RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Monday, August 2, 1993

Broadcast: By 0900 EDT

INCIDENTS

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

* Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Around 1 a.m. this morning, a
riverboat containing a Burger King restaurant broke loose from its moorings
along the park's waterfront and began hitting other boats.  The rear half of
the Burger King boat eventually sank, but the front section caught fire and
collided with an old minesweeper.  The two boats then ran into the southeast
side of the Poplar Street bridge.  Other boats came ashore on the Grand
Staircase within the park.  The extent of damage to the staircase is not yet
known.  The river is expected to crest at 49.4 feet in St. Louis today. 
Park staff are moving as much equipment as possible in case city levees
break.  Floodwaters now cover about 175,000 square feet of park grounds. 
It's estimated that about $500,000 in damages have occurred to date. 
Concerns regarding a possible health hazard created by water intrusion into
the arch ventilation system are being reviewed by a number of specialists. 
Interior pumps are keeping ahead of the water intrusion, but more water is
expected with today's flood crest.  Secondary pumps are on hand to provide
additional pumping capability.  [Deryl Stone, CR, JNEM, 7/30; John Townsend,
RAD/MWRO, 8/2]

93-540 - Baltimore-Washington Parkway (D.C./Maryland) - Officer Injured

On the afternoon of July 29th, officer David Kerr stopped to contact a
bicyclist on the northbound side of the parkway near Powdermill Road.  While
standing in front of his car on the shoulder, an accident occurred nearby in
the left lane of the parkway.  One of the vehicles careened to the right,
struck Kerr, and knocked him over the guard rail and down an embankment.  A
Park Police helicopter flew Kerr to a local hospital, where he was admitted
in stable condition with contusions and bruises.  A total of five vehicles
were involved in the accident, but there were no other injuries.  The
northbound lanes were closed for approximately three hours while an accident
reconstruction specialist and technicians investigated the events.  [Lt.
Lance Ludwick, USPP, 7/29]

93-541 - Manassas (Virginia) - Structural Fire; Possible Arson

A fire was discovered at the historic Robinson House just before 8 p.m. on
July 26th.  The house was engulfed in flames by the time units from five
local volunteer fire departments arrived on scene.  Due to the dry condition
and age of the house, the fire was not fully contained until 11:30 p.m. 
Approximately 90 percent of the structure was damaged.  Since the fire was
of suspicious origin, an investigation is being conducted by the Prince
William County fire marshall and by federal law enforcement agencies.  The
house is an exterior exhibit important to interpretation of both the First
and Second Battles of Manassas in 1861 and 1862 and the story of the
African-American family living there at the time of the battles.  [MANA,
7/28]

93-542 - Glacier (Montana) - Grizzly Bear Encounter; Injuries Sustained

L.H. and T.H., ages 51 and 53, were day-hiking on the Cracker Lake
trail about four miles from the trailhead in Many Glacier Valley on August
1st when they were injured in a surprise encounter with a grizzly bear.  The
couple first saw the bear approximately 20 to 30 yards away as it crested a
rise in the trail and was charging toward them.  The female grizzly was
accompanied by two subadults who reportedly left the trail.  The female
first encountered L.H. where she had dropped behind a nearby tree into a
protective fetal position.  She sustained a wound to her right thigh and
puncture wounds to her left knee and head.  T.H. attempted to
distract the bear by yelling at it.  When it turned on him, he dropped into
a fetal position.  The bear inflicted puncture wounds to T.H.'s right
wrist, left chest and left buttock.  The bear then left the area.  The
H.s dressed their wounds and were hiking out of the area when they met
a concession-operated horse ride.  A member of the horse party was a medical
student wand was able to provide additional first aid at the scene.  One of
the two wranglers rode ahead to notify rangers, while the other wrangler and
members of the party assisted the H.s at the scene and evacuated them
to Many Glacier on horseback.  Rangers met the party as they were
approaching the trailhead.  The H.s were taken by separate air
ambulance helicopters to Columbus Hospital in Great Falls.  The last such
incident on the Cracker Lake trail occurred on July 17, 1989.  The bear's
reaction clearly appears to have been defensive, and no action against the
bear is planned.  The trail has been closed and will remain closed in
accordance with the park's bear management policy until several consecutive
patrols have occurred without sightings or evidence of bears remaining in
the immediate area.  Signs notifying hikers of grizzly frequency had been
posted on the trail prior to the incident.  [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 8/1]

93-543 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Serious Visitor Injury

T.C., 21, of Lubbock, Texas, received second degree burns over
approximately a third of his body after being sprayed during a geyser
eruption in the Midway Geyser Basin near Old Faithful around 2:30 p.m. on
July 28th.  T.C. was visiting the park with companions and had stopped to
view the geyser features in the basin.  He and a friend were standing in
front of Flood Geyser having their picture taken when the geyser erupted and
T.C. was burned on his backside and lower arms.  T.C.'s companion was
able to move away from the geyser and was not injured.  A park concession
employee reported the incident, and rangers responded immediately.  They
provided emergency medical care and evacuated T.C. by helicopter to West
Yellowstone.  T.C. was then flown to the Intermountain Burn Center at
University Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he is currently listed in
critical but stable condition.  [CRO, YELL, 7/30]

93-544 - Great Sand Dunes (Colorado) - Car Clouts

On July 25th, rangers received six reports of car clouts which occurred in
the Pinyon Flats campground between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. the previous night. 
Items taken included cash and a portable Sony CD player, but other expensive
items were left untouched.  Most of the victims were tent camping within a
few feet of their vehicles.  There were no visible signs of forcible entry. 
All but two of the windows were found closed, and all doors were locked. 
There are no suspects or witnesses at this time.  [John Dunfee, GRSA, 8/2]

93-545 - Great Falls (Virginia) - Climbing Fall; Rescue

Rangers from Great Falls and the C&O Canal and a Park Police helicopter
responded to the report of a rock climbing injury in the Splinter area of
the park on July 29th.  D.B., 23, had fallen approximately 15 feet
to a rock scree area while free climbing and had suffered severe injuries to
his right leg and ankle.  Rangers and Fairfax County EMS personnel
stabilized the injury and carried D.B. to a point where he could be
airlifted by helicopter to a local hospital.  He is in good condition.  This
is the fifth climbing incident of the year at the park.  [John Howard,
RAD/NCRO, 7/30]

93-546 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Concession Employee Drowning

On the evening of July 28th, a German visitor advised rangers at Lodgepole
campground that he'd seen someone fall in the vicinity of Tokopah Falls on
the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River.  A second German visitor who was
swimming in the pools below the falls reported that she'd seen a daypack
wash into the pool with her.  She retrieved the daypack and a shirt that had
also washed into the pool; after meeting with the male visitor on the trail,
the pair hiked to Lodgepole and reported the incident.  Due to language
problems, there was some initial confusion, but a concession employee who
spoke fluent German was able to assist and clear up questions.  A quick
search of the Marble Fork from the campground to the base of the falls was
conducted, but turned up only a pair of jeans.  Search operations were
suspended after that due to the extreme hazard presented to anyone climbing
in the area after dark.  The search was resumed the following morning by
ground searchers and a contract helicopter.  During the early stages of the
search, a concession employee reported that he'd been hiking with a friend
in the area of the falls, that they'd become separated, and that he'd
wondered if the helicopter was looking for his friend.  This was the first
report received of anyone missing in the area.  At about 11 a.m., the
searchers located the body of the victim at the bottom of a pool below the
falls.  The name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. 
[Mike Warren, Acting CR, SEKI, 7/28]

93-547 - Padre Island (Texas) - Drug Seizure

On the evening of July 25th, rangers saw a man cross Mansfield Channel by
inflatable raft to Padre Island, where he buried a duffle bag on the beach. 
The area was kept under surveillance.  Several hours later, the same man
drove down the beach in a pickup truck and retrieved the duffle bag.  A stop
was attempted, whereupon the man fled in his vehicle.  It soon became stuck
in a sand dune, though, and the man was apprehended after a short foot
chase.  A search of the duffle bag revealed that it contained 51 pounds of
marijuana.  Rangers also found $4,500 in cash in the truck.  The truck and
cash have been seized; the man will be prosecuted in federal court.  [T.L.
McDaniel, PAIS, 8/2]

93-548 - Pictured Rocks (Michigan) - Search 

J.H. and J.B., both 15, began a hike from the Twelve Mile
Beach campground at 3 p.m. on July 27th.  At 11:20 p.m., rangers were
notified that the boys had not returned from the hike.  Ground and water
hasty searches were conducted along the lake Superior shoreline and the
Lakeshore hiking trail.  The two boys were found walking along a local
county road near the Hurricane River campground at 9 a.m. on the morning of
the 28th.  The boys had walked to the town of Grand Marais, 15 miles from
the departure point, then had tried to return to the campground at night and
become disoriented.  They'd spent the night along the shoreline and had
weathered a severe thunderstorm.  [Larry Hach, CR, PIRO, 7/30]

93-549 - Lassen Volcanic (California) - Search

At 4:15 p.m. on July 29th, rangers received a report that V.S. of
East Amherst, New York, was overdue from a hike on the Bumpass Hell trail. 
V.S.'s children had attempted to hike from Kings Creek to Bumpass Hell;
when they lost the trail, they returned to the Kings Creek trailhead. 
V.S. was hiking the trail in an attempt to locate his children, but got
off the trail and became lost.  Three hasty teams and a California Highway
Patrol helicopter began a search.  V.S. was spotted from the helicopter
at 7:40 p.m.  He was about two miles off his intended route.  V.S. was
dressed in tennis shoes, T-shirt and shorts.  He was evacuated by helicopter
and reunited with his family at the Bumpass Hell trailhead.  [Bryan Swift,
CR, LAVO, 7/30]

93-550 - Kings Mountain (South Carolina) - MVA with Fatality and Injuries

A Ford Aerostar van being operated by R.L.B., 40, ran off Main
Park Drive and struck a tree while being pursued by Cherokee County deputies
at 7:30 p.m. on July 27th.  R.L.B. was suspected of shoplifting $41 worth of
steaks from a local supermarket.  Three passengers were ejected from the van
upon impact.  NPS staffers and units from two county sheriff's departments,
one local township, the South Carolina Highway Patrol and three EMS agencies
all responded to the scene.  R.L.B. and two other victims were flown to the
trauma center at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina,
where R.L.B. died of head and internal injuries approximately two hours
later.  A joint investigation by rangers, highway patrol officers and
deputies determined that R.L.B., who had a lengthy criminal record, had
escaped from the Union County jail on June 3rd.  By the afternoon of the
30th, three passengers had been discharged from local hospitals.  Ranger
Kevin Taylor served as incident commander.  [Kevin Taylor, KIMO, 7/30]

93-551 - Gulf Islands (Mississippi/Florida) - Drowning

S.M., 66, was pulled from Gulf waters by park lifeguards at
Johnson Beach on Perdido Key on the afternoon of July 26th.  He was not
breathing and had no pulse.  Lifeguards had seen S.M. swimming strongly
just moments before and it did not appear that he was having any
difficulties, but they spotted him floating face down shortly thereafter. 
Although CPR was begun immediately and S.M. was medevaced by hospital
minutes later, he was pronounced dead on arrival at Baptist Hospital in
Pensacola.  The surf was rough and yellow caution flags were out at the time
of the incident.  While this incident was going on, rangers received a
report of another possible drowning a mile and a half further down the key
on the sound side.  They found an extremely intoxicated 29-year-old female
who'd been pulled from the water and was breathing on her own.  Because
she'd taken in some salt water, she was taken to the hospital by the same
ambulance that had responded to the first incident.  She was held for
observation, then released with no apparent problems.  [Gene Phillips, CR,
GUIS, 7/26]

93-552 - Glen Canyon (Arizona/Utah) - MVA with Fatality

On the morning of July 23rd, family friends found the body of M.M.,
38, of Church Wells, Utah, alongside Highway 89 about two miles northwest of
the Glen Canyon Dam.  M.M. was on his motorcycle when he apparently failed
to negotiate a slight left hand curve, struck a guard rail at high speed,
and was thrown with his motorcycle approximately 100 feet into a barrow pit
and out of sight of road traffic.  The incident apparently occurred sometime
after midnight as M.M. was returning home from Page, Arizona.  Alcohol is
believed to have been involved.  [Larry Clark, CR, GLCA, 7/26]

93-553 - Glen Canyon (Arizona/Utah) - Drowning

D.J.L., 25, of Newport Beach, California, drowned in the
Escalante Arm of Lake Powell about 35 miles south of Bullfrog Marina early
on the morning of July 25th.  D.J.L. and friends were aboard a houseboat
when he told a companion that he was going to swim underneath the houseboat
and pull the fishing line of another passenger as a joke.  When D.J.L. did
not surface and there was no response from the friend who was fishing, a
search was begun.  Thinking he might be trapped underneath the hull,
D.J.L.'s friends moved the houseboat downstream.  The park was notified
after search efforts failed.  D.J.L.'s body was recovered at noon by park
divers in 25 feet of water.  Family members report that D.J.L. was an
outstanding swimmer.  He had been drinking the night before, but alcohol is
not thought to have been a contributing factor.  Investigators believe that
D.J.L. probably came up under the vessel, became disoriented, and was unable
to get out from under it before he ran out of air.  [Larry Clark, CR, GLAC,
7/26]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire              7/29       8/2   Status

 AK    State   SW Area           304632 - T2      11,550    11,550   CN 8/1

 WA    BIA     Yakima          * Tule Road             -       560   CL

 CA    State   San Diego       * Otay #18              -     1,250   CND
               -               * Rancho                -     1,100   NEC
       BLM     Cal Desert      * Granite               -       350   CND

 NV    USFS    Humboldt        * Quinn Canyon          -     1,900   CND   
       BLM     Las Vegas       * Meadow - T2           -    21,600   CND    
               Battle Mtn.     * Argenta               -     1,200   CND    

 AZ    BLM     Safford         * Jackson               -     1,200   CND   
                               * Hinton                -       120   CND
       State   -               * Bug - T2              -     2,300   NEC
       USFS    Tonto           * Edwards               -     1,500   NEC

 FL    USFS    Ocala             Juniper             160     1,150   CN 8/5

 TX    State   -               * Ming Bend             -     4,000   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 - 

* Great Smokies - The park reports a fire burning in rhododendron and
  hemlock duff in a remote, steep area.  Because of the difficulty of access
  and lack of values at risk, the fire is being managed under containment
  strategy.

* Saguaro - A  fire began burning in brush and mesquite in the Rincon
  Mountain District on July 31st.  A small crew is working the fire.

* Great Basin - The park has committed an engine and three personnel to
  BLM's Quinn Canyon fire.

4) ANALYSIS - Fire activity in the Southwest continued yesterday as the
monsoonal front has not yet moved into the area to provide any relief. 
Initial attack activity increased in California because of record high
temperatures and in Colorado because of thunderstorms.

5) PROGNOSIS - Warm temperatures and scattered thunderstorms will persist in
the Southwest, Great Basin and Rockies.  Initial attack will continue to
escalate in all Western and Southwestern areas as temperatures rise and
drying conditions increase.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 8/2]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Fredericksburg/Spottsylvania (Virginia) - Wetland Research Project

Researchers from George Mason University have been developing an evaluation
technique for assessing a nontidal forested palustrine wetland's role in
water quality protection.  The geomorphological setting of the park's
Piedmont and Coastal Plain has led to a diversity of wetland types across
various types of wetlands, particularly with respect to their role in
removing phosphorous loading from surface, subsurface and groundwater flows. 
Phosphorous enrichment has known impacts on the nutrient status of
freshwater aquatic ecosystems that fee the Chesapeake Bay.  Most point
sources of phosphorous can be controlled by improving the effectiveness of
tertiary wastewater treatment.  Non-point source phosphorous inputs from
both agricultural and urban/suburban sources are more problematic.  As
development pressures continue, problems associated with non-point source
pollution that effect both the park and bay are likely to increase.  This
study will provide basic information concerning the use of soil chemistry in
combination with hydrology and landscape position as an evaluation technique
to predict the relative phosphorous removal capability of wetlands in
central Virginia.  [John Perez, RMS, FRSP]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Sisto at meetings in Alaska
Region (7/26-8/6). 

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Spruill at interagency aviation meeting (8/1-
8/8) and aviation management council work group meeting (8/8-8/13); Botti
(8/1-8/6), Gale (8/3-8/5), Broyles (8/6-8/16), Clark (8/2-8/13) and Swain
(8/2-8/6) on AL.


Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-4874
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