RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date:  Wednesday, April 3, 1991

INCIDENTS

91-81 - Carlsbad Cavern (New Mexico) - Followup on Rescue 

The rescue operation for E.M. is going well.  On Tuesday, 
she was hoisted on a stretcher up the 250-foot Great White Way, a 
rock wall with a series of ledges, and will be carried through a 
treacherous passage known as The Rift today.  Rescuers plan to 
use boulders wedged into the rift as stepping stones while 
inching E.M. through the L-shaped fracture.  Although several 
more miles of difficult and dangerous passageways still need to 
be traversed to complete the evacuation, present estimates are 
that the rescue will be completed by the evening of the 4th or 
morning of the 5th.  Food and painkillers are being sent down to 
E.M., who is reported to be in good spirits.  The park will be 
providing regular updates on the rescue over coming days.  [AP 
news report, 4/3, and telefaxed briefing information from 
RAD/SWRO, 4/2]

91-88 - Grand Teton (Wyoming) - Illegal Snowmobiling Arrests

Early on the afternoon of March 21st, rangers on a multi-day ski 
patrol of the Berry Creek area heard snowmobiles several miles 
up the canyon ahead of them in a proposed wilderness area which 
is closed to all snowmobile use.  They radioed in their 
observations and continued up the canyon.  Meanwhile, two 
rangers flew to the area in a contract helicopter.  At about 
2:30 p.m., they spotted five snowmobiles just leaving the patrol 
cabin in Upper Berry Creek.  They employed the helicopter in an 
attempt to block their movement, but the snowmobilers refused to 
stop, split up and ran.  A 40-minute chase ensued.  When one 
snowmobiler eventually became stuck, the pilot landed the 
helicopter, dropped off a ranger to apprehend him, then 
continued the pursuit.  Two other snowmobilers stopped and gave 
up shortly thereafter.  The pair were identified, then one was 
sent to find the remaining two.  Each of the five snowmobilers 
was charged with operating in a closed area, interfering with 
agency functions, and trespassing.  They were allowed to run 
their machines out of the backcountry, but the snowmobiles were 
subsequently impounded.  All five snowmobilers are residents of 
nearby towns in Idaho.  They are to be arraigned in magistrate's 
court on April 8th.  Illegal snowmobile use in the high country 
of the Tetons and the adjoining Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area 
is reported to be a serious and increasing problem.  Snowmobile 
use is also occurring in areas of bighorn sheep winter range.  
Some snowmobilers have threatened and used physical violence 
against other agency personnel attempting to enforce snowmobile 
restrictions.  Active efforts to resolve the problem are 
underway.  [Telefax from Teri Pancoast, GRTE, 3/27]

91-89 - Death Valley (California) - MVA with Fatality

Park personnel traveling to a meeting on the morning of March 
25th discovered a wrecked car which had gone off a curve at the 
bottom of a long grade in Daylight Pass and rolled over several 
times.  The single occupant, C.N., 46, of Sacramento, 
California, had been partially ejected and killed.  An 
investigation into the accident is being conducted by the 
California Highway Patrol and the county sheriff's office.  
[Dale Antonich, CR, DEVA, via telefax from Carl Christensen, 
RAD/WRO, 3/26]

91-90 - Denali (Alaska) - Assist on Rescue

On the morning of March 26th, the park received a report that 
there was a woman at the Kantishna roadhouse who was suffering 
from a worsening back injury.  The woman, C.C. of 
Healy, Alaska, had suffered the injury in a snowmobiling 
accident several days earlier and was in serious medical 
condition.  Since the roadhouse is located 90 miles from the 
nearest plowed road, rangers coordinated an air evacuation with 
an Army MAST helicopter unit stationed at Fort Wainwright.  The 
evacuation was completed during a brief window of flying weather.  
Hospital diagnosis later revealed that Cummings had two 
fractured vertebrae.  [CompuServe message from RAD/ARO, 3/31]

91-91 - Amistad (Texas) - Water Rescue

Three boats got into trouble on March 29th when they were caught 
on the lake when high winds with gusts up to 50 mph produced 
waves of from four to six feet.  Rangers Dennis Anderson and 
Warren Beitel responded in the Diablo East District patrol boat 
to provide assistance.  Two boats experienced engine problems 
and were swept onto the rock slopes of Amistad Dam.  All 
passengers scrambled to safety on the dam, but the boats 
incurred heavy damage to their hulls.  The rangers were able to 
tow one boat to safety, but weather and damage precluded 
recovery of the second boat.  Shortly thereafter, the county 
sheriff's office reported a capsized boat near Blackbrush Point.  
The rangers responded and rescued six people who were clinging 
to a large inner tube.  All six were taken to a hospital and 
treated for exposure.  No fatalities or serious injuries 
resulted from the incidents.  [CompuServe message from Philip 
Selleck, AMIS, 3/29]

91-92 - Buffalo (Arkansas) - Rescue

D.K., 18, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was hiking in the 
Indian Creek area of the park with three companions on March 
30th when she fell down a steep slope and hit a tree.  D.K. 
complained of pain in her leg, pelvis and lower back.  Rangers 
from the park and paramedics from North Arkansas Medical Center 
stabilized D.K. and evacuated her to a temporary helispot near 
Kyles Landing Campground.  She was then transported to the 
center by helicopter, where she was treated and released the 
following day.  [Telefax from George Oviatt, Acting CR, BUFF, 
4/2]

91-93 - Big Cypress (Florida) - Lacey Act Arrests

Four Michigan men were arrested by rangers on March 22nd for 
violations of the Lacey Act.  The four were in possession of 
snakes, alligators, frogs and lizards.  Subsequent investigation 
revealed that they were involved in collecting animals for the 
commercial market.  Rangers in cooperation with the US Fish and 
Wildlife Service and Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission 
have broadened the investigation to other parts of Florida, 
South Carolina and Georgia.  The U.S. Attorney is seeking four 
felony conspiracy indictments and two felony and two misdemeanor 
Lacey Act indictments.  Along with the large number of reptiles 
and amphibians seized, rangers confiscated a small quantity of 
drugs, videotapes depicting collecting activities, log books and 
maps showing collection sites, and paraphernalia associated with 
reptile collecting.  [Telefax from Bill Carroll, BICY, 4/2]

91-94 - Mesa Verde (Colorado) - Assist on Aircraft Accident with Fatalities

A Cessna 421 with a family of five on board crashed into the 
mesa's north escarpment near Kruger Point just outside the park 
during a snow storm late on the morning of March 29th.  Everyone 
on board was killed.  The plane disappeared during a second 
attempt to land at the airport in Cortez, and it appears that 
the pilot banked in the wrong direction after the first pass and 
flew into the escarpment, hitting it at the 7,700-foot level.  A 
search was begun when contact with the aircraft was lost, and 
the wreckage was spotted about four hours later by a CAP pilot.  
Attempts were made to reach the aircraft by descending from the 
mesa; although the park opened the road to Wetherill Mesa and 
the recovery team employed ATV's in an attempt to reach the rim, 
the deep snow (drifts of up to six feet were reported) made 
progress impossible.  A second team finally reached the site by 
climbing from below.  On the 30th, the park brought in a 
helicopter to airlift equipment to that team, then airlifted the 
bodies and recovery team out and ferried NTSB and FAA 
investigators to the scene.  [UPI report, 3/30, and telephone 
report from Howard Dimont, CR, MEVE, 4/2]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) Life Magazine is in the process of putting together an entire 
issue on the National Park Service in commemoration of our 75th 
anniversary.  One of the associated stories will deal with the 
history and tradition of the ranger stetson hat.  The author is 
looking for some good stories from rangers regarding the hat, 
including public perceptions and comments, interesting uses, etc.  
If you have an amusing or interesting story, type up a paragraph 
or two, put your name and phone number on it, and telefax it to 
Melissa Goodman at 212-522-0379.  She needs to have any 
submissions in hand by Monday, April 8th.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Dabney at NPS women's conference, New Orleans, 
LA (4/1-4/5).

Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Marriott at NAR chief 
rangers' conference, Cape Cod (4/3-4/5); Sisto at regs training course in
Washington (4/2 and 4/4); Henry on AL (indefinite).

Branch of Fire: Gale and Wise at NPS women's conference, New 
Orleans, LA (4/1-4/5); Farrel at NFPA conference, Boston, MA (4/2-4/6); Norum 
and Clark at NWS advisory group meeting, Salt Lake City, UT 
(4/3-4/5).

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