RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Tuesday, October 15, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-560 - Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio) - Drug Arrests
A prolonged and wide-ranging effort to detect marijuana cultivation
operations in the park concluded on October 9th with numerous arrests and the
discovery and eradication of marijuana plants in 23 separate plots. The
combined street value of the plants has been placed at $1.2 million.
Arrested were J.M., 20, of Plattsburg, New York; R.K., 25,
of Struthers, Ohio; J.O., 30, of Independence, Ohio; and D.T.,
36, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Indictments are also being sought for
M.D., 36, of Akron, Ohio, and C.P., 35, of North Rayalton,
Ohio. One of the suspects had apparently been cultivating marijuana at
numerous locations in the park for as long as seven years. The entire
protection ranger staff spent long hours in surveillance operations to obtain
the evidence needed to apprehend the men. Prosecution is proceeding on all
suspects. The park has extended its thanks to MWRO and WASO Ranger
Activities for their support in this effort. [Brian McHugh, CR, CUVA, via
CompuServe message from Tom Thompson, RAD/MWRO, 10/10]
91-561 - Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - Ginseng Arrests
Between August 16th and September 27th, rangers made seven separate cases
against poachers who were illegally taking ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) from
the park. The United States attorney in Asheville, North Carolina, has filed
Lacey Act charges against five individuals, and two others have been fined
$800 for CFR violations. The rangers recovered over 800 roots (approximately
four and a half pounds), all of which have been replanted. The commercial
value of ginseng currently fluctuates between $150 and $250 per pound.
[CompuServe message from Jason Houck, CR, GRSM, 10/10]
91-562 - Yukon-Charley Rivers (Alaska) - Drug Arrests
On October 11th, rangers executed a search warrant for drugs at a cabin in
the park and seized 27 sinsemilla marijuana plants and about a half pound of
marijuana. The three occupants of the cabin - E.W., E.W.'s
girlfriend, and a juvenile - were there at the time of the search and seizure,
which occurred without incident. The mission was the result of cooperative
efforts among rangers, Alaska state troopers, Air National Guard soldiers,
the U.S. attorney's office, and the region's drug investigation ranger.
E.W. is the brother and neighbor of F.W., who was sentenced
last May to four years in prison for cultivation of marijuana in the park.
[Telefax from Scott Taylor, CI, RAD/ARO, 10/11]
91-563 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Sexual Assault
During the early morning hours of October 10th, a 37-year-old woman suffering
from a beating and knife wounds in her hands was found on Skyline Drive.
Investigators subsequently learned that she'd been abducted from suburban
Baltimore, Maryland, driven to the park, and sexually assaulted at knife
point. She eventually fought off her attacker, but suffered the knife wounds
in the process. Her assailant left her on the side of the drive and fled the
scene in an unknown direction. There are no suspects yet, but an interagency
investigation is underway. [Telefax from Glen Knight, CI, SHEN, 10/11]
91-564 - Padre Island (Texas) - Drug Arrests
Rangers investigating a report of illegal aliens in the back of a U-Haul
truck on October 10th discovered 446 pounds of marijuana with an estimated
street value of $714,000. Four persons were arrested - a U.S. citizen, a
registered alien, and two illegal aliens. Three vehicles and a small amount
of cash were also seized. Three additional suspects remain at large. During
questioning, the suspects admitted to smuggling the drugs into the United
States at a point near Hidalgo, Texas, then floating it across the Mansfield
Channel on inner tubes to vehicles on Padre Island. They also told
investigators that this was the third time that they'd employed this method
to bring drugs into the country. U.S. Border Patrol and Customs officers are
assisting in the investigation. [Tom Crowson, PAIS, via telefax from Jim
Radney, LES, RAD/SWRO, 10/11]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Amistad (Texas) - Africanized Honey Bees
Park employees and USDA investigators discovered between 2,000 and 3,000
Africanized honey bees in a trap at Long Point at the mouth of Devil's River
last week. The bees are thought to have entered the trap about ten days
before they were discovered. Warnings are being posted to inform park
visitors and the media, and park and USDA personnel are trying to determine
the extent of the invasion. [Cliff Chetwin, RAD/SWRO]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) We receive fairly frequent requests from field areas asking us to run job
announcements in the morning report. Because of the number of requests
received and because systems already exist within Personnel for distribution
of such announcements, we decided some time ago not to run them and carried a
notice to that effect in the morning report. Parks are free, however, to use
CompuServe to send out short notices themselves. Areas interested in doing
so should contact this office for the proper broadcast code(s).
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Marriott at drug operations
meeting (10/16-10/17).
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd at IFCC fire education workshop, Boise, ID
(10/15-10/18); Farrel at metropolitan structural fire planning conference,
Orlando, FL (10/14-10/17) and structural fire review at Big Cypress,
Everglades and Biscayne (10/18-10/22); Bristol at InciNet committee meeting,
Denver, CO (10/15-10/18); Erskine and Gale instructing at MAC Group cadre
meeting, NARTC, Marana, AZ (10/16-10/18); Norum and Broyles on AL (10/15-
10/18).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: All Offices - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
Branch of Fire - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
Branch of Fire - WASO-FIRE-WO
SEAdog: All Offices - 1/650