NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date: Wednesday, June 30, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-295 - Mount Rainier NP (WA) - Follow-up on Search

The search for a snowboarder who's been missing for ten days has been
suspended.  W.T., 28, of Seattle was last seen descending alone on
a snowboard at 10,000 feet in white-out conditions at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday,
June 20th.  The weather finally cleared sufficiently on the 27th to permit
helicopters to assist in the search, and ten ground teams checked areas
previously missed due to unfavorable weather conditions.  No substantial
clues of W.T.'s whereabouts were found during the entire search.   
W.T. was a recent medical college graduate and had just moved to Seattle
from Atlanta, Georgia.  He was to have begun his medical residency at a local
hospital on June 21st.  W.T. had frontcountry snowboarding experience, but
the park trip was his first in the backcountry.  The area where he
disappeared at the 10,000 foot level of Mount Rainier is surrounded by
crevasse-covered glaciers, precipices, and other hazardous terrain.  The
search area in the park measured approximately twelve square miles and
included Box Canyon and the Nisqually, Paradise, and Wiliwakas Glaciers. 
Supervisory climbing ranger Steve Winslow was incident commander.  Searchers
included park employees, volunteers and mountain rescue teams from Tacoma,
Olympia, and Skagit County.  Weather conditions were very poor during the
entire search.  [Mark Morgan, Acting PIO, MORA, 6/29]

99-316 - Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - Death of Employee

Lu Gillette, 66, died of cancer early on Sunday, June 27th.  She had worked
at the park for 13 years and served the last few years in the chief ranger's
and business management offices.  Lu is survived by three children - Wi.,
Wa. and J., a ranger at the park.  The family will receive visitors at
the Bowman-Farr Funeral Home in Ulster, Pennsylvania, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
this evening and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow.  Interment will follow in
the family plot in Ulster.  Flowers may be sent to the funeral home or
contributions made to the American Cancer Society in Lu's name.  Lu's family
extends its thanks to all of the many NPS employees from across the Service
who kindly donated leave to Lu during her illness.  [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA,
6/28]

99-317 - Gateway NRA (NY/NJ) - Shots Fired

Park Police sergeant David Somma and officer Barry Smith made a traffic stop
on the exit ramp from the Belt Parkway at the south end of the Jamaica Bay
Unit around 4:45 a.m. on June 27th.  While standing by the vehicle, they
heard gunshots coming from the direction of the parkway and turned to see a
dark-colored, four-door Toyota Camry with its window down.  By the time they
got back to the parkway, the vehicle was gone and a search of the area proved
fruitless.  Four spent 9mm shell casings were found at the point where the
vehicle had been seen.  No one was injured.  The case is being jointly
investigated by USPP and NYPD detectives.  Although it's not clear if the
shots were fired at the officers, the vehicle was in the right hand lane of
the parkway and the officers were on an exit ramp on the right side of the
road.  [Lt. John Lauro, USPP, GATE, 6/28]

99-318 - Badlands NP (SD) - Theft of Fossils

On June 23rd, rangers investigated a report of people collecting fossils
along Old Northeast Road.  Several fossils were seen in plain view on the
floorboard inside the suspect vehicle; a search of the area led to contact
with a father and son, both from Crockett, Texas.  Rangers found more than 40
fossil pieces, including limb, jaw and tooth fragments, in the vehicle and
the father's day pack.  Two fossil rhinoceros skulls and an oreodont skull
were also confiscated.  The rhino skulls had been removed from the ground
with a pocket knife.  Both father and son appeared to be avid amateurs with
more experience than the average tourist.  The rangers obtained their consent
to search their campsite in a private campground outside the park, which led
to the discovery and seizure of additional fossils.  The park's
paleontologist was consulted to identify the fossils and determine their
value.  The father was cited for violating 36 CFR 2.1, possession of
fossilized paleontological specimens.  [Scott Lopez, BADL, 6/29]

99-319 - National Capital Parks East (DC) - Narcotics Arrest

Park Police officers stopped a vehicle near the Washington Monument for an
illegal turn on June 28th and found that the driver's license was suspended. 
The driver attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended after a short chase. 
A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of about 10 pounds of marijuana
worth an estimated $43,000.  [Sgt. Robert MacLean, USPP, 6/29]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                      Sun     Mon    %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT      6/27    6/28  Con  Con

CO    Montrose District    * Bramiers         --         -     270    0  UNK
      Grand Jct. District  * South Sewemup    --         -     102   25  6/29

NV    Winnemucca FO        * Kings River      --         -     976   90  NR
      Carson City FO       * cold Springs     --         -     500   70  6/29

AZ    Navajo Area Office   * Navajo Mtn. 1    --         -     340   40  NR
      State                * Cataract         --         -     305   NR  7/1

CA    San Diego RU           Cottonwood       --     1,500   1,150  100  UNK

ID    Upper Snake River 
       District              Kings Crown      --     1,700   1,700  100  CND

UT    State                * Broad Canyon     --         -     600   25  NR

OR    Vale District        * Oregon Trail     --         -     470  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; LSS =
limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
strategy

IMT- T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team

% Con = Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown; NR = no report

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, 6/25         0      4        18       0       40     24        86
Saturday, 6/26       1      4         5       0       45     23        78
Sunday, 6/27         2      6        13       2       56     16        95
Monday, 6/28         1      8        19       3       87     39       157

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Friday, 6/25       100        318          32             2           417
Saturday, 6/26      68        125          25             2           242
Sunday, 6/27        56        161          23             3           184
Monday, 6/28        29        179          24             2           167

CURRENT SITUATION

Moderate initial attack was reported on Monday in the Rockies, eastern Great
Basin and California, and new large fires were reported in the Great Basin
and Rockies.  

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in California, Nevada,
Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/29]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Court Ruling on GMP - A District of Columbia judge has thrown out the
December, 1996, general management plan for Niobrara NSR in Nebraska.  A
lawsuit had been filed by the National Parks and Conservation Association and
the American Canoe Association in March, 1998.  The district judge ruled on
June 15th that the NPS had ceded too much control to a local council.  As
called for in the GMP, a council was established in July, 1997, to assist the
NPS in protecting and managing the Niobrara National Scenic River.  The judge
ruled that the NPS delegated too much of its responsibilities to the council
and that the EIS prepared for the GMP was inadequate.  The judge has enjoined
the NPS from implementing the plan and further ordered that Interior prepare
a GMP/EIS that complies with NEPA.  The NPS is studying the judge's ruling
and considering all options, with no decision having been made yet on how to
proceed.  [Phil Campbell, PIO, NIOB]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Curecanti NRA - The park has a vacancy for a term appointment safety and
occupational health specialist, GS-018-09/11.  The incumbent will serve as
the safety and occupational health manager for both Curecanti NRA and Black
Canyon of the Gunnison NM.  The closing date is July 15th.  For more info,
contact the park at 970-641-2337.

                           *  *  *  *  *

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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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