NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, April 8, 1994

Broadcast: By 0900 ET

INCIDENTS

92-113 - Chaco Culture (New Mexico) - Follow-up on ARPA Case

Federal grand jury indictments were filed against S.A.M. on April
5th for ARPA violations and theft of government property.  On April 7, 1992,
S.A.M. excavated and removed a Gallup black-on-white pot from the park's
backcountry.  S.A.M. and her companion, a former level II enforcement officer
with the Forest Service, took the pot from an area closed to the public due
to its sensitive archeological resources.  Ranger Eric Beckert, who was
searching the area for visitors after finding an unattended vehicle nearby,
stopped and questioned the pair and retrieved the artifact.  S.A.M. admitted
taking the pot with the intention of removing it from the park.  The case
was referred to the U.S. attorney in 1992, and S.A.M. and her companion began
a court-approved pre-trial diversion program whereby they each paid $1,000
in restitution in installments.  S.A.M.'s companion completed the program, but
S.A.M. failed to make any payments after last December.  The indictments were
accordingly sought and secured.  [Phil Young, SWRO, 4/7]

94-144 - Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - Storm Impacts

The park is still recovering from the heavy rains which fell on March 26th
and 27th and caused severe flash flooding.  Teams of inspectors from FHWA
and the park have been assessing the damage to public use roads.  Two
interior roads - the Little River Road between Elkmont Junction and the
Townsend entrance, and Tremont Road between Laurel Creek Road and the
Tremont Institute - will probably remain closed throughout the summer. 
Little River Road is the second most popular thoroughfare in the park and
carries an estimated two million vehicles per year.  The Laurel Creek Road
leading to Cades Cove was also damaged, but should open later today.  At
this time, there's no estimate of the cost of repairing these roads.  An
estimate for repair to the park's trail system, campgrounds, picnic areas
and other facilities has been completed, however; the sum has been placed at
$1 million.  [Bob Miller, PIO, GRSM, 4/7]

94-160 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - MVA with Fatality

On April 6th, park maintenance employees working on a road sign along
Skyline Drive discovered a vehicle with a body in it over a road embankment. 
Responding rangers identified the vehicle as one associated with 27-year-old
T.B. of Winchester, Virginia, who'd been missing since February
22nd.  The date and time of the accident is not known, but may have occurred
on the day she disappeared.  While the death appears to have resulted from
the accident, other causes have not been ruled out.  The accident occurred
on a sharp curve following a long downhill section of the drive.  T.B.'s
Honda left the road, went airborne between 50 and 75 feet, then struck a
large tree.  Death was apparently instantaneous.  An autopsy was to be
conducted yesterday.  The investigation is continuing.  [Larry Hakel,
District Leader, North District, 4/6]

94-161 - Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - SAR; Life Saved

Around 7:30 a.m. on April 6th, S.N., 18, was found semi-conscious by
his father in Worthington State Forest, which is within the boundaries of
the park.  S.N. had been abandoned along a nearby roadway by two camping
companions, and spent the night partially clothed and under the influence of
hallucinatory and other drugs.  He was taken to Pocono Medical Center, where
he was admitted in critical condition.  An investigation was immediately
begun by forest staff, who learned that another boy, J.L., 16, had
been abandoned along the Appalachian Trail on top of Kittatinny Ridge.  The
foursome had apparently backpacked into the park with the intent of camping
out for two nights; for reasons that are as yet unknown, the group
separated, and S.N. and J.L. were left in the woods while heavily under
the influence of a combination of drugs.  A joint park/forest search was
initiated.  J.L. was found alive but semi-conscious at 7 p.m. that evening
about a half mile from the point last seen.  He was found by Dan, a Brittany
spaniel, his handler, Katrene Johnson of West Jersey Canine SAR, and ranger
Ron Matthews.  J.L. was suffering from the effects of hypothermia and still
under the effects of the drugs he had taken.  At the time he was found,
there were 50 people from ten state and federal agencies and volunteer
groups participating in the search.  An NPS overhead team from the park,
with ranger Barry Sullivan as incident commander, managed the incident in
cooperation with state personnel.  An investigation is underway.  [Doyle
Nelson, CR, DEWA, 4/7]

94-162 - Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands) - Search and Rescue

Around 6:15 p.m. on April 1st, the park received a call from police on St.
John reporting an overdue hiker.  R.M., who was visiting friends
on the island, decided to hike the Reef Bay trail alone to see some
petroglyphs.  When R.M. failed to return in the afternoon as scheduled,
his host became concerned and called the police.  A hasty search of the area
was conducted, but proved fruitless and was called off at 11:30 p.m.  A
full-scale search was begun early the following morning; five search teams
comprised of volunteers and park and Virgin Island police department
personnel were deployed on all watersheds and trails, but were not able to
find R.M..  The search was resumed the following day.  Around 9:30 a.m.,
the park received a call from the clinic in St. John advising that R.M.
had been found by one of the volunteers, who had decided to hike the main
trail early that morning.  EMS personnel and rangers went to the scene.  The
found R.M. in good shape except for a sprained ankle and cuts and
bruises.  He was able to hike the one mile to the shoreline, where a park
boat was waiting to take him to Cruz Bay.  R.M. was taken to the clinic
for observation.  [Paul Thomas, Management Assistant, VIIS, 4/7]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax:   202-208-6756
cc:Mail:   WASO Ranger Activities
SkyPager:  Emergencies ONLY: 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843