RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                       MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date: Monday, June 4, 1990

INCIDENTS

90-109 - Gulf Islands (Mississippi/Florida) - Follow-up on Shooting of
Ranger Robert McGhee

The investigation into the killing of Gulf Islands Ranger Robert McGhee
continues. Although the exact sequence and nature of the events that
took place is not yet known, it appears at present that this is what
happened: After their kidnapping victim escaped and called Ocean Springs
police just before 9 a.m., the two suspects, J.W. and D.B., fled into
the park in their stolen pickup truck. In so doing, they apparently ran
a stop sign, and were pulled over by McGhee, who was not aware that the
two men were fugitives. McGhee then approached the driver and asked for
his license. At that point, one of the two suspects brought up a
revolver from concealment and immediately began firing. It is probable
that no time elapsed between the moment when McGhee first saw the weapon
and the moment when the shooting began. Six rounds were fired; three of
them hit McGhee. After shooting him, the two assailants immediately left
the scene. An Ocean Springs officer soon spotted them and pulled in
behind the truck, which stopped at a stop sign, then backed up and
rammed the cruiser. As D.B. and J.W. came out of the truck and
approached the cruiser, the officer fired through the windshield and hit
J.W. in the leg. A foot chase ensued. During the apprehension, D.B. was
also shot in the leg. No more than ten minutes elapsed between the time
the woman called the police department and the time the cruiser was
rammed. Ocean Springs is conducting the investigation of the incident
with the assistance of the FBI and the National Park Service. The U.S.
attorney is discussing the prosecution of the case with Mississippi
state attorneys. On May 30th, complaints were filed against both J.W.
and D.B. in the state of Mississippi charging them with kidnapping and
capital murder. Although the two will be prosecuted in state court,
federal charges are also possible. (Telephone reports from Capt. Steve
Alscher, RAD/SERO, and Det. Thomas Windham, Ocean Springs PD, 6/1).

90-117 - Death Valley (California) - Follow-up on Methamphetamine Lab

Park rangers have found an additional 15 pounds of methamphetamine
hidden in an ammunition can 2 00 yards from the first lab's location.
The new find has a street value of $320,000, bringing the total value of
drugs found to over $500,000. Hazardous materials crews have cleaned the
area at a cost of over $32,000, and the area has been inspected and
cleared by county health authorities. (Dale Antonich, CR, DEVA, via Herb
Gercke, RAD/WRO, 6/1).

90-119 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Serious Employee Illness

Dave Essex, the chief ranger at Rocky Mountain, suffered two heart
attacks last week. He had a very difficult time initially, but appears
to have improved significantly following by-pass surgery at the Poudre
Valley Hospital in Fort Collins. He will not be able to receive visitors
for a few days yet, and doctors are calling for six weeks of complete
rest before he will be allowed to go back to work. Cards and letters may
be sent to him at Poudre Valley Hospital, 1024 Lemay Avenue, Fort
Collins, Colorado 80524. (Telefax from Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 6/1).

90-120 - Olympic (Washington) - Search for Missing Ranger

Early on the afternoon of May 30th, seasonal ranger Michelle Dunham, 30,
went for a three-mile hike from the trailhead along the Elwah Road to
Happy Lakes. When it was discovered that she had not returned by
midnight, her supervisors were notified and a hasty search was begun.
Her tracks were found about 2:40 a.m., but were lost in the rain and
snow. Later that morning, the park brought in a helicopter and about 25
ground searchers, and ordered additional searchers and dogs. Dunham was
found at 4 p.m. and was reported to be in good condition. She had lost
the trail on her return from Happy Lake due to snow. (Chuck Janda, CR,
OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 6/1).

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency      Area             Fire                    Acres  Status

                ** Not available this morning **

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

       High                Very High                 Extreme

Cape Cod                 Cumberland Island      Guadalupe Mountains
Big Cypress              Grand Canyon           Chiricahua
Indiana Dunes            Hawaii Volcanoes
Scotts Bluff
Bandelier
Carlsbad Caverns
Padre Island
Lava Beds

4) ANALYSIS - National parks report the following:

* Big Cypress - The park is receiving daily thunderstorms, but reports
that there's not yet enough water standing to end the fire season.

* Cumberland Island - The drying trend continues and the park continues
to have very high fire danger.

* El Malpais - One and ten-hour time lag fuels are dropping to between
three and five percent in the day and recovering to ten to eleven
percent at night. Heavier fuels are averaging eight percent RH.

7) PROGNOSIS -

(NPS National Wildland Fire Summary, 0430 MDT, 6/4/90).

OFFICE NOTES

1) Elmer Hurd EOD's today as chief of the Branch of Fire Management.

CALENDAR

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

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.

August 5 - 9 - "Recapturing a Vanishing Heritage", Twelfth North
American Prairie Conference, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls,
Iowa. For further information, contact Twelfth North American Prairie
Conference, 2759 McCollum Science Hall, University of Northern Iowa,
Cedar Falls, IA 50614. [Kurt Topham, HEHO]

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 8 - 10 - "The Spanish Missionary Heritage of the United
States", Fountain Plaza Hotel, San Antonio, TX. For registration
information, please write to Quincentenary Committee, San Antonio
Missions NHP, 2202 Roosevelt Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78210 or call
either Racinda Meno or Dr. Art Gomez at 512-229-5701.

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, Westin 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, DOI'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]

December 10 - 14 - FMO meeting, location to be determined. [Doug
Erskine, FIRE]

(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 in Arlington, Virginia, at
  USFWS law enforcement review panel meeting (6/4-6/8).

- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Healey
  on AL (6/6-6/22); Coffey in Gettysburg for meeting
  on white-tail deer study (6/5-6/6); Halainen on
  site visit at Goretex facility in Maryland (6/4).

- Branch of Fire: Gale at 1-520/620 steering
  committee meeting in Port Angeles, Washington
  (6/4-6/14); Clark at "Smokey Bear Appreciation Day"
  meeting in Seattle (6/3-6/5); Rutter, Brown and
  Wise on detail to AOD and RAD, Washington, D.C.
  (6/3-6/10).


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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