RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION MORNING REPORT Attention: Directorate Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC CC: RAD Information Net Day/date: Thursday, May 23, 1991 INCIDENTS 91-169 - Everglades (Florida) - Marijuana Raid On May 21st, rangers from Everglades, Big Cypress and Biscayne participated in a joint marijuana raid on a site on Biscayne's boundary with agents from DEA, Fish and Wildlife, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). They seized 1,478 marijuana plants with a potential value of $1.5 million from eight separate sites. Plants ranged in size from small seedlings to fivefoottall plants. The seizures almost equalled the total for all seizures made in Dade County last year. The joint raid was the culminating exercise in a joint FDLE/DEA domestic marijuana eradication school, where rangers and officers are taught aerial detection, ground operations, booby traps, evidence processing, seizures and arrest procedures. A marijuana spotter team in Everglades' contract helicopter detected and confirmed the sites. [Telefax from Mark Lewis, LES, Everglades, 5/22] RESOURCE MANAGEMENT No reports today. OPERATIONAL NOTES 1) Three members of the NPS Alpine Hotshot Crew - Jim Mattingly, William Moe, and David Niemi - have been named as recipients of the Department of Agriculture's Valor Award for actions they took to prevent injury and loss of life to members of their crew and to obtain medical treatment and safe transport from a lifethreatening situation for a badly burned firefighter from another crew while working on the Dude Fire in June of 1990. The three have also been recommended for the DOI Valor Award. The entire crew has been nominated for the DOI Exemplary Act Award, and three other members Mark Kaib, James Higgins and Michael Beasley have been recommended for individual Exemplary Act Awards. [J.T. Reynolds, RAD/RMRO] THIS DAY IN NPS SAR HISTORY... May 23, 1943 - A B-17 with 11 airmen on board crashed in Yellowstone, killing ten. The eleventh landed in the park and was found by ranger Tom Ela. The plane was buried in place and forgotten until the fires in 1988 uncovered it again. May 23, 1968 - Ranger Joe Cayou dove underneath a capsized sailboat at Lake Mead and rescued a person trapped in the boat's rigging. Cayou received the DOI Valor Award for his efforts. May 23, 1977 - John "Jack" Dorn, a rescue climber from Camp Four at Yosemite, was killed in a 600-foot fall from Yosemite Falls Trail while on a rescue. STAFF STATUS Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled. Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Sisto at planning course at Santa Monica Mountains (5/20-5/24); Marriott at drug operations review, Yosemite (5/20-5/23). Branch of Fire: Hurd at NWCG meeting, Boston, MA (5/22-5/24); Botti attending orientation to fire science lab, Missoula, MT (5/20-5/23); Cook training Arrowhead Hotshot Crew, Sequoia (5/20-5/23); Broyles and Farrel at fireline safety committee meeting, Boston, MA (5/20-5/24); Norum working on wildfire response procedures, Fairbanks, AK (5/19-5/25). 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