RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date:  Wednesday, March 20, 1991

INCIDENTS

91-78 - Prince William (Virginia) - Assist on Search; Fatality

On the evening of March 17th, two-year-old T.S. wandered 
away from friends he was playing with near the park, and a 
search was begun for him two hours later.  T.S. was wearing 
only a T-shirt and jeans; because of the cold weather, rescuers 
were concerned that the boy would not survive a night alone in 
the woods.  A ranger found T.S.'s body face down in a creek in 
a ravine early Tuesday morning, not far from the point where 
he'd last been seen and only 200 yards from the police command 
post set up to run the search.  [UPI news story, 3/19]

91-79 - C&O Canal (Maryland) - Prosecution

On March 19th, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Baltimore, Maryland, 
announced that it had filed a $1 million civil complaint against 
L., J. and M.G. for cutting down two dozen large 
trees in March of 1988 in violation of an agreement which they 
had made with the park.  The family own a 192-acre estate called 
Marwood in Montgomery County which overlooks the Potomac River.  
According to the complaint filed in civil court, the family 
directed their property manager to remove selected trees from a 
narrow strip of woodland along the park which contained a scenic 
easement which they'd negotiated with the park.  The NPS had 
paid the family $88,341 to obtain the easement, which barred them 
from cutting trees larger than six inches in diameter in that 
area and also prohibited the dumping of "foreign material."  
Rangers said they found that at least 29 large trees had been 
chopped down in the easement and that stones had been deposited 
in a nearby stream.  They also said that the family had been 
warned twice in earlier years against felling trees in the 
easement.  The trees were allegedly cut in order to improve the 
family's view of the river and enhance the reception of the 
family's satellite dish.  The U.S. attorney is seeking $350,000 
in reforestation costs and $650,000 in punitive damages.  The 
action comes less than two years after one of the family's 
neighbors, I.F., was convicted of destroying more than 
100 trees in the park to improve his view.  I.F. was ordered to 
serve 15 days in a halfway house and was fined $20,000 in 
federal court.  The action against the family is in civil rather 
than criminal court because the damage was determined to be less 
severe than in the I.F. case and because the U.S. attorney 
judged that there was no criminal intent.  [Washington Post news 
story, 3/19]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) Chief Ranger Ed Carlson of Pinnacles has issued a challenge 
to any area in the NPS to match his park's accomplishments in 
the Drug Abuse Resistance (DARE) program.  Last year, Pinnacles 
rangers taught the DARE program to 420 students, and more than 
630 students are signed up this year for the bilingual program 
taught by Rangers Mike Morales and Augusto Conde.  Any takers?

THIS DAY IN NPS HISTORY...

March 20, 1975 - A C-141 crashed in the backcountry at Olympic, 
killing all 16 people on board.  The park received a Unit Award 
for Excellence of Service for the very extensive recovery and 
salvage operations which was successfully undertaken over the 
ensuing five months.  [Butch Farabee, PAIS]

NOTE:  The name of the Death Valley ranger who received the 
awards for saving the man in the burning car (see yesterday's 
morning report) was Robert Devine.

[Got an historical note?  Send it on to us for entry in the 
morning report].

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Dabney on travel to Canyonlands, UT (3/18-3/22).

Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Marriott at NSA meeting,
Baltimore, MD (3/19-3/22); Halainen on detail to House Subcommittee on
National Parks and Public Lands (3/18-4/26); Sisto at MWR chief 
rangers' conference, Lake Geneva, WI (3/18-3/20).

Branch of Fire: Norum at meeting of interagency forest and range
experiment station review board, East Lansing, MI (3/18-3/21); Broyles
at RX-90 burn boss course, Beaumont, TX (3/17-3/29); Gale and Erskine
at Big Cypress/Everglades fire program review (3/15-3/22); Clark
instructing S490590, NARTC, Marana, AZ (3/3-3/22); Farrel at MWR
chief rangers' conference, Lake Geneva, WI (3/20-3/21).

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