NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, October 13, 1995

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-677 - Grand Teton (Wyoming) - Search and Rescue

On the morning of September 29th, rangers received a report of a solo climber
overdue from an ascent of the Middle Teton.  A.G., 25, of Jackson, had
left his home late on the 27th to climb the Glacier Route; he failed to return
as planned, though, and also missed work on the night of the 28th.  A hasty
team began a search for him and soon located A.G.' overnight gear stashed at
the Meadows, an overnight camping area on the approach to Middle Teton.  Search
efforts were escalated and involved 13 rangers and five volunteers from Teton
County SAR.  A severe early season winter storm hit the area that night,
hampering search efforts and grounding the park helicopter.  The park mule
string was utilized to transport supplies over the first five miles of the
steep trail to the base camp; search personnel portered them the last half
mile.  On the morning of September 30th, 21 more people joined the effort,
including local climbers and personnel from the park, Exum Mountain Guides, and
Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.  Searchers were hindered by new snow
accumulations of up to a foot over verglass ice, two- to three-foot drifts,
limited visibility, and sub-zero wind chill.  At 1 p.m., a team of Jenny Lake
climbing rangers summited Middle Teton via the southwest couloir and made
contact with A.G., who was sitting on a chair-sized ledge about 100 feet below
the summit on the northwest side of the peak.  A.G. was uninjured, but was
suffering from severe hypothermia, frostbite, exhaustion, and dehydration.  He
was rewarmed as much as conditions would permit, then lowered down the
southwest couloir by litter, arriving at a helicopter landing zone about two
hours later.  His arrival there coincided with a window in the weather which
permitted the park contract helicopter to pick A.G. up and bring him to an
ambulance, which took him to a hospital in Jackson.  A.G. was hospitalized for
three days with frostbite in both feet; the prognosis for toe retention is
poor.  According to A.G., he lost the route on the 28th and ledged out by mid-
afternoon.  Unable to continue up or retreat, he resigned himself to being
rescued.  A.G. survived two days and two nights in a severed winter storm near
13,000 feet with minimal gear.  [Colin Campbell, CR, GRTE]

95-678 - Chickasaw (Oklahoma) - Pursuit; Driver Wounded

On October 7th, state troopers pursuing D.B., 19, of Madill, Oklahoma,
chased him into the park.  Rangers Karen Rogal and Steve Buxton joined the
pursuit.  Park roads were crowded with over 400 participants in the Hills of
Oklahoma Bike Tour and related foot race.  The troopers elected to shoot
D.B.'s vehicle to disable it before he reached the race.  Two shots were
fired; one round entered the trunk lid, passed through the back and front
seats, and struck D.B. in the back.  Rogal, an EMT, provided emergency medical
treatment until D.B. was picked up by an ambulance.  He is currently in stable
condition at a hospital in Oklahoma City.  The highway patrol's internal
affairs division is investigating the incident with assistance from rangers. 
[Len Weems, CR, CHIC]

95-679 - Catoctin (Maryland) - Resource Violation

Rangers John Kempisty and Charlie Callahan received a report of possible snake
hunters in the park on October 1st.  They soon came upon R.E. and
R.R. and D.R., who matched descriptions provided by visitors.  When
contacted, R.R. claimed that he and his friends were only taking
photographs.  In plain view, however, were snake tongs, a snake hook, and a
five-gallon plastic bucket.  A consent search led to the discovery of a
rattlesnake hidden under clothes and camera equipment in the bucket.  R.R.
then claimed that the snake was a pet that they brought to photograph in a
natural setting.  R.E., a photographer of some regional note, eventually
confessed that the snake had been captured in the park; R.R. then claimed
that he'd taken it to study it, then return it to the park.  R.R. is known to
state DNR officers for his active involvement in snake collection circles.  He
was charged under 36 CFR.  Possession of venomous snakes without a permit is
also a state violation, and sate charges are pending.  [Roger Steintl, CR,
CATO]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Wolf Update

Wolf biologists went to the Rose Creek pen on Monday to prepare the pups for
release.  The six pups in the pen are now close to six months old and weigh
about 50 pounds each.  They were given parvo virus, rabies, tuberculosis,
distemper and other shots and were fitted with radio collars.  The two pups
outside the pen also appeared to be doing well.  A young male wolf from the
Crystal Bench group has been seen interacting with them; the three animals
seemed to get along well.  Original plans to release the cubs in the pen within
the next week or two were moved up when it was determined that a large grizzly
was probably eating some of the food left for the pups outside the pen, thereby
presenting a safety concern.  Biologists accordingly opened the pen on
Wednesday morning.  The wolves were still inside the pen when they left;
overflights were to take place yesterday to check on their status.  Meanwhile,
wolf monitors have determined that the Crystal Bench group was in the Pelican
Valley area of the park last week and that the Soda Butte group was near the
boundary in the Hellroaring area of the park.  [Cheryl Matthews, YELL]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

OBSERVATIONS

The following was sent in by Toni Lee in National Register, History and
Education Division in WASO, who also sent a cover note: "On October 15, 1995,
we will celebrate the 29th anniversary of the passage of the National Historic
Preservation Act (of 1966).  It might be appropriate to quote from the act on
that date...This program, of course, ended up in the National Park Service and
is part of the NPS responsibility to 'extend the benefits of natural and
cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country
and the world (Vail Agenda Report).'"  Good idea.  The 15th is on Sunday,
though, so it appears today:

"Although the major burdens of historic preservation have been borne and major
efforts initiated by private agencies and individuals, and both should continue
to play a vital role, it is nevertheless necessary and appropriate for the
Federal Government to accelerate its historic preservation programs and
activities, to give maximum encouragement to agencies and individuals
undertaking preservation by private means, and to assist State and local
governments and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United
States to expand and accelerate their historic preservation programs and
activities."

                                             Preamble, National Historic
                                             Preservation Act of 1966

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

Telephone: 202-208-4874
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