RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Tuesday, September 14, 1993

Broadcast: By 0900 EDT

INCIDENTS

93-702 - Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio) - Special Event

Between September 8th and 10th, the Greatful Dead were in concert at the
Richfield Coliseum, a major indoor sports arena adjacent to the park.  Over
a six day period up to and through the event, several thousand "Dead Heads"
descended upon the park from all over the country.  The Dead Heads, who
follow the band while on tour, are known for their extensive use of
hallucinogens, including marijuana, LSD, mushrooms and other drugs.  Rangers
made one arrest for drug trafficking, turned one offender under the
influence of LSD over to local authorities, and are seeking indictments on
other persons for drug-related offenses.  Rangers also issued 68 citations
for the following offenses - possession and distribution of controlled
substances (18), alcohol (30), weapons (2), entering closed areas (8), and
other offenses (10).  Local jurisdictions made four felony arrests, a
misdemeanor arrest, and issued 220 citations for violations within the
park's boundary.  [Richard Vasquez, CUVA, 9/13]

93-703 - Big South Fork/Obed (Kentucky/Tennessee) - Marijuana Eradication

Rangers from the two parks recently completed a three-week-long joint
marijuana eradication operation with officers from three local sheriff's
departments and helicopters and crews from the Army Reserve.  A total of 284
plots were located; together, they contained 6,079 plants.  Criminal
complaints are being prepared on one major growing operation, and
surveillance is currently underway on a large plot within the park that was
not disturbed during the operation.  High Times magazine has advised growers
not to set plants out until mid-July so that they might escape early fly-
overs, and it was evident from the size of the plants found in the parks
that they had not been set out until July.  The combined street value of the
plants has been placed in excess of $12 million.  [John Cannon, CR, BISO,
9/13]

93-704 - Cumberland Gap (Kentucky/Tennessee/Virginia) - Plant Poaching

Rangers apprehended four people for digging ginseng and yellow root in the
park in two separate incidents over the past weekend.  J.M. and C.M.
were apprehended on September 11th and charged with possession of 111
ginseng and 186 yellow root plants.  Both were also charged with possession
of firearms.  All plant roots, digging tools and firearms were confiscated. 
On September 12th, O.M. and L.C. were arrested and charged with
possession of 153 ginseng and 304 yellow root plant roots.  All plant roots
and digging tools were confiscated.  [Charlie Chadwell, SPR, CUGA, 9/13]

93-705 - Big Bend (Texas) - Drug Smuggling

On August 29th, a resident of Santa Elena, Mexico, a small village along the
park's boundary, crossed the border to report that a group of five "bandits"
had come into town and killed one of his goats.  He believed that the men,
who threatened him with weapons, were drug smugglers, and asked the park to
notify Mexican law enforcement authorities, based about 30 miles from the
town.  Four Mexican federal police and ten state police officers arrived in
the village at 11 p.m.  After gathering some intelligence, they raided the
home of Manuel Acosta, the brother of Pablo Acosta, the notorious drug
smuggler who was gunned down in Santa Elena during a joint Mexican/United
States law enforcement operation in 1987 (incident 87-52, which involved DEA
and FBI agents but no park rangers).  During the raid, an undetermined
quantity of marijuana was seized along with a handgun, a .223 semi-auto
rifle, and a Thompson submachine gun.  A Mexican state policeman shot
himself in the foot while unloading rounds from the .223; he was transported
to the park, treated by rangers, then taken to a hospital.  One arrest was
made during the raid.  Four men fled, including one U.S. citizen who made it
across the river before being captured by the Mexican authorities.  He was
extensively interviewed by rangers, Border Patrol agents, and Mexican
officers, but was not arrested due to a lack of probable cause or
outstanding warrants.  During the interviews, the man told authorities that
a half ton of marijuana was being prepared for shipment on the other side of
the border.  Surveillance is accordingly being conducted at several
locations.  The investigation continues.  [Jim Northup, CR, BIBE, 9/8]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire              9/13      9/14   Status

 UT    USFS    Dixie             Henderson Hill      700       700   CND    
               Manti-Lasal       Flat Canyon         400       225   CN 9/14

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 - Initial attack activity was low throughout all geographic
areas yesterday.  Containment targets were met on most of the large fires in
the eastern Great Basin.

4) PROGNOSIS - Western states will be mostly warm and sunny, but there will
be gusty winds in some areas.  Strong southwest winds are forecast for
northwest Nevada and the east slope of Oregon's Cascades.  There will be
strong north to northeast winds in the mountains and deserts of southern
California, thereby increasing the possibility of fire activity in those
areas.  Skies will be cloudy and showers will fall over most of the South,
which will minimize fire activity within that region.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/14]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

UPCOMING IN CONGRESS

The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming
weeks on matters pertaining to the National Park Service.  If you would like
further information on any of these hearings or bills, please contact Dottie
in WASO Legislation at 202-208-3636.

9/14

Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests [Bumpers]: Oversight hearing
on the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission's report on the
nation's Civil War battlefields.

9/21

Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests [Bumpers]: Hearing on S. 986,
to assist the Civil War battlefield at Corinth, Mississippi; S.
1033, to establish the Shenandoah Valley National Battlefields
and Commission in Virginia; S. 1341, to establish Wheeling
National Heritage Area in West Virginia: S. 1305, omnibus
boundary adjustments and changes to authorities and programs of
the NPS.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Brady at Ranger Futures meeting (9/13-9/17).

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Marriott and Berkowitz on travel
(9/13-9/17); Henry at SFAR oversight meeting (9/15-9/17); Sisto on AL (9/13-
9/14).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Broyles at CDF academy and NWCG meeting (9/13-
9/16); Zimmerman at prescribed fire and fire effects working team meeting
(9/15-9/19); Gale at incident management consortium meeting (9/13-9/14).


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