RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Friday, July 9, 1993

Broadcast: By 0830 ET

INCIDENTS

93-425 - Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska) - Follow-up on Search

The body of P.K., 28, of Alexandria, Virginia, was recovered from the
headwaters of the White River near the toe of Russell Glacier on Saturday,
July 3rd.  P.K. apparently flipped his small raft shortly after putting in
and quickly encountered violent waves and hydraulics.  It's believed that
his body was held underwater for at least six days, as the area where it was
found had been searched many times by dog teams, ground searchers and
aircraft, including a military Blackhawk helicopter equipped with infrared
radar.  Resources were called in from many agencies, including the Alaska
Fire Service, Civil Air Patrol, Air Force, Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
and local air-taxi operators.  The incident was managed under the ICS
system; district ranger Sean McGuinness was the incident commander.  [C-C.
Stroble, RAD/ARO, 7/7]

93-461 - Isle Royale (Michigan) - Boat Fire

An explosion occurred on the 26-foot-long, steel-hulled cabin motorboat Pat-
Ter-Lie just after 4 a.m. on July 3rd while it was docked for the night at
Moskey Basin.  On board at the time were the owner, A.W.J. of
Nipigon, Ontario, his wife, and two other Canadians.  Gas fumes stemming
from a leak in the transom gas tank were presumably ignited by the pilot
light of the on-board propane stove.  Extensive damage was done to the
interior of the boat by the explosion and the ensuing fire, but,
miraculously, only one of the boat's occupants suffered minor burns.  The
fire was extinguished within minutes by occupants of another boat at the
same dock who were traveling with the J.s.  Without this quick action,
the 40 remaining gallons of gasoline in the fuel tank, three five-gallon
jerry cans of gasoline, three 20-pound canisters of propane, ten liters of
kerosene and one gallon of white gas would probably have exploded.  The boat
was towed to Nipigon on July 4th for repairs.  Violation notices were issued
for having an illegal fire, unlawful display of fireworks, disturbing the
peace, damaging government property, discharging petroleum products into the
waters of Lake Superior, and incorrectly displaying a permit.  [ISRO, 7/8]

93-462 - Petroglyph (New Mexico) - Shooting

Around 7:30 a.m. on July 8th, a jogger found a man critically wounded near
the volcanoes, an area within the park's boundary but on Albuquerque Open
Space land.  Open Space rangers and a city ambulance responded.  The victim
had been beaten and shot in the head.  The incident may be related to drug
trafficking.  The Bernalillo County sheriff's office and Open Space rangers
are continuing the investigation.  [Reed McCluskey, PETR, 7/8]

93-463 - Cape Cod (Massachusetts) - Hazardous Materials Dumping

A sealed waste drum which may contain nuclear materials was discovered on
the beach in the park's North District on July 7th.  The drum, which is
labeled NRC 1112-1234 and NRC 34, was reported by a park visitor, who found
it between two tern nesting areas on the beach.  The park requested an on-
scene coordinator from the National Response Center, and the center was
about to dispatch a specialist at the time of the report.  A safety zone was
established around the drum and photographs of the site were taken.  [David
Crary, FMO, CACO, 7/7, and Hank Brightman, NARO, 7/8]

93-464 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Special Event

The 13th Annual Veiled Prophet Fair was held over the three-day Fourth of
July weekend on and adjacent to park grounds under a permit issued to the
city of Saint Louis.  Park law enforcement rangers were augmented by St.
Louis police and by four special events teams - three from Midwest Region
and a fourth from Southwest Region.  The incident command system was
utilized to manage the event.  All emergency medical services were handled
by the regional medical center; of the medical problems which occurred over
the weekend, heat-related ailments were the most common.  A fair-goes was
injured on the bungee jump adjacent to park property after the operators
failed to secure a safety hook and he fell 200 feet to an air bag below. 
The victim was taken to a local hospital, treated for minor injuries, and
released.  Law enforcement incidents included an attempt to take a ranger's
weapon from its holster, concealed weapons violations (both handguns and
knives), two felony assaults, and numerous misdemeanor violations, the
majority alcohol-related.  Over the course of the three-day fair, 27 arrests
were made and 58 violation notices were issued.  A side window of a patrol
car was kicked out by one of those arrested; additional charges have been
placed against him.  Fair activities included two daily air shows, nightly
fireworks, and concerts by Sawyer Brown, Chicago, Melissa Etheridge, James
Brown, Levert, and Dolly Parton.  Severe flooding caused many last minute
changes in fair activities as the Mississippi River encroached on park
property and closed the levee.  [James Jackson, JEFF, 7/8]

93-465 - Lake Mead (Arizona/Nevada) - Assist; Major Accident

A three-vehicle accident injuring ten people occurred on Highway 93 just
south of Hoover Dam just before 9 p.m. on July 5th.  Arizona DPS contacted
the park shortly thereafter and requested major fire, medical and traffic
assistance.  Two park engines, the Boulder District medical rescue unit and
four patrol units responded.  Boulder Beach Engine Four personnel extricated
two victims who were trapped in their vehicles.  Three victims who were
critically injured were transported by Flight for Life and DPS helicopters,
and six others were treated and transported by park and Kingman, Arizona,
ambulances.  Total emergency units on scene consisted of two helicopters,
the two park structural engines, one park rescue unit, the Kingman
ambulance, and nine DPS and NPS patrol units.  Highway 93, which is a major
route from Phoenix to Las Vegas, was blocked for over three hours, with
traffic backed up over six miles.  [CRO, LAME, 7/7]

93-466 - Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) - Probably Suicide

A body found in a van off the road along the Joppa Ridge motor nature trail
on the morning of July 8th has been identified as that of 31-year-old T.R.,
a resident of nearby Cave City.  Ranger Brad McDougal investigated
and learned that T.R. had been involved in a domestic dispute with his
wife the previous afternoon.  He then traveled to the park, where he was
contacted on the trail around 7:30 p.m. by ranger Faith Koeck.  T.R.
assured Koeck that he was just enjoying the park and that there was no
problem.  Family members reported that T.R. had a history of mental
problems and had attempted suicide previously.  An autopsy is underway. 
[Brad McDougal, MACA, 7/8]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire               7/8       7/9   Status

 AK    State   Delta Area        312489              500       500   NEC

 NM    USFS    Santa Fe          Quemado - T2      3,830     3,830   CN 7/10
               Lincoln         * Rawhide               -       400   CN 7/10

 AZ    USFS    Tonto           * Shoe                  -       600   CND

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 significant reports received from parks yesterday.

4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity was moderate throughout the West
yesterday.  Most of the activity that did occur was in the Southwest,
southern California, Colorado and Nevada.

5) PROGNOSIS - Hot and dry weather will continue in the Southwest, but
temperatures will moderate in mountain areas.  Isolated thunderstorms will
occur over the Colorado mountains, southeast Arizona and New Mexico. 
Moderate activity is expected to continue in the Southwest and California.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 7/9]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota) - Leafy Spurge Management

Infestations of leafy spurge in the park have grown from 32 acres in 1972 to
perhaps several thousand acres in 1993.  Significant ecological disruptions
of plant communities are occurring as spurge replaces native species.  Leafy
spurge infestations within North Dakota have had a serious economic impact -
an approximately $10 million loss - on the state's agricultural economy.  In
order to develop control strategies, the park's resource management staff
and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) employed high resolution
aerial color photography and an integration of airborne video and GPS
technologies to detect and map spurge during the week of June 15th.  ARS
flew the South Unit and portions of the adjoining Little Missouri National
Grasslands.  A GIS map will be prepared from these photographs and used to
evaluate types of integrated pest management techniques which can be
employed to control the spurge.  Control actions have included herbicide
application by hand crews and by specially equipped micro-foil boom
helicopters.  A 195-acre study plot was sprayed from the air between June
21st and 23rd.  Agreements have been signed with ARS, the state Department
of Agriculture and North Dakota State University to establish insectaries
and expand research efforts.  Insect species which are natural predators of
leafy spurge in Eurasia will be employed.  Park staff realize that they
won't eliminate the spurge, but hope that an acceptable ecological balance
can be developed between spurge and native plant communities.  The herbicide
program will be run in close coordination with all biological control
programs.  [Roger Andrascik, RMS, THRO]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Smith on AL (7/6-7/14).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: No leave or travel scheduled.

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