NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, July 28, 1998

                               *** NOTICE ***

Flags lowered to half staff yesterday in commemoration of National Korean War
Veterans Day are to be returned to full staff this morning.

INCIDENTS

98-433 - Yellowstone NP (MT) - Assault on Ranger

Shortly after midnight on July 9th, ranger Keith Young responded to a report
of a disorderly person - later identified as M.A. - at the concession
dormitory in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.  When Young arrived at M.A.'s
dorm room, he was met by a concession manager in the hallway.  They both
heard glass breaking and other loud noises coming from the room.  Young
announced his presence several times, but M.A. did not respond.  Young then
opened the unlocked door and again announced his presence.  M.A. almost
immediately lunged at Young with a large, bowie-type knife and a large wooden
walking staff.  M.A. pursued Young into the hallway, attempting to strike
him with both the knife and the stick.  Young did not fire at him because
several residents of the dorm were in the hallway, but instead attempted to
defuse the situation by talking to M.A.  M.A. again rushed at Young, who
retreated down the hallway and exited to the parking lot.  M.A. came out
into the lot and began running through a guest cabin area, striking several
parked cars with the knife and stick.  Young kept him in sight until back-up
units could arrive.  Ranger Lane Baker soon arrived; Young and Baker then
pursued M.A. onto a hillside behind the cabins.  They ordered him to drop
his knife.  He said he'd thrown it away, but they could see it in his right
hand.  The rangers attempted to control M.A., including spraying him with
pepper spray.  The spray had no apparent effect and he ran back into the
cabin area.  The rangers pursued and found him attempting to crawl under a
van.  Baker heard the knife fall to the pavement, and was able to spray
M.A. one more time.  Other rangers then arrived and helped drag M.A. from
under the van and place him in custody.  During the course of the incident,
M.A. never spoke or complied with any commands given by the rangers.  The
pepper spray had no perceptible effect until after M.A. was in custody,
when his eyes began to water and redden.  M.A. was indicted for assault on
a federal officer in federal grand jury on July 22nd.  [Chris Hansen, CI,
YELL, 7/24]

98-434 - Whiskeytown NRA (CA) - EMS Incident

On July 5th, an 18-year-old woman at Brandy Creek Beach who was six months
into her first pregnancy reported that she was experiencing contractions. 
NPS lifeguards, rangers and firefighters treated her.  She was then flown to
a local hospital.  On July 20th, she gave birth to a two-pound, eight-ounce
boy.  Both mother and baby are healthy.  The child will remain in neo-natal
care for at least another 30 days before being released.  [Larry Carr, CR,
WHIS, 7/28]

98-435 - Whiskeytown NRA (CA) - Drug Arrests

Two men were arrested at a marijuana cultivation site on Merry Mountain
immediately adjacent to the park's north boundary on July 10th.  Over 100
plants, an SKS assault rifle and several handguns were seized.  The men were
in the process of building a two-story, indoor growing facility at the site. 
The only access routes to the privately-owned land are across park land.  Two
homes in the San Francisco area belonging to other suspects were searched
with their owners' consent on the same day.  The arrest culminated a nearly
year-long investigation by the local narcotics task force, BLM, and NPS
investigators.  [Larry Carr, CR, WHIS, 7/28]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Sun      Mon    %   Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    7/26     7/27  Con  Con

TX   State                  Live Oak          --      100      150   80  7/27
                            Sixmile Creek     --      200      200   80  7/27
                            Oak Branch        --    1,000    1,000  100  CND 
                            Pease River       --    1,300    1,300  100  CND 
                          * Greenville        --        -      260   NR  NR

OK   State                  Weyerhauser       --      368      368  100  CND

NV   Winnemucca District  * Pump              --        -      560  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
IMT         T1 = Type I; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con       Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
Est Con     Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
            containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Friday, 7/24         7      6         7       1      131     56       208
Saturday, 7/25       2      2        13       0       92     64       173
Sunday, 7/26         0      3        16       1       51     59       130
Monday, 7/27         3      5        10       6      137     70       231

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Friday, 7/24        47        187          44            14            95
Saturday, 7/25      37        225          49             8           119
Sunday, 7/26        41        242          57            11           201
Monday, 7/27        56        299          90            21           306

CURRENT SITUATION

Initial attack increased yesterday in the Northwest, eastern Great Basin,
California and South.  Activity elsewhere was moderate.

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma,
South Dakota, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, California, and Washington.

NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for dry lightning in eastern Washington.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/28]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

UPCOMING IN CONGRESS

The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming weeks
on matters pertaining to the National Park Service or kindred agencies.  For
inquiries regarding legislation pertaining to the NPS, please contact the
main office at 202-208-5883/5656 and ask to be forwarded to the appropriate
legislative specialist.

HEARINGS/MARK-UPS

Tuesday, July 28

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands.  Hearings on
the following bills, among others:

o     H.R. 2125, to authorize appropriations for the Coastal Heritage Trail
      Route in New Jersey, and for other purposes;
o     H.R. 4144, to ensure the protection of natural, cultural and historical
      resources in Cumberland Island NS and Cumber Island Wilderness in the
      state of Georgia;
o     H.R. 4211, to establish Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, in
      association with Tuskegee University in the state of Alabama, and for
      other purposes;
o     H.R. 4230, to provide for a land exchange involving the El Portal
      administrative site at Yosemite NP in the state of California; and
o     H.R. 3909, to make technical corrections and minor adjustments to the
      boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante NM in the state of Utah.

House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health: CANCELED:
Oversight hearing on NEPA parity.  See July 30.

House Resources Committee: Hearing on H.R. 3987, to protect and conserve deer
and elk and to provide for consistent and equitable hunting laws in the state
of Washington.

Wednesday, July 29

House Resources Committee: Mark-up of the following bills, among others:

o     H.R. 1110, to designate a portion of the Sudbury, Iceboat and Concord
      Rivers as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
      [Editor's note: The three rivers that were there during my tenure at
      MIMA were the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers; "Iceboat", however,
      is what appears on the committee's web page]; and
o     H.R. 2776, to amend the act establishing Morristown NHP to authorize
      the acquisition of property known as the Warren property.

Thursday, July 30

House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health: Oversight hearing
on GAO study on fire suppression.

House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health: Oversight hearing
on NEPA parity.

Thursday, August 6

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands.  Mark-up of
the following bills, among others:

o     H.R. 2800, to provide for a study of the establishment of Midway Atoll
      as a national memorial to the Battle of Midway, and for other purposes;
o     H.R. 2970, to amend the National Historic Preservation Act for purposes
      of establishing a national historic lighthouse preservation program;
o     H.R. 3746, to authorize the addition of the Paoli Battlefield site in
      Malvern, Pennsylvania, to Valley Forge NHP, and for other purposes;
o     H.R. 3883, to revise the boundary of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHS to
      include Knob Creek Farm, and for other purposes;
o     H.R. 3909, to make technical corrections and minor adjustments to the
      boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante NM in the state of Utah.
o     H.R. 3910, to authorize the Automobile National Heritage Area;
o     H.R. 3981, to modify the boundaries of George Washington Birthplace NM,
      and for other purposes;
o     H.R. 4109, to authorize Gateway Visitor Center at Independence NHP, and
      for other purposes;
o     H.R. 4141, to amend the act establishing Chattahoochee River NRA to
      modify the boundaries of the area, and to provide for the protection of
      lands, waters, and natural, cultural and scenic resources within the
      national recreation area, and for other purposes;
o     H.R. 4144, to ensure the protection of natural, cultural and historical
      resources in Cumberland Island NS and Cumber Island Wilderness in the
      state of Georgia;
o     H.R. 4158, to authorize the private ownership and use of certain
      secondary structures and surplus lands administered as part of any
      national historical park that are not consistent with the purposes for
      which the park was established, if adequate protection of natural,
      aesthetic, recreational, cultural and historical values is assured by
      appropriate terms, covenants, conditions or reservations;
o     H.R. 4211, to establish Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, in
      association with Tuskegee University in the state of Alabama, and for
      other purposes; and
o     H.R. 4230, to provide for a land exchange involving the El Portal
      administrative site at Yosemite NP in the state of California.

FLOOR ACTION

No action reported on NPS legislation.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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
pertaining to receipt of 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.

                                 --- ### ---