NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, July 29, 1998

                               *** NOTICE ***

Ranger Activities has been advised that some parks have lowered their flags
to half staff in tribute to the two officers who were killed at the Capitol
last Friday.  The NPS has received no direction to do so.  We again checked
this morning with the Secretary of Interior's office, and they have confirmed
that no instructions to lower flags have been transmitted by the White House. 
All flags should be at full staff.
 
INCIDENTS

98-436 - Chaco Culture NHP (NM) - Storm Impacts

From two to three inches of rain fell in the park within a two-hour period on
July 26th, causing major damage to cultural resources and the campground,
housing area and roads.  An initial damage assessment identified losses such
as an intact, thousand-year-old room in the Chetro Ketl site, where flooding
damaged the original ceiling and a wall mural painted with turquoise and
hematite.  Nearly all of the campground sites were damaged by flood waters;
fire hearths and tent pads were swept away or buried under mud.  Visitors and
employees were stranded for up to four hours on both the north and south
entrance roads, waiting for water to recede.  Rangers, assisted by members of
the Crownpoint fire department, rescued many visitors who became stuck in
Chaco's infamous mud.  No visitors or staff were injured.  [Rory Gauthier,
CHCU, 7/28]

98-437 - Biscayne NP (FL) - Boat Grounding; BUI Arrest

On July 3rd, a 40-foot motor vessel valued t $367,000 ran aground on a sea
grass shoal and caused extensive damage to park resources.  The operator had
just "powered off" the shoal when rangers arrive and was attempting to flee,
but a fire broke out in the boat's engine room due to the overheating caused
by the powering off effort.  Rangers David Pharo and Steve Stinnett removed
all three occupants from the boat; the vessel's on-board fire suppression
system extinguished most of the fire.  The operator was found to have been
operating under the influence of alcohol and was arrested and taken to jail. 
A preliminary estimate indicates that damage to park natural resources will
run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The park will pursue criminal
charges and seek restitution for both the investigation and the damages
inflicted.  [Wayne Elliott, CR, BISC, 7/24 and 7/28]

98-438 - Big Cypress NP (FL) - Alligator Incident

M.W. and his son were working on their vehicle at Monroe Station on
the afternoon of July 21st.  The two walked to a nearby canal to wash their
hands.  Accompanying them was their dog, N., a 90-pound yellow lab. 
While at the edge of the canal, a 12- to 13-foot alligator came on shore and
grabbed the dog.  The M.W.s tried to scare it into letting the dog go, but
it ignored them and killed the lab.  M.W. felt that the gator attacked the
dog rather than his son only because the dog got to the canal first. 
Alligators can become habituated when fed by people, and there was a trash
can which may have contained food nearby.  The can has been relocated and
signs warning visitors to beware of gators have been placed in the area. 
[Karl Spilde, Dan Sholly, BICY, 7/27]

98-439 - National Interagency Fire Center (ID) - Bomb Threat

On the afternoon of Friday, July 24th, an employee in the Jack Wilson
Building at NIFC received a bomb threat by phone.  The building, which houses
all the agencies at NIFC, including the NPS, was immediately evacuated.  All
NIFC employees were subsequently instructed to leave center grounds except
for law enforcement, security and essential facility personnel.  BLM's
national law enforcement staff and a canine unit from nearby Mountain Home
AFB conducted building searches, but no suspicious devices were found.  The
grounds remained closed to all but essential personnel until 6 a.m. on Monday
morning.  Scrutiny of facilities will continue, and employees will be advised
of significant developments.  An investigation is underway.  [Sheila
Williams, RAD/NIFC, 7/27]

98-440 - Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - Attempted Burglary

Two individuals attempted to break into the Perdido Key entrance station by
kicking in the door just before 9 p.m. on July 23rd.  The audible alarm
sounded and caused them to flee.  Ranger Ben Hansel responded and searched
unsuccessfully for the duo.  An inventory of the building, which contains
radios, a computer, a safe, and various pieces of office equipment, revealed
that nothing had been taken.  One of the suspects was recorded on a
surveillance camera.  Park investigator John Hughes is working with Florida's
Department of Law Enforcement to enhance the image for possible
identification.  Intrusion alarms and closed circuit television systems were
recently installed at all entrance stations.  [CRO, GUIS, 7/27]

98-441 - Organ Pipe Cactus NM (AZ) - Heat Exposure Fatality

A woman in her 20's who probably crossed illegally into the United States
from Mexico died from heat exposure on July 25th after she'd walked about 20
miles in temperatures above 110 degrees.  She was traveling across the park
with a group of five other illegal aliens when she began suffering from
dehydration.  Her companions were able to get her to the highway, where a
ranger and ambulance personnel attempted unsuccessfully to revive her.  This
is the second such fatality to occur in the park this summer.  [Aniceto
Olais, CR, ORPI, 7/27]

98-442 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Attempted Suicide

On July 23rd, rangers Chris Bruno and Norm Simons received a report that a
45-year-old woman was in the process of attempting to commit suicide at Muir
Beach.  She'd contacted her family in the East Bay area and told them that
she'd taken an overdose of pills.  Simons and two county deputies arrived
just as Bruno located the woman, who was at the north end of the beach on
county land.  They found that she had a severely diminished level of
consciousness; other symptoms included shallow breathing, a slow and weak
pulse, pale skin, and cyanosis.  She was taken to a hospital by a medevac
helicopter and is expected to survive.  [Richard Danielson, Operations
Supervisor, GOGA, 7/24]

98-443 - Whiskeytown NRA (CA) - Drowning

Park dispatch received an incomplete 911 call on the afternoon of July 27th
reporting that a drowning had occurred near the Spring Creek tunnel at the
east end of Whiskeytown Lake.  Rangers found two visitors performing CPR on
14-year-old S.P.  They immediately took over and also began
life support measures, but were unable to save him.  [Lawrence Carr, CR,
WHIS, 7/28]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Mon      Tue    %   Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    7/27     7/28  Con  Con

WA   Colville Agency      * Omar Lake Cx      T2        -    4,000  UNK  NEC
     State                * Cleveland         --        -    2,100   20  NEC

OR   Burns District       * Hollywood         --        -      300    0  NEC

UT   Cedar City District  * Sam               --        -      250   75  CND

FL   Merritt Island NWR   * SRB #1            --        -      300   40  7/29

TX   State                * Walnut            --        -      100   NR  NR
                          * Sugarloaf         --        -      300   NR  NR
                          * Hackberry         --        -      100   NR  NR
                          * Shady Grove       --        -      250  100  CND
                            Live Oak          --      150      150  100  CND 
                            Sixmile Creek     --      200      200  100  CND 
                            Greenville        --      260      260  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

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
Tuesday, 7/28        0      7        11       0      345     96       459

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Saturday, 7/25      37        225          49             8           119
Sunday, 7/26        41        242          57            11           201
Monday, 7/27        56        299          90            21           306
Tuesday, 7/28       65        325          80            12           303

CURRENT SITUATION

Significant initial attack continued yesterday in the Northwest and the
South, and increased in the northern Rockies and California.  Activity
elsewhere was moderate.

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

NICC has not posted any fire weather watches or warnings today.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/29]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Ranger Careers - Bill Sanders, the Service's ranger careers manager, has been
selected as the new superintendent of Hopewell Furnace NHS and will EOD on
August 2nd.  Please direct inquiries regarding ranger careers, the new
medical and physical fitness program for park rangers, 6c retirement,
background investigations, and other issues that he previously managed to
either Bob Marriott or Dennis Burnett in Ranger Activities.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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.

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