NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, September 16, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-594 - Gates of the Arctic NP&P (AK) - Armed Robbery, Assault, Arrests

On September 6th, rangers at the Bettles ranger station received a message
that seasonal ranger Dan McRoberts was reporting an incident of stolen
property on the Kobuk Preserve, about 120 miles west of Bettles.  Rangers
flew to the area.  They found that three separate groups of hunters floating
down the Kobuk River had been threatened at gunpoint by five men in a
motorized river boat and had stolen some items from them.  The hunters had
taken refuge at McRoberts' camp, as their assailants were still in the area. 
State troopers were contacted, but could not respond until the following
morning due to logistical problems.  Troopers and chief ranger Jeff Mow
responded from Fairbanks and Galena the following day.  The hunters were
interviewed and reported that their assailants had passed downstream earlier
that morning.  Mow, McRoberts and a trooper flew downstream and spotted the
five men about 20 miles away, outside the park boundary, floating into their
parents' subsistence fishing camp because their boat had run out of gas.  All
five were arrested and most of the stolen items were recovered.  One of the
men had to be sprayed with pepper spray, but the others were compliant.  Five
rifles were confiscated.  The men were flown 235 miles to Fairbanks and are
being charged in state court with ten counts each of felony assault and armed
robbery.  Alcohol was a factor in the incident.  [Jeff Mow, CR, GAAR, 9/15]

98-595 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Sexual Assault; Arrest

Park Police officer Mike Ramos was on foot patrol on the municipal pier
around 1 a.m. on September 28th when he came upon a partially clothed woman
who yelled that she had just been raped.  She pointed out a suspect behind a
concrete bench.  When the man refused to show his hands, Ramos attempted to
take him in custody at gunpoint.  The man instead fled on foot toward the
shoreline.  Ramos chased him to the foot of the pier, where a struggle
ensued.  Ramos sprayed the man with pepper spray and was finally able to
handcuff him with the assistance of a citizen.  Investigation revealed that
he was on parole for a robbery in Louisiana.  The victim was taken to a city
hospital for treatment.  Detective Jason Wu is conducting the follow-up
investigation.  [Lt. Kevin Hay, USPP, GOGA, 9/12]

98-596 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Suspected Suicide, Concession Employee

J.W., 19, of Salt Lake City, was found dead yesterday morning on
the floor of her dormitory trailer in the park.  J.W., who had worked as a
concession employee at Hite for a month, had gotten into a fight with her
boyfriend the previous evening.  Evidence indicates a probable overdose from
assorted substances found at the scene.  J.W. had a history of suicide
threats; a suicide note was found near her body.  An investigation is
underway.  [David Sandbakken, Acting CR, GLCA, 9/15]

98-597 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Rescue

Rangers rescued a visitor who fell about 75 feet from Grandeur Point on the
South Rim on the evening of September 14th.  M.J.K., 65, of San
Antonio, was viewing the sunset from the edge of the canyon when she slipped,
fell, landed on a rocky slope, and rolled a considerable distance.  M.J.K.
sustained multiple traumatic injuries, but her condition remained stable
throughout the ensuing technical evacuation.  She was flown to Flagstaff
Medical Center, where she is in stable condition.  Assisting in the operation
were employees from AMFAC, the park concessioner, and from the county
sheriff's department; also assisting were local Explorer scouts.  [Jennie
Kish, GRCA, 9/15]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Mon      Tue    %  Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    9/14     9/15  Con Con

MT   Flathead NF            Challenge         T1    8,800    8,800  100 CND 
     Beaverhead/
       Deerlodge NF         Bear Trap         --      400      785   50 NEC

CA   Six Rivers NF          Buck              T2      300      680   15 9/19
     Klamath NF           * Cedar Creek       --        -      150  UNK 9/17

                                  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; FUT = Interagency
            Fire Use Management Team
% Con       Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
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

Saturday, 9/12       1      3         2       0       18     17        41
Sunday, 9/13         0      3         0       0       38      9        50 
Monday, 9/14         0      0         0       0       61     31        92
Tuesday, 9/15        1      4         0       0      103     13       121

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Saturday, 9/12      61        202          45             2           588
Sunday, 9/13        37        165          28             0           372
Monday, 9/14        60        179          36             5           230
Tuesday, 9/15       64        203          37             5           324

CURRENT SITUATION

Fire activity remains minimal.

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in Nebraska, South
Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon.

NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for gusty west winds east of the Rockies
and west of Interstate 15 in northern Montana.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/16]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Proposed Regulation on Personal Watercraft - The Service has proposed
regulations which will prohibit personal watercraft (PWCs) in units of the
System unless the NPS determines that PWC use is appropriate for a specific
unit, based on that unit's enabling legislation, resources and values, other
visitor uses, and overall management objectives.  This proposed regulation,
which was published yesterday in the Federal Register, will describe a
process that will allow continued PWC use in some areas and will enable the
NPS to better manage PWC use.  The regulation is open for comments until
November 16th.  They should be mailed to Ranger Activities Division-PWC, Room
7408, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240.  Copies can be viewed or
downloaded by accessing the NPS web site at www.nps.gov/refdesk and selecting
"Hotdocs" and "Personal Watercraft."  E-mail comments can be submitted at the
web site, or via comments@pwc.nps.gov, or sent directly.  Contact Chip Davis
in Ranger Activities at 202-208-4874 if you have any questions.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

Motor Vehicle Advisory - Hot Springs NP recently acquired two 1998 Ford Crown
Victoria police package vehicles from GSA.  The vehicles came equipped with
the traction control option, which automatically pumps the rear brakes and
slows the engine when the control module senses a high-speed wheel spin.  The
control module is a plastic box similar to a shoe box and is mounted on the
bottom of the vehicle's trunk, hanging down several inches.  These modules
rub on obstacles and can tear loose.  The park is currently going through GSA
to determine whether the modules should be removed and discarded and the
system disabled.  Parks acquiring similar vehicles should be aware of this
problem.  The cost to replace a single unit locally was $500.  [Rod Harris,
HOSP]

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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