NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, May 19, 1994

Broadcast: By 0930 ET

INCIDENTS

94-220 - Saguaro (Arizona) - Suspected Arson Fires

Between May 8th and 18th, eight suspected arson fires were set in or
adjacent to the park.  Four were set during the Mother's Day Fire in the
Rincon Mountain District, which burned 1200 acres and attracted national
media attention.  Two of the fires were set along Golden Gate Road in the
Tucson Mountain District.  The fires have ranged in size from a tenth of an
acre to ten acres.  An arson investigator has been called in to assist in
the investigation, and rangers have increased boundary patrols.  There are
no suspects at this time.  Winds increased to 40 mph yesterday and are
expected to continue today.  [Paul Rooney, CRO, SAGU, 5/18]

94-221 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - MVA with Fatality

One man was killed and three other men were injured in a head-on collision
involving four vehicles on US 93 just north of the Alan Bible Visitor Center
on May 15th.  The driver of a 1989 pickup attempted to pass another vehicle
at a high rate of speed and hit an oncoming pickup.  The latter spun and
struck two other vehicles.  The victim was thrown from the back of the first
truck onto the roadway, then run over by that truck.  The driver was
arrested on a charge of felony reckless driving resulting in a death. 
Wreckage from the four vehicles was scattered all along the roadside;
traffic was backed up for five miles and ultimately diverted along Lakeshore
Road for the five hours it took to clear the highway.  [Bud Inman, ACR,
LAME, 5/18]

94-222 - Independence (Pennsylvania) - Demonstration

Members of the group MOVE held a rally in the park on May 14th.  The event,
which was conducted under an approved special use permit, was held directly
in front of the Liberty Bell Pavilion and marked the ninth anniversary of
the 1985 Philadelphia police bombing of the MOVE compound in West
Philadelphia, during which ten members of the group died and two city blocks
were destroyed in the related fire.  About ten MOVE members attended the
rally, supported by approximately 30 representatives from other groups, such
as ACT-UP, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
(NORML), the Communist Action Party, and the Committee for Solidarity for El
Salvador.  The group set up a sound system and passed out literature to
passers-by.  Except for several minor problems, such as frequent profanity
in speeches, the taping of banners to the pavilion, and crowing on the
sidewalk during a day of heavy visitation, the event was peaceful, and no
law enforcement actions were required.  [Hollis Provins, CR, INDE, 5/18]

94-223 - Yosemite (California) - Rock Slide; Closure

Around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17th, a rock and mud slide closed Highway
140 at Windy Point about a mile below the Arch Rock entrance station.  The
road has been closed except for administrative traffic.  The park staff was
to decide late yesterday on whether or not to reopen the road today. 
Highways 41 and 120, which lead into Yosemite Valley, remain open to the
public.  [Dispatch, YOSE, 5/18]

94-224 - Grand Teton (Wyoming) - Climbing Fatality

A.M., 51, of Salt Lake City, was killed on May 14th when he fell
between 1500 and 2000 feet from the east face of Teewinot Mountain.  A.M.
had made a successful ascent along with climbing partners Steve Olsen and
Terry Buccambuso and was descending when the accident occurred.  The three
men had come upon a snow covered ice field.  Although they had crampons with
them, they felt the snow was soft enough for a traverse and did not put them
on.  A.M. fell during the traverse and was unable to self-arrest with his
ice axe.  Olsen and Buccambuso lost sight of A.M. and elected to come out
and report the incident.  Rangers flew over the area and found A.M.'s
body in a snow field north of the Idle and Worshiper just before 7 p.m. 
[Colin Campbell, Acting CR, GRTE, 5/16]

94-225 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - Drowning

On the afternoon of May 15th, R.D., 35, of Las Vegas, drowned at
Pillar Cove.  R.D. had driven to 33 Hole in the park with his family about
an hour before the incident occurred.  R.D. had set out to swim across the
cove when a 10-year-old boy behind him began calling for help.  R.D. turned
back to swim to the boy, but began having difficulty himself.  R.D.'s
brother and son dove in the water from the opposite side of the cove to help
the two swimmers.  His brother reached the area first and assisted the
child, not knowing that his brother was experiencing difficulties.  The son
swam to him, but was unable to keep him from going under.  Other visitors
arrived on scene and attempted to help.  Rangers were contacted by cellular
phone from one of the boats.  Help arrived on scene within minutes, but
R.D. had been underwater 20 minutes by that time.  The park dive team was
called to the scene and recovered R.D.'s body from about 15 feet of water. 
[Bud Inman, LAME, 5/17]

94-226 - El Malpais (New Mexico) - Explosives

Thirty-four National Guardsmen from four states have been cleaning up
unexploded World War II bombs from the park.  One remote area of the park,
the McCartys Crater area, was used as a training target during the war for
flyers from Kirkland Air Force Base (then an Army airfield).  They have
already located 18 live 100-pound bombs and nine detonators in a one-square-
mile area.  The original plan was to clear a nine-square-mile area suspected
of containing over 50 bombs, but it has since been determined that a
complete clearance of this area will not be possible.  Demolition of all
devices found in the park will occur today.  A number of new caves were also
discovered during the project.  [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 5/17]

94-227 - El Malpais (New Mexico) - Probable Drug Seizure

The National Guardsmen involved in the bomb clean-up operations noted above
discovered a plastic package containing 12 pounds of a white substance in a
remote area of the park.  The package had broken open either from weathering
or a fall from a low-flying plane; the contents were also weathered.  A
field test for cocaine proved positive.  The material was brought to a
Customs lab, but the second test proved inconclusive.  They have sent the
material to Atlanta for more tests.  The package has markings on it
indicating that it may have come from or been destined for Colorado.  The
age of the substance is as yet unknown.  [Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 5/17]

94-228 - Fort McHenry (Maryland) - Special Event

On Friday, May 13th, Vice President Gore landed in the park en route to a
conference on "Black Entrepreneurship in America", which was held at a site
in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  Several hundred students greeted Gore upon his
arrival.  The park remained open to the public throughout his visit.  Park
staff coordinated the event with the Secret Service and city police and fire
departments.  [Rick Apfel, FOMC, 5/13]

94-229 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - Special Event

During the week of May 9th, the Tour DuPont bicycle race was held on several
sections of the parkway.  Approximately 130 professional bicyclists
participated in the race, which was viewed by several thousand people.  The
event was managed under the incident command system.  Traffic and crowd
control were the major problems associated with the event.  [CRO, BLRI,
5/17]

FIRE ACTIVITY

Mustang Fire, Everglades - The Mustang Fire, a suspected arson fire which
began on May 15th, burned about 500 acres before being contained the
following day.  About 40 people were assigned to the fire.  Some
difficulties were experienced in getting aircraft support because of fires
elsewhere in the state.  The park reports that fire conditions are similar
to the dry conditions experienced in 1989, and that the park is "definitely
in fire season."

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

COMING EVENTS CALENDAR

The Coming Events calendar appears in the morning report every other
Thursday.  If you know of a significant event of Servicewide interest,
please forward the listing to WASO Ranger Activities.  Entries are listed no
earlier than FOUR months before the event.  Asterisks indicate new entries;
brackets at end of entry indicate source of information:

5/22-28 -- National Parks Week, all areas.  Each park unit will hold a
special activity during the week to focus public attention on
the value of parks.  A few high profile events are in the
planning states.  Contact: WASO Public Affairs, 202-208-6843.

5/28 -- Santa Fe Trail Days, Fort Larned, Larned, KS.  Contact: FOLS.

5/30 -- Memorial Day Observance, Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, Washington,
DC.  Military color guard, laying of wreaths, speakers -
including Congressman Tom Ridge (R-PA), a U.S. Army veteran, and
ABC journalist Jack Smith.  Contact: NCR PAO, 202-619-7226. 

6/11-12 -- 130th Anniversary, Battle of Cold Harbor, Richmond NBP,
Richmond, VA.  Civil War encampment, trail dedication.  Contact:
RICH.

6/11 * -- 50th Anniversary Celebration, Big Bend, TX.  Special events
include dedication of CCC commemorative plaza, music and
entertainment.  Contact: BIBE, 915-477-2251, extension 101.

6/16-10 -- 12th Annual Fur Trade Rendezvous, Fort Union Trading Post,
Williston, ND.  Features traders row and early 19th century
buckskinners camp, speakers, films and cultural skill
demonstrators.  Contact: Fort Union, 701-572-9083.

6/17-19 -- Indiana Lincoln Festival, Lincoln Boyhood, Lincoln City, IN. 
Features Lincoln-related educational activities.  Contact: LIBO.

6/19 -- Army March Out, Valley Forge, Valley Forge, PA.  Commemoration
of the Continental Army's 1778 march out of Valley Forge after a
six month encampment to pursue the British.  Contact: VAFO, 610-
783-1077.

6/23-26 -- Homestead Days, Homestead, Beatrice, NE.  Demonstrations of
pioneer crafts and traditions and a variety of interpretive
programs.  Contact: HOME.

6/25 -- African American Culture Festival, National Colonial Farm,
Accokeek, MD.  Noon - 6 p.m.  Highlights unique aspects and
contributions of the African culture to American society through
music, dance, storytelling, arts, crafts and ethnic foods. 
Contact: NCR PAO, 202-619-7226. 

6/28 * -- Carolina Day, Fort Moultrie (unit of Fort Sumter), SC. 
Anniversary observance of colonists' victory over British naval
forces in 1776.  Contact: Rick Hatcher, 803-883-3123.

6/29-7/3 -- 50th Anniversary Celebration, Harpers Ferry, WV.  Fiftieth
anniversary of the park.  Special events include the opening of
a new museum and trails, musical concerts, 19th Century period
performances, and fireworks.  Contact: HAFE, 304-535-6298.

7/1-3 -- Establishment Day Hawaiian Cultural Festival, Pu'uhonua o
Honaunau, HI.  Features royal court, chants, hula, crafts,
games, food preparation and tasting, canoe rides, and hukilau. 
Contact: PUHO, 808-328-2326.

7/2-4 -- Veiled Prophet Fair, Jefferson National Expansion, St. Louis,
MO.  "America's largest birthday party" - entertainment, theme
booths, fireworks.  Contact: JEFF.

7/4 -- National Independence Day Celebration, Washington, DC.  Various
park locations.  Parade, concert and fireworks.  Contact: NCR
PAO, 202-619-7226. 

7/23-24 -- Northern Plains Indian Culture Fest, Knife River Indian
Villages, Stanton, ND.  The event will encompass a wide range of
activities exemplifying the Northern Plains tribes that
frequented the Knife River area from several thousand years ago
to the present.  Contact: KNRI, 701-745-3309.

8/6 * -- American Camp Lantern Tour, San Juan Island, WA.  An 1860s U.S.
Army encampment is the setting for an evening guided walk and
drama presented by park staff and volunteer reenactors. 
Contact: SAJH, 206-378-2240.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax:   202-208-6756
cc:Mail:   WASO Ranger Activities
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