RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Thursday, September 17, 1992

Release:   0830 EDT

                         *** NOTICE ***

Flags which were lowered to half staff due to the death of Rep. Ted Weiss of
New York on Monday will remain at half staff for both Rep. Weiss and Rep.
Walter Jones of North Carolina, who died on Tuesday.  We will advise you
when they may be returned to full staff.

INCIDENTS

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

Temporary office trailers arrived at Everglades yesterday.  They will be
used by the ARM team, thereby freeing up the headquarters building for
returning employees.  Reroofing continues.  Numerous dump trucks are being
employed to haul away debris, and chippers are being used to reduce the
volume of downed trees and limbs.  Research teams are fully involved in
large-scale documentation of the hurricane's effects and changes which have
since occurred in the parks.  A total of 358 people are now working for the
ARM team, down 19 from yesterday.  Contributions 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.  Director Ridenour has also
determined that ENP&MA may also accept donations from NPS concessioners. 
Please note, however, that parks may not solicit donations from
concessioners or from visitors for the relief fund.  [Bill Gabbert, ARM
Team, 9/17]

92-488 - Hawaiian Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Iniki

Since the direct effects of Hurricane Iniki were confined primarily to the
island of Kauai, which is well away from any NPS areas, Hawaiian parks
reported little serious damage:

* Puukola Heiau (Island of Hawaii) - The most significant effects occurred
at this park, where very heavy rains on the night of September 14th caused
about $300,000 damage to ditches and shoulders of the new Spencer Beach
Road.  

* Pu'uhonua o Honaunau (Island of Hawaii) - The park suffered extensive
damage to both facilities and cultural resources due to high surf during the
night of September 11th.  Trails and walls were washed out, and a burial
site was exposed.

* Kaloko Honokohau (Island of Hawaii) - Heavy surf caused damage to roads,
trails, visitor facilities, and both natural and cultural resources.  The
park will be closed indefinitely while repair work takes place.

* USS Arizona (Island of Oahu) - A number of trees were damaged by high
winds and will have to be removed and replaced.

[Geri Bell, Pacific Area Office; Jerry Shimoda, Superintendent, PUHO/PUHE;
9/16]

92-500 - Northwest Areas (Alaska) - Follow-up on Search for Park Aircraft 

The search for the missing park aircraft with three employees on board ended
successfully early yesterday morning with a night helicopter rescue from the
shore of a small lake along Makpik Creek in the northeastern portion of
Noatak.  The three rangers - pilot Bruce Rasmussen and seasonals Patricia
Taylor and Stan Caldwell - were located by a pilot from Baker Aviation at
about 8 p.m. on Tuesday.  A radio and emergency supplies were dropped from
search aircraft while an Alaska National Guard helicopter crew from Nome was
mobilized for the pickup.  With the assistant of an Air Force radar system
in Anchorage and the National Guard in Kotzebue, the Blackhawk helicopter
was directed to the site, landed at about 12:30 a.m. yesterday, and returned
to Kotzebue about an hour later.  All three rangers were suffering from
hypothermia after spending 32 hours on the lake's shores.  Taylor and
Caldwell were examined and released from the Maniilaq Medical Center in
Kotzebue; Rasmussen is still recovering from hypothermia and remains
hospitalized.  Their Cessna 185 floatplane had flipped on its back on
takeoff at about 4:30 p.m. on Monday.  The trio crawled out, hung onto the
floats for a short time, then swam about 100 yards to shore.  The
temperature at the time was about 20 degrees, and a 35 knot wind was
blowing.  Thanks to survival gear carried in their flight vests, they were
able to build a small fire to combat the effects of wet clothes and below
freezing temperatures.  [John Quinley, PA/ARO, 9/17]

92-504 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Follow-up on Illegal Jump

The man who jumped from the arch on Monday has been identified through still 
photos which he sold to a local television station and newspaper and through
an interview he gave to the television station.  After seeing the newspaper
and television reports, the St. Louis County police department contacted the
park and informed rangers that their officers had investigated a motor
vehicle accident about 12 miles from the park just after 7:30 that morning
and that the jumper was the driver of the vehicle.  The vehicle was a rental
car, and the driver had been issued a mandatory appearance citation for
county court in October.  Rangers, in consultation with the U.S. attorney,
have elected to cite the jumper for violation of 36 CFR 2.1 (preservation of
cultural resources) and 2.17 (aircraft and air delivery).  The U.S. attorney
will seek arrest warrants for the individual.  [Daryl Stone, CR, JNEM, 9/16]

92-508 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Flash Flood

A flash flood on Bright Angel Creek at about 7 p.m. on September 15th struck
the Cottonwood backcountry campground, which was occupied by 27 people at
the time.  No injuries occurred, but some visitors lost property in the
flood.  The campground toilets were damaged, six campsites were washed away,
and six others were damaged.  Park personnel were flown to the campground to
clean the area and pick up eight campers who lost sufficient equipment to
preclude their hiking out.  Four campsites will likely be back in service
today.  The trail in the immediate vicinity of the campground was washed
out, but adequate detours around the area are available.  The trail to
Phantom Ranch below Cottonwood has mud several inches deep in places but is
passable.  The storm which caused the flood dropped nearly two inches of
rain on the North Rim Tuesday night, most of it falling within a period of
45 minutes.  A smaller amount of rain on the South Rim caused a failure in
the park's centralized telephone system.  As of yesterday afternoon, only
two NPS phone lines to the park were available - 602-638-2477 and 2488. 
[Chuck Sypher, GRCA, 9/16]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area           Fire/Incident        9/16     9/17  Status

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

 HI    FEMA    Honolulu         Hurr. Iniki - T1       N/A      N/A  ___

 OR    USFS    Fremont NF       Robinson Crk. - T2   1,000    3,900  NEC

 ID    BLM     Idaho Falls    * Pocatello Crk.           -        ?  NEC

Notes:

* - New fire/incident (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 ACTIVITY - 101 fires for 1,199 acres in past 24 hours.

4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity is occurring; some fires are growing
large and exhibiting extreme fire behavior.

5) PROGNOSIS - The potential exists for new starts due to extreme and very
high fire dangers being reported in most states west of the Rockies.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/16]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) RAD Telefax - The main telefax for Ranger Activities - 202-208-6756 - is
back on line.  This is the primary machine that you should use for
submitting reports and documents to us.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Smith at NIBRS meeting, Seattle,
WA (9/14-9/18).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Gale and Broyles, ARM Team, Everglades and
Biscayne, FL (indefinite); Farrel at IAFC annual meeting, Anaheim, CA (9/14-9/16)
and ISC seminar and NFPA 1561 committee meeting, Phoenix, AZ (9/169/19);
Clark at fire behavior committee meeting, Reno NV (9/14-9/18).

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