NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, September 26, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-684 - Yosemite (California) - Follow-up on Employee Abduction, Assault

On October 13, 1995, a female ranger was abducted from Yosemite Valley and
assaulted near the trailhead parking area for May Lake, about two miles off
the Tioga Road.  She was able to escape from her attacker, subsequently
identified as P.L., 57, of San Francisco.  He was arrested in the park
two weeks later following an intensive manhunt.  P.L. subsequently pleaded
guilty to aggravated sexual abuse in federal district court.  On September
23rd, he was sentenced to 30 years and five months in prison.  He has
requested and will receive mental health treatment while incarcerated.  [Jeff
Sullivan, CI, YOSE]

96-557 - Katmai (Alaska) - Airplane Crash; NPS Employees Injured

A locally chartered Beaver float plane with three park employees on board
stalled on takeoff from Brooks Lake and crashed 125 yards offshore in about
four feet of water on the morning of September 24th.  The pilot and employees
P.W. and D.W. and H.M.B. suffered minor injuries.  The
three were leaving the area following the closure of Brooks Camp for the
season.  A nearby float plane taxied to the accident scene and the pilot
helped extricate the four occupants from the plane and get them to shore. 
They were evaluated and monitored on site by other park staff and by a
physician who happened to be visiting the area.  All suffered from
hypothermia.  The park's chief ranger and a refuge officer from Becharof
Wildlife Refuge flew to the area separately to evacuate the four victims, but
decided not to land due to the hazards of taking off in existing weather
conditions.  They were evacuated the following day and taken to a medical
facility for treatment.  Severe storms with 40 knot winds, hail and snow
passed through the area throughout the day, making it necessary to fly in
between cells.  Weather conditions at the time of the accident consisted of
winds of over 35 knots, light turbulence, rain, a temperature of 40 degrees,
and two to three foot waves in protected waters.  The left wing and both
floats of the Beaver were sheared off on impact.  The cause of the accident
is under investigation by OAS and NTSB.  [James Hummel, CR, KATM]

96-558 - Delaware Water Gap (Pennsylvania/New Jersey) - Psychiatric Detention

On September 20th, B.K., 47, recently discharged from a veteran's
hospital, arrived in the park's New Jersey District, and was observed acting
strangely.  At 8 a.m. the next morning, rangers Wayne Valentine and Brad
Clawson found him asleep in a sleeping bag near Catfish fire tower on the
Appalachian Trail and woke him to check on his well-being.  They found that
he had a backpack stuffed with 78 packs of cigarettes and two bottles of
whiskey; indications were that a third bottle had been consumed since his
arrival the previous afternoon.  Investigation revealed that B.K. had
stopped at a nearby campsite at 3 a.m. to inquire about the tower's location,
that he'd threatened suicide the day before he came to the park, and that a
neighbor of his had recently committed suicide by jumping off a bridge.  Due
to B.K.'s suicide threat, his inadequate preparation for the trail, and
concerns over his well-being, Valentine and Clawson escorted him to a nearby
hospital for psychiatric evaluation.  Although not substantiated, B.K.
claimed that he'd hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 1974.  [Barry
Sullivan, DR, DEWA]

96-559 - Everglades (Florida) - Commercial Dumping; Marijuana Cultivation

On September 21st, rangers Jim Nuesmeyer and John Anthony investigated a
dumptruck-size pile of debris which had been freshly deposited on park lands
in the East Everglades subdistrict.  They determined that the trash consisted
primarily of materials used in hydroponic marijuana cultivation, and found
about ten pounds of marijuana stems and detritus within the debris.  A
cooperative investigation was begun with Metro Dade narcotics detectives to
follow-up on numerous leads developed from the contents of the pile.  Similar
dumps have been found in this area of the park in the past, but this is the
largest to date.  [Bob Panko, DR, EVER]

96-560 - Antietam (Maryland) - Special Event

The 134th anniversary of the battle, which took place on September 17, 1862,
was commemorated through the use of "real time" hikes, a special evening
speaker series, and living history events.  The speakers focused on battle-
related events, from the battle of South Mountain on September 14th to
President Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on September
22nd.  The "real time" hikes went over the actual sites at the time and place
the events took place, and were conducted with the cooperation of several
private landowners.  McClellan's headquarters, located at the Pry House, was
reopened to the public as a living history site.  Almost a thousand visitors
participated in the tenth annual reservation-only torchlight tour on
September 21st.  Activities were done in partnership with the town of
Sharpsburg, which celebrated its annual "Heritage Days" during the period. 
The cooperative activities generated a record number of visitors - over
25,000 - to the park and town.  [J.W. Howard, Superintendent, ANTI]

96-561 - Presidents Park (D.C.) - Special Event

A parade honoring the 125th anniversary of the city's fire department was
held on September 22nd.  Park staff and Park Police officers provided
logistical support for the event, which included over 150 engines and other
apparatus.  Five field area firefighters participated with a wildland type 5
engine supplied by Prince William Forest.  The parade entered the park on
Constitution Avenue and ended with engines parked on display around the
Ellipse in front of the White House.  [Don Boucher, FMO, NCSO]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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