RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Friday, May 28, 1993

Broadcast: By 0830 ET

INCIDENTS

93-258 - Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania (Virginia) - Follow-up on Injury

Noel Harrison, the park's cultural resource management specialist, remains
in intensive care at Fairfax Hospital as a result of injuries he received in
the May 15th auto accident.  He has had operations on his back and an eye,
and has been on and off of a respirator because of injuries to his chest. 
The prognosis for his recovery is good, but it appears at this time that
there will be some paralysis to the lower portion of his body.  Cards (no
flowers, please) should be sent to Noel Harrison, Fairfax Hospital, ICU2-2,
3300 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA 22046.  Noel would love to hear from
everyone in his Park Service family.  Meanwhile, Vincent McWhirt, the driver
of the car that struck Noel's, has turned himself in to state police. 
Charges against him are pending.  [CRO, FRSP, 5/27]

93-288 - Olympic (Washington) - Search in Progress

A major search is underway for a 38-year-old woman who disappeared while
day-hiking with her male companion along the Graves Creek trail in the
Quinault subdistrict on May 25th.  The two were hiking in increasingly steep
terrain late in the afternoon when the male got ahead of her.  He waited for
her to catch-up; when she failed to appear, he back-tracked, but was unable
to locate her on either the main trail or adjoining game trails.  He then
returned to the ranger station and reported her missing at 10 p.m.  Hasty
teams, including the park's SAR dog team, immediately searched the area, but
were unable to find her.  A full-scale search was begun the following
morning.  Total resources committed to the search by 5 p.m. included 51
ground searchers, 18 overhead personnel, four SAR dog teams and a
helicopter.  No new clues were found.  Another 32 searchers, four search
dogs, and three divers were deployed yesterday.  [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 5/26]

93-289 - Appalachian Trail (Eastern States) - Homicide

The badly burned body of a female homicide victim was discovered yesterday
morning on the Appalachian Trail in northern Maryland.  Two southbound
hikers came upon the body just south of the Hemlock Hill Shelter, near
Smithsburg, Maryland, and reported it to Maryland state park rangers.  Early
indications are that the victim was not a hiker, but details are sketchy. 
The body was located on Maryland park lands, and the investigation is being
handled by Maryland DNR and state police.  [Bill Sanders, CR, APPA, 5/27]

93-290 - Zion (Utah) - Arrest of Concession Employee

On the morning of May 25th, rangers and FBI agents arrested 19-year-old
D.M., a Zion Lodge concession employee, on a felony warrant for
trafficking in stolen property.  D.M. was one of 51 people arrested that
morning in a statewide sweep involving 275 officers.  The arrests culminated
a year-long undercover sting operation based in Holladay, Utah.  Twenty-nine
of those charged are gang members.  Officers recovered $1 million in stolen
property, including televisions, cellular phones, stereos, jewelry, 37 cars
and two tractor-trailers loaded with interstate shipments.  Homemade bombs,
machine guns, and stolen military weapons were among the items exchanged at
the Holladay gun shop which fronted the sting operation.  [Larry Van Slyke,
CR, ZION, 5/26]

93-291 - Lassen Volcanic (California) - Spill

A patrolling ranger noticed petroleum-based residue in melting snow
immediately adjacent to the chalet at the ski area on May 23rd.  An
investigation is underway to determine the source, and samples have been
submitted for testing and analysis.  The National Response Center and
California Office of Emergency Services have been notified, and the county
has also responded.  Clean-up is being handled by a private contractor. 
Snow and slush is being placed in portable swimming pools to melt; the
resulting liquid is then being collected in barrels and transported out of
the park.  Clean-up may take up to two weeks, depending on snow melt, and
the total cost is estimated at $15,000.  The incident is being managed under
the incident command system.  [Bryan Swift, CR, LAVO, 5/27]

93-292 - Buffalo (Arkansas) - Assault

On May 9th, rangers received a report from the Newton County sheriff's
office that an assault had occurred at Carver Landing.  Two individuals from
the local community who had been involved in a prior shooting incident
outside the park got into a fist fight.  One of them picked up a stick or
pipe and hit the other on the head numerous times.  The victim was taken to
a local hospital and placed in intensive care.  The assailant was arrested
by county deputies on the 14th and will be tried in state court.  [Bob
Howard, LES, BUFF, 5/27]

93-293 - Buffalo (Arkansas) - Rescue

A 13-year-old girl fell from the top of Eden Falls in the Lost Valley area
of the park on May 22nd and fractured both her knees.  She'd been hiking
around the top of the falls when she slipped and fell about 30 feet. 
Rangers Tim Francis, Rod Turner, Jim Capra, Barry Munyon, Glen Dodson and
Rusty Wright responded, stabilized her injuries, and carried her a mile and
a half to a waiting ambulance.  [Bob Howard, LES, BUFF, 5/27]

93-294 - Lowell (Massachusetts) - Assist on Felony

On January 25th, S.K., 19, and three accomplices robbed two
juveniles of their jackets at knife point.  S.K. then fled in a stolen
motor vehicle which was stopped on lands adjacent to park property.  Ranger
Patrick Carnahan assisted Lowell police in the vehicle stop and arrest,
which occurred within the park.  At the time of the incident, S.K. was
on probation for his involvement in an attempted beating that preceded a
drive-by shooting that injured two people.  On May 2nd, S.K. was
sentenced to three to five years in state prison for his role in the
robbery.  Sentencing for the other defendants is scheduled for late May. 
[Galen Marr, CR, LOWE, 5/27]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire              5/27     5/28    Status

 AZ    USFS    Gila              Whiskey             700      700    CN 5/30

NOTES:

- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report). T1 and T2
  indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
- Status - The following abbreviations are employed:

  NR - No report received      MS - Modified suppression strategy
  CL - Controlled              MN - Being monitored
  CS - Confinement strategy    NEC - No estimate of containment
  CND - Contained(
  CN (date) - Expected date of containment

3) PARK FIRE REPORTS - No reports today.

4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity continued in Florida and the Southwest
yesterday.  High to very high indices were recorded and thunderstorm
activity continued in both areas.
   
5) PROGNOSIS - A red flag watch is in effect in Arizona for high winds. 
Initial attack activity will continue in the Southwest because of forecasted
afternoon and evening thunderstorms.  Initial attack activity is expected in
Florida, as high pressure and strong, gusty winds are predicted.  Cooler
temperatures in southern California will continue to minimize initial
attack.  High to very high fire dangers will continue in the Southwest and
Florida.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 5/28]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

George Washington Memorial Parkway (Virginia) - Species Inventory

On May 26th, contract botanist Chris Fleming completed the first inventory
of vascular plants in the Turkey Run Park area of the parkway.  This 200-
acre section in the palisades portion of the Potomac River is characterized
by mature hardwood forest and a narrow floodplain.  A recent report by the
Virginia Division of Natural Heritage, the state agency in charge of rare
and threatened species listings, calls the Turkey Run upland woods "one of
the finest hardwood forests in Virginia in terms of quality, maturity and
overall diversity."  Fleming found 416 native species on the tract -
approximately a quarter of all plant species found in the state.  Ten state
listed rare species and 11 watch list species were found, many of which were
fist sightings for the park.  Butternut hickory (Juglans nigra) is also a
candidate for federal listing due to its recent decline from a fungus
blight.  Management of the area will present challenges, since 79 exotic
species were found in Turkey Run, including the highly invasive wisteria and
devil's tail (Polygonum perfoliatum), a very recent arrival.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Dickerhoof at regional LES
conference (5/24-5/27); Martin on AL (5/28-6/6).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd at National Wildfire Coordinating Group
(NWCG) meeting (5/25-5/28); Erskine at MAC group steering committee meeting
(5/24-5/26); Broyles at NWCG safety and health working team meetings (5/22-
5/29); Gale on AL (5/22-5/26); Farrel at NFPA and NWCG meetings (5/22-5/29);
Cook on IHC detail (5/25-10/15); Berg at meeting (5/24-5/28).

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
SkyPager:  Emergencies ONLY (numeric message) - 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843 
SkyTalk:   Emergencies ONLY (voice message) - 1-800-759-8255, PIN 2404843