NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, October 12, 1994

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

94-598 - Yosemite (California) - Multiple Rescues

In the early morning hours of October 4th, the park was hit by an unpredicted
wet storm in which Yosemite Valley received approximately two inches of rain
over a 24 hour period.  Since fall is the peak of the big wall climbing season
in Yosemite, there were many parties on El Capitan, and several were signalling
for rescue by early afternoon.  Because of the bad weather, helicopters were
unable to fly.  A ground approach to the top of El Capitan was accordingly
begun that afternoon.  Approximately 40 people and a string of mules were used
to haul equipment over the eight miles of trail to the summit of El Cap in a
continuous downpour.  When it got dark, the rain turned to snow above the
7,000-foot level.  It snowed most of the night, and the entire team spent an
extremely unpleasant wet and cold night.  About half a foot of snow fell in the
area.  The precipitation stopped by morning, permitting team members to set up
a lowering operation at the top of the Nose.  Rescuers were lowered 600 feet to
Camp Six on the Nose route.  Nine stranded climbers from four countries, who
spoke three different languages, were squeezed on a ledge which is considered
crowded with three people on it.  Four of them were in early stages of
hypothermia.  With the assistance of rescuers, all nine ascended the ropes to
the top.  While the group from the Nose was ascending, a party of two Americans
on the Salath) Wall route signaled that they also needed to be rescued.  As a
rescuer was being lowered the 700 feet to them, a third party, comprised of a
Norwegian and an Englishman, yelled from their position on the Sunkist route
that they could not make it through another night.  They were hanging in a
porta-ledge which was in a small waterfall and their gear was completely
soaked.  After NPS rescuers reached them and the weather improved, all 13
victims ascended the fixed ropes to the top under their own power and were
eventually flown off by helicopter.  Several were transferred to the Yosemite
clinic for treatment of cold injuries to their hands and feet.  All gear and
personnel were flown off the following day.  [YOSE, 10/11]

94-599 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Rescue of Concession Employee

On October 4th, park dispatch received a call for assistance from an emergency
phone on the South Kaibab trail.  Hikers there reported hearing yells for help
coming from the area of the Old Miner's route west of the trail.  A second
report received from Fred Harvey wranglers on their radio frequency indicated
that a hiker had fallen in the area and was severely injured.  Rangers from
Phantom Ranch responded and a short-haul rescue team was sent to the scene to
assist.  J.C., 25, an employee of Phantom Ranch Lodge, had fallen
90 feet down a talus chute while solo hiking off-route.  Park medics were
transported by short haul to the site and stabilized her many injuries,
including a bilateral pneumothorax, fractured pelvis, wrist and jaw fractures,
myocardial contusion and bleeding in her airway.  J.C. was extracted via
short haul, then transferred to a park helicopter for the flight to Flagstaff
Medical Center.  She is listed in good condition.  [Ken Phillips, SAR
Coordinator, GRCA, 10/11]

94-600 - Big Cypress (Florida) - Accidental Shootings

On the morning of October 10th, off-duty local police officers R.F.
and A.F. were muzzleloader hunting in the Gum Slough area of the park. 
A.F. was standing on the ground as R.F. was climbing down from his tree
stand, when A.F.'s .50 caliber muzzleloader apparently fell away from the tree
it was leaning against and discharged, striking R.F. in the lower left leg. 
The two men traveled by all-terrain vehicle to the road, where they called an
ambulance.  Everglades ranger JoAnn Gillette assisted by providing an escort
for the men to the highway.  R.F. was hospitalized overnight.  [Marty Huseman,
Acting CR, BICY, 10/11]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - II

2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY

                                                     Tue      Wed    %   Est
State    Area               Fire             IMT    10/11    10/12  Cont Cont

 ID    Boise NF         Thunderbolt           T2   27,400   27,400   80  10/15
       Payette NF       Corral Creek -
                         Blackwell Cx         T1  171,549  171,549   84  10/12
                        Chicken Cx            T1  102,731  102,731   75  10/31

 CA    State            Oak Hill              --    2,135    2,613   75  10/11

HEADING NOTES:

     Fire     * = newly reported fire (on this report). Cx = complex.
     IMT      T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team.
     % Con    Percent of fire contained.
     Est Con  Estimated containment date.  NEC = no estimated date of
              containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report.

3) FIRES -

                NPS     BIA      BLM     FWS    States     USFS      Total

Number            0       2        1       0        52       16         71
Acres Burned      0     250        7       0       357       14        628

4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -

               Crews     Engines     Helicopters     Airtankers     Overhead

Federal           41        53           18               2            236
Non-federal       28        59            4               0            213

5) SITUATION - Except for the Oak Hill fire, fire activity remains minimal.

6) OUTLOOK - Fire activity is expected to remain low.

[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 10/12] 

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Wolf Restoration

On June 15th, Secretary Babbitt signed the record of decision on the final
environmental impact statement for the reintroduction of gray wolves into the
park and central Idaho.  Since that time, the National Park Service and U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service have moved forward with planning and preparation for
a delayed release of wolves in the park.  Three pen sites have been selected
where the wolves will be temporarily held for six to eight weeks before
release.  Erection of fencing at one of the sites is scheduled to begin this
month.  To keep park staff and other interested parties updated on wolf
restoration, a new in-house publication, "Yellowstone Wolf Tracker: A Monthly
Bulletin on Wolf Recovery in Yellowstone," is now available from the park's
public affairs office.  If you are interested in receiving the bulletin by
cc:Mail, please contact that office and ask to be included on the cc:Mail
distribution list.  [Public Affairs, WASO]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) Operation Opportunity Update: OpOp has announced 653 park vacancies to date
and has filled 153 of them.  Overall, there are 978 central office employees
who remain interested in placement.  Ninety-three buyout FTEs and just under $5
million in buyout funding have been restored to the parks.  [Darlyce Day, OpOp]

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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