RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Thursday, July 22, 1993

Broadcast: By 0900 EDT

INCIDENTS

93-472 - Midwest Parks - Follow-up on Flood Impacts

* Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - A new flood crest - 47.1 feet,
about 17 feet above the park's eastern boundary - reached the park on
Wednesday night.  The railroad tunnel running under the Grand Staircase has
been completely flooded (the rail line itself has been closed down for the
past two weeks).  Health officials are concerned about pesticides and
herbicides that were being stored in flooded barns and outbuildings on
upriver farms.  They are also monitoring the mosquito population, as
encephalitis could become a problem.  Several areas along the riverfront
have been evacuated because large chemical and petroleum tanks had begun
shifting from the force of the flood waters; many tanks have since been
filled with water to provide added weight.  On Monday night, an electrical
fire broke out on a river boat adjacent to the park.  Because of the
flooding, the fire department staged its operations from park grounds. 
Firefighters had to be transported to the river boat by outboard motorboat,
and charged hoses had to be pulled across 150 feet of flood waters.  Visitor
and media use of the grounds to view the flood continues to be very high. 
All major networks have filmed the river from both sides of the Grand
Staircase at one time or another.  The park is presently pumping 800 to
1,000 gallons of water per minute from the sump areas of the underground
arch complex.  Three pumps have failed and have been replaced.  At this
time, all established pumping stations are working and emergency standby
pumps are being used at four other locations.  Many leaks are showing up in
places in the interior of the arch complex where water intrusion has never
before occurred.  The regional SET team which was dispatched to the park
last week has been relieved and replaced by a second team.  Dick Littlefield
of Indiana Dunes has arrived to serve as deputy incident commander during
the flood emergency.  [Deryl Stone, CR, JEFF, 7/21]

* Fort Larned (Kansas) - Almost all park land north of the Pawnee River is
now underwater, and water began flowing across the entrance road early on
Tuesday evening.  Access to the back entrance of the park has been blocked
by water which has risen across county roads.  It appeared likely that the
park would close on Wednesday and stay closed until the river crests and
water levels begin dropping again.  Levees are still keeping water well away
from park buildings; as a precaution, however, employees have begun moving
curatorial objects to higher locations.  Sand bags have been prepared and
the staff is on call to respond immediately in case water tops the levees. 
A number of volunteers have also offered to help if needed.  The county
ordered 10,000 additional sandbags, and they were due to arrive Tuesday
evening.  A 24-hour patrol is being maintained.  Heavy rain has been
forecast for the area.  If the Pawnee River west of the park receives much
more water, the park may lose electrical power.  [Steve Linderer,
Superintendent, FOLS, 7/20]

93-476 - Bighorn Canyon (Wyoming/Montana) - Drowning

The body of S.S. of Powell, Wyoming, was recovered in 65 feet of
water late on the morning of July 16th.  The coroner will conduct an autopsy
on the body.  The recovery effort, which began on July 11th, involved park
divers, other NPS personnel, and search dogs from the Bighorn County
sheriff's office and from Crow Agency, Montana.  [Dean Garrett, CR, BICA,
7/21]

93-509 - Denali (Alaska) - Aircraft Accident

A Cessna 185 on a sightseeing tour made a forced landing on the Lower Ruth
Glacier within the park on the evening of Tuesday, July 20th.  The pilot of
the K-2 Aviation plane reported that the plane's engine lost power while
they were flying at about 800 feet.  He was unable to restart the engine,
and the plane subsequently crashed on the glacier.  Four of the five people
on board were injured - all with a variety of fractures.  Ranger JD Swed
flew to the scene in a fixed-wing aircraft and dropped survival gear to the
victims.  National Guard and hospital helicopters arrived at the scene about
two hours after the accident and transported the passengers to medical
facilities.  NTSB is investigating.  [John Quinley, PA/ARO, 7/21]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire              7/21      7/22   Status

 AK    State   Tanana Zone     * B248             22,500    30,000   NEC
               SW Area         * 304632 - T2       3,320     2,400   NEC
       BLM     Anchorage       * B627                238       238   NEC

 CA    BLM     Cal Desert      * Stoddard #4           -     2,326   CND
       USFS    Angeles         * Maxwell               -       100   NEC

 GA    NPS     Cumberland Isl. * High Point            -       160   CN 7/22
       FWS     Okefenokee      * Hummingbird           -       160   CN 7/26

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 - 

* Cumberland Island - The High Point fire was started by lightning late on
  the afternoon of July 19th.  A helicopter and 20-person crew were ordered
  on the 21st; a Type II crew has been dispatched to the park from Florida.
  Control efforts are being hampered by the palmetto fuel type.  Some
  threat to historic sites exists.

4) ANALYSIS - Moderate initial attack activity continues throughout the
western United States.  Large acreage gains continue on numerous fires in
Alaska.

5) PROGNOSIS - A red flag watch has been issued for northern and western
Arizona and western New Mexico for dry conditions and winds.  Isolated
thunderstorms are forecast for the northern Great Basin, and isolated dry
thunderstorms have been predicted for the central Rockies.  Seasonal
temperatures and humidities continue in the Southwest.  The northern
interior and McGrath areas of Alaska will be mostly sunny.  Initial attack
will continue in California and the Southwest.  The potential for holdover
fires remains high.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 7/22]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Coulee Dam (Washington) - Endangered Species Reintroduction

Six fledgling, captive-produced peregrine falcons will arrive at Lake
Roosevelt this week.  Park resource management staffers conducted extensive
field surveys on the lake this spring and established a hack site.  The
falcons were raised at the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey
in Boise, Idaho, and two Fund attendants will feed and closely monitor the
activity of the young falcons until they learn to hunt for themselves and
disperse this fall.  The multi-year program is being managed by the NPS in
cooperation with the Washington Department of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and is being funded by the Bonneville Power Administration
as partial mitigation for wildlife losses that occurred from the
construction of Grand Coulee Dam.  The program will contribute to regional
and national recovery efforts for this endangered species by reintroducing
peregrines to an area where they historically occurred.  [Carl Sanders,
CODA]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Dickerhoof on AL (7/19-7/22).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Farrel at NPS-58 revision meeting (7/19-7/23);
Botti and Berg on FIREPRO audit of SWR (7/19-7/23); Gale on AL (7/22-7/23).

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