NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, May 24, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-354 - Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) - Follow-up on Resource Theft

In June, 1995, park staff discovered that Crystal Cave had been illegally
entered and that gypsum and travertine cave formations and two sculpted clay
heads had been stolen (the latter were carved out of damp cave clay in 1920
by F.C. and his brother, who created trails in the cave for tourists
when it was still in private hands).  Investigators determined that three men
had stolen the formations and had sold them to local rock shops.  Anthony
Stinson, Leon Reynolds and Anthony Hawkins were subsequently arrested and
pled guilty in federal court to these and other thefts from park caves. 
Reynolds and Stinson were each sentenced to 21 months in prison and three
years' supervised probation upon release; Hawkins was sentenced to 33 months
and three years' probation.  In rendering the sentences, judge Thomas Russell
said that the defendants had "stolen yesterday's time" by destroying the
fragile cave formations.  Park rangers, scientists and resource managers
worked with U.S. attorneys and the staff of DSC's Geologic Resources Division
in preparing the case.  [CRO, MACA]

96-209 - Yosemite (California) - Follow-up on Flooding

On the evening of May 15th, rangers began evacuating campers from the group
camp in North Pines campground and from other sites in campgrounds adjacent
to the Merced River when the river began rising quickly due to a tropical
storm that dropped an inch and a half of rain at higher elevations and melted
much of the snowpack.  By 5 a.m. on the 16th, access roads in and out of
Yosemite Valley were flooded by as much as three feet of water.  The river
crested at two feet above flood stage at 10 a.m..  The rains subsided by late
afternoon, and the river receded sufficiently to evacuate all campers and
day-use visitors out of the valley by turning Southside Drive into a two-way
road.  Northside Drive was still underwater at three or four locations at the
time.  Those with room reservations at the concession-owned operation were
allowed to stay.  Although the river fell below flood stage that evening, the
park remained closed to all except administrative and emergency traffic
throughout the following day because of damage to the campgrounds and
roadways and predictions of more rain.  At the flood's peak, almost two-and-
a-half feet of water was flowing through some campsites.  Many vehicles were
stalled and damaged by the high water; visitors camped in group sites
suffered damaged and lost gear.  The force of the water was strong enough to
move dumpsters inside the campground, and many large logs floated down the
Merced and lodged against bridges.  All roads were reopened on Saturday, May
18th, but campgrounds remained closed through the weekend due to the
saturated ground and road and campsite damage.  Maintenance crews worked
throughout the weekend to open campgrounds by Monday.  Lower Pines received
the most damage and may reopen this weekend.  Cleanup will continue, as all
sorts of items - from tennis balls to mattresses - have been deposited in
various locations along the river.  [CRO, YOSE]

96-234 - Grand Teton (Wyoming) - Antler Poaching

A local resident reported seeing two men canoeing west on the Gros Ventre
River with a large quantity of elk antlers on the evening of May 20th. 
Ranger Chris Flaherty located the two young men, who were hiding in the
woods.  The pair - J.Z. and S.C. - took Flaherty to
their canoe and cache of elk antlers.  They admitted to caching the antlers
for two days, then renting a canoe in order to pick them up.  Flaherty
arrested the two men and seized 474 pounds of antlers and a 1980 Datsun
pickup truck.  The value of the antlers has been placed at $4,650.  Flaherty
was assisted by rangers Perch, Spomer and Maguire.  [Colin Campbell, CR,
GRTE]

96-235 - C&O Canal (Maryland/D.C.) - Car Clout Arrests

On May 15th, the park received a call from a visitor whose car had been
broken into that day at the Monocacy River boat ramp.  The victim was able to
provide descriptions and the license plates of the two vehicles seen leaving
the area.  Rangers Jim Brown and Mike Sabatini drove to the Damascus,
Maryland, address of the registered owner of one of the vehicles the next day
and discovered the car they were seeking, which was occupied at the time by
Ginger Staub, 20, and a juvenile male.  The pair admitted to participation in
the car clout and provided information on two other individuals involved in
the theft - R.W., 19, and R.T., 18, also of Damascus.  Brown
and Sabatini contacted R.W. around 10 that evening.  R.W. had in his
possession items which were taken in the car clout, including fishing rods,
tackle, and cassette tapes.  The method used to enter the vehicle - smashing
windows with a pipe - matched that employed in two recent incidents in the
park and others which had occurred recently on state and regional park lands. 
Rangers are cooperating with investigators from the other agencies to close
as many of these cases as possible.  [Kevin FitzGerald, CHOH]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE SUMMARY

                                                                     %   Est
State      Unit                Fire          IMT     5/23     5/24  Con  Con

AZ    Coconino NF            Horseshoe        T2    8,650    8,650  100  CND 

FL    Ocala NF               Major #1         --    3,160    3,147   98  6/1 

CA    Bakersfield District * Seven Mile       --        -    2,690  100  CND

Heading Notes

     Unit --    Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
                or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
                district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
     Fire --    * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
                limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
                strategy
     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

FIRES AND ACRES BURNED

                NPS     BIA      BLM     FWS    States     USFS      Total

Number            0       0        4       0       214       10        228
Acres Burned      0       0    2,690       0     5,256       37      7,983 

COMMITTED RESOURCES 

               Crews     Engines     Helicopters     Airtankers     Overhead

Federal           62        47           11               2            404
Non-federal        0        14            0               0             27

CURRENT SITUATION 

High to extreme fire dangers persist in the Southwest.  Resource mobilization
through NICC was minimal yesterday.

NATIONAL OUTLOOK 

NICC has posted a RED FLAG WARNING for strong winds and very dry fuels for
the entire state of Arizona and for possible dry lightning in the northern
third of the state.  A FIRE WEATHER WATCH has also been posted for strong
winds and very dry fuels for New Mexico.  These conditions will increase the
likelihood of fires in those states.  The chance for human-caused fires has
also increased due to outdoors activities on the upcoming holiday weekend.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/24]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Special Park Uses - An update on special directive 95-11 ("T-Shirt and
Merchandise Sales at Demonstrations and Special Events") which appeared in
CLEAR TEXT, the recently discontinued newsletter from WASO Ranger Activities,
contained this passage: "The sale of food in the parks, when part of an
interpretive program and managed under a permit and not in conflict with an
authorized concession, is allowed."  This is INCORRECT.  Such sales are not
restricted to interpretive programs.  Food can be sold in parks in all
instances where such sales do not conflict with existing concession
operations.  [Dick Young, RAD/WASO @ COLO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

OBSERVATIONS

"The National Park System is a definite expression of the highest in our
American code of government - equality for all."

                                   Isabelle Story, former Chief of
                                   Information, NPS, from "Quotes:
                                   Conservation, Parks, Natural
                                   Beauty," DOI, 1966

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.

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

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