NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, May 22, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-218 - Glacier NP (MT) - Search; Concession Employee Fatality

A search was begun for 26-year-old concession employee C.D. on the
evening of Monday, May 18th, when he failed to report to work as scheduled. 
Co-workers had last seen C.D. the previous afternoon; friends reported that
he'd planned on making a day hike on Sunday and that he was not prepared to
camp out.  C.D.'s car was soon found at the Scenic Point trailhead.  A hasty
team searched the area but found no sign of him.  On Tuesday morning, a total
of 50 people - park and concession employees, volunteers and area residents -
began an expanded search of Two Medicine Valley.  C.D.'s body was found near
Appistoki Falls off the Scenic Point trail at an elevation of 6,000 feet on
Wednesday morning.  Scavenging by bears or other animals had occurred, but
the actual cause of death is still under investigation.  Investigators are in
the preliminary stages of analyzing evidence (bear scat and hair) collected
at the scene to see if there's any way to determine which bear or bears
scavenged on C.D.'s remains.  The material was sent to a laboratory for
analysis yesterday; an autopsy is also pending.  Telemetry indicates that a
collared female grizzly and her two, two-year-old cubs were in the general
area of the investigation on Wednesday.  Rangers and biologists from the park
and the Blackfeet tribe are closely monitoring the location of these bears. 
Various trails in Two Medicine Valley are temporarily closed due to the on-
going investigation and the proximity of these bears.  C.D.'s employer,
Glacier Park, Inc. (GPI), provided support for the SAR and recovery
operation, including volunteers, meals and other logistical support.  Three
dog teams and two helicopters were also employed.  Two Medicine subdistrict
ranger Dona Taylor was the IC for the search and continues in that capacity
in the on-going investigation.  GPI will hold a memorial ceremony and wake
this evening for C.D.'s family, employees and friends.  Due to the onset of
the spring snow melt, park personnel have also resumed the search for GPI
employee Matthew Truszkowski, who disappeared while en route to a solo climb
of Sinopah Mountain in the park's Two Medicine Valley last July (97-308). 
[Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 5/20]

98-219 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Serious Injury from Downed Power Line

On the morning of May 18th, the park received a 911 call reporting that a 10-
year-old boy had been injured when he came into contact with a downed power
line on the Artist Paint Pots trail between Norris and Madison.  The boy had
been hiking the trail with his family.  On the way to the paint pots, they
noted a wire above the trail and an elk carcass about 50 feet off to the
right.  A power line that had been stretched toward the ground by a fallen
tree had electrocuted the elk.  Visitors were able to walk under the line,
however, as it was more than eight feet above the trail.  When the family
returned from the hike, the father left the trail to investigate the elk
carcass.  The boy followed; as he approached the elk, he grabbed the power
line, which had been pulled to just over five feet off the ground at this
point by the fallen tree.  Another visitor witnessed the incident, helped the
family to move the boy back from the wire, then contacted the park.  Rangers
arrived and provided emergency medical treatment.  They were assisted by
maintenance employees and a park volunteer.  The boy was taken to a life
flight helicopter, flown to a hospital in Idaho, then flown to the Salt Lake
City Burn Center for additional treatment.  It appears that he will lose one
arm and parts of his feet.  The boy also sustained burns to his face.  [Mona
Divine, YELL, 5/20]

98-220 - Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP (VA) - ARPA Case

On May 19th, G.H., 21, and J.B., 21, both of Spotsylvania,
were apprehended on Spotsylvania Battlefield with metal detectors, digging
equipment and artifacts in their possession.  Due to darkness, no
archeological damage was immediately found.  Subsequent investigation has so
far led to the discovery of over 30 dig sites.  The search continues.  Both
G.H. and J.B. have criminal histories.  [Mike Greenfield, SPR, FRSP,
5/21]

98-221 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Rescue

S.M., C.S. and several children were wading in the New
River upstream of the Grandview sandbar on the afternoon of May 17th when one
of the children was swept downstream by the swift current.  S.M.
attempted to rescue the child, but was also swept downstream and pulled
underwater.  The current caught C.S. when he attempted to rescue S.M.
and carried him down the river as well.  The child managed to swim close to
shore and was pulled to safety by a bystander; C.S. made it to shore by
himself.  A visitor who witnessed the events swam after and retrieved
S.M., who was found to be in cardiac arrest.  Visitors began CPR and she
had resumed breathing by the time rangers arrived on scene.  While they were
continuing CPR on her, C.S. collapsed.  He was revived and stabilized. 
Both were taken to a local hospital and have since been released.  [Rick
Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 5/19]

98-222 - Big Thicket NP (TX) - Drowning

On May 20th, S.G., 41, was picnicking and swimming in the Lakeview
day use area on the Neches River with family and friends.  S.G. was
swimming with members of his family about 100 yards from the marked swimming
area around 7:30 p.m. when he swam out to a point near the center of the
river, which is about 60 yards wide at this location.  S.G. submerged, but
did not resurface.  His body was recovered at 11:30 p.m. about 50 feet from
the west shore in approximately 15 feet of water.  The incident is being
jointly investigated by the park and the county sheriff's office.  An autopsy
has been ordered.  [CRO, BITH, 5/21]

                [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Tue      Thu    %   Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    5/19     5/21  Con  Con

MI   Hiawatha NF            Camp Faunce       --    1,832    1,832  100  CND 
                            Ester Lake        T2      250      115   95  5/22

MT   Miles City District    Sandburn          --    2,500    5,200  100  CND 

TX   State                  Cibolo Creek      --   60,000   60,000  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
IMT       T1 = Type I; 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

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Monday, 5/18         0      0         1       0       36     10        47 
Tuesday, 5/19        0      0         0       0       66      6        72
Wednesday, 5/20      0      2         1       0      112      6       121
Thursday, 5/21       0      3         3       0       58      8        72

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Monday, 5/18        30         57          13             1           201
Tuesday, 5/19       27         32           7             3           149
Wednesday, 5/20     19         35          14             1           165
Thursday, 5/21      20         44          15             0           153

CURRENT SITUATION

There was little fire activity yesterday.

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in units in Colorado,
Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Michigan.  

NICC has posted two FIRE WEATHER WATCHES - one for southwest winds of 20 to
30 mph and continuing dry conditions in southern and eastern New Mexico, the
other for low humidity in central Florida.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/22]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Reports pending.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Trails Day Information Sought - The American Hiking Society (AHS) coordinates
National Trails Day annually (June 6th this year) and tries to keep track of
events nationwide.  The Service is a co-sponsor of the event.  This year, AHS
is particularly interested in tracking the events being held in association
with NPS areas and program offices.  If you're involved in a National Trails
Day event this year, either in your park or with program partners outside the
park, please send a short description of the event (location, partner,
sponsors, types of activities, projects accomplished, etc.) to Brad Wilson at
AHS, either by phone (301-565-6704 x 112) or e-mail (AHSBrad@aol.com).  To
learn more about National Trails Day, check the AHS web page at www.ahs.
simplenet.com.  [Steve Elkinton, RRAD/WASO]

Housing Update - On April 30th, the draft of DO-36 on NPS housing management
was sent to the National Leadership Council for review and comment.  The
intent of DO-36 is to articulate the housing policy and requirements that are
imposed on NPS housing management.  The Service's housing management
handbook, recently distributed to all park areas, provides procedural
information and recommendations to assist managers in complying with DO-36. 
Most of the policy and procedural content of DO-36 was previously reported to
Congress in response to the administrative reform provisions of Public Law
104-333.  Extensive field review was obtained prior to submission of that
report.  Comments on the draft DO-36 should be sent to Pat Bantner in the
WASO Housing Office via cc:Mail by May 29th.  [Pat Bantner, FMD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

EXCHANGE

No entries.

                  *  *  *  *  *

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

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