NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Sunday, May 27, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-170 - Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Follow-up: Public Health Hazard

On April 18th, the park closed the Sanford-Yake campground due to the 
detection of plague-causing pathogens in a flea sample taken from a 
burrow in a nearby prairie dog town. The insecticide "Delta Dust" was 
subsequently applied to the burrows. A sampling taken on May 23rd 
confirmed that the insecticide had killed off all remaining fleas. The 
campground was accordingly reopened in time for Memorial Day weekend. 
[Rhonda Terry, PIO, LAMR, 5/25]

01-213 - Curecanti NRA (CO) - Follow-up: Fatal Airplane Crash

A low-flying twin-engine plane struck power lines and plunged into 
Blue Mesa Reservoir near Elk Creek Marina on the evening of May 11th, 
killing both occupants. The plane then sank to the bottom of the lake. 
A two-day-long recovery operation was completed on Wednesday, May 
23rd. Phoenix Aviation Group, the insurance company for the plane, 
contracted with Inland Marine Services, a commercial diving company, 
and Beegles Aircraft Services, both from Denver, Colorado, to recover 
and salvage the craft. Divers with surface-supplied air rigged the 
aircraft (located at a depth of 130 feet), winched the plane below a 
barge, and towed it to the marina launch ramp. Approximately 60 people 
from the NPS, state, county, NTSB, and the plane's manufacturer 
assisted with the recovery effort. The entire marina was closed for 
the two-day operation. Recovered from within the plane were the bodies 
of G.L., 31, and D.B., 30, both flight instructor 
pilots from the Denver area. According to eyewitness reports, the 
plane had been flying fast and low in the Gunnison area and was 
observed flying just above the water in the easternmost basin of the 
reservoir right before the crash.  Prior to the salvage mission, the 
Trident Foundation utilized side-scan sonar and video equipment to 
determine the location and condition of the plane.  [Linda Alick, CR, 
CURE, 5/27]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Plan

No new information. Please check the NPS Fire Management Program 
Center web page (www.fire.nps.gov) for further information on fire 
plan projects.

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 1

New large fires were reported yesterday in northern California and in 
New Mexico. One large fire was contained in Florida, and another was 
contained in southern Florida. Florida and southern Georgia will have 
relatively dry weather with isolated thunderstorms - except for 
southern Florida, which will have scattered showers. Nevada will be 
dry and windy. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in 
Arizona, Florida and New Mexico.

NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for low relative humidity in 
northern and central Florida for today.

The full NICC Incident Management Situation Report can be found at 
http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf

National Resource Status

Date                    5/23    5/24    5/25    5/26    5/27

Crews                   49      60      57      32      50
Engines                 63      103     101     83      153
Helicopters             15      20      16      24      31
Air Tankers             0       0       0       0       2
Overhead                175     253     299     308     353

Park Fire Situation

Big Cypress NP (FL) - The Bear Island Fire has been inactive for the 
past three days. All assigned resources have been demobed. Some 
scattered showers have fallen on the fire over the past several days, 
and water levels are beginning to rise in some places. No further 
problems are expected.

Everglades NP (FL) - The park reported numerous lightning strikes on 
Friday, but no new fires.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme         Hawaii Volcanoes
Very High       Lake Mead, Everglades, Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe 
                Mountains
High            Mojave

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/27; NPS Situation 
Summary Report, 5/26]

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS

Regular sections not appearing today (due either to lack of 
submissions or time constraints in preparing this edition) but are 
available at all times:

o  Natural/Cultural Resource Management - Significant developments in 
   these fields.
o  Interpretation/Visitor Services - Significant developments in these 
   fields.
o  Operational Notes - Any information of consequence to the field on 
   operational matters.
o  Memoranda - Memoranda from WASO to the field on all operational 
   matters.
o  Interchange - Requests or offers from any park or office for 
   materials, information or any other operational needs.
o  Parks and People - Reports on people (job openings, retirements, 
   etc.) and parks (significant happenings of any kind).
o  Hot Links - Web addresses for NPS-related sites.
o  Film at 11 - Reports on current or upcoming print or electronic 
   media stories on the NPS.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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.

                             --- ### ---