RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Wednesday, September 1, 1993

Broadcast: By 0900 EDT

INCIDENTS

93-632 - East Coast Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Emily

Reports were received early this morning from parks along the North
Carolina-Virginia coastline regarding the impacts of Hurricane Emily:

* Cape Lookout (North Carolina) - The hurricane passed to the east of the
cape.  There was very little rain or wind at headquarters on Harkers Island
at the south end of the park.  Although an assessment has not yet been made
of Core Banks Island, the park's principal island, washovers are deemed
likely.  There is some concern regarding damage to Portsmouth Village at the
northern tip of the island; it will be checked later today.  The park has
been reopened.

* Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) - The park reports no known injuries and
varying amounts of damage on its several islands.  The assessments which
follow are preliminary and incomplete; park staff will fly from Raleigh to
the islands this morning to make a more complete evaluation:

- Ocracoke Island (south end of park) - Some flooding occurred on the south
  side of the island.  Debris has also been reported on roads.

- Bodie and Roanoke Islands (north end of park) - Initial appraisals
  indicate that little damage occurred on these two islands.

- Hatteras Island (center of park) - The island was hard hit by the storm. 
  Severe flooding has been reported at many points.  All power is out, but
  telephones are still working.  Generators are providing power to park
  facilities.  Four communities - Hatteras, Avon, Frisco and Buxton - are
  all without power or water.  Route 12, the principal north-south route
  down the island, has been undermined, but may be passable by four-wheel
  -drive vehicles.  The park is trying to open both the highway and its
  feeder roads, and is also trying to open a road to a 250,000 gallon ground
  storage tank which will be used to provide water to the island
  communities.  The park's boat station at Little Kinnakeet and the district
  ranger station at Buxton both suffered extensive damage.  The lighthouse 
  made it through the storm unscathed, but there was considerable erosion to
  sandbags placed around it.  

* Assateague Island (Maryland/Virginia) - Some minor sand erosion has
occurred, but the park was otherwise unaffected by the storm.  The Virginia
end reopened this morning; the Maryland section should follow by midafternoon.

[Steve Smith, RAD/SERO; Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; Mary Collier, Management
Assistant, CAHA; Brion FitzGerald, CR, ASIS]

93-641 - Chiricahua (Arizona) - Flash Floods

The park was struck by flash floods on Saturday, August 28th, and again on
Tuesday, August 31st.  The first series of floods occurred when the park
received two to three hours of heavy rains from the remnants of Tropical
Storm Hillary on top of the three inches of rain which had fallen over the
previous three days.  Waters in the Rhyolite Canyon drainage in front of the
visitor center rose within minutes, flooding the lower two-thirds of the
parking area and a nearby intersection with two to three feet of water. 
There was just enough time to move all but one of the parked vehicles to
higher ground.  The visitor center was evacuated, and stranded visitors were
escorted to higher ground in the maintenance area.  Flooding of Madrone
Canyon immediately behind the visitor center cut off access to the residence
area for two hours and caused additional flooding across the road.  Due to
quick action by employees, all water was successfully diverted from entering
the visitor center.  Several campsites were evacuated because of rising
waters in Bonita Creek.  Water from Surprise Canyon ran across the park's
scenic drive and into the campground, wiping out one campsite.  A side
drainage of Bonita Creek, fed by all of the above streams, overran its banks
and flowed within feet of the superintendent's house before returning to the
established channel.  There were no injuries, and property damage was
inflicted on only one vehicle.  All lower elevation facilities were reopened
by Sunday after removal of mud and debris.  A heavy downpour at 3 a.m. on
Tuesday morning spawned flash floods which were worse than Saturday's. 
Water totally surrounded the superintendent's house, but entered only the
building's crawl space.  Immediate response by park residents assured that
all employees and visitors were secure and not in danger.  Subsequent
patrols of lower roadways revealed that large trees in the vicinity of the
visitor center fell, that water came within a foot of flooding the visitor
center and park administrative offices, that the roadway was washed out
above the visitor center, and that a tremendous amount of mud and debris had
been deposited.  The park was closed until further notice.  At the time of
the report, the extent of damage to roadways and trails at higher elevations
was unknown, and it was not yet clear whether visitors in the campground
would be able to leave until temporary road work was completed. 
[Superintendent, CHIR, 8/31]

93-642 - Organ Pipe Cactus (Arizona) - Flash Floods

The rains from Tropical Storm Hilary which fell on Chiricahua also led to
flooding at Organ Pipe, where up to three and a half inches of rain fell on
August 27th.  Flooding heavily damaged low water crossings and pavement at
upwards of nine locations on Ajo Drive, which was subsequently closed.  An
archeological site at Wild Horse Tank suffered serious erosion.  Highway 85,
which crosses the park into Mexico, was closed for at least three hours on
Friday evening, as all washes flooded with from three to five feet of water. 
The cost to repair damage to roadways is estimated at $15,000. 
[Superintendent, ORPI, 8/31]

93-643 - Blue Ridge (Virginia/North Carolina) - Assault on Ranger

On the afternoon of August 29th, J.J., 32, of Canton, North
Carolina, struck ranger Tony Welch in the face with his right hand when
Welch attempted to retrieve a marijuana plant that J.J. had stashed in
rhododendron near Woodfin Cascades overlook.  After a ten-yard chase, Welch
tackled J.J., and both men rolled down an embankment.  J.J. again
attempted to flee, but stopped on Welch's command.  J.J. was taken into
custody and charged with assault on a federal officer, interfering with
agency functions, and simple possession of marijuana.  He's since been
released on a $25,000 unsecured bond.  Welch sustained a split lip and a
large abrasion to his right knee.  The area where the incident occurred is
being searched for a possible marijuana patch.  [Art Frederick, BLRI, 8/31]

93-644 - Devils Tower (Wyoming) - Rescue

D.H., 23, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was lead climbing the 5.8+
Soler route on the morning of August 23rd when he fell upside down about 25
feet and injured his elbow.  D.H. rested for a bit after the fall, then
decided to attempt to lead the climb again.  After leading up about 110
feet, his elbow began hurting, so he asked his belayer to lower him off the
climb.  D.H. and his partner were unaware, however, that he was too far
up to reach the belay ledge below.  While D.H. was being lowered, his
partner, who was not tied into the rope, made a mistake and let the end of
the rope slip through his belay device.  D.H., who was still 50 feet up
the route, fell backwards, landed on his back on a small ledge, and
sustained a variety of injuries.  Twelve members of the park's SAR team
responded and performed a six-hour-long technical rescue operation.  The
rescue effort included a 300-foot, single-point suspension litter lowering
down the vertical east face of the tower.  D.H. is in good condition in
Sundance Hospital and was being held for observation at the time of the
report.  He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. [DETO,
8/24]

93-645 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Poaching Convictions

On August 13th, two Alabama men - D.E.L. and A.S. - pleaded
guilty in federal district court in Cheyenne to killing elk in Yellowstone
while filming their hunting activities for a how-to-hunt-elk video.  The
incident occurred in September, 1991, and the successful prosecution was the
result of a cooperative, multi-agency investigation involving the NPS, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the Utah
Division of Wildlife Resources.  Late in 1991, Utah game wardens arrested
D.E.L., a nationally known archery hunter, for game violations in Utah. 
During the arrest, the wardens seized a number of videotapes from D.E.L.'s
vehicle, including one that documented D.E.L. and A.S. shooting a number of
bull elk with bow and arrow in a lodgepole pine forest that had apparently
been burned recently by a forest fire.  Notified of the tapes by a wildlife
law enforcement alert, Yellowstone rangers followed up and determined that
D.E.L. and A.S. had obtained a backcountry permit and signed a trailhead
register in the Indian Creek area during September, 1991.  A careful
analysis of background scenery in the videotape by park staff verified that
the hunting activities documented on the tape had occurred in the park, and
investigators were able to locate the approximate site of the violations. 
Through a plea agreement, D.E.L. and A.S. pleaded guilty to three counts each
of taking wildlife in Yellowstone (16 USC 26).  They were fined $15,000
each, sentenced to 18 months in prison, and placed on probation for five
years.  During the probation, D.E.L. and A.S. are barred from hunting or
fishing anywhere in the United States and prohibited from entering any NPS
area.  A.S.'s sentence was suspended; most of D.E.L.' sentence was suspended,
except for 30 days which he'll serve concurrently with a 50-day sentence in
Utah for state game violations.  [CRO, YELL, 8/25]

93-646 - Acadia (Maine) - Falling Fatality

Around 2:30 p.m. on August 28th, S.K. and C.S., both 17 and
from Richmond, Virginia, left S.K.'s parents at their campsite at
Blackwoods campground for a walk along the ocean.  Just before 4 p.m.,
S.K. lost his footing on loose gravel and fell approximately 30 to 35
feet.  A park visitor reported the incident to rangers at the campground a
few minutes later.  S.K. was given emergency medical treatment,
stabilized, carried by litter to the park loop road, then taken to Mount
Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor.  He was later transferred to Eastern
Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where he died that evening.  [CRO, ACAD,
8/29]

93-647 - Whiskeytown (California) - Search

On the afternoon of August 19th, rangers received a report of two overdue
hikers - R.P., 41, and C.B., 42 - who'd failed to
return from a pre-deer season scouting trip in the Shasta Bally peak area. 
The reporting party told rangers that he knew that they were hurt and that
he'd go out and find them if they'd give him a flashlight, radio and
stretcher.  His efforts to find them proved fruitless, however.  Rangers,
Shasta County and California Highway Patrol officers, CARDA dog teams, and
Coast Guard representatives all participated in the subsequent search, which
rapidly intensified in the wake of rain, lightning and snow throughout the
area.  R.P. and BoegC.B.geman managed to hike down the mountain to a parking
lot, however, and were found there by searchers late the following
afternoon.  Both were in good health.  [Larry Carr, WHIS, 8/23]

93-648 - North Cascades (Washington) - Search and Rescue

Early on the morning of August 13th, a party of six climbers on Mt. Terror
radioed the park to report that two members of their party - Bob Apter and
Tom Winn - had been injured and needed to be evacuated.  The party included
a doctor and a paramedic, and they were able to stabilize the two men's
injuries.  A helicopter was dispatched, but could not reach the ridge due to
poor visibility.  It landed in nearby Terror Basin, then reached the ridge
later that afternoon.  Apter and Winn were evacuated and taken to a local
hospital by private vehicle.  [CRO, NOCA, 8/23]

93-649 - Joshua Tree (California) - Rescue

P.P., 40, of San Marino, California, fell while attempting to
climb Specter Peak in the northeast corner of the park on August 21st and
suffered a broken right arm.  A member of the Sierra Club group she was with
called for assistance on ham radio and was able to reach a ham operator in
Arizona.  The operator then contacted the park.  Park and BLM rangers, SAR
volunteers, a CHP officer and a Forest Service helicopter responded.  NPS
rangers were able to reach R.P. through a hover landing on a rocky
saddle.  She was treated and evacuated.  [Tom Patterson, JOTR, 8/25]

              [More pending incident reports tomorrow...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire              8/31       9/1   Status

 CA    BLM     Cal Desert        Castle              130       130   CND    
       USFS    Sequoia           Russia            1,500     1,485   CND    

 WY    USFS    Medicine Bow      Rawlings            190       191   NEC

 TX    State   -               * Okalla                -       320   CND
       FWS     McFaddin        * ICWW                  -     1,200   CN 9/1

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) ANALYSIS - Support has been provided to FEMA in anticipation of the
arrival of Hurricane Emily - a Type I team has been mobilized and sent to
Richmond to establish a receiving and distribution center, and a Type II
team has been sent to Raleigh to establish and operate a mobilization
center.

4) PROGNOSIS - Monsoon moisture will remain over the Southwest and southern
Great Basin; there will be slightly drier air to the north.  California will
remain mostly sunny, with afternoon and evening thunderstorms over the
mountains and deserts.  A stationary front will extend across eastern and
southern Texas and will bring widely scattered afternoon and evening
thunderstorms.  Fire activity is expected to remain moderate in most
geographic areas.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/1]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Brady on travel (8/30-9/1).

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection:  Berkowitz conducting weapons
tests at FLETC (8/25-9/5); Martin, Smith and Dickerhoof at VRAP meeting
(8/30-9/3); Marriott on AL (8/25-9/5). 

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Spruill on MWR/PNR aviation evaluations (8/24-
9/3); Gale at USFWS Region 4 emergency response planning meeting (8/30-9/3);
Farrel at International Association of Fire Chiefs annual meeting (8/28-
9/3); Hurd on AL (8/30-9/3).

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