NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, December 24, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-758 - Everglades NP (FL) - Aircraft Accident

W.W., 47, and S.B., 40, left Adel, Georgia, in a rented
1967 Piper Cherokee 180 on the afternoon of December 22nd with the intention
of flying non-stop to Marathon, Florida - a distance of about 465 miles. 
W.W. regulated the fuel flow from the tanks in each wing, switching back
and forth to keep the weight balanced.  While flying at an altitude of 10,000
feet south of Everglades City later that afternoon, the engine stopped. 
W.W. switched to the opposite fuel tank and restarted the engine, but it
quit again about 15 seconds later.  He declared an emergency to the FAA and
made a turn north to glide back toward Everglades City.  The plane crash-
landed, right-side up, in high vegetation on a mangrove key in the park's
wilderness area about six miles south of the city.  W.W. sustained a cut
over his eye, and S.B. received a bruise on her arm.  W.W. used his cell
phone to call the county sheriff's office, which in turn notified the Coast
Guard.  District ranger Mike Mayer and rangers Greg Podany and Gene Wesloh
responded along with a county deputy and a Florida Marine Patrol officer. 
Although the Coast Guard helicopter located the plane, it could neither land
nor extract W.W. and S.B..  Using the hovering helicopter as a reference
point, rescuers boated to the key, walked to the plane, and brought the pair
out to safety.  The rescue by chance coincided with high tide in the area,
which was the only time the key was accessible.  The FAA and NTSB are
investigating.  The aircraft is salvageable, and plans are being made to
remove it by helicopter under NPS supervision.  [Phil Selleck, ACR, EVER,
12/23]

97-759 - Petersburg NB (VA) - Arson Fire

Masonry worker Charlie Washington discovered a cave-in about five feet behind
the mouth of the reconstructed entrance to the tunnel to The Crater around 9
a.m. on December 22nd.  The cave-in had blocked the entrance, and smoke was
issuing from the hole.  The iron rod mesh gate that normally secures the
entrance was not visible.  A local fire company responded.  Of primary
concern was the possibility that someone was trapped in the tunnel.  A
regional technical rescue incident management team which had been established
specifically for Crater tunnel rescues was activated.  By 6:30 p.m., the
cave-in had been excavated to the floor of the tunnel and shored.  Searchers
confirmed that nobody was trapped in the tunnel.  Because of rain which fell
during the incident, the tunnel's walls began to weaken, so all personnel
were removed and indirect attack was used on the remaining fire.  The
decision was made to let the earth smother the fire rather than risk further
damage to the tunnel by flooding it.  This decision was based in part on the
fact that the involved structure was a reconstruction.  Preliminary
investigation indicates that the fire was deliberately set about four to six
feet inside the tunnel.  A $5,000 reward has been offered by local agencies
for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who set
the fire.  A total of 57 units and 100 people responded to the incident. 
Local media interest was high.  [Mike Hill, Superintendent, PETE, 12/23]

97-760 - Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - Burglary

On the morning of December 19th, campground hosts discovered that the screen
and louvers on the outside of the men's restroom at the Fort Pickens
campground store had been removed.  Ranger Dennis Parsons investigated and
determined that the building had been forcibly entered after the power and
phone lines had been cut.  The burglars stole $100 from the cash register and
took candy, cameras, jewelry and several cases of beer, soft drinks, and
cigarettes.  A television set which was initially reported as stolen was
recovered from a nearby wooded area.  Tire and foot prints in the back of the
store indicate that several people were involved and that the stolen property
was loaded into a motor vehicle.  Numerous acts of vandalism to park
facilities also occurred on the same evening as the burglary.  It appears
that the burglars consumed part of the stolen beer during a drinking party
inside of Fort Pickens.  There are no suspects, but plans are in the works to
present the case to the local crimestoppers program in hopes that leads can
be developed.  [Skip Prange, DR, Florida District, GUIS, 12/23]

97-761 - Little River Canyon NRA (AL) - Kayaking Fatality

J.H., 26, of Hokes Bluff, Alabama, was negotiating a narrow chute
over a two-foot-high fall on the Little River on December 22nd when the front
of his kayak became lodged under some rocks and the back of the kayak became
submerged under the falls.  Due to the strength of the river and the
narrowness of the chute, he was unable to right himself or get out of the
kayak.  Two friends who were photographing him from rocks in the river tried
to free J.H. from the kayak for over 30 minutes but were unsuccessful. 
After exhausting all efforts to free him, they hiked out to seek assistance. 
Rescue teams worked approximately five hours into the night to free J.H.
and haul him over a thousand feet up 75 to 85 degree slopes to the rim of the
canyon.  Over 40 people were involved in the incident, including NPS and
state rangers and local fire and rescue teams.  [Dwight Dixon, CR, LIRI,
12/23] 

97-762 - Everglades NP (FL) - Special Event

The park concluded a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary with a
series of special events during the weekend of December 5th to the 7th.  An
employee reunion brought together about 300 present and former Everglades NP
employees, including former superintendents Joe Brown, Jack Stark, John Good,
Jack Morehead, Mike Finley and Bob Chandler.  The latter also took part in a
panel discussion on the issues and decisions they faced during their tenures. 
The official celebration included events in local communities.  Exhibits,
demonstrations, food and entertainment highlighted the natural, cultural and
recreational features of the area.  It's estimated that 8,200 people attended
the Homestead/Florida City event, with about 200 on hand for a program of
remarks by local, state and national dignitaries, including director Bob
Stanton.  A crowd of 2,600 attended the rededication ceremony which was the
culminating event of the weekend.  Among the speakers were the director, EPA
administrator Carol Browner, senator Bob Graham, governor Lawton Chiles, and
vice president Al Gore.  Superintendent Dick Ring presented Gore with the
1997 Ernest Coe award, the vice president announced the government's
agreement to purchase more than 50,000 acres of sugar farmland considered
critical to restoring clean freshwater to the "river of grass," and senator
Graham formally dedicated the park's 1.3 million acre wilderness area, named
for conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas.  The anniversary celebration
was handled under ICS.  Due to the geographic distribution of events, the
organization reflected a "mini" area command to assure coordination of
resources among the various incident management teams.  Phil Selleck was
overall IC and area commander, Bob Panko was IC for the rededication event,
Roberta D'Amico was division supervisor for the Homestead/Florida City
events, and Sandy Dayhoff was division supervisor for the reunion.  [Candace
Tinkler and Deb Nordeen, IOs, EVER, 12/23]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA


No entries.

EXCHANGE

No entries.

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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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