NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Monday, May 8, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1846, U.S. troops under Maj. Gen. Zachary Taylor 
routed a superior Mexican force at Palo Alto in the first battle of 
the Mexican War.  Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site near 
Brownsville, Texas, preserves the site.

INCIDENTS

00-191 - Saguaro NP (AZ) - Bee Attacks; Closure

On April 23rd, four Dutch citizens were returning from a hike on the 
Tanque Verde Ridge trail in the Rincon Mountain District when they 
were attacked by Africanized bees. They dropped their hats and 
sunglasses and ran down the trail to their car at the trailhead. One 
woman received five stings and the other members of the group received 
one or two stings each.  Rangers and a local EMS unit responded, but 
none of the four needed treatment. When one of the rangers went up the 
trail to retrieve the hats and sunglasses, a large number of bees came 
after him.  Rangers wearing protective suits then closed the trail and 
located the colony. The nest was approximately ten feet off the trail 
in a rocky outcropping that visitors use as a scenic overlook. In 
accordance with the park's bee management plan, resource management 
and visitor protection staff determined that the colony needed to be 
exterminated. The trail remained closed throughout the week while 
rangers and a professional exterminator made repeated trips to the 
site to eradicate approximately 50,000 bees.  The bees were extremely 
aggressive, but the bee suits were effective in protecting the 
rangers.  The trail was reopened on April 29th. [Bob Lineback, DR/Meg 
Weesner, CRM, SAGU, 5/4]

00-192 - Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Airplane Crash with Two Fatalities

On May 1st, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) notified the park of an overdue 
twin-engine Piper Aerostar that had disappeared the previous day while 
flying over the northern portion of the park. R.D. and T.D. of 
Fort Collins had been flying home from Page, Arizona, when their plane 
disappeared from radar just after noon on April 30th. The CAP managed 
a joint search which included park and Army National Guard units. No 
sign of the plane was found during the first three days of the search, 
but on May 4th a National Guard helicopter spotted the downed aircraft 
in a rocky boulder field near the summit of Comanche Peak (12,650 
feet), located on the park's north central boundary. Both Donohos had 
been killed instantly. On May 5th, a multi-agency team removed their 
remains. The NTSB is investigating. [Doug Ridley, IC, ROMO, 5/7]

00-193 - Cape Krusenstern NM (AK) - Airplane Crash with Fatality

Local Kotzebue resident G.I., 37, was killed when his Super Cub 
crashed on a foggy spit in the park on May 1st. G.I. had been spotting 
beluga whales out of the native village of Kivalina when his plane 
went down in whiteout conditions. The high impact crash was called 
"non-survivable" by the CAP pilot who investigated the accident. G.I. 
had not been reported overdue; snowmobilers happened across the 
wreckage on a flat area of tundra two miles inland the evening of May 
1st.  G.I., who grew up in Kotzebue, had been flying since he was a 
teenager and was a long-time subsistence hunter and fisherman who was 
respected in the community. G.I. was transporting beluga whale meat and 
fat from Kivalina to people in the region when his plane went down. 
[Peter Christian, Acting CR, WEAR, 5/5]

                        [Additional reports pending...)

FIRE ACTIVITY

National Preparedness Level - Level II 

This level goes into effect when the following conditions are met: One 
geographic area experiencing high fire danger.  Numerous Class A, B, 
and C fires occurring and a potential exists for escapes to larger 
(project) fires.  Minimal mobilization of resources from other 
geographic areas occurring.  The potential exists for mobilizing 
additional resources from other geographic areas. 

Current Situation

New large fires were reported over the weekend in the Southwest, 
South, East and Rockies. Two Type I incident management teams were 
committed in the Southwest; a total of four Type I teams are now 
deployed, one each on the Coon Creek fire (Tonto NF, AZ), the Cerro 
Grande fire (Bandelier NM, NM - see below), the Cree fire (Lincoln NF, 
NM), and the Long Bay fire (several NF's, FL). A total of 28 crews and 
360 overhead personnel were deployed as of Sunday.  Very high to 
extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, 
Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

NPS Fires

Bandelier NM (NM) - The Cerro Grande fire is burning in mixed conifers 
six miles southwest of Los Alamos. It has so far burned 550 acres and 
was reported to be 40% contained as of this morning. A Type I incident 
management team (Humphrey) has been assigned; 137 firefighters, four 
engines and two helicopters have been committed. The fire began as a 
prescribed burn, but escaped prescription and was declared a wildfire 
on May 5th. Several structures in the area are threatened, but 
protection efforts near the Los Alamos National Laboratory have been 
successful. 

Outlook

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH has been posted for strong winds and low humidity 
in New Mexico today.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/8]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Reports pending.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Canaveral NS (FL) - The park is seeking two seasonal protection 
rangers. Duties include law enforcement, search and rescue and EMS. No 
government housing is available. The duty station will be New Smyrna 
Beach, which is 15 miles south of Daytona Beach and 40 miles from 
Orlando. The announcement (5180-0002-00) will be open until May 18th. 
The season runs from May through the later part of September. For more 
information, please contact John Diefenbach at 904-427-1670 x 17.

                            *  *  *  *  *

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed 
by park, office and/or regional cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please 
address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your 
servicing hub coordinator.  The Morning Report is also available on 
the web at http://www.nps.gov/morningreport

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

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