RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Tuesday, September 29, 1992

Release:   0830 EDT

INCIDENTS

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

Most repair and rehabilitation actions reported yesterday are still
underway.  The ARM team has determined that the following work still needs
to be done during its tenure in south Florida:

* Repair quarters and facilities to permit use next year.
* Repair boundaries, navigational aids, harbors and visitor centers prior
  to the winter season.
* Complete the set-up of temporary office and visitor facilities prior to
  the winter season.
* Demolish condemned structures in the three parks.
* Clean up the tons of debris still left in the parks.

Marcia Blaszak, the ARM team finance chief, has asked that the following be
passed on to the administrative officers of parks whose employees have
participated in the incident in order to assist in proper payment of
overtime to those employees:  Some questions have been raised about whether
or not travel to and from the incident is compensable.  Entitlement to
overtime for travel is based upon whether the event causing the travel is
unscheduled or administratively uncontrollable.  The event (Hurricane
Andrew) clearly fits the criteria.  Please refer to section 12.2-2 of the
Interagency Fire Business Management Handbook for guidance.  Len Emerson in
WASO Personnel has confirmed this interpretation of this pay issue.  Also
note that the bi-weekly pay cap for GS employees is lifted for this type of
emergency response.  In order to ensure proper payment, please code 98A in
the remarks of time reports for GS employees.

A fax number has been established specifically for those of you who would
like to communicate with employees in the three parks.  If you have a note
to send, address it to the individual care of the all-risk team and telefax
it to 1-800-525-3037.  

Although monetary donations are still preferred to material contributions,
those of you with packages to send to an employee in one of the affected
parks should send it to the person care of the all-risk team and ship it to
Oasis Ranger Station, Big Cypress NP, 53553 East Tamiami Trail, Highway 41,
Ochopee, FL 33943.  According to the Conference of National Park Cooperating
Associations, books are being sought for the environmental education center
at Biscayne.  You can help by sending books dealing with marine resources,
islands, birds and/or environmental stories to the Biscayne Environmental
Education Project, care of the above address.  

Contributions to the relief effort may be sent to Andrew Relief Fund,
ENP&MA, Attention: George Minnucci, 446 North Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428;
they should be made out to ENP&MA with a notation that the contribution is
for the relief fund.  [Bill Adams and Marcia Blaszak, ARM Team; CNPCA; 9/30]

92-531 - Martin Luther King (Georgia) - Shooting

On September 27th, a single gun shot was heard across the street from the
park headquarters on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta.  The responding ranger found
a man who had been shot in the left leg.  The victim said that several
juveniles had been engaged in drug trafficking from an apartment at that
location, that they had discovered that some of their drugs were missing,
and that they had shot him as a suspect.  Atlanta police are handling the
incident.  This is the third drug-related shooting that has taken place
within the park in the last 12 months.  [Bill Springer, RAD/SERO, 9/28]

92-532 - Lava Beds (California) - Assault with a Motor Vehicle

On September 17th, S.N. and three companions entered the park to
"party".  At some point, an altercation broke out between S.N. and his
companions; he attempted to run them over with his vehicle but crashed. 
S.N. was arrested and taken to a local sheriff's office, where he
registered a BAC of .17 over two hours after initial contact.  S.N. was
charged with seven 36 CFR violations, and state charges are pending,
including cultivation of marijuana and assault.  [Terry Harris, CR, LABE,
9/23]

92-533 - Hopewell Furnace (Pennsylvania) - Marijuana Eradication

Eight marijuana plants were discovered in a bog on the park's boundary on
September 16th.  The discovery was reported to Pennsylvania State Police
criminal investigation unit, which sent troopers to remove the plants two
days later.  When they arrived, only six plants remained.  They were removed
and destroyed.  Estimated value of the plants is $3,000.  [Capt. Ron
DiAngelo, LES, RAD/MARO, 9/25]

92-534 - Saguaro (Arizona) - Search

On September 25th, a patrol ranger found a suicide note in an abandoned
vehicle parked on the Cactus Forest loop drive in Saguaro East.  Rangers and
county deputies began a search of the area and a dog team was brought in. 
Investigators subsequently learned, however, that the note was false and
that the subject of the search, 25-year-old K.S., had hiked several
miles out of the park and returned to his girlfriend's home on the morning
of the 26th.  The suicide was apparently faked in order to obtain sympathy
in an unrequited love affair.  [Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 9/28]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area           Fire/Incident        9/28     9/29  Status

 FL    NPS     South Florida    Hurr. Andrew - ARMT    N/A      N/A  DM

 CA    CDF     Riverside RU   * Rainbow                  -    2,000  NEC
       State   Santa Barbara  * Weirick                  -      600  CND

Notes:

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

3) FIRE ACTIVITY - 95 fires for 6,315 acres reported in past 24 hours.

4) ANALYSIS - Fire activity has increased in the Rockies.  A few areas there
are reporting very high fire indices.  Many units in California and some in
the Great Basin and Northwest are reporting high to extreme indices.

5) PROGNOSIS - Continuing activity is expected due to the onset of a warming
and drying trend.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/29]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Wind Cave (South Dakota) - Bison Round-Up

The annual round-up of park bison to test and inoculate for brucellosis took
place on September 22nd and 23rd. Park staff captured 305 animals and put
them through the park's processing facility.  Of the 232 adults who were
tested, none had a positive reaction for brucellosis, making this the
seventh straight year without any sign of the disease in the herd.  The park
donated 71 animals to Native American tribes to start and/or improve
existing herds.  The Wind Cave herd now numbers about 290.  Rangers
coordinated the round-up, which employed staff from all divisions, two
contract helicopters, a private veterinarian, and several USDA
veterinarians.  The operation was completed in two days.  No animals died,
and only one minor employee injury was recorded.  [Ross Rice, CR, WICA,
9/24]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) Horse Management - Ranger Activities in MWRO would like to hear from any
park with experience in the establishment and operation of campgrounds to
accommodate horse users wherein they can trailer their horses into the
campground, set up camp, make day rides out of the campground, then return
and camp at night.  [John Townsend, RAD/MWRO]

2) All-Risk Management - The Branch of Fire and Aviation has issued the
following memorandum to all regions:  To manage the Hurricane Andrew
recovery effort in South Florida, the National Park Service has been
operating under the Incident Command System (ICS).  The Incident Management
Team (IMT) is handling the relief actions similar to a large wildland fire
incident. The amount of work to be done has required assistance from outside
the affected area.  To accomplish the work the IMT has been rotating many
Service employees through various qualified and trainee positions within the
ICS organization.  Many of the people who have been on assignment in Florida
have inquired about tracking this experience in the Service's Incident
Qualifications System (IQS).  While the system is capable of handling
multiple risk areas, these alternate data bases have not been fully
implemented in the various programs.  The Branch is currently developing two
new Risk Areas to track qualifications and experience for Oil Spill Response
(04) and All Risk Incident Management (05).  While these Risk Areas now show
as available on the screens, they are NOT ready for data entry by the field. 
The necessary screens for proper entry of experience are being designed and
should be on-line by December 1, 1992.  The employees with assignments at
the Hurricane Andrew Incident, or those with other similar duties should
document their experiences on the Entry and Update Forms for the IQS and
coordinate with their local system manager on entering this data after the
appropriate screens become available in December.  Any data entered into
Risk Areas 04 and 05 prior to December will be deleted.  Any questions
concerning the Qualifications System should be addressed to Bill Clark at
208-334-9414. [Paul Broyles, ARM Team]

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 - Floor Action:

Under suspension of the rules, the house will consider
HR 2548, to establish Abraham Lincoln Research and Interpretive Center; S
1528, to establish Mimbres Culture National Monument; HR 5906, advertising
regulations for Rock Creek Park; HR 5853, to designate Great Egg Harbor
River (NJ) as a national wild and scenic river; S 2563, to rehabilitate
historic structures at Sandy Hook in Gateway; HR 5949, an omnibus bill
containing minor boundary expansions at several parks (as an amendment to S
2563); HR 5118, land exchanges between NPS and State of Utah; HR 5423, to
create the Quinebaugh and Shetucket River Valley National Heritage Corridor
(CT); HR 4889, land exchange between Olympic NP and State of Washington.

Wednesday

House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee [Miller]:

Markup of HR 5484, to
provide for the establishment of the Civil Rights in Education: Brown v.
Board of Education NHS (KS).

House - Floor Action:

The House will begin consideration of the conference
report for HR 5503, Interior appropriations for FY 93 [Note: Action has not
yet begun on a continuing resolution pending passage of remaining
appropriations bills by the end of FY 92 tomorrow].

Thursday

House Interior and Insular Affairs' Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
[Kostmayer]:

Markup of HR 5064, the Community Recreation Enhancement Act of
1992, to amend the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to increase
the ability of state and local governments to protect and enhance open
spaces, enhance the capability of state and local governments to provide
recreational opportunities.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Brady at meeting in Denver, CO (9/28-9/30).

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Sisto on AL (9/28-9/30);
Berkowitz on AL (9/28-10/9).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Gale and Broyles, ARM Team, Everglades and
Biscayne, FL (indefinite).

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