NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, May 23, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

                            *** NOTICE ***

All flags are to lowered to half staff on Monday, May 26th, Memorial Day,
from sunrise until noon.  This custom is repeated each Memorial Day under the
provisions of a Presidential proclamation issued in 1942.  Flags will return
to full staff at noon.

INCIDENTS

97-194 - Canyonlands NP (UT) - Follow-up on High Water Incident

The Colorado River is currently flowing through Cataract Canyon at a rate of
60,100 cubic feet per second and is expected to peak at a flow in excess of
75,000 cfs within three weeks.  The river is filled with debris, including
trees, tires, dead animals and 55-gallon drums.  There have been seven
incidents of boats turning over since search and rescue teams and equipment
were pre-positioned along the river on May 16th.  All have involved park
concessioners; no private parties have attempted to run the canyon during the
current high flow.  The occupants of overturned boats typically have to swim
up to a mile in 50 degree water to reach safety, and have suffered from
bruises, bumps, exhaustion and hypothermia.  None of the injuries sustained
to date have warranted medical evacuation.  Ranger Mike Hill is the division
supervisor for the SAR pre-positioning function; ranger Dave Walton is the
division supervisor for the whitewater patrol function.  Twenty park
personnel are involved in management and operations related to the high river
flow, which is attracting significant media attention.  [Steve Swanke, CANY,
5/22] 

97-211 - Big South Fork NRRA (KY/TN) - Pipe Bomb Explosions

On May 9th, maintenance employees reported that a portable toilet had been
damaged at the Alum Ford boat ramp.  Investigation revealed that the damage
had been caused by a pipe bomb.  On May 12th, a portable toilet was found
damaged at the Blue Heron overlook parking area, also by a pipe bomb. 
Rangers and ATF and FBI agents are investigating.  No arrests have been made,
but a suspect has been identified.  [Frank Graham, CR, BISO, 5/22]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                    Wed      Thu    %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT    5/21     5/22  Con  Con

CA   Tahoe NF                Maybert          T2     250      450   65  5/23

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; LPS = limited
                protection status

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FIVE DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Sunday, 5/18         1      0         6       0       28     12        47
Monday, 5/19         1     17        12       0        1    113       191
Tuesday, 5/20        2     11         5       0       53     28        99
Wednesday, 5/21      0     23         3       0       62     20       108
Thursday, 5/22       1      8         5       1       67     12        94

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Sunday, 5/18        49         13          15             6           271
Monday, 5/19        51         40          25             2           275
Tuesday, 5/20       40         62          20             0            26
Wednesday, 5/21     32         58          16             4            24
Thursday, 5/22      41         33           7             4            76

CURRENT SITUATION

Initial attack activity increased in northern California yesterday; moderate
initial attack continued in southern California and the East.  No other
significant fire activity was reported.  Most areas in southern California
are reporting high to very high fire indices.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Reports, 5/23]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Cuyahoga Valley NRA (OH) - White-Tailed Deer Draft EA

The park has released a draft environmental assessment and management plan
for white-tailed deer for public review and comment.  A public hearing will
be held on June 10th and comments will be accepted until the end of June. 
Action is required due to adverse impacts on biodiversity.  Alternatives
considered include no action, reproductive intervention and population
management.  The recommended alternative calls for removal of 471 deer in
1997 and 80 each following year to maintain the desired population level. 
Questions should be directed to resource management specialist Garree
Williamson.  [Garree Williamson, RMS, CUYA]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Awards - USPP detectives Joseph Green and Robert Johnson and officer Rufus
Gillette were recently honored at the Department of Justice's annual law
enforcement awards for their efforts and investigative skills in the
prosecution of Frederick Kyle, a serial sexual predator who had been
committing sex crimes int he Washington metropolitan area since the 1970s. 
In July, 1995, Kyle kidnapped and raped an 18-year-old woman at knife point
in Anacostia Park (96-658).  Green, Johnson and Gillette amassed overwhelming
evidence of Kyle's guilt and through their investigative work were able to
also get Kyle indicted for a sexual assault which had occurred in 1994.  Kyle
was sentenced to life without parole, followed by a sentence of 15 years to
life for the kidnapping charge.  These convictions represent Kyle's seventh
and eight convictions for sex crimes; the victim in this case was the fourth
woman Kyle had been convicted of sexually assaulting.  [Bill Lynch, RLES,
NCR]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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