NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, September 8, 1995

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-583 - Virgin Island Parks - Follow-up on Hurricane Luis

Christiansted reports very little damage as a result of the hurricane's
passage.  Winds reached 90 mph, but all historic buildings came through in good
shape.  Although there was no significant damage to new housing at Zion Farm,
water was forced under doors by high winds.  No reports have yet been received
from Buck Island Reef.  [Bob Greer, SEFA]

95-593 - Harpers Ferry (West Virginia) - Suspicious Package: Center Evacuation

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. on September 5th, an employee at the Interpretive
Design Center in Harpers Ferry reported a suspicious package in his office. 
Efforts were made to determine the origin of the package; when they proved
unsuccessful, law enforcement rangers were notified.  Ranger Robert Sampsell
assessed the situation and determined that the package and circumstances
surrounding its placement in the building met a majority of the indicators of a
potential bomb.  The building was cleared and assistance was requested from a
bomb team and local police and fire departments.  Shortly after the local units
were on site and a safe zone had been established, a center employee came
forward and said that the package contained a gag gift for another employee. 
By that time, however, the decision had been made to continue to treat the
incident as a potential bomb threat until the Army bomb team from Fort
Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania could remove the package and declare the area
"safe."  This was accomplished at 10:30 pm.  Investigation revealed that the
incident was the result of an in-house prank that went sour.  [Harvey Sorenson,
CR, HAFE]

95-594 - Golden Gate (California) - Car Clout Arrests

Two men believed to be responsible for over 100 car clouts in the San Francisco
Bay area were arrested earlier this week by a task forced headed by officers
from the Park Police criminal investigations branch.  The duo - one of them a
juvenile - broke into a car at Baker Beach in the Presidio in July.  Prints
were found on the vehicle, and a computer check through several local systems
led to a hit on the juvenile, who had an extensive criminal record.  During an
interview with Park Police detectives, he confessed to the break-in at Baker
Beach, and provided information concerning other auto burglaries in the Bay
area.  The second man was then arrested and interviewed; he confessed to the
car clout in the Presidio and to nine other vehicle break-ins in the park. 
Written statements from the two men, coupled with the information they
supplied, led to closure of numerous car clouting and stolen vehicle cases. 
[James O. Smith, GOGA]

95-595 - Natchez Trace (Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee) - Marijuana Eradication

During the month of August, rangers assisted local law enforcement agencies and
National Guard units in the removal and destruction of about 111,000 marijuana
plants - 1,000 of them in the park and another 25,000 just outside the park's
boundary.  Booby traps were encountered in some of the plots, ranging from fish
hooks around the plots to "punji boards" consisting of buried sections of
plyboard with nails driven through them.  One county officer was injured when
he encountered one of these devices.  Some of the plants reached heights of 17
feet.  Three arrests were made.  [Tim Francis, ACR, NATR]

95-596 - Buffalo (Arkansas) - Ginseng Poaching

On September 2nd, rangers received a tip from a park neighbor that someone was
digging ginseng in the park.  Two rangers found a four-wheeler parked near the
park's boundary and staked it out.  About three hours later, L.H. was
seen exiting park property and approaching the vehicle.  He was dressed in
camouflage and carrying a .357 magnum, a mattock, and a pillowcase with 91
freshly dug ginseng roots.  The ginseng, tools, and gun were seized, and
mandatory court appearance citations were issued.  L.H. said he was carrying
the gun to protect himself from marijuana growers.  [Bob Howard, LES, BUFF]

95-597 - Big South Fork (Kentucky/Tennessee) - Accidental Shooting

M.H. and S.H. were walking along the Blue Heron river.  When M.H.
bent over to pick up a rock, the .22 caliber revolver he was carrying
fell out of its homemade (and unsnapped) holster, struck the ground, and
discharged.  The bullet struck him in the chest.  He was taken by ambulance and
helicopter to the University of Kentucky hospital, where he is in serious but
stable condition.  Rangers Mike King and Tim Grooms investigated.  [Frank
Graham, CR, BISO]

95-598 - Women's Rights (New York) - Special Event

A 75th anniversary celebration of American women gaining the right to vote was
held in the park on August 26th.  Over 1200 visitors came to the park on
Women's Equality Day for a full day of activities, including a VIP reception
attended by the state's lieutenant governor and by 40 other federal, state and
local dignitaries.  About 500 marchers participated in a reenactment of a
suffrage march and attended a suffrage rally in People's Park.  Helen Thomas,
UPI's White House correspondent, gave a rousing speech calling for all women
and men to continue to use their right to vote.  A high point of the day was a
re-signing of the Declaration of Sentiments, often called the Declaration of
Independence for women, by over 500 VIPs and visitors.  The event received
national television and press coverage and was considered a success.  [Joanne
Hanley, Superintendent, WORI]

95-599 - Great Smokies (Tennessee/North Carolina) - Search in Progress

A search for D.W., 45, of Cleveland, Georgia, is entering its third
day.  D.W. has been missing since September 1st, but the park did not
received notification until his wife called and provided a description of his
vehicle on the evening of September 5th.  Rangers found the car at Newfound Gap
just over an hour later.  The car may have been there over the entire Labor Day
weekend.  Ground searchers and dog teams have been working the area but have
not yet found any clues.  A North Carolina ANG helicopter with night vision
equipment was used yesterday.  D.W. had reportedly been very depressed
recently, and family members are worried that he may have gone to the park to
commit suicide.  Garrett Moynihan is incident commander.  [Jason Houck, CR,
GRSM]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY

                                                    Thu     Fri   %   Est
State    Area                Fire         IMT       9/7     9/8  Con  Con  

 WA   Wenatchee NF       Chelan Cx         T1       605      675   25  CN 9/17

 OR   Malheur NF         Overhold          --       290      300  100  CND

 MT   Crow Agency        Crown Butte       T2       600      701   60  CN 9/8 
      Lewiston Dis.      Dunn Ridge        T2       750      757  100  CND

 UT   State            * Freemont          --         -    1,000   70  CN 9/8

 NY   Gateway NRA      * Big-E-Pond        --         -      221   80  CN 9/7
      State            * Bear Mountain     --         -      110    0  CN 9/9

 PA   State            * Luzerne           --         -      150  100  CND

 AZ   Phoenix Dis.       Iron Mountain     --       300      300  100  CND   

 SD   State              Indian Cyn        --     1,800    1,800  100  CND

HEADING NOTES:


Fire     * = newly reported fire (on this report).  Cx = complex.
IMT     T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST1 = state Type 1; ST2 = state Type 2.
% Con   Percent of fire contained.
Est Con Estimated containment date.  NEC = no estimated date of
        containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report.

3) FIRES YESTERDAY -

                NPS     BIA      BLM     FWS    States     USFS      Total

Number            5       3       26       0       259       41        334 
Acres Burned    335     103    1,199       0     3,396      154      5,187

4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -

               Crews     Engines     Helicopters     Airtankers     Overhead

Federal           86        77           23               2            113
Non-federal        5        28            7               0             22

5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -

                                      CY 1995            Five Year Average
                                    Year-to-Date           Year-to-Date

Number of Fires - U.S.                 68,466                  58,222     
Acres Burned - U.S.                 1,738,616               2,616,869 
Number of Fires - Canada                7,836                       -
Acres Burned - Canada              17,615,993                       -

6) SITUATION - Moderate fire activity from new lightning strikes and holdover
fires continues to be reported.

7) OUTLOOK - Moderate fire activity is expected to continue.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/8]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

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.  

[Editor's note: There have been very few submissions for this section during
the year and a half it has appeared in the Morning Report.  The section will be
dropped unless interest increases...]

9/9-10* -- 182nd Anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie, Perry's Victory and
International Peace Memorial, Put-in-Bay, OH.  This War of 1812
event will include an historic military camp, musket firing
demonstrations, a memorial ceremony for those who fell in the
battle and to reinforce the lessons of international peace, and a
concert by the Toledo Symphony.  Contact: PEVI, 419-285-2184.

9/10* -- 60th Anniversary Festival, Cumberland Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC. 
1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Noted author Wilma Dykeman, who has written 16
books, many of them on the Appalachians, will speak at 2 p.m. 
Mountain music will be provided by Wayne Henderson & Friends and
The Barr Family.  The event will also include craft demonstrations,
an antique cars parade, exhibits, and mountain dances.  Contact:
PAO, BLRI.

10/7-8* -- Millbrook Days, Delaware Water Gap NRA, NJ.  A two-day celebration
of 19th Century lifestyles in a recreated farming village. 
Contact: DEWA, 717-588-2451.

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


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