RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                       MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date: Thursday, June 21, 1990

INCIDENTS

90-144 - Zion (Utah) - Seasonal Park Ranger Killed

According to a UPI story this morning, seasonal Park Ranger John Ethridge,
40, was killed yesterday when he lost his footing on a trail in Hidden
Canyon and fell off a cliff. Ethridge finished leading a group on a nature
hike at 10:30 a.m.; when he turned to address the group, a rock slipped from
under his feet, causing him to fall 150' to 175' to his death. Park
personnel reached the body about an hour later, and Ethridge was pronounced
dead at that time. Ethridge had worked in all divisions of the park and had
served as a law enforcement ranger, backcountry ranger, fire control officer
and maintenance worker. He was working as an interpretive ranger at the
time of his death. We will provide more details as soon as we learn them.
(UPI story, 6/20).

90-145 - Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska) - Poaching Convictions

J.F., 26, and J.S., 35, both of Washington state, were
recently convicted in Federal court on two unrelated Call sheep poaching
cases. Park rangers caught the two hunters killing the sheep in the upper
Chitina River area in the fall of 1989. The apprehensions came about
through increased patrols and surveillance operations in areas of known
poaching pressure on trophy Dall sheep populations. J.F. pleaded
guilty to a misdemeanor Lacey Act violation, as well as violations of park
regulations. He was fined $5,000, lost his hunting privileges for two
years, and forfeited his rifle, spotting scope, sheep horns and cape.
J.F. claimed to be a local rural resident and therefore eligible to
subsistence hunt in the park, but investigation revealed that he did not
live in the area and was in fact illegally sport hunting in the park.
J.S. also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Lacey Act violation and
violation of park regulations. He was fined $1,000, lost his sport hunting
privileges for two years, and forfeited his hunting rifle, sheep horns and
cape. Alaska Fish and Wildlife officers intend to charge both J.F.
and J.S. with wanton waste violations under state law, since both men
failed to salvage meat from the animals. Under state sentencing policies,
they face a minimum fine of $2,500, seven days in jail, and loss up hunting
privileges for up to five years. (Telefaxed report from Jay Wells, CR,
WRST, to RAD/ARO and RAD/WASO, 6/20).

90-146 - New River (West Virginia) - Drug Bust

As a result of a cooperative effort with local and state agencies to deal
with drug problems in and around the park, a combined task force has
discovered two marijuana plantations in the park and eradicated a total of
421 plants with a street value (at harvest) of $421,000. The task force,
which has been working together for less than a month, is sharing personnel,
special equipment and intelligence. The effort is being supported by
special drug funds from the park and region; outside NPS resources are being
coordinated by MAR Chief Ranger Chris Andress. Several joint special
operations in the park are being planned. (Telefaxed report from Bill
Blake, CR, NERI, to RAD/MARO and RAD/WASO, 6/20).

90-147 - Voyageurs (Minnesota) - Drowning

At about 11 a.m. on the 13th, P.J.B., 46, of Des Moines, Iowa,
was fishing with a friend on Rainy Lake when both fell from their 14-foot
fishing boat. P.J.B.'s companion was able to get back into the boat, but
P.J.B., who was blind and was not wearing a life jacket, drowned. This is
the second drowning at Rainy Lake in less then a month involving the same
make and size boat. An investigation is underway into the circumstances of
these two incidents to see if there are any similarities. (CompuServe
message from Capt. J.J. McLaughlin, RAD/MWRO, 6/20).

90-148 - Golden Gate (California) - Homicide

Park Police officers responding to the report of a disturbance in the
Merriway parking area just after midnight on the 20th found an adult male
who had been repeatedly stabbed. Preliminary investigation indicates that
two groups of individuals became involved in some type of altercation, and
that one person pulled a knife and began stabbing the unidentified victim.
The victim died at the scene. There are no suspects in custody. An
investigation is underway. (USPP dispatch, GOGA, via CompuServe message
from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRD, 6/20).

90-149 - Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) - Drowning

R.M., a 60-year-old West German national, apparently drowned while
swimming alone at the beach adjacent to Ocracoke Campground on the morning
of the 20th. CPR was begun at the scene, but was unsuccessful. An
investigation is being conducted by park rangers. (Larry Rousch, CR, CAHA,
via telefaxed report from Capt. Steve Alscher, RAD/SERO, 6/20).

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FERE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

One geographic area experiencing high fire danger. Numerous Class A, B,
and C fires occurring and a potential exists for escapes to larger
(project) fires. Minimal mobilization of resources from other geographic
areas occurring. The potential exists for mobilizing additional
resources from other geographic areas.

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency      Area             Fire                    Acres  Status

FL     FL        State             Unnamed fire             24,000  MN

CO     BLM       Canon City       *Copper Gulch                190  CL 6/21

NM     FWS       Seviletta NWR    *Mary Kay                    600  CL 6/20
       USFS      Santa Fe NF      *Sypher - T2                 150  CL 6/21
       BLM/NM    Las Cruces       *Devils Hill               1,200  CN 6/21

TX     NPS       Lake Meredith     Big Canyon                  900+ CN 6/22

CA     CDF       San Luis Obispo *41                           500+ CN 6/21

NOTES:

- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire. T1 and T2 indicate
  assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
- 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.
- Agencies - All BLM areas are districts; CDF is California
  Department of Forestry.

3) FIRE ACTIVITY - 131 fires for 16,562 acres in past 24 hours.

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

       High                Very High                 Extreme

Mesa Verde                Big Bend                  Fort Union
Padre Island              Carlsbad Caverns          Lake Meredith
Bandelier                 Grand Canyon              Coronado
Sequoia/Kings             Walnut Canyon             Chiricahua
Lava Beds                                           Tonto
Sequoia/Kings                                       Casa Grande
                                                    Organ Pipe Cactus
                                                    Saguaro
                                                    Chaco Culture
                                                    Aztec Ruins
                                                    El Morro
                                                    Salinas

5) ANALYSIS - Fire indicies throughout the West are beginning to climb
as hot and dry weather moves northward. National parks report the
following this morning:

* Big Cypress - Summer rains have returned. The park hopes to
resume its prescribed fire program within ten days.

* Grand Canyon - The park sent several people to the Sypher Fire.
Presuppression step-up and aggressive initial attack prevented
a major incident from occurring from a man-caused start in
an old pile of material brought in from the entrance road
construction on the North Rim.

* Lassen - The park has one, 50-acre controlled burn underway.

* Lava Beds - The park is closely monitoring a 40+-acre fire
a half mile south of its boundary.

*  Sequoia/Kings Canyon - The park was to begin a five-acre
prescribed burn in white fir and giant sequoia fuels at 7,200*
yesterday.

6) PROGNOSIS - Fire activity is expected to continue in the West due to
warmer and dryer conditions.

(NPS National Wildland Fire Summary, 0430 MDT, 6/21/90; NICC Intelligence
Section, Daily Situation Report, 1630 MDT, 6/20/90; NICC Intelligence
Section, Fire Management Situation Report, 0530 MDT, 6/20/90).

STAFF STATUS

- Division Chief: No scheduled travel.

- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Loach on AL (6/18-7/9); Healy on
  AL (6/17-6/22); Halainen at meeting of NWCG information working team
  (6/20-6/21).

- Branch of Fire: Broyles and Clark at S-490/590 steering committee meeting,
  Portland, OR (6/18-22); Gale in Alaska on fire program review
  (6/16-6/24); Norum on AL (6/18-22); Botti on AL (6/18-6/21).


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