RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Wednesday, September 29, 1993

Broadcast: By 0900 EDT

INCIDENTS

93-740 - Ozark (Missouri) - Flooding

Heavy rains which fell on the park from Thursday, September 23rd, to
Saturday, September 25th, caused flooding on the Current and Jacks Fork
Rivers.  Flood waters reached heights between 13 and 25 feet on the Jacks
Fork and from 12 to 23 feet on the Current.  Rangers were able to evacuate
campers at primitive and backcountry sites prior to the rivers' rise. 
Damage assessments have not been completed because of high water levels, but
some damage has already been recorded to a number of government-owned
structures.  [Scott Lopez, Acting CR, OZAR, 9/27]

93-741 - Point Reyes (California) - Fatal Air Crash

On September 21st, rangers, state troopers, county authorities and local
volunteers searched south Olema Valley near Dogtown for an ultralight plane
that an eyewitness had seen go down.  It took rescuers about an hour and a
half to locate the crash site.  The pilot - P.D., 42, of Tiburon,
California - had been killed on impact.  The eyewitness reported that the
plane went into a turn, began spiraling, then lost a wing.  The wreckage has
been removed from the park.  [LeeRoy Brock, CR, PORE, 9/28]

93-742 - Yosemite (California) - Fatal BASE Jump

Early on the morning of September 25th, K.J. called park dispatch and
reported that he'd recently witnessed a BASE jumping accident at El Capitan. 
K.J. said that he feared that the accident involved a person he'd dropped
off at the Yosemite Falls trailhead the previous day.  K.J. claimed he
didn't know the person's name, but that he knew she was planning to BASE
jump off El Capitan on the morning of the 25th.  He also said that he'd seen
three parachutes deployed near the face of El Capitan that morning, but that
he'd also seen what appeared to be a human body free fall all the way to the
top of the tree line at the base of El Capitan.  He'd lost sight of it, but
thought he'd heard it strike the rocks there.  Investigating rangers found
severely traumatized human remains below the New Dawn Wall route on El
Capitan with two parachutes tangled in the trees above.  The victim had not
been positively identified at the time of the report.  Investigators
subsequently determined that K.J. was a principal participant in the jump;
he was arrested and placed in custody on charges of illegal air delivery and
conspiracy.  K.J. continues to deny any knowledge of the victim's identity,
and claims to have no information of or connection with the three successful
jumpers.  [Leslie Crossland, YOSE, 9/28]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire              9/28      9/29   Status

 CA    USFS   Los Padres         Marre - T1        7,500    22,000   NEC    
       USFS   San Bernadino      Seven Oaks          150       130   CND
                               * Creek               123       123   CN 9/28
       CDF    Riverside          Cactus              200       200   CND    
                               * Deluz                 -       222   CND
              San Diego        * Coach               500       705   CN 9/29

 AZ    NPS    Grand Canyon       Northwest III     1,217     1,217   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 - Containment strategy    NEC - No estimate of containment
  CND - Contained              CN (date) - Expected date of containment

3) ANALYSIS - Initial attack and large fire activity continued in southern
California yesterday.  Additional resources were mobilized to the area. 
Significant progress was made toward containment of all but the Marre fire.

4) PROGNOSIS - A red flag watch has been issued for central California and a
red flag warning has been posted for western Washington.  All but the
northern coast of California will be sunny and hot with very low humidities. 
Utah, Nevada and northern Arizona will also be sunny and hot.  Conditions
are favorable for increased activity in California, the Northwest and the
Great Basin.  

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/29]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Olympic (Washington) - Elk Management

Due to concerns about significantly reduced populations of elk on the east
side of the park, the state's wildlife game commission has prohibited elk
hunting in an area directly east of Olympic - including five major
watersheds - for a three year period.  As part of a joint study of
populations, the state and park conducted the first year of a two-year elk
collaring project on the east side of the park between September 22nd and
the 24th.  Seven rangers, a dozen state wildlife biologists and other
employees, and several Weyerhauser Company employees were involved in the
operations.  Weyerhauser provided the helicopters; funding was provided by
the state from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.  During the three-day
period, seven cow elk were measured, medically examined and fitted with
radio telemetry collars.  These radios will enable biologists to follow
individual elk and herd movement patterns in and out of the park and
surrounding areas and help in the collection of other field data.  [RMS,
OLYM]

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.

September 29

House Natural Resources Committee [Miller]: Hearing on H.R. 1584, to provide
for the conservation of segments of West Virginia rivers; H.R. 2650, to
designate the Maurice River as a wild and scenic river.

s4#	September 30

House Natural Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public
Lands [Vento]: Hearing on S. 273, land exchange in North Charleston, SC.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Henry at Fifth World Wilderness
Conference (9/22-10/4). 

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Broyles at RX90 "burn boss" steering committee
meeting (9/27-10/1); Farrel and Hurd at NWCG meeting (9/27-9/30); Gale on AL
(9/28-9/30).

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