RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Thursday, December 10, 1992

Release:   0800 EDT

INCIDENTS

92-632 - Knife River (North Dakota) - Follow-up on Employee Injury

During ranger Ken Woody's stay in the hospital, the park is seeking economic
assistance for his wife, L.W., and their three young children, who are
staying in temporary lodging in Bismarck during his recuperation.  The
associated expenses present a financial hardship for the family,
particularly during the holiday season.  Anyone wishing to make a
contribution to help the family may send a check payable to L.W.
to Betty Boyko, Acting Superintendent, Knife River Indian Villages NHS, PO
Box 9, Stanton, NC 58571.  Questions should be directed to Brian Reilly in
RMRO at 303-969-2640.  [Brian Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 12/7]

92-636 - Chickamauga-Chattanooga (Georgia) - Poaching Arrest

On Thanksgiving morning, off-duty ranger Bob Keebler saw a person wearing
camouflage, later identified as S.M. of Ringgold, Georgia, standing
near a truck on the battlefield.  About five minutes later, Keebler heard a
gunshot coming from the point where S.M. had last been seen.  He located
on-duty ranger Earl Yates and returned to the area.  When they arrived, they
found S.M. departing in his pickup and stopped him.  A field-dressed,
eight-point buck was found on the truck's front floor board.  Keebler was
able to locate the entrails and additional evidence implicating S.M. in
poaching the animal on the battlefield.  A search of the pickup led to the
discovery of a hunting rifle and a .44 magnum pistol with one spent round. 
S.M. was charged with hunting and weapons violations.  [Marcella Gibson,
RAD/SERO, 12/8]

92-637 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Successful Search

On the afternoon of Thursday, December 3rd, Bluestone Subdistrict rangers
learned of a search in progress for an overdue hunter on land inside the
boundary of Bluestone NSR, which is administered by the park.  The hunter,
S.F., 22, of Princeton, West Virginia, had been missing since
Wednesday afternoon, when he failed to return from hunting at a deer stand
in the area.  That same afternoon, a storm deposited from two to four inches
of snow in the area and dropped temperatures into the teens.  S.F.'s
family did not notify authorities until late on Wednesday, after their own
search proved fruitless.  Rangers and an NPS contract helicopter joined the
search effort at 6 a.m. on Friday morning.  Temperatures remained in the
teens and low twenties, and forecasters predicted another six inches of snow
within 24 hours.  Park search teams established voice contact with S.F. at
4 p.m. that afternoon, but were unable to locate him due to the rugged
terrain and snow despite efforts that continued through the night.  On
Saturday morning, teams continued their attempts to gain access to the gorge
and cliff band area where he appeared to be located, and an NPS searcher
finally located him in a small cave under a cliff.  Even though S.F. had
no food, water or fire for 67 hours and had only a pair of insulated
coveralls for protection during the adverse weather, he was found in fairly
good condition, with only a minor hip injury and severely swollen feet.  He
was evacuated to a helicopter landing zone which had been cleared by
chainsaws on private land, then flown to a waiting ambulance for transport
to a hospital in Princeton.  S.F. was released from the hospital after
only a six-hour observation period.  A unified command comprised of
representatives from the park, state DNR and county emergency services
provided overhead for the search, which included personnel from those
agencies, state park and forestry divisions and local SAR units.  [Bill
Blake, CR, NERI, 12/6]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) Wetlands Donation Program - The National Wildlife Federation's current
gift catalog lists a save-the-wetlands program which gives buyers "title" to
a small portion of a wetland and indicates that the wetland acreage to
"purchased" will be turned over to the National Park Service.  The Water
Resources Division has learned that the program is bona fide, but that
funding from the program goes to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for
wetlands purchases.  NWF has been alerted and will correct the catalogue
next year.  [Abby Miller, Natural Resources, WASO]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Erskine at BLM regional FMO meeting (12/9-12/11);
Norum instructing RX590 (11/30-12/11); Gale with work group
developing all-risk emergency handbook (12/7-12/11).

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