NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, October 9, 1998

                            *** EDITOR'S NOTE ***

This issue closes out an extended effort to catch up on pending incidents,
including a couple from late summer.  Apologies to all for the delays.  It
was a busy summer in the parks, with incident reports until recently running
well ahead of normal average year-to-date submissions.

INCIDENTS

98-623 - Jefferson National Expansion NM (MO) - Follow-up: Fire

Crews are currently working to restore temporary minimal power to the Arch
complex following the September 28th fire.  About 80% of electrical service
should be completed by tomorrow.  Power at that level will permit the lobby,
gift shop, one theater and one tram to operate.  The museum will remain
closed until cleaning crews and carpet layers complete their work.  It will
be about a month to eight weeks before full power can be restored.  The
incident is being investigated by OSHA.  A critical incident stress
debriefing team met with the employees who were involved in the incident.  A
critical incident examination team also came to the park to interview
employees and make recommendations.  [Rod Danner, CR, JEFF, 10/8]

98-640 - Big Cypress NP (FL) - Follow-up: Assault on Ranger

A second bail hearing was held yesterday morning for C.S., who was
arrested on October 5th for poaching and assault on a federal officer (C.S.
attempted to shoot a ranger) and has been in prison since that time.  The
magistrate again refused to set bail.  C.S.'s case will go before a grand
jury within the next few weeks.  [Dan Sholly, CR, BICY, 10/8] 

98-654 - National Capital Parks East (DC) - Commercial Dumping; Arrests

On October 3rd, Park Police officer Eric Tam came upon a substantial amount
of dumped material - 18 plastic bags filled with trash and two trash-filled
containers - in Fort Dupont Park.  A search of the debris yielded the address
of a local car wash.  Tam investigated and found that the car wash had
contracted trash pick-up to a Mr. E., and that E. would be
returning to the car wash the next day for another load.  Park Police
detective Dave Dyer and members of the city's environmental crimes unit set
up surveillance at the site.  E. subsequently returned, loaded his truck
with additional construction debris, drove a short distance, and dumped it in
a public alley.  E. and his co-worker were arrested and have been
charged with three counts of commercial dumping.  [Henry Berberich, RLES,
NCSO, 10/8] 

98-655 - Little River Canyon NP (AL) - Rescue

Rangers received a report of an injured visitor at Little River Falls on
September 27th.  Rangers Mike Clarke, Jon Newman and Cody Murphy responded
and found that a 16-year-old male who had been diving from the falls had
struck a submerged rock and suffered a severe head injury and possible neck
and back injuries.  He was evacuated to the top of the falls via a technical
haul system, then flow from the scene to a hospital.  He remained conscious
during most of the incident.  Doctors treated his head injury, and he was
subsequently released from the hospital.  [Dwight Dixon, CR, LIRI, 9/29]

98-656 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Assist; Rescue

On September 30th, BIA officers on the Supai reservation asked park SAR
personnel for assistance in the rescue of a fallen hiker.  A 46-year-old
woman had fallen about 20 feet while descending a slippery trail adjacent to
200-foot Mooney Falls, named for an explorer who lost his life while
descending on a rope that was too short.  The hiker had lost consciousness
and sustained multiple injuries in the fall.  A doctor was summoned to the
scene from the Supai clinic, and a medevac helicopter responded from Kingman. 
The helicopter was unable to land at the base of the falls, however, as their
was no safe helispot.  BIA officers asked the park for assistance with a
short haul rescue, as the state police air rescue helicopter was not
available.  Park personnel stabilized the woman on an island at the base of
the falls, then conducted a short-haul extraction.  She was flown a mile up
Havasu Creek to the medevac helicopter, then flown to Flagstaff Medical
Center, where she was treated for a fractured vertebra, wrist fracture, and
liver laceration.  [Ken Phillips, SAR Coordinator, GRCA, 10/1]

98-657 - Great Sand Dunes NM (CO) - Assist; Structural Fire

The park's structural fire brigade responded to a trailer fire at the nearby
Inn at Zapata Ranch around 9:30 p.m. on September 9th.  They joined local
firefighters in battling the blaze, which completed leveled the trailer and
set fire to a nearby wildlands.  The park crew contained the wildfire that
evening, and returned and again suppressed it when it flared up the following
morning.  [CRO, GRSM, 9/15]

98-658 - San Juan Island NHP (WA) - Special Event

On August 22nd, more than 500 visitors gathered at the park's English Camp
site for dedication of a new 80-foot fiberglass flagpole, a $12,000 gift to
the park from the people of the United Kingdom.  The park commemorates the
peaceful resolution of the San Juan water boundary dispute between the United
States and England.  Among the dignitaries was a lieutenant colonel from the
British Royal Marines, the first Royal Marine officer on duty at English Camp
since the Royal Marines marched out on November 22, 1872, following the
settlement of the dispute.  The park's staff was assisted in event management
by rangers from North Cascades NP.  Administrative support was provided by
personnel from the regional and support offices.  [Interpretation, SAJH,
8/26]

98-659 - Charles Pinckney NHS (SC) - Special Event

The park celebrated Constitution Day (the 211th birthday of the United States
Constitution) by hosting a naturalization ceremony for 125 new American
citizens.  Over 500 people attended the event.  Visitors became co-signers of
the Constitution as part of a program sponsored by the National Constitution
Center.  The event was covered by local outlets for ABC and NBC.  [Bob
Stober, CHPI, 9/17]

FIRE/INCIDENT ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Wed      Thu    %  Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    10/7     10/8  Con Con
-----      ----             -------------     ---    ----     ----  --- ---
CA   Riverside RU           Edna Cx            T1  24,465   24,465  100 CND 

PR   Roosevelt Roads NB     Hurricane Georges  T1    Distribution center

                                  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; FUT = Interagency
            Fire Use Management 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

CURRENT SITUATION

Moderate initial attack activity was reported yesterday.  

Very high fire indices were reported yesterday in California and Oregon.

No fire weather watches or warnings have been posted for today.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 10/9]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

Zion NP (UT) - Native Flora Restoration

Canon USA presented the park with a $43,000 contribution last month to
construct a native plant nursery and greenhouse and to develop educational
materials on management of native and alien vegetation.  The nursery and
greenhouse will permit park staff to collect and grow seeds and cuttings from
plants native to the park and immediate area, maintain the integrity of local
genetic stock, and provide a source of plant materials for various
restoration projects.  The grant will also help increase participation by
area students and other park volunteers in native plant propagation, site
restoration and alien plant management throughout the park.  Canon made the
contribution through the National Park Foundation's "Expedition into the
Parks" program.  [Jeff Bradybaugh, ZION, 9/17]

Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Site Restoration

Rangers in the Thompson River District spent four days in the Spruce lake
backcountry in August working on a site restoration project.  The project
consisted of elimination of access points to braided trails, establishing
tent pads at two sites to minimize resource damage, and digging a new pit
privy to eliminate the two existing privies.  "Leave No Trace" work methods
were used on the project.  This popular, high-elevation lake has two
designated campsites with an 80% occupancy rate over the 100-day summer
season.  The operation was coordinated by district ranger Rick Guerreri. 
[Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 9/21]

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Fire Management Positions - A bit of clarification on Wednesday's note
regarding fire management positions appears to be in order.  The intern
program is alive and well.  One intern graduated on October 1st and two more
will graduate next year.  However, due to reduced FIREPRO funding in FY99,
additional intern positions will not be filled this year.  It's expected that
funding will again become available in FY00, at which time additional intern
positions will be advertised and filled.  [Paul Broyles, NPS/NIFC]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

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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