NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, August 7, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-469 - Olympic NP (WA) - Search and Rescue

On July 28th, the park was notified that J.G., 59, and R.G.,
50, both of Seattle, were two days overdue from a planned six-day hike
through the Bailey Range.  Family members reported that the two had planned
to exit the backcountry on July 26th, but their backcountry permit indicated
that July 28th was their planned return date.  The families had last heard
from the men via two cellular phone calls made early in their hike.  A hasty
search and helicopter overflights on the 29th were fruitless, so the search
was enlarged on the 30th.  Technicians from US West Cellular were able to
determine the exact times and the locations at which the two cell calls had
been made.  J.G. and R.G. were spotted from the air around 11:30 a.m.
and were picked up and flown to a local airport.  During the debriefing, the
men said that they'd inadvertently put down the 28th instead of the 26th on
their permit.  The incident attracted significant media attention, which
peaked during a press conference held by the two men.  They both expressed
deep appreciation for the efforts of the park's staff.  J.G., a free-lance
writer, is planning on writing an article describing their hike and rescue. 
A total of 23 people were involved in the search.  [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM,
8/4]

98-470 - Martin Luther King, Jr. NHS (GA) - Assault on Ranger

Ranger Dan Albus was assaulted while investigating a panhandling incident
inside the park visitor center on August 4th.  Albus attempted to talk to
L.M., but L.M. refused to respond; he instead started to
walk away, then suddenly turned and struck Albus with both hands.  Albus and
ranger Felicia Ware-Howard pursued and apprehended L.M. in the visitor
center plaza.  L.M. was cited for assault, possession of drugs/
narcotics, and disorderly conduct.  [Clark Moore, MALU, 8/5]

98-471 - Little River Canyon (AL) - Domestic Dispute; Rescue

Rangers received a report of an intoxicated pedestrian walking in traffic
along a park road on August 4th.  Ranger Dwight Dixon arrived on scene first
and heard loud yelling and cursing coming from an area in the woods on the
opposite side of the canyon.  He contacted J.M., 36, and M.C.,
33, at the Little River Falls overlook, who said that they were with the
person who'd been reported, identified as Douglas Dewey, 45.  Both M.C.
and J.M. seemed highly intoxicated.  M.C. said that Dewey was her fiance,
that they had been fighting, and that he was very upset.  She added that
Dewey had also been drinking.  When Dixon tried to talk to Dewey, Dewey
cursed at him and ran off.  Dixon pursued him until they got to the canyon
rim.  Dewey said he didn't want to live any more and told Dixon not to come
closer.  At this point Dixon inadvertently stepped on and opened a large
European wasp nest and was forced to retreat as the wasps swarmed through the
area.  Dixon used a different route to reach and find Dewey, who had slipped
or jumped about six feet to a four-foot-wide ledge below the canyon rim.  He
was clinging to a small tree and asking for help.  Before Dixon or responding
rescue teams could reach him, Dewey slipped from the ledge and fell an
additional 40 feet to the canyon floor.  Rescue teams and rangers worked for
over three hours to package and carry Dewey out of the canyon.  Dewey
suffered various injuries, including a broken left arm and possible abdominal
trauma.  M.C. and J.M. were arrested on the scene by rangers for public
intoxication and held in a local jail until sober.  [Dwight Dixon, CR, LIRI,
8/5]

98-472 - Nicodemus NHS (KS) - Special Event

The park was officially dedicated on August 1st.  The dedication ceremony was
conducted as part of the community's 120th annual homecoming celebration. 
Nicodemus was settled in 1877 by African-Americans who left the South to seek
true freedom and self-government on the northwestern Kansas prairie.  Despite
many hardships and the failure of the railroad to come through the town, the
residents persevered and Nicodemus still survives.  It is the only remaining
all African-American town west of the Mississippi.  The park preserves five
historic structures in the town and will interpret the important role
Nicodemus played in American history.  Approximately 1,000 people attended
the event.  Director Bob Stanton, regional director Bill Schenk, and senator
Sam Brownback were among the speakers.  The park, which was officially
established on November 12, 1996, is presently being managed by Fort Larned
NHS.  The NPS Central IMT assisted Fort Larned staff with planning and
execution of the event.  [Denny Ziemann, IC, 8/2; Steve Linderer, FOLA/NICO,
8/3]

98-473 - Cape Cod NS (MA) - Rescue

Nine-year-old M.C. and another boy were digging a hole by hand in
the sand at the Head of Meadow Beach in Truro on July 31st.  When M.C.
leaned in with his head below ground level, the sand caved in; the other boy
attempted to help him out, but he caused a further cave-in, with the sand
burying all of Carnoco but his feet.  Park lifeguards Peter O'Hara and Dave
Murray responded and directed efforts that led to his extraction within two
to three minutes.  M.C. was cyanotic and required rescue breathing.  He
was stabilized by rescue personnel and flown to a Boston hospital, where he
remained for several days with pulmonary edema to both lungs.  He has since
been released.  [CRO, CACO, 8/5]

98-474 - Cape Cod NS (MA) - Murder; Suicide

State police in Framingham received a 911 call early on the morning of August
3rd reporting that a man in a gray Buick had been seen drinking with a
handgun on the seat beside him near High Head parking lot.  The call was
relayed to the park.  Responding units located a Connecticut-registered
Lincoln Continental stuck in the sand in the over-sand vehicle access
corridor.  A man identified as Donald Gabriel was leaning against the
driver's side front tire with a gunshot wound to his head.  Two handguns were
found at the scene.  An investigation led to the discovery of the body of a
woman in the trunk of the car.  She had not yet been identified at the time
of the report.  The cause of death was strangulation.  The primary
investigation is being conducted by the state police crime scene unit, ranger
Gene Valli, park criminal investigator Bill Hooper, and a local officer. 
[CRO, CACO, 8/5]

98-475 - Mount Rushmore NM (SD) - MVA with Fatality

A two-vehicle accident on Highway 16A in the park just after noon on August
3rd resulted in the death of a young girl and minor injuries to three other
visitors.  The driver of a Ford Escort sedan lost control on a rain-slickened
road and crossed into the lane of oncoming traffic, colliding with a large
Ford pickup truck.  Nobody in the truck was hurt, but all four of the
occupants of the car were injured.  N.M., 14, of Larchwood, Iowa,
who was the front seat passenger, sustained a serious head injury.  She was
alive but unconscious when rangers arrived within a few minutes of the
accident, but went into cardiac arrest after being extricated from the car
and placed in a waiting ambulance.  Ranger Cindy Basham performed CPR along
with ambulance personnel during the 20-mile ride to Rapid City.  N.M. was
pronounced dead at the hospital.  The other injured occupants of the Escort
were also taken to the hospital for treatment.  Rangers were assisted at the
scene by county deputies, state officers, and local ambulance and fire units. 
[Mike Pflaum, CR, MORU, 8/4]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Wed      Thu    %  Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    8/5      8/6   Con Con

AZ   Grand Canyon NP        North Rim Cx      T2    1,297    1,297  UNK 10/15
     Coconino NF            Sycamore          --      100      100   50 8/6
     Truxton Can. Agency    Boundary          --      240      240  100 CND

CA   Pinnacles NM           Stonewall         --    2,600    2,600   99 8/6
     Tule Lake NWR          Refuge            T2    9,700    9,700  100 CND
     State                  Sibley            --      200      200  100 CND

WA   Wenatchee NF           North 25          T2    4,000    3,500  UNK NEC
     Spokane District     * Scroggie          --        -      850   75 8/7

OR   State                * Blalock           --        -      650  100 CND

TX   Big Thicket NP         Mud               --      670      662  100 CND
     State                  437               --      300      300   60 NR

ID   S. Idaho District      High Point        --      300      650  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

NPS FIRE NARRATIVES

Grand Canyon NP - No new information.

Pinnacles NM - Firefighters expected to fully contain the Stonewall fire
Thursday evening and have it controlled by Monday.  The 500 firefighters
committed to the incident are being demobilized, and direction of the fire
effort is expected to pass back from the unified command to park staff by
noon today.  Park staff and equipment, aided by an FWS engine and crew and
helicopter, will patrol the fire line and suppress any remaining hotspots. 
The fire, which was caused by an arc or short from a private powerline on a
right-of-way inside the park, burned about 2,950 acres of chapparal and pine
forest.  About 65% of the burned land is within the park, mostly in the park
wilderness east, south and west of Mount Defiance.  No structures burned, and
there were no serious injuries.  Resource values within the wilderness were
protected with great care by all involved agencies.  Resource damage from
suppression efforts is expected to be minimal.  A bumper crop of spring
wildflowers is anticipated.

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Monday, 8/3          1      6         5       3      187     39       241
Tuesday, 8/4         3      4         5       2      299     17       330
Wednesday, 8/5       0      3         4       1      206     47       261
Thursday, 8/6        1     11        12       6      156     40       226

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Monday, 8/3         77        322          78            13           666
Tuesday, 8/4        60        115          24             9           291
Wednesday, 8/5     137        371          89            33           835
Thursday, 8/6      174        322          99            17           871

CURRENT SITUATION

Initial attack increased yesterday in the eastern Great Basin, but was
moderate elsewhere.  Some resources were sent to British Columbia to assist
on fires there.

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Florida, Georgia, Texas,
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California, and Washington.

NICC has a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for dry lightning with gusty thunderstorm winds
for western Utah and eastern Nevada.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/7; Gary Candelaria,
Superintendent, PINN, 8/6]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Regs/Jurisdiction Update - The following actions have recently taken place: 

o     Plain Language: The department's Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) has
      issued guidelines on the executive memorandum on "Plain Language in
      Government Writing," which came out on June 1st.  All regulations and
      other rulemaking documents are required to comply with this directive,
      which requires, among other things, that agencies use common, everyday
      words; "you" and other personal pronouns; active voice; and short
      sentences.  Departmental training is planned.

o     Records of Compliance: A record of compliance (ROC) is now required for
      proposed regulations in place of the determination of effects (DOE)
      previously used.  The new process requires a more extensive review of
      executive orders, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, and OMB economic
      analyses.  Analysis of the PWC rental market near potentially affected
      parks is underway for the proposed personal water craft (PWC)
      regulation.

o     36 CFR Part 2: The package that will update portions parts 1,2 and 5 of
      36 CFR cleared the solicitor's office in January and the directorate in
      February and is under review by the assistant secretary's office.

o     36 CFR 3.6 - Personal Water Craft (PWCs): The proposed regulation for
      PWCs has been approved by the solicitor's office and signed by the
      associate director, director and assistant secretary.  The proposal
      clearly establishes a policy that PWC use is prohibited in parks unless
      specifically authorized.  A number of parks will be listed in the
      regulation, where the enabling legislation indicates that water-based
      recreation with substantial motorized boat use is a purpose of the park
      (NRAs, seashores, etc).  These parks will manage PWC use through the
      superintendent's compendium. as per CFR 1.5 and 1.7.  An additional
      group of parks with current PWC use will be given a two-year delay from
      the prohibition to allow for development of special regulations. 
      Significant response is expected to the upcoming Federal Register (FR)
      comment period.  

o     36 CFR Part 3: The workgroup met in February at Biscayne NP.  Review of
      various sections and assignment of the remaining tasks was completed. 
      The draft proposed rule will be sent to the workgroup this month, with
      consolidation of the package by workgroup leader Bob McKeever to
      follow.

o     36 CFR 4.23: A proposed rule is being drafted in Ranger Activities to
      revise the existing regulation to reflect the 0.08 blood alcohol level
      limit.

o     36 CFR 6.7 - Solid Waste Site Revisions: This proposed rule has been
      drafted and the ROC is being completed.

o     36 CFR Part 61 - Procedures for State, Tribal and Local Government
      Historic Preservation Programs: The final rule has cleared the
      solicitor.  It will go to the director and department next.

o     36 CFR Part 62 - National Natural Landmarks: The final rule concerning
      these landmarks was signed by the assistant secretary, but still has to
      clear the department's regulations office and OMB.

o     Part 7 and Part 13 Rules: The following park-related regs are in the
      works:

      *     Cape Cod NS: Off-Road Vehicle Use - This rule was finalized in
            March and was submitted to the department for recognition based
            on the negotiated rulemaking process utilized to resolve long
            standing visitor use conflicts.
      *     Delaware Water Gap NRA: Bicycle Routes and Climbing
            Registration -  This proposed rule was published and comments are
            being reviewed at the park.
      *     Kaloko-Honokohau NHP: Nudity and Clothing Optional Recreational
            Activities - The proposed regulation prohibiting nudity was
            published in the Federal Register and the park team has reviewed
            comments.  A draft of the final rule is being prepared, with the
            majority of the comments supporting the prohibition based on
            conflicts with native Hawaiian cultural practices.  
      *     Canaveral NS: Clothing Optional Areas - The park is reviewing
            policy options to designate areas as "clothing optional."  This
            attempt to reduce conflicts among visitors is being reviewed by
            interested parties.
      *     Grand Teton NP: Snowmobile Routes - The final rule on snowmobile
            routes cleared the solicitor's office and the director and is
            currently being reviewed by the assistant secretary.
      *     Denali National Park: General Issues - The NPS is proposing to
            revise 36 CFR 13.63 by changing out-of-date references to "Mount
            McKinley National Park" to "Denali National Park" and deal with
            other safety and resource issues.  The Alaska desk officer, the
            solicitor and RAD are reviewing the rule.

[Chip Davis, RAD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

Golden Age Passport Theft Investigation - The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms recently seized a number of Golden Age Passports during the
execution of a search warrant in which guns stolen from Pinnacles NM were
recovered.  None of the serial numbers are from passports issued from the
park, which suggests there were stolen from an NPS area in another region. 
The serial numbers are as follows:

            95-272687 to 92               7884128 to 32
            97-45481 to 90                81939
            81940 to 47                   95-272684 to 90

Please check the serial numbers of passports issued from your park or office
to see if they include any of these passports.  If so, please advise special
agent Paul Ducasse via cc:Mail at NP-WRO.  This is a significant criminal
case, with numerous law enforcement agencies involved.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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