RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                       MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date: Friday, June 1, 1990

INCIDENTS

90-114 - Voyageurs (Minnesota) - Drowning

During the afternoon of the 28th, 41-year-old R.S. of Omaha,
Nebraska, fell out of a 14-foot boat and drowned southeast of Steamboat
Island in Rainy Lake. R.S. was with a group of men who were fishing in
the park. He had left his rented houseboat late in the morning and taken
the boat to town to make a telephone call; the incident occurred on his
return trip. A witness saw R.S. go by the island, then heard him call
for help and saw him in the water. NPS personnel, assisted by
representatives from Minnesota DNR and two local sheriff's offices,
recovered his body from 50 feet of water about 300 yards off the shore of
the island. No cause for the accident has been determined. An autopsy and
blood alcohol tests have been requested. (Telefaxed report from John
Townsend, RAD/MWRO, noon EDT, 5/30).

90-115 - Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - Appeal Denial

On May 27, 1989, park rangers arrested R.E.Z. and charged him with
failing to stay in his traffic lane, driving under the influence of alcohol,
operating a motor vehicle under the influence with a presumptive EAC level
above .10, and possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
A month later, R.E.Z. appeared before a U.S. magistrate and entered a plea of
guilty to driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol [36
CFR 4.23(a)(1)]; he was later sentenced to 15 months federal probation and a
fine of $2,000. R.E.Z. subsequently appealed the judgement of conviction to
the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Among
other reasons for the appeal, R.E.Z. contended that the $2,000 fine was too
high and that the proper amount should not have been in excess of $500, as
per 36 CFR 1.3. On May 18th, the court ordered R.E.Z. to pay the $2,000 fine,
and stated the following: ".. .this court is in agreement with the
magistrate's reasoning in imposing the $2,000 fine, since 36 CFR 4.23(a) (1)
does not specify a fine and 36 CFR 1.3(a) does not, by specific reference,
exempt the offense from the $5,000 fine that can be applied under 18 USC
3571(e)." Copies of the entire order may be obtained from Clark D. Guy,
criminal investigator, Delaware Water Gap. (CompuServe message from Clark
Guy, DEWA, 3 p.m. EDT, 5/30).

90-116 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Rescue

On Friday, May 25th, S.O., 18, and P.P., 21, both of Los
Angeles, parked their car near Hospital Rock picnic area on the Generals
Highway and forded the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River to camp illegally on
the opposite side. Two and a quarter inches of rain fell in the area on the
27th and 28th, and the Kaweah rose from one to two feet, trapping the pair
across the river. They tried to cross on the morning of the 28th, but were
unable to do so because of the high water. They also attempted to hike out
cross country, but gave up after encountering steep, rocky terrain and dense
brush. Visitors heard cries for help later that afternoon and reported this
to rangers. Rangers investigated and found S.O. and P.P. hiding
beneath a rock overhang and suffering from mild hypothermia. "Angel 1", a
rescue helicopter from Lemoore NAS, was summoned, and the two victims were
hoisted cut and transported to park headquarters, where they were treated
for hypothermia and released. Along with the two inches of rain, the park
received up to two feet of new snow in the backcountry. The park
anticipates the possibility of more requests for assistance in locating
missing or stranded hikers who were not prepared for the storm. (SEKJ
dispatch, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4 p.m. EDT,
5/31).

90-117 - Death Valley (California) - Methamphetamine laboratory

On May 27th, a ranger following some off-road vehicle tracks came upon a
working methamphetamine lab in the Saratoga Springs area of the park, and
called for back up. Rangers park and BLM, deputies from the Inyo and San
Bernadino Sheriffs' Offices, and officers in a California Highway Patrol
helicopter responded. One suspect fled the area at high speed and made his
getaway, but four others were arrested and booked in San Bernadino on
charges of off-road travel, possession of firearms, destruction of natural
features, and felony production and operation of a drug lab. On the
following day, an NPS/San Bernadino County investigative team returned to
the lab, which was hidden in a box canyon. The lab contained underground
facilities and is considered to be one of the three largest labs ever found
in the county. The team seized a number of shotguns, semi-automatic rifles
and handguns, and ether weapons; they also confiscated four, four-wheel
drive vehicles, four portable generators, camping gear, $80,000 worth of
methamphetamines, and over worth of $10,000 of manufacturing equipment.
Warrants have been issued for the suspect at large for conspiracy and
manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine. This operation appears
to have been in its initial state of operation and had the potential for
producing over $210,000 of methamphetamine immediately. Due to the
remoteness of the area and the lack of patrols due to insufficient staffing
(only one ranger patrols the 750,000 acres in which the lab was found), this
operation was not detected until now. Toxic cleanup has been scheduled and
the estimated cost will be in excess of $40,000. (Dale Antonich, CR, DEVA,
via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4 p.m. EDT, 5/31).

90-118 - Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - Self-Rescue

Although the following is not technically a reportable incident, it seems to
point to SAR in the 90's and we thought you might find it interesting: At
11 a.m. on May 25th, the park dispatcher received a telephone call from a
man who said he was lost in the backcountry and needed help. The caller had
left the Appalachian Trail to hike cross-country to Wilson Falls, and had
become lost while trying to return to his car on the Clingman's Dome road.
Since he was in possession of a cellular phone, he called the park to find
out how to get back. He was advised to continue uphill until he encountered
either the Appalachian Trail or the Dome Road. He then hung up to save
battery power. Just after noon, he called back to say that he'd found the
trail and was headed out. (CompuServe message to RAD/SERO and RAD/WASO from
Bob Wightman, GRSM, 5:30 p.m. EDT, 5/30).

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency      Area             Fire                    Acres  Status

AK     AK        State land        Teklanika - T2           15,830  CN 6/2
       AK        State land        A019                        500  Yes

NOTES:

- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire.
- Status - Containment/control dates are estimates; CN means
  contain, CL means control, MN means the fire is being
  monitored; "none" means no estimate; "yes" means the fire has been
  contained.

3) FIRE NARRATIVES

a) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE:

- N/A

b) OTHER AGENCIES:

- N/A

4) FIRE ACTIVITY - 88 fires for 5,293 acres in past 24 hours.

5) FIRE DANGERS - The following parks are experiencing high to extreme fire
danger this morning:

       High                Very High                 Extreme

Cape Cod                Guadalupe Mountains      Carlsbad Caverns
Scotts Bluff            Grand Canyon             Hawaii Volcanoes
Padre Island            Chiricahua
El Malpais
Saguaro

6) ANALYSIS - Fire danger in the Southwest and central and northern Florida
remains high. National parks report the following:

* Carlsbad Caverns - The winds have abated in the area, as has the fire
danger. There's been no smoke from the Big Fire on or near the park
for three days; recon flights continue. MC5 in effect.

* Grand Canyon - Red flag conditions have increased fire potential.

7) PROGNOSIS - Fire activity is expected to moderate in Alaska.

(NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530 MDT, 6/11/90; NPS National Wildland Fire
Summary, 0430 MDT, 6/1/90).

STAFF STATUS

- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: No travel scheduled.

- Branch of Fire: Erskine at MAC Group steering (committee meeting in Olympic
  (5/30-6/2).


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
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