NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, May 11, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1910, President William Howard Taft signed legislation 
establishing Glacier National Park, Montana.  Heavily promoted by the 
Great Northern Railroad, the park figured prominently in the "See 
America First" campaign to encourage domestic tourism before and 
during World War I.

INCIDENTS

00-201 - Voyageurs NP (MN) - Artifact Collection; Drug Possession

A state wildlife officer came upon three men who appeared to be 
collecting artifacts along a lakeshore on April 29th and notified 
ranger Mike Larsen. Due to the unusually dry weather and low lake 
water, several other incidents of illegal collection have been 
reported to park staff over the past several years. Larsen went to the 
suspects' residence outside the park. As he approached the door, he 
saw in plain view what he believed to be archeological artifacts on 
the dining room table. There was also a book on collecting artifacts 
on the table. He called ranger Chuck Remus for backup, and the two 
rangers waited at the residence until the trio returned. They were 
questioned and provided consent for a search of their residence and 
persons; they eventually turned in over 100 artifacts, including stone 
flakes, tools, arrowheads and spear points. Many other artifacts were 
seen in the house, but their origin could not be determined. The three 
men were also found to be in possession of controlled substances and a 
weapon. Because of the quantity of drugs, the county sheriff's office 
was contacted for assistance. All three were charged by the park with 
possession of archeological resources; two were charged by the state 
with misdemeanor drug possession; a state felony drug charge is 
pending. [CR, VOYA, 5/5]

FIRE ACTIVITY

National Preparedness Level - Level II 

Current Situation

New large fires were reported in the Southwest and the South 
yesterday. The Cerro Grande fire (see below) moved into town yesterday 
and numerous homes were reported burned. High winds are again forecast 
for Arizona and New Mexico today. An area command team and another 
Type I team were ordered for the Cerro Grande fire, and a Type I 
incident management team was ordered to stage in Flagstaff.  A 
significant fire also broke out yesterday on the North Rim of the 
Grand Canyon (see below).

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, New 
Mexico, Utah, California, Texas, and Oklahoma.

NPS Fires

Bandelier NM (NM) - The Cerro Grande fire has now burned 10,000 acres 
and has been only 5% contained. Despite intense efforts to secure 
firelines yesterday, southwest winds gusting to 50 mph pushed the fire 
into a subdivision, destroying numerous homes. Approximately 11,000 
residents in the community of Los Alamos have been ordered to 
evacuate; the park is closed and visitors have been evacuated. Guaje 
and Garcia canyons have been closed, as have numerous area roads. All 
firefighters were pulled back to safety zones by early afternoon due 
to prevailing conditions and aircraft flights were halted because of 
winds. Efforts to protect structures are on-going. An area command 
team (Meuchel) and a second Type I incident management team (Bateman) 
have been ordered. A total of 611 firefighters, 28 engines and nine 
helicopters have been committed to the fire. The governor has declared 
a state of emergency, as has President Clinton; the director of FEMA 
is en route to the fire.

Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - The Outlet fire began as a prescribed fire, but 
was declared a wildfire around 8:30 a.m. yesterday morning. The fire 
has burned 1,500 acres of ponderosa pine and mixed conifers two miles 
north of North Rim Village. Extreme fire behavior caused by high winds 
pushed the fire across Highway 67 yesterday afternoon, triggering the 
evacuation of all North Rim residents and visitors. Highway 67 remains 
closed and impassable at this time. One firefighter and seven visitors 
remain at Cape Royal, south of the fire, unable to safely exit the 
area. Evacuation by helicopter is planned for this morning, weather 
permitting. A Type II team (Anderson) will take over the incident 
today. Seventy-four firefighters and three engines have been 
committed. 

Outlook

A RED FLAG WARNING has been posted today for all of New Mexico for 
strong, gusty winds.

FIRE WEATHER WATCHES have been posted today for strong gusty winds and 
low afternoon relative humidity in all of Arizona, for low relative 
humidity and strong winds in the Davis Mountains in west Texas, and 
for low relative humidity in east central Florida and the Florida 
Panhandle.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/11; ICS 209's from Cerro 
Grande and Outlet fires]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Reports pending.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Day - The twelfth annual 
memorial candlelight vigil will be held at 8 p.m. on May 13th at the 
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The 
memorial day service itself will be held on the west front side of the 
Capitol at noon on May 15th. Information on lowering flags to half 
staff on May 15th will appear in tomorrow's Morning Report. For 
further information on the vigil or service, call 202-547-1651 or 
check the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial web site at 
www.nleomf.com. [Dennis Burnett, RAD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

No submissions.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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.

                             --- ### ---