RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Wednesday, September 2, 1992

Release:   0830 EDT

INCIDENTS

92-451 - South Florida Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew

There are now 205 people - 188 from the NPS - committed to the Hurricane
Andrew recovery operation.  Of these, 72 are overhead personnel; the
remainder are assigned as follows: two to air operations, 30 to security, 48
to employee assistance and CISD, 38 to salvage and repair, 13 to
communications and four to medical support.  About 40 maintenance employees,
mostly from SER and MAR, also arrived last night, but their numbers are not
yet reflected in the above total.  Operations have been divided into three
branches - one for Biscayne, Key Largo, Fort Jefferson and part of
Homestead; one for the remainder of Homestead, East Everglades, Pine Island
and Flamingo; and one for Shark Valley, Tamiami, Everglades City and all of
Big Cypress.

The top priority for immediate response continues to be provision of
emergency welfare and security - shelter, food, water and counseling - to
the 258 NPS employees affected by the hurricane.  The current assessment of
the storm's impacts on personal property is as follows:

* 101 employees/families have seriously damaged homes which were either
  destroyed during the hurricane or will be condemned.  Most lost all
  their personal belongings as well.
* 76 employees/families have homes or quarters that can be temporarily
  repaired with adequate resources.  Some of these may also be deemed
  unrepairable after further evaluation.
* It's not currently known how many employees lost vehicles in the storm,
  but current estimates are between 30% and 40%.

Yesterday, recovery teams completed work on all but four of the repairable
employee homes in Homestead.  Efforts centered on plugging leaks so that
employees could remain in their residences.  The remaining four should be
finished today.  Other teams are repairing NPS-owned quarters in Biscayne,
Everglades and Big Cypress.  

Operations also focused on the curatorial collections in Biscayne and
Everglades.  The museum on Adams Key at Biscayne was destroyed, so team
members are searching the area for remnants of the collection.  The roof of
the building housing the collection at Everglades is being repaired.  The
park's last curator, who had transferred, is returning to the park to
consult with the team on restoration of both the Everglades and Biscayne
collections.  

Repair work at Flamingo has been completed and all facilities will reopen
there today, including the lodge, which will be used to house and feed
homeless employees and ARM team members.  

Funeral services for Natividad "Tito" Rohena, the Fort Jefferson employee
who died during the hurricane when his roof collapsed on him, are to be held
today at the Bernardo Garcia-Brake Funeral Home at 8215 Bird Road in South
Miami.  Tito, who was a long-term seasonal at Fort Jefferson, had retired
from the military and will be given a military funeral.  His daughter,
Melissa, gave birth to a son the day after the hurricane and named him Tito. 

Although the parks and ARM team have requested that those wishing to help
send financial contributions through the ENP&MA fund, those of you who have
packages to be sent to specific employees can send them via Federal Express,
Airborne Express or UPS to the following address: Employee name, Hurricane
Andrew Relief, Big Cypress National Preserve, Oasis Ranger Station, 53553
East Tamiami Trail, Highway 41, Ochopee, FL 33943.  Ccontributions may be
sent to Andrew Relief Fund, ENP&MA, Attention: George Minnucci, 446 North
Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428.  Checks should be made out to ENP&MA with a
notation that the contribution is for the relief fund.  

[Dick Ring, Superintendent, EVER; Bill Gabbert and Bill Pierce, ARM Team;
Steve Smith, RAD/SERO; 9/2]

92-467 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Drug Arrests

Rangers concluded a six-week-long investigation and undercover operation on
August 21st with the execution of 11 arrest warrants and seven search
warrants for drug-related offenses at the South Rim and in the adjoining
community of Tusayan.  A ranger had secured a position with the Fred Harvey
Company at Grand Canyon to establish credibility as a concession employee
and was subsequently able to gain access to an inner circle of drug users. 
Connections were made with distributors which led to multiple purchases of
various controlled substances.  Warrants generated from the operation led to
the establishment of an ICS operation for their execution.  The rangers
seized quantities of marijuana, methamphetamine, and crack cocaine, and also
recovered paraphernalia and NPS buy money.  The subjects were transported
and booked into the Coconino County jail in Flagstaff.  Thirty-one charges
have been filed against them on a variety of drug-related offenses. 
Assistance was provided by the Northern Arizona METRO narcotic's division,
the Federal Probation Office, the Coconino Coutny sheriff's office, and the
U.S. attorney's office.  The investigation is continuing and further charges
are pending.  [Steve Bone, GRCA, 8/28]

92-468 - Zion (Arizona) - Arrest of Concession Employee

On August 31st, rangers arrested 26-year-old C.C. on a
misdemeanor warrant out of Los Angeles at the Zion Lodge, where he was
employed as a chef.  A criminal history check on him resulted in a five-page
listing, which included 31 dated entries over a 16-year period.  Included in
the offenses were arrests and/or convictions for rape (both genders);
possession, manufacture and sale of dangerous weapons; assult with a deadly
weapon; battery on a person; arson; obstructing and resisting an officer;
violation of parole; and drug violations.  He had served six years in the
state correctional facility at Chino for rape by force and/or fear.  He was
incarcerated him in the county holding facility in St. George, but the state
of California declined to extradite him on the warrant and he was released. 
Parks with concession operations should keep an eye out for him, as he also
worked in Death Valley at one time in some capacity.  [Larry Van Slyke, CR,
ZION, 8/31]

92-469 - Obed (Tennessee) - Marijuana Eradication

Rangers, National Guard soldiers and Morgan County deputies eradicated 200
large marijuana plants in seven patches in a densely-wooded area just north
of the park on August 25th.  The patches were found after a sweep of the
park where last year's plants were found.  Estimated value is placed at
$300,000.  Of note is the fact that no single patch contained more than 50
plants.  After being hit hard by law enforcement last year, the growers seem
to be dispersing their crops and and are employing camouflage netting to
avoid aerial detection.  [Steve Alscher, RLES, RAD/SERO, 8/28]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level III

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area             Fire/Incident        9/1     9/2  Status

 FL    NPS     Everglades NP
               Biscayne NP        Hurr. Andrew - ARMT  N/A      N/A  ---
       FEMA    Miami              Hurr. Andrew - T2    N/A      N/A  ---

 LA    FEMA    Franklin           Hurr. Andrew - T1    N/A      N/A  ---
               New Iberia         Hurr. Andrew - T1    N/A      N/A  ---

 OR    USFS    Willamette NF      Pryor - T2           766      781  CN 9/2
       BLM     Lakeview Dist.     Ludi 2             1,020    1,020  NEC

 CA    BLM     California
                Desert Dist.      Piute                680+     680  CND    
       USFS    San Bernadino NF * Ranch - T2             -      300+ NEC
 
 ID    BLM     Boise Dist.        Foothills -
                                   T1 (2 teams)     
                                   T2 (1 team)     257,600  257,600  CND   
       USFS    Payette NF         Tomato 
                                   Point - T1        2,400    1,220  CN 9/12
               Nez Perce NF       Porcupine - T1    28,170   28,170  CND    

 NV    USFS    Humboldt NF        Dawley Creek       2,400    2,400  CND   

 UT    BLM     SLC Dist.          Pole Canyon - T2     450      450  CND    

Notes:

* - New fire (this report)         T1/T2 - Type 1 or Type 2 team committed
ARMT - All-risk management team    CN (date) - Expected date of containment
NEC - No estimate of containment   CND - Contained
NR - No report received            

3) FIRE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS - No significant reports.

4) FIRE ACTIVITY - 104 fires for 2,702 acres in past 24 hours.

5) ANALYSIS - Containment targets continue to be met on major fires.  High
to extreme fire indices are being reported in several areas in the
Northwest, Great Basin, California and Northern Rockies.  Resource
reassignment and demobilization is continuing.

6) PROGNOSIS - Moderate fire activity is expected.  No resource shortages
are anticipated.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/2]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Henry conducting aircraft
overflight research, GRCA, AZ (8/31-9/1).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd at organizational review, Branch of F&A,
Boise, ID (8/31-9/1); Gale serving as IC on ARM Team, Everglades and
Biscayne, FL (indefinite); Norum serving as NPS rep at USFS fire planning
meeting, Portland, OR (8/31-9/4); Bristol at InciNet hardware testing
contractor's site, New York, NY (8/30-9/4); Farrel at structural fire
steering program committee meeting, WASO, and site visit, NCR, Washington,
DC (8/31-9/3).

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