RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           Ranger Activities Division Information Network

Day/Date:  Tuesday, February 18, 1992

INCIDENTS

92-34 - Santa Monica Mountains (California) - Update on Storm Impacts

The park received eight inches of rain over February 10th and 11th, and was
expected to received up to four inches on the 13th and more during this past
weekend.  At the time of the report, all sites within the park had been
closed, and local roads and highways traversing the area were either
completely or partially closed due to flooding and landslides or mudslides. 
Medea Creek had overflowed its banks and flooded the lower portions of the
Paramount Ranch site.  A 50-foot-long prop trailer at Paramount Ranch, where
CBS is making a full-length feature film, floated down the creek, came to
rest in some trees was totally destroyed; other vehicles at the site
sustained water damage.  Triunfo Creek had become a river, but the water had
so far remained within its banks.  Four of the five non-NPS water
impoundments within and near the park had water flowing over the tops of
their dams, but none was expected to fail.  Damage to government structures
has occurred, including the collapse of a restroom facility at Paramount
Ranch and flooding of the site ranger's quarters and ranch hand's quarters
at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa.  Several access roads have been eroded away,
and run-off from surrounding mountains has created erosion problems at a
number of park sites.  [Reports from Tim Simmonds and Ernie Quintana, SAMO,
via telefax and SEAdog from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 2/11 and 2/13]

92-37 - Channel Islands (California) - Storm Impacts

The series of intense storms which passed over southern California last week
storms produced high seas, intense thunder and lightning, winds which blew
in excess of 50 mph, and torrential rains.  Up to nine inches of rain fell
on the islands, sometimes at a rate of an inch an hour, and there were flash
floods in canyons.  No injuries were reported, but the Santa Cruz ranger
station was evacuated as a safety precaution.  Preliminary reports indicate
severe trail, road and airstrip damage and some damage to park structures. 
Intermittent power failures and telephone outages were reported at park
headquarters.  Highways 101 and 126 were temporarily closed along with other
major roads.  A complete storm damage survey was to have been completed
yesterday.  [Jack Fitzgerald, CR, CHIS, via Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 2/12]

92-38 - Glacier (Montana) - Fatal Air Crash

A Grumman AA5 crashed on relatively flat ground 600 feet southeast of the
Logan Pass visitor center late on the morning of February 12th, killing
W.S., 57, and his wife, M., 54, both of Lacombe, Alberta.  A
tour aircraft piloted by M.S. of Strand Aviation picked up the ELT
signal around 3:30 that afternoon, and the park received an official notice
of an overdue aircraft shortly thereafter.  M.S. helped locate and confirm
the actual crash site; Canadian military search and rescue personnel
subsequently joined the search effort and confirmed the fatalities. 
Recovery efforts and an investigation into the crash were to be conducted on
the 13th.  The last communication received from the S.'s came at 10:50
a.m. on the 12th when they requested weather information from the Lethbridge
Flight Service Station in Alberta.  At that time, the plane was 15 miles
north of the station at an altitude of 8,000 feet.  [Telefaxed report from
Amy Vanderbilt, GLAC, 2/12]

92-39 - Voyageurs (Minnesota) - Snowmobile Accident with Two Fatalities

On the evening of February 8th, T.S., 27, of Bloomington, Minnesota,
was snowmobiling with two friends on Kabetogama Lake, two miles north of
Rocky Point Lodge, when they stopped along the park's marked snowmobile
trail.  K.G., 40, of Fort Frances, Ontario, approached the group
on his snowmobile and struck and killed Saldon.  K.G. was evacuated to
a hospital in Fort Frances, Ontario, and died en route to a medical center
in Winnipeg.  The Saint Louis county sheriff's department and park are
conducting the investigation.  [Bruce McKeemon, CR, VOYA, via telefax from
John Townsend, RAD/MWRO, 2/10]

                *** More pending incident reports tomorrow ***

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Lee at National Dive Control
Board workshop, Denver, CO (2/17-2/22); Marriott at law enforcement
conservation conference, Prescott, AZ (2/18-2/21); Sisto at damage
assessment regulations meeting, Phoenix, AZ (2/18-2/21).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Broyles at NWCG quarterly meeting, Savannah, GA
(2/18-2/23); Clark and Bristol at Incinet steering committee meeting,
Atlanta, GA (2/19-2/21). 

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone:  Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5572/5573 or 202-208-5572/5573

Telefax:    Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977

CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO

SEAdog:     Branch of R&VP - 1/650
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - 1/655