RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                       MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date: Monday, September 17, 1990

INCIDENTS

90-253 - Rock Creek Park (D.C.) - Follow-up on Assault on USPP Officer

J.B.S., who was arrested on August 15th for assaulting Officer
James Culver, was formally charged on September 14th with assault on a
federal officer while armed, assault with intent to kill, maiming and
assault on certain federal officials. His brother, H.S., was
arrested on the same charges on August 13th. Culver, who received multiple
skull and jaw fractures and lost sight in one eye, is at home in Pittsburgh
recovering from his injuries. (Telefax from RAD/NCRO, 9/14).

90-310 - Cape Lookout (North Carolina) - Serious Tornado Damage

Between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m. on the 15th, a tornado struck Barkers Island and
caused approximately $250,000 in damage to several park structures,
including a picnic shelter, the concessioner's office and a hotel which was
being renovated and converted into a visitor center and administrative
building. A visitor's car was also damaged. No one was killed or injured.
Further information will be provided in future morning reports. (Feliz
Revello, CALO, via telephone report from Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, 9/17).

90-311 - Appalachian Trail (Pennsylvania) - Double Homicide

Southbound hikers on the Appalachian Trail discovered two bodies in the
Thelma Marks Shelter on Pennsylvania State Game Commission lands about four
miles south of Duncannon on the evening of the 13th. Preliminary
indications are that the victims - one male and one female - were also
southbound hikers and that they were murdered in the shelter on the night of
the 12th. It is believed that the murderer may still be hiking on the
trail. At the request of the Pennsylvania State Police and Game Commission,
the NPS and Appalachian Trail Conference have issued warnings to hikers on
the trail. Pennsylvania State Police are conducing the investigation.
(Telefax from Bill Sanders, CR, ANST [Appalachian National Scenic Trail],
9/14).

90-312 - Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - Drug Arrests

On July 2nd, rangers received information that marijuana plants were being
grown inside the park in two cornfields near Highway 209 on the Pennsylvania
side of the park. Approximately 150 plants were found in the fields.
Surveillance was begun on the area, and extended to 24 hours each day on the
13th. Electronic surveillance was added on the 23rd. On September 9th,
plants were removed from one of the two fields, and surveillance was
tightened on the other. On the evening of the 11th, J.T. of
Arlington, Virginia, and D.B., of Newark, Delaware, were seen
entering the cornfield. As they left the field, rangers moved to intercept
them. D.B. got into his car and fled, but was pursued and stopped.
J.T. was caught and placed on the ground; while the ranger covering him
with his weapon awaited backup, however, J.T. jumped up and fled into the
corn field. He was chased and apprehended a short time later. The
investigation continues; a follow-up will appear tomorrow. (Telefax from
Hal Grovert, CR, DEWA, 9/12/90).

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                     9/16      9/17  Status


CA     NPS       Yosemite          *Panorama                    105       120  CN 9/16
       USFS      Stanislaus NF      Cottonwood - T2           2,419     2,419  CN 9/16

SD     USFS      Black Hills NF     Swedland - T1            12,000+   14,222  Yes

CO     BLM       Craig Dist.       *Hay Gulch                   500+      573  CN 9/17
       USFS      White River NV    *Ute Creek - T2              180       200  CN 9/18

GA     FWS       Okefenokee NWR     Shorts - T2               2,620     2,620  None

FL     USFS      Florida NF         Bull                        321       321  CN 9/14

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) NATIONAL FIRE ACTIVITY - 112 fires for 104 acres in past 24 hours.

4) NPS FIRE NARRATIVES -

- Yosemite (California) -

* Panorama Fire - The fire was reported to be between 40% and 60%
contained on Saturday, and full containment was expected last night.
Three hand crews, four air tankers and three overhead personnel have
been (committed to the fire.

5) NPS FIRE DANGERS (9/16) -

       High                Very High                 Extreme

Bighorn Canyon           Agate Fossil Beds          Great Basin
Bryce Canyon             Badlands                   Joshua Tree
El Malpais               Cumberland Island
Everglades               Hawaii Volcanoes
Lassen Volcanic          Lake Meredith
Pinnacles                Lava Beds
Redwoods                 Theodore Roosevelt
Sequoia/Kings            Wind Cave
Voyageurs
Whiskeytown
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion

6) NPS MOBILIZATION/DEMOBILIZATION -

  Resource             9/15      9/16

Firefighters            105       156
Monitors                  2         3
Overhead personnel       49        55
Type I crews              1         3
Engines                   9         9
Helicopters               4         6

7) ANALYSIS - Increased initial attack activity is occurring in the
Rockies due to lightning activity. California continues to report very
high to extreme fire indices, but only minor initial attack activity
is currently underway.

8) PROGNOSIS - The potential for increased fire activity continues in
California due to current weather conditions.

(CompuServe message from Marla Mino, Branch of Fire, Boise, 1500 MDT, 9/16;
NICC Intelligence Section, Fire Management Situation Report, 0530 MDT,
9/17).

STAFF STATUS

- Division Chief: Dabney at ranger work force meeting in Minneapolis
  (9/17-9/20).

- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Martin on AL (9/17); Coffey on SL
  (9/17-9/21).

- Branch of Fire: Hurd in Acadia (9/17-9/21); Gale in Shenandoah to review
  fire management program, work on MAR all-risk training and attend ICS
  working team meeting (9/15-9/26); Broyles in Shenandoah for all-risk
  and ICS meetings and in Washington for NWOS meeting (9/16-9/26); Erskine
  at NWCG meeting in Maine (9/17-9/23); Clark instructing at extreme
  fire behavior seminar (9/17-9/22); Marla Mino on detail to Branch from Big
  Cypress (9/10-9/24).


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)
SEAdog:     1/650