RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Wednesday, February 24, 1993

Broadcast:By 0800 EST

INCIDENTS

93-82 - Craters of the Moon (Idaho) - Rescues

On February 20th, the park's staff was preparing for it's "Winterfest" - a
day of cross-country ski lessons, sledding, snow sculpture, crafts, sleigh
rides, SAR demonstrations, and food - when a severe winter storm arrived,
bringing 40 mph winds, heavy snow and white-out conditions for five hours. 
Automobiles and trailer trucks were stranded along Highway 20/26, which
passes through the park.  The timing was fortuitous; because of the
preparations for the festival, the entire staff was working and prepared for
winter conditions, hot food and drinks had been prepared, and the Butte
County SAR team and deputy sheriff were on-site with radios and gear. 
Rangers, maintenance employees, and county units rescued a number of
motorists from the highway and led them back to the visitor center.  A total
of 45 people were stranded there, since highways in all directions were
closed.  When the storm broke around 3:30 that afternoon, the park offered
horse-drawn sleigh rides to all the stranded visitors until the roads were
reopened.  [CRMO, 2/23]

93-83 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Car Clout

Four visitors from Mexico parked their rental passenger van in the Old
Cathedral parking lot while visiting the Arch on the afternoon of February
17th.  When they returned 45 minutes later, they found that their vehicle
had been broken into and that a number of personal items had been taken,
including a three-quarter length mink coat (valued at $4,100), two leather
and mink waist length coats ($2,100), a pair of black ostrich cowboy boots
($800), gold and silver jewelry ($4,150), and approximately $6,700 in
luggage and clothing.  The total loss is estimated at about $18,000.  The
thief or thieves apparently entered the van by forcing a crude tool between
the window glass and door frame molding, then applying pressure until the
glass fractured.  A joint investigation is being conducted by the park's law
enforcement personnel and the St. Louis police department.  [John Weddle,
CI, JNEM, 2/23]

93-84 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Rescue

On the afternoon of February 20th, W.B.S., 20, of Fort
Washington, Maryland, dislocated the patella of his right knee while hiking
on a rugged section of the Ridge Trail near the summit of Old Rag Mountain
with a group from a local university.  An EMT in the party provided initial
medical treatment and stabilized W.B.S.'s injury.  A ranger reached
W.B.S. by 6:15 p.m. and reported that the entire trail was treacherous due
to ice and that carry-out efforts would be extremely difficult.  Due to
impending nightfall, the rugged, icy terrain, and a forecast for snow and
freezing rain the following morning, the incident commander requested
assistance from Eagle I, the Park Police helicopter.  The helicopter arrived
at about 9:30 p.m. and employed a rescue net and hoist to extricate W.B.S.
and transport him to a hospital in the D.C. area.  [Bob Martin, Acting DR,
SHEN, 2/22]

93-85 - Big Thicket (Texas) - Homicide-Related Incident

On the evening of February 15th, L.W.C., 40, shot and killed his
father, V.C., 64, at his father's residence in Livingston, Texas,
then loaded the body into a vehicle and dumped it in the Big Sand Creek unit
of the park.  County officers arrested L.W.C. following a high speed chase. 
The park was notified upon discovery of V.C.'s body.  [Mike
Livingston, CR, BITH, 2/23]

93-86 - Big Bend (Texas) - Drug Arrests

On the morning of February 21st, a Border Patrol agent spotted a vehicle
traveling through the park which had earlier been reported as a possible
suspect vehicle being utilized for narcotics smuggling through the park. 
Drugs were thought to be hidden in the spare tire.  Rangers and "Judge Roy
Bean", the park's narcotics detection dog, were called in to assist. 
Following positive confirmation of the vehicle description and tag number,
contact was made with the vehicle's two occupants at an overlook.  The dog
alerted to the area surrounding the spare tire and air stem.  Subsequent
investigation led to the discovery of 31 pounds of marijuana in the tire. 
Two suspects in their 40s were arrested.  [Jim Northup, BIBE, 2/23]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Glacier (Montana) - "Magic Pack" Matriarch Killed

The female wolf known to be the first wolf to den in the western United
States following extirpation of wolves from Montana in the early '30s was
legally killed by a hunter in Alberta, Canada, in December.  The wolf was
the alpha female of the first pack of wolves that were documented to spend
most of its time in Montana subsequent to the winter of 1985-86.  That
original pack became known as the "Magic Pack" because of its tendency to
appear and disappear for periods of time.  In 1986, she denned in Glacier
and raised five pups - the first documented den in the western U.S. in over
50 years.  By the denning season of 1987, the original pack had split up,
and she had moved north into Canada to raise another litter of pups.  During
the almost eight years that this wolf was followed, she never got into
trouble with livestock.  Most of the wolves comprising the three packs
currently in Glacier are her direct descendants.  Studies show that Glacier
now serves as an extremely important source of wolves for surrounding areas. 
[Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 2/23]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Brady at ARD/Operations meeting (2/23-2/26).

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Halainen and Sisto at
Congressional orientation course (2/24).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Spruill at NPS aviation accident review board
meeting (2/22-2/26); Gale at meeting in ARO (2/22-2/25) and instructing at
all-risk training course (2/26-2/28); Broyles and Bristol at training and
safety and health conferences (2/21-3/2); Erskine at fire meeting with
regional FMOs (2/24-2/26).

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-4874
           Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5572
Telefax:   Branch of R&VP - 202-208-6756
           Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5977
cc:Mail:   Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
           Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation