RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date:  Friday, January 4, 1991

INCIDENTS

90-466 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Poaching Arrests

On November 19th, West Virginia opened its 1990 deer season.  
Within 24 hours, rangers and conservation officers from the 
state's department of natural resources made 11 arrests for 
illegal hunting activities within the park.  Violations included 
taking game out of season, spotlighting, hunting without a 
license, taking game from a closed area, and illegal possession 
of weapons.  (Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 11/21  report 
inadvertently misplaced until recently).

90-467 - Amistad (Texas) - Drug Arrests

The Del Rio narcotics trafficking task force made a number of 
arrests for drug trafficking through the park in December.  One 
Amistad ranger is currently serving as a fulltime member of the 
task force.  On the 18th, the task force executed two search 
warrants on residences in Del Rio and Normandy, Texas.  A total 
of 1,197 pounds of cocaine were seized, and four suspects were 
arrested.  On Christmas Day, a load of 577 pounds of marijuana 
was smuggled across the park and loaded into a vehicle.  During 
the ensuing chase by task force members, the vehicle left the 
road and drove onto the adjoining state park.  One suspect was 
arrested after a foot chase by rangers and Border Patrol and 
other officers.  (Larry Barnett, DR, AMIS, via CompuServe 
message from Bill Tanner, RAD/SWRO, 1/3).

91-11 - Guilford Courthouse (North Carolina) - Sexual Assault

An 18-year-old woman was kidnapped by two men in Gastonia, North 
Carolina, on the afternoon of January 1st, then driven to the 
park and sexually assaulted.  A joint investigation is currently 
being conducted by rangers, FBI agents and Gastonia City and 
York County officers.  No further information is currently 
available.  (Chuck Taylor, GUCO, via telefax from Capt. Steve 
Alscher, RAD/SERO, 1/3).

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Bison Management

The Fund for Animals has asked the Department of Agriculture to 
reject a petition to quarantine buffalo in the park, contending 
that the "request is impractical and unrealistic."  The state of 
Montana has proposed the quarantine to protect domestic cattle 
from brucellosis.  A spokesman for the fund said that 
Agriculture's scientists are reviewing the state's request, but 
that no decision has yet been made.  The director of USDA's 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) last month 
called the park's bison a "reservoir of infection" of a disease 
that has almost been eradicated in the United States.  The fund 
filed its request Wednesday.  (Steve Moore, Associated Press, 
1/3).

OFFICE NOTES

1) On December 31st, a memo was sent out to all regional 
directors and 32 parks with recognized recreational ice and rock 
climbing announcing a Servicewide climbing management workshop 
to be held in Denver February 26-28, 1991.  The intent of the
workshop is to begin addressing  the sport's impacts, including
litter, human waste, social  travel and bolting.  No policies
will be set, but they very  probably will be in the future.  For
further information on the  meeting, contact either Jim Reilly
in RAD/RMRO (FTS 327-2217) or  Butch Farabee in RAD/WASO (FTS
268-4188). (Butch Farabee, RAD/WASO).

2) Several parks have received a direct mailing from the 
Naturist Society (or an organization with a similar name).  The 
letter asked parks to identify volunteer positions wherein 
people could help parks, particularly with trash cleanup along 
beaches.  The letter may also have requested approval to pass 
out a publication about trash cleanup.  It may be appropriate 
for park areas to take a somewhat consistent approach to this 
request.  We would like information on how you have responded.  
Have any publications been accepted for distribution?  Has 
volunteer help been accepted?  (Dick Martin, RAD/WASO).

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).

Branch of Fire: Erskine on AL (1/4-1/11); Gale at meeting on 
overhead development proposal, Seattle, Washington (1/3-1/4); 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