RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           CC: RAD Information Net

Day/date: Wednesday, January 2, 1991

INCIDENTS

90-458 - Joshua Tree (California) - Seizure of Explosives

The park received a report of an unidentified aircraft landing 
on a remote runway in the Pinto Basin on December 6th.  The 
runway and adjoining cabin are on a park inholding; in the past, 
rangers have had numerous problems with the owner and other 
occupants living on the property.  Upon arriving, responding 
rangers found the cabin door open and ten sticks of dynamite, 
500 rounds of AK-47 tracer ammunition and numerous detonators in 
plain sight.  The cabin and runway were placed under observation 
by a Marine Corps team which was then in the park on a 
counter-narcotics operation.  A search warrant was secured and 
was served on December 12th by Joshua Tree rangers, a hazardous 
devices team, and a special investigations team from the 
Riverside County sheriff's office.  Along with the tracer 
ammunition and dynamite, the teams located 50 yards of 
detonating cord, over 200 fuse and electrical detonators, two 
rolls of detonation wire, exploding targets, and 2,000 rounds of 
other types of ammunition.  Numerous objects outside the cabin 
had been blown up; large craters were produced at the detonation 
points.  Many pipe bombs had been detonated in the area, and a 
large number of galvanized pipes with pipe caps were found in a 
storage shed.  The teams also found thousands of rounds of 
expended AK47, 5.56 mm and 9 mm brass around the site.  The 
explosives were detonated at the scene.  The investigation 
continues.  (Paul Henry, CR, JOTR, via CompuServe report from 
Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 12/28).

90-459 - Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio) - Flooding

Unusually high rainfall over the past few days has led to 
flooding within the park.  Riverview Road along the Cuyahoga 
River has been closed intermittently.  The basement of the Canal 
Visitor Center along the Ohio and Erie Canal in Independence has 
flooded to a depth of about four feet; there are no estimates of 
the degree of damage.  The Armington Pond dam upstream from 
Virginia Kendall Lake was overtopped.  No evacuations were made, 
but residents were notified of the situation.  The pond is being 
drained; once it is empty, the dam will be breached.  While this 
work is in progress, the lake and surrounding hills will remain 
closed to public use.  (Brian McHugh and Dave Dornfeld, CUVA, 
via telefax from John Townsend, RAD/MWRO, 12/31).

90-460 - Olympic (Washington) - Fatality

Tony August, 63, a resident of Lake Quinault and former seasonal 
laborer for the park, was killed on December 30th when the 
backhoe he was on rolled over while he was working along the 
lakeshore.  No further information on the incident is available.  
(Telephone report from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 12/30).

90-461 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Poaching Conviction

On December 17th, P.C., 47, of Lawrenceburg, 
Tennessee, pleaded guilty to charges of illegally killing a bull 
elk (16 USC 26) at Norris Junction on September 26, 1989.  He 
was ordered to pay the NPS $2,200, forfeit his Weatherby .300 
magnum Mark V rifle to the park, and not enter either 
Yellowstone or Grand Teton for three years.  His supervised 
three-year probation includes provisions that he not hunt, 
accompany hunters, or possess firearms or bow hunting or archery 
equipment of any kind anywhere in the nation.  (CompuServe 
message from Pat Ozment, CI, YELL, 12/28).

90-462 - Yosemite (California) - MVA with Fatality

R.A.B., 43, of Desert Hot Springs, California, was 
fatally injured in a two-car accident on Highway 41 on December 
29th.  R.A.B. was traveling southbound on the icy highway at an 
excessive rate of speed about three miles from the park's south 
entrance when he slid into an oncoming truck being driven by 
Malcom Fulmer of Wawona.  R.A.B. was struck in the head and 
apparently killed by the binding of one of his unsecured skis, 
which were inside the vehicle.  (Roger Rudolph, CR, YOSE, via 
CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 12/31).

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No reports today.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Dabney at resource management planning meeting 
in Cowpens, South Carolina (1/2-1/4).

Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Marriott on annual 
leave  (1/2-1/4); Coffey at range issues working group meeting (1/3).

Branch of Fire: Hurd on SL (1/2); Broyles on AL (1/2-1/4).

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone:  FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax:    FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
SEAdog:     1/650