NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Tuesday, May 21, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-214 - Yosemite (California) - Search and Rescue

During the evacuation of Yosemite Valley due to the flooding of the Merced
River on May 16th, the park's search and rescue office was advised that two
parties of climbers were apparently in distress on El Capitan.  The first
party, comprised of Austrian climbers C.Z. and C.W.,
was perched on a small ledge on the Shield route; neither had
storm gear, and they had spent the previous night exposed to heavy rain and
wind.  An attempt to deliver survival equipment to them by helicopter was
aborted due to severe downdrafts.  A SAR technician was then lowered 1,000
feet from the top of El Capitan.  He was able to rig the climbers onto
ascenders and evacuate them.  They were flown to the valley for medical
evaluation and treatment.  The other party, which was on the North American
route, appeared to be in better condition.  The rescue was canceled when the
climbers decided that they could rescue themselves.  [CRO, YOSE]

96-215 - Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - Accidental Shooting

While hunting turkeys early on the morning of May 18th, P.D. of
Butler, New Jersey, was accidentally shot by his companion, J.A. of
Newark, New Jersey.  J.A. said that he thought he saw a turkey running by
him and took a shot at it.  P.D. had attempted to warn J.A. of his
location by whistling and was starting to stand up when J.A. fired.  P.D.
was able to drive himself to the hospital and took J.A. with him.  Doctors
removed one pellet from his forehead and another from his right forearm. 
J.A. was charged under a New Jersey statute for reckless endangerment. 
Ranger Pete Roehrs and state officers are investigating.  [Barry Sullivan,
DR, DEWA]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE SUMMARY

                                                                     %   Est
State      Unit                Fire          IMT     5/20     5/21  Con  Con

CO    Pike/San Isabel NF     Buffalo  Creek   T1    9,700   10,000   60  5/25
      Arapaho/Roos. NF       Crystal          T2      180      180  100  CND 

AZ    Coconino NF            Horseshoe        T2    7,500    7,700   80  5/23

CA    San Diego RU           Pala             --      350      350  100  CND 
      Kern County            Blackwell        --      500      500  100  CND 
      Bakersfield District * Overlook         --        -    2,080   30  5/21

FL    Ocala NF               Major #1         --    1,600    3,155   85  6/1 

GA    Okefenokee NWR         Pintail          --      300      300  100  CND 

Heading Notes

     Unit --    Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
                or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
                district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
     Fire --    * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
                limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
                strategy
     IMT --     T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
     % Con --   Percent of fire contained
     Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
                containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

FIRES AND ACRES BURNED

                NPS     BIA      BLM     FWS    States     USFS      Total

Number            0       4        3       1       144       22        174
Acres Burned      0       4    2,080       4     1,018    3,038      6,144

COMMITTED RESOURCES 

               Crews     Engines     Helicopters     Airtankers     Overhead

Federal           72        78           25               9            338
Non-federal        8        28            1               0             56

CURRENT SITUATION 

Significant progress was made yesterday on large fires in the Rockies and in
the Southwest.  High to extreme fire dangers persist in the Southwest. 
Resource mobilization through NICC decreased yesterday.

NATIONAL OUTLOOK 

Initial attack and large fires are expected to continue in the Southwest.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/21]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Fraud Training - The Office of the Investigator General in the Department of
Interior is conducting training sessions for all employees as part of its
outreach program to educate them in prevention of fraud, waste and abuse in
programs and operations.  The presentation consists of an explanation of the
mission of the IG and training on investigative methods for identifying
fraud.  If you're interested in scheduling a session, contact Bob Marriott at
NP-WASO-POPS.  [Bob Marriott, RAD/WASO]

Environmental Contaminant Investigations Training Course - Although training
courses are normally listed in the training calendar which appears in the
Morning Report on every other Monday, applications for the following course
are due in to the Fish and Wildlife Service this week.  The course, entitled
"Environmental Contaminants Investigations," will be held in Reno from August
12th to the 16th.  It will focus on investigations of contaminants associated
with mining, oil development and agriculture and their relationship to
wildlife protection.  The course is open to biologists and law enforcement
officers.  If you'd like the application package, send your name and fax
number to Einar Olsen at NP-NCRO-FIN.  [Einar Olsen, NCFDO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

UPCOMING IN CONGRESS

Stacey Rickard, who normally prepares the information for this section of the
Morning Report, has transferred to Fort Sumter.  The Office of Legislative
and Congressional Affairs is presently looking at alternatives for
dissemination of information on activities in Congress.  In the interim,
interested readers with access to the Worldwide Web can log onto the office's
home page for comprehensive updates and schedules of hearings and markups,
floor actions, the status of all NPS-related bills, history of those bills,
and related information.  The Web address is: www.nps.gov/legal.

OBSERVATIONS

"The term National Park System is a meaningful one.  National designates
ownership, responsibility, interest, importance and quality.  System implies
a variety of units, combined to form an organic whole with common control and
balance.  The distinctive word is park, for it designates a specific type of
land use, perpetuity, purpose and visual character."

                                      Robert Coates, from "Quotes:
                                      Conservation, Parks, Natural
                                      Beauty," DOI, 1966

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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