RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Tuesday, June 16, 1992

INCIDENTS

92-271 - Padre Island (Texas) - Car Clouting Arrests

On June 8th, a Ford Aerostar van in the visitor center parking lot was
burglarized.  The thieves gained entrance by prying out the lock on the
driver's door with a screwdriver, then stole over $1,200 worth of property,
including a briefcase containing a Ruger .357 magnum revolver and a gray
suitcase containing clothes.  After reporting the burglary to rangers, the
victims drove to Port Arkansas, Texas, 30 miles away, where they rented a
motel room for the night.  When the victims walked out of their motel room
the next morning, they spotted a man carrying their stolen suitcase.  Upon
being confronted, the man and his compatriot fled the scene.  They were
apprehended a short time later by local officers with the assistance of a
police helicopter that just happened to be flying by when the incident
occurred.  Investigators learned that the thieves had driven to Port
Arkansas after burglarizing the Aerostar and had picked a motel at random to
spend the night.  As it turned out, the desk clerk assigned them to a room
next to the victims.  Both the vehicle the suspects were driving and its
license plates had been stolen from Houston, Texas.  A large amount of
stolen property has since been recovered, including the items taken from the
Aerostar.  As a result of the arrests, authorities from several
jurisdictions in Texas are in the process of clearing past vehicle burglary
cases.  [Fax from Jim Radney, RLES, RAD/SWRO, 6/15]

92-272 - Yosemite (California) - Falling Fatality

On the afternoon of June 4th, K.F. was hiking with his wife along
Tamarack Creek when they came upon a vertical drop and waterfall.  K.F.
approached the drop and grabbed a tree limb so he could look over the edge. 
The tree limb broke and K.F. fell 100 feet and was killed.  His body was
recovered by rangers.  [Mike Mayer, YOSE, via cc:Mail message from Herb
Gercke, RAD/WRO, 6/15]

92-273 - Buffalo (Arkansas) - Probable Drowning

A search is currently underway for L.W. of Mabelville, Arkansas,
whose canoe overturned in the river on the afternoon of Saturday, June 13th. 
A trained lifeguard who witnessed the incident swam out to help L.W. and
threw him a life jacket, but was unable to reach him.  L.W. entered a
series of rapids and disappeared shortly thereafter.  He has not been seen
since.  The river was high and murky at the time of the incident, and only
experienced canoers were being allowed on the river.  L.W. and his brother
had rented a canoe from a concessioner who had questioned them about their
experience.  The park is checking the area by boat and has teams walking the
shoreline.  A Missouri SAR dog team was to join them yesterday morning. 
[Carl Hinrichs, BUFF, via cc:Mail message from Bonnie Winslow, RAD/SWRO,
6/15]

92-274 - Amistad (Texas) - Drowning

R.R., 28, of Del Rio, Texas, was visiting the Governors Landing area
of the park with his family when he saw that his daughter had drifted far
out of what he considered safe range while on her float.  He swam out to
push her back into safer water, but began to show signs of difficulty, went
under water and failed to surface.  Bystanders swam to the site, pulled him
to shore and began CPR.  Responding rangers and ambulance EMTs continued
life support measures on the way to the hospital, but were unable to revive
him.  [Fax from Jim Radney, RLES, RAD/SWRO, 6/15]

92-275- Big Bend (Texas) - Rescue

M.M., 61, was visiting The Window in the Chisos Mountains as part
of a Chisos Remuda trail ride on the afternoon of June 12th when she fell
and broker her right arm while being assisted over a slippery spot in the
foot trail by one of the wranglers.  Ranger Gary Carver was the first
responder on scene; he conducted the initial assessment and stabilized
M.M.  The extent of her injuries and her intense pain necessitated a
carryout by a nine-person park team.  [Andy Ferguson, BIBE, via fax from
Bonnie Winslow, RAD/SWRO, 6/15]

92-276 - Organ Pipe Cactus (Arizona) - Drug Arrest

During a DUI traffic stop on June 12th by rangers and a state trooper, the
passenger in the 1992 Toyota pickup was seen attempting to hide several
items from his person under the seat.  A search of the truck was made and
over 100 units of steroids in various forms, including tablets and syringes,
were seized.  M.D., 19, was arrested and charged with several
felonies, including smuggling, unlawful importation, and possession of a
controlled substance with intent to distribute.  The truck was seized by
U.S. Customs.  This is the first case involving steroid smuggling which has
occurred at Organ Pipe, and it is being investigated jointly by Customs and
the NPS.  [Cheto Olais, CR, ORPI, via cc:Mail message from Herb Gercke,
RAD/WRO, 6/15]

92-277 - Martin Luther King (Georgia) - Mace Incident

A park ranger spotted an individual panhandling and generally impeding
visitors in the park on the afternoon of Saturday, June 13th, and told him
to leave the area.  The panhandler became combative; a struggle followed,
and, after repeated warnings, mace was used on him.  He was eventually
cuffed and taken into custody by Atlanta police officers.  About 15 minutes
later, several visitors passing through the area evidently inhaled remnants
of the mace.  Some of them reportedly had trouble breathing momentarily, but
had no known serious problems.  [Fax from Bill Springer, RAD/SERO, 6/16]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire               6/15    6/16    Status

 AK    State  Tok Area           213225 - T2       25,000  25,000    NEC
                                 213235             1,000     650    NEC
              Tanana Zone        231239 - T2        1,000   1,000    NEC

 CA    USFS   Los Padres NF    * Oso                    -     100    NEC

 AZ    State  -                * Hayden                 -     200    CND

 CO    BLM    Craig District   * Eureka Creek           -     155    CND

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
  CL - Controlled              MN - Being monitored
  CS - Confinement strategy    NEC - No estimate of containment
  CN (date) - Expected date    CND - Contained
     of containment

3) FIRE NARRATIVES - No significant fire activity is being reported in any
   NPS area.

4) FIRE WEATHER - A red flag watch has been issued for high winds and low
   relative humidities for eastern Arizona and New Mexico.

5) ANALYSIS - Cooler weather and scattered precipitation have lowered
   indices throughout the Great Basin, Northwest and Northern areas.
   
6) PROGNOSIS - No resource shortages expected.

[NPS Wildland Fire Summary, 6/16; NIFCC Intelligence Section, 6/16]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Pictured Rocks (Michigan) - Park staff in the Grand Marais District have
discovered a piping plover nesting in the park.  In past years, nests have
been located within the harbor on private land.  The park is cooperating
with the plover recovery team; the nest is being monitored, and an exclosure
has been placed over it for protection.  There were five nests in the Grand
Marais area, but a fox dug under an exclosure and took the eggs from one of
them.  The Michigan DNR is attempting to trap the fox, and the recovery team
is contemplating spraying cayenne pepper around the remaining nests to
discourage predation.  [Ray Brende, PIRO]

THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS

The following activities will be taking place in Congress this week on
matters pertaining to the National Park Service.  If you would like further
information on any of these hearings or bills, please contact Dottie in WASO
Legislation at 202-208-3636:

Tuesday

House Interior and Insular Affairs Subcommittee on National Parks and
Public Lands [Vento]:

Hearings on HR-5118, to exchange lands between the U.S. and the State of
Utah; HR-4769, to exchange lands between the State of Utah and BLM, the
NPS, the Navajo Nation and the Goshute Indian Tribe.

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
[Byrd]:

Fiscal 1993 appropriations for the National Park Service.

Wednesday

House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee [Miller]:

Mark-up of HR-4370, to provide for the protection of the Bodie Bowl.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee [Johnston]:

Mark-upof HR2896, to expand the boundaries of Minute Man NHP; S-2321, to
increase the authorization for development of War in the Pacific NHP and
American Memorial Park.

Thursday

House Interior and Insular Affairs Subcommittee on National Parks and
Public Lands [Vento]:

Consideration of pending business.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Martin at oil spill response
meeting, Key Largo, FL (6/17-6/19); Lee on annual leave (6/19); Coffey
on detail to WASO Wildlife and Vegetation.

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd at aviation meeting in SERO, Atlanta,
GA (6/15); Spruill at aviation overview, Everglades and Big Cypress, FL
(6/15-6/19); Erskine on annual leave (6/8-6/19); Mattingly instructing
S-230, Hawaii Volcanoes, HI (6/14-6/22); Bristol at InciNet steering
committee meeting, Sacramento, CA (6/15-6/19).

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

cc:Mail     Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation