RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           Ranger Activities Division Information Network

Day/Date:	 Wednesday, December 4, 1991

INCIDENTS

91-646 - Wupatki (Arizona) - Rescue

On the evening of Sunday, December 1st, district ranger Kim Watson was 
notified that a group of Navajos had been stranded in the park following a 
recent storm which had dropped 54" of snow in the area.  Investigating 
rangers discovered a group of 40 Navajos in a small hogan on the Little 
Colorado River Road.  They had been returning from a religious ceremony on 
Friday night when they were overtaken by the storm and had been marooned in 
the hogan ever since.  Rangers from Wupatki and Sunset Crater assisted 
Navajo tribal police and local sheriffs office deputies in moving all of 
the people to the Wupatki visitor center, where they were warmed and given 
medical checkups.  There were a few minor cases of frostbite, but no 
serious injuries.  [Telefax from Jim Radney, LES, RAD/SWRO, 12/3]

91-647 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - ARPA Incident

Rangers received a report on the afternoon of November 30th that someone 
had spray-painted a rock near the Indian exhibit in the Hospital Rock area.  
Rangers found that the phrase "FARMS XIV" had been painted very close to an 
area of Indian pictographs.  During an interview with the reporting party, 
rangers were able to develop a description of the suspect, who was 
described as a young man wearing what appeared to be "gang colors".  He had 
last been seen in the area less than a half hour before rangers arrived at 
the location.  At the same time, a maintenance worker found a similar 
painting on another rock outcropping several miles up the Generals Highway 
toward Lodgepole.  Attempts to find the suspect were unsuccessful at that 
time.  Later that evening, ranger Dave Ashe was patrolling in the Potwisha 
campground when he came upon an extremely disorderly campsite.  During his 
contact with the individuals at the site, he noted that one of them fit the 
suspect's description.  An investigation conducted that evening and the 
next day led to the arrest of one adult and two juvenile males who admitted 
to the vandalism.  Due to the location of the vandalism, rangers are 
pursuing the possibility of filing ARPA charges with the U.S. attorney's 
office.  [Doug Morris, CR, SEKI, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, 
RAD/WRO, 12/3]

91-648 - Coronado (Arizona) - Drug Seizures

Rangers working with other agencies in a drug task force made several 
seizures in the vicinity of the park over the past week.  On November 25th, 
a shipment of 400 pounds of marijuana was seized along with a van and 
pickup truck.  This load had been backpacked through Coronado to Forest 
Service land, where the seizure was made.  One arrest was made and another 
is pending.  Two days later, a shipment of 563 pounds of marijuana which 
had been brought into the country through the southeast corner of the park 
was seized by the task force.  On November 29th, a shipment of 300 pounds 
of marijuana was confiscated which had been transported across the border 
on the west side of the park.  The two suspects abandoned their vehicle and 
escaped into Mexico despite pursuit by NPS and Forest Service rangers.  
[Bill Smith, CORO, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 12/3]

91-649 - El Malpais (New Mexico) - Search and Rescue Operations

Over the course of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, park personnel 
assisted the state of New Mexico on three search and rescue operations for 
woodcutters in the Zuni Mountains, which are adjacent to the park's 
northern and northwestern boundaries.  The woodcutters were stranded when 
heavy snows fell in the mountains.  All of the subjects were found in good 
condition.  A park employee served as incident commander on each of the 
three operations.  [CompuServe message from Ken Mabery, CR, ELMA, 12/2]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: entire staff at planning meeting, 
Mather EDC, Harpers Ferry, WV (12/5-12/6).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Gale serving as incident commander for 50th 
anniversary of Pearl Harbor, U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, HI (11/25-12/9); 
Broyles at smoke health hazard conference, Missoula, MT (12/3-12/5).

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone:	Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
              Branch of F&A (WAS0) - FTS 268-5572/5573 or 202-208-5572/5573
Telefax:	Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
              Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe:	Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
              Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO
SEAdog:	Branch of R&VP - 1/650
              Branch of F&A (WASO) - 1/655