded by FLETC. [Jim Loach, RAD/WASO]

May 22 - 23 - Western Region Peer Counselor Training, Tucson, Arizona. Herb
Gercke (FTS/Commercial 415-556-1866) is the coordinator. [Herb Gercke, WRO]

May 28 - June 1 - International Symposium on the Biology of Deer,
Mississippi State, MS. Contact Robert D. Brown, Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries, P.O. Drawer LW, Mississippi State, MS 39762.

May 29 - June 2 - "Response '90: Pointe to the Future", 19th Annual NASAR
Conference and Exposition, The Pointe at South Mountain, Phoenix, AZ. Pre-
conference training courses will be offered on a number of topics, including
leadership for emergency response team leaders, ICS-SAR planning section
chief, wilderness medicine, and PLB's. For further information, contact
NASAR, P.O. Box 3709, Fairfax, VA 22038 (703-352-1349). [NASAR]

May 29 - June 1 - National Grazinglands Weed Management Conference, Holiday
Inn Central, Omaha, NE. Contact Jenness Coffey, FTS 343-6380.

June 19 - 22 - NEPA Symposium and Fifteenth Annual (Conference of the
National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP), Marriott-
Riverwalk, San Antonio, TX. For further information, call NAEP at 703-660.
2364.

October 13 - 19 - "Natural Areas and Yosemite: Prospects for the Future",
Yosemite (10/13-14) and Sheraton Conference Center, Concord, CA (10/15-19).
Sponsored by The Natural Areas Association, Yosemite NP, and The Yosemite
Fund. Inquiries should be directed to Coordinator, NA/Yosemite Centennial
Symposium, GGNRA, Fort Mason Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123 (415-556-
1009). [Jenness Coffey, RAD/WASO]

November 12 - 15 - "Resource Technology 90", International Symposium on
Advanced Technology in Natural Resource Management, Washington, D.C. For
more information, contact conference coordinator Janette Evans at 303-226.
1688. Harvey Fleet, NPS-GIS, DSC, is coordinating the "Parks and Protected
Areas" segment of the session. [Kathy Jope, RAD/MARO]

November 12 - 17 - Sixth Conference on Research in the National Parks and
Equivalent Reserves, West in Paso Del Norte Hotel, El Paso, TX. Sponsored by
George Wright Society. For further information, call the 1990 Conference
Committee at 415-556-1866. [George Wright Forum].

November 13 - 16 - "Agency and Inter-agency Response to Natural and
Technological Disasters", Sixth Annual Environmental Roundtable, Interlaken
Resort and Spa, Lake Geneva, WI. Sponsored by MWRO, DOT'S Office of
Environmental Affairs (Chicago), USFS (Region 9) and EPA (Region 5). For
further information, contact John Townsend, FTS 864-3475. [John Townsend,
MWRO]

(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

- Division Chief: Dabney on AL (4/30-5/4).

- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Coffey at resource management
  workshop in Lakewood, 00 (5/1-5/5).

- Branch of Fire: Erskine in Seattle to discuss FJJREFRO and branch
  personnel issues (5/1-2); Norum at CACA to direct site analysis
  prescription development and hazard fuels, with site visits to GUMO
  and ELMA (4/29-5/5); Broyles at RX-90 burn boss cadre at CHIR
  (4/29-5/11); Botti on site visit to EtMA and GUMD (4/30-5/5); Gale
  on site visit to ELMA (4/30-5/2).


Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER
SEAdog: 1/650