RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                       MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date: Wednesday, August 29, 1990

INCIDENTS

90-285 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Rescues

On the night of the 21st, a backcountry ranger in Kings Canyon heard someone
yelling for help from the side of 14,242-foot North Palisade Mountain. A
search employing park staff and the park's contract helicopter was begun at
dawn. Lemoore Naval Air Station and the California National Guard each
provided high-altitude, long-lift helicopters to assist in the search.
Searchers soon found 22-year-old M.V. of Stockton, California,
stranded at the mountain's 14,000 foot level in an area accessible only
through technical climbing. Contact with M.V. was established through a
portable radio lowered to him. He indicated that he'd been hit by a loose
rock which had rolled over both legs and severely lacerated one of them.
Due to the elevation and terrain, a corpsmen rappelled 200 feet from the
Lemoore helicopter to M.V., then hoisted him to the ship. He was flown to
a hospital in Bishop, California, where he is being treated for contusions,
exposure and dehydration. While this rescue was underway, a ranger in the
southern part of Sequoia noticed smoke coming from the Rock Creek drainage.
Upon investigation, she found two people stranded on a high ledge above Rock
Creek. They'd started a fire to attract attention. A corpsmen from the
same Lemoore helicopter rappelled 75 feet to the pair and hoisted them out.
They were brought to the Ash Mountain helibase, where one of the pair,
P.M., was transported to a local hospital for treatment of a
broken arm, fractured collar bone and lacerations. (Mike Warren, SEKI, via
CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 8/27).

90-286 - Upper Delaware (New York) - Drowning

At 3 p.m. on the afternoon of the 25th, C.J., 22, of Port
Reading, New Jersey, and J.D., 21, of Carteret, New Jersey,
attempted to wade and swim across the Delaware River near Minisink Ford.
When the water became chest deep, C.J. turned around and headed for
shore. When he got there, he looked back and didn't see J.D. C.J.
said that he was not concerned, however, because J.D. was known as a
practical joker. C.J. and both of their girlfriends returned to their
campsite. At 5 p.m., they reported J.D. missing to the staff at the
campground, who passed on the report to the park. Two NPS divers searched
for J.D. on Saturday night, and were joined by state police and other
agencies the following day. J.D.'s body was recovered at noon on Sunday.
(Mike Reuber, UPDE, via CompuServe message from Kathy Jope, RAD/MARO, 8/27).

90-287 - Statue of Liberty (New York) - Demonstration

Just after 1 p.m. yesterday afternoon, a group of from 40 to 100 protestors
led by Rev. A.S. began setting up tents on Liberty Island in defiance
of a permit issues to Sharpton's New Alliance Party and the instructions of
NPS personnel. A.S., L.F., the party's gubernatorial
candidate, and others had been granted a permit allowing them to demonstrate
near the park's flagpole, but instead began setting up tents on the park's
grounds. Rangers asked for assistance, and were supported by a dozen Park
Police and nine New York PD officers. The island was closed and all Circle
Line operations were shut down. Rangers issued citations to A.S. and 13
others, after which the demonstrators peacefully left the island on a park
boat and were dropped off in lower Manhattan. In a news release, the
demonstrators said they were protesting homelessness and the current state
of race relations in the city on the 27th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C. No violence
was reported during the incident. (Telephone report from Capt. Dale
Dickerhoof, RAD/NARO, 8/28; UP news story by Ned Kilkelly, 8/28).

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) 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) NATIONAL FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency      Area             Fire                      8/28      8/29  Status

UT     UT        State             Wasatch Mt. - T2          2,600     2,970  Yes

CO     NPS       Dinosaur          Split                        93        93  CN 9/1
       BLM       Craig            *Diamond                       -       100  CN 8/29

AK     NPS       Denali            A-148                    46,050    46,050  MN
                                   A-374                     1,530     1,530  MN
                                   A-255                    25,800    25,800  MN
                                   A-406                    16,500    16,500  MN
                                   A-413                     7,300     7,300  MN
       FWS       Galena Zone       A-204                   150,000   150,000  None
       AK        Tok Area          013021 - T2              97,325    97,325  Yes

Alaska also has 29 fires unstaffed under modified suppression
strategy for a total of 1,324,765 acres and 42 fires under limited
suppression strategy for 1,145,910 acres.

NOTES:

- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this
  report). T1 and T2 indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
- Status - The following abbreviations are employed:

  * NR - No report received      * MS - Modified suppression strategy
  * CN - Contained               * MN - Being monitored
  * CL - Controlled              * None - No estimate of containment
  * CS - Confinement strategy    * Yes - Fire has been contained

3) NPS NARRATIVES -

- Dinosaur - No change from yesterday's report.

- Yosemite ((California) - Mop-up and rehabilitation work continue. One
helicopter and two crews are currently committed to the park. Crews
are building line on the Piute and Frog 2 Fires; the latter was contained
at 250 acres yesterday. The Glacier Point Road should be reopened today
at 2 p.m. PDT. Highway 41 will probably be closed for four to five
working days after Labor Day.

- Denali (Alaska) - No change from yesterday's report.

4) NATIONAL FIRE ACTIVITY - 168 fires for 19,245 acres in past 24 hours.

5) NPS FIRE DANGERS -

       High                Very High                 Extreme

Cape Cod                 Sequoia/Kings            Zion
Golden Gate              Isle Royale              Hawaii Volcanoes
Rocky Mountain           Dinosaur                 Great Basin
Yosemite                 Grand Canyon
Indiana Dunes            Scotts Bluff
Bryce Canyon             Natchez Trace
Pinnacles                Joshua Tree
Point Reyes
Acadia

6) NPS MOBILIZATION/DEMOBILIZATION -

  Resource             August 27      August 28

Firefighters               114          131
Monitors                     1            0
Overhead personnel          59           38
Type I crews                 1            0
Engines                      7            7
Helicopters                  6            6

7) ANALYSIS - The Northwest, Rockies, California and the South are all
experiencing initial attack activity from lightning- and human-caused
ignitions. California, Utah, Nevada and Colorado are all reporting
high to extreme fire dangers.

8) PROGNOSIS - Continued fire activity is expected in Utah, Colorado and
California as hotter and drier conditions return to these areas.

(Telefax report from Beth Gale, Branch of Fire, Boise, 1700 MDT, 8/28; NICC
Intelligence Section, Fire Management Situation Report, 0530 MDT, 8/29).

STAFF STATUS

- Division Chief: No travel scheduled.

- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Coffey on SL (8/27-8/31);
  Marriott at ARPA meeting in San Antonio (8/27-8/31); Henry on SL
  (indefinite).

- Branch of Fire: Hurd on travel (8/27-8/29); Beth Gale on detail to Branch
  from Shenandoah (8/27-9/7).


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 (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
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