NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, August 18, 1999

INCIDENTS

98-791 - Padre Island NS (TX) - Follow-up: Hazmat Investigation

In September, 1998, rangers received a tip that a contractor paid to remove
hazmat materials from the park several months previously had illegally placed
barrels containing the materials on the beach.  An investigation was begun by
the park and DOI IG, with active assistance from the Intermountain Region SO
in Santa Fe, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, EPA, and the Texas Natural
Resources Conservation Commission.  On August 11th, a federal grand jury
indicted Jon Short, 37, of Bartlett, Texas, on four counts of
false/fraudulent claims (18 USC 287) and one count of illegal management of
used oil under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (42 USC
6928(d)(7)).  Short was the project manager for Texas Industrial Waste
Control's contract with the park to remove and properly dispose of hazardous
materials.  Short was placing hazmat containers on the beach so that he could
be paid for their removal.  [Phil Young, SA, IMSO, 8/12]

99-446 - Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Follow-up: Plane Crash with Fatality

Additional information has been received on the aircraft accident that
occurred in the park on the afternoon of August 10th.  B.L. of
Henderson, Nevada, was visiting the Nelsons Landing area when he saw the
single-engine aircraft enter Eldorado Wash, narrowly missing a cliff.  The
aircraft continued up the wash, then banked to the left and struck a slope on
the south side of the wash.  B.L. went to the scene of the accident, where he
found both occupants alive but unresponsive, then went back to his car and
dialed 911.  Responding units were at first directed to Aztec Wash, as that
was where B.L. thought he was located.  The accident scene was found by
ranger/pilot Bruce Lenon from a park aircraft; he redirected units to the
correct location.  A Las Vegas Metro PD helicopter and a county medevac
helicopter were first on scene.  Rangers and other emergency personnel
arrived shortly thereafter and began patient care.  E.B., 51, of
Louisiana, had already expired.  C.S., 23, of California, was
seriously injured but alive.  He was flown to a trauma center in Las Vegas,
where he remains in critical condition.  E.B. and his son had just
purchased the aircraft in Boulder City.  C.S., a flight instructor, was
evidently giving each of the B.s a check-out flight prior to their
departure for Louisiana.  The accident is under investigation by the NPS, FAA
and NTSB.  Supervisory park ranger Paul Crawford was IC for the incident and
the subsequent removal of the aircraft.  [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 8/11]

99-465 - Hawaii Volcanoes NP (HI) - Hurricane Dora

On Friday, August 13th, the park was notified by county Civil Defense of the
potential hazard developing with Tropical Storm Eugene and Hurricane Dora,
both of which were south of the Hawaiian Islands and moving west.  Due to the
threat of high and unpredictable surf, ocean surges and strong winds, the
park activated the incident command system and closed all backcountry trails
and campsites to both day and overnight use.  Hawksbill turtle monitoring
sites were also closed.  Both storms continued to move west toward the
islands on Saturday.  A high surf advisory was issued for all east and
southeast facing shores on the island of Hawaii - including all four of the
park's coastal camping areas.  Non-coastal backcountry trails and campsites
were reopened, but coastal areas remained closed.  A helicopter was employed
to warn all backcountry users at the coastal sites and urge them to evacuate
by Sunday morning.  On Sunday, Tropical Storm Eugene was downgraded to a
tropical depression and passed well to the south of the islands with no
impact.  Hurricane Dora reintensified, but was expected to pass 200 miles
south of Hawaii with little impact to the islands.  The park planned to
reopen all backcountry sites on Monday.  [Jeff Judd, IC, HAVO, transmitted
8/15, received on 8/18]

99-466 - Indiana Dunes NL (IN) - Assist; Criminal Search

On July 21st, L.K., 34, was reported missing from her home in
Valparaiso by her husband.  The L.K.'s house had previously been
burglarized and threatening notes had been left in the house; Lorraine
L.K.'s vehicle was also missing.  The vehicle was found burning in a corn
field a few days later, but there was no sign of L.K..  D.M.,
one of L.K.'s co-workers, was identified as a suspect and arrested after
items taken in the burglary were found in his home.  D.M. admitted to the
burglary, the notes, and the theft and burning of the vehicle, but denied any
knowledge of or involvement with her disappearance.  Investigators learned
that D.M. was familiar with the park and had been at one of the park
beaches a few hours before his arrest.  They therefore asked for help in
searching a part of the park.  On several occasions, as many as a dozen park
employees from several divisions aided in the multi-agency effort to find
L.K..  Search dogs and helicopters with infrared equipment were also
employed.  L.K. had not been located at the time of the report, but
D.M. had been indicted for homicide.  Media interest in the search of the
park was intense, with all major television stations from Chicago on scene. 
The park continues to aid in the search effort.  [Richard Littlefield, CR,
INDU, 8/10]

99-467 - Death Valley NP (CA) - Search for Aircraft

A California Highway Patrol helicopter was assisting the park's search and
rescue team in a search for two lost/overdue hikers on the morning of August
13th.  Around 10 a.m., the pilot reported via park radio that the aircraft
was making an emergency landing 40 miles south of Furnace Creek, but the
transmission broke off in mid-call.  Repeated efforts to raise the helicopter
proved fruitless.  An air and ground search for the helicopter was begun. 
Ranger Hank Kodel found the helicopter and its three occupants a half-hour
later.  All were okay.  The pilot reported that an engine malfunction light
had come on, forcing him to land.  Once on the ground, they were unable to
hit the park repeater with the radio they had, hence the loss of contact. 
The engine was repaired and the helicopter flew out without further ado. 
[CRO, DEVA, 8/16]

99-468 - Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Search

On the evening of Monday, August 9th, J.B., 43, was reported overdue
from a two-day canoe trip on the Canadian River.  A hasty search that evening
turned up no evidence; on the following morning, 40 searchers from seven
agencies combed thick, overgrown river bottoms and side canyons using dogs,
horses, boats, a canoe, trackers, airplanes and helicopters.  J.B.'s canoe
was found undamaged with his gear intact where the river enters Lake
Meredith.  His 140-pound rottweiler, "C.," was found ten miles upstream,
pacing the shoreline.  As search efforts were ending for the day, local
boaters who were water skiing in a remote area of the lake spotted and picked
up J.B. from the lake's shoreline.  J.B. reported that he'd abandoned his
canoe in shallow water, then crossed swamps and open water at night using the
park's repeater tower as a landmark.  He could see the helicopters, but was
unable to get their attention.  J.B. was okay, but tired, hungry and
thirsty.  The park's record of no recreational fatalities has now reached 970
days.  [John Benjamin, Superintendent, LAMR, 8/11]

99-469 - Mount Rushmore NM (SD) - Special Event

The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was held from August 9th to the 15th,
bringing the usual heavy traffic, large crowds and numerous incidents to area
parks - Mount Rushmore, Badlands NP, Devils Tower NM, Wind Cave NP, and Jewel
Cave NM.  Rally officials estimate that over 350,000 people attended this
year's event.  Approximately 80,000 bikers came to Mount Rushmore during the
event; rally-related incidents at the park included four drug busts, two DUI
arrests, three motorcycle accidents, public nudity, visits by outlaw gang
members, and numerous minor incidents.  There's already considerable hype
about next year's rally, which will be both the 60th anniversary of the event
and the first of the new millennium.  Rally officials are predicting that
over a half million people will attend.  [Mike Pflaum, CR, MORU, 8/16]

99-470 - Mount Rainier NP (WA) - Special Event

Vice president Al Gore and his 16-year-old son reached the summit of Mount
Rainier in inclement weather on the morning of Friday, August 6th, along with
a team of climbers and Secret Service agents.  Ranger Steve Winslow
accompanied the team.  The vice president arrived at the park and embarked on
the climb early Wednesday morning, spending two nights on the mountain amidst
occasionally severe thunderstorms.  The White House press office requested
privacy, but word leaked out to the media and numerous satellite trucks
occupied the Paradise area for two days.  The Secret Service allowed the park
to confirm the climb about two hours before the vice president arrived in the
Paradise parking lot, where he was met by a small crowd of well-wishers. 
John Krambrink was IC.  [Maria Gillett, Incident PIO, MORA, 8/7]

99-471 - Knife River Indian Villages NHS (ND) - Special Event

The park held its seventh annual "CultureFest" over the weekend of July 24th
and 25th.  Over a thousand people attended the event, despite temperatures in
the high 90's.  Eight tipis were set up for 16 demonstrators (including bow
making, flute making and flint knapping) and special programs were presented
throughout the day by storytellers, dancers and musicians from the Three
Affiliated Tribes (Hidatsa, Mandan and Arikara) who reside on the nearby Fort
Berthold Indian Reservation.  The park is preparing for a silver anniversary
celebration in October to celebrate its creation in 1874.  [Lisa Eckert,
KNRI, 7/27]

99-472 - Indiana Dunes NL (IN) - Clean Water Act Investigation

On June 6th, park criminal investigator Joe Wiesczcyk learned of an
investigation by an EPA special agent of a local sewage treatment plant which
was illegally accepting industrial waste.  Because the discharge from the
plant eventually flows into the park, the NPS became actively involved in the
case.  On August 5th, Wiesczcyk and regional special agent Guy Whitmer joined
EPA agents in serving a search warrant at the plant.  While serving the
warrant, a 6,000-gallon truck attempted to off-load industrial waste at the
plant.  The driver was interviewed and samples were taken of the tanker load. 
The investigation continues.  [Richard Littlefield, CR, INDU, 8/10]

99-473 - Indiana Dunes NL (IN) - Felony Weapon Possession

On August 4th, a one-count charge of possession of a firearm after conviction
of a misdemeanor domestic violence crime (18 USC 922(g)(9)) was filed in
federal court against A.M., 29, of Michigan City.  The charge
stemmed from an investigation begun in August, 1997.  A.M. had left his
vehicle at a lakeshore parking lot, where it was later found vandalized by
ranger Bill Tadych.  A.M. could not be contacted, so Tadych had the vehicle
impounded for safe keeping.  During an inventory of the vehicle, Tadych found
a loaded 9mm pistol, and subsequently found that A.M. had been convicted of
battery against his wife in 1996.  He also had a criminal recklessness
conviction for holding a firearm to another person's head during an
altercation outside a bar.  Tadych was assisted by the park investigator, who
traced the sale of the pistol to A.M.  [Richard Littlefield, CR, INDU,
8/11]

99-474 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Commercial Vehicle Inspections

Rangers and motor carrier troopers from the Wyoming Highway Patrol conducted
commercial vehicle inspections in the Old Faithful area on July 21st and
22nd.  A variety of violations were discovered in the 53 vehicles inspected. 
Driver violations resulted in 14 warnings and ten citations; vehicle
violations resulted in 48 warnings and five citations; fines totaled $1,920. 
Eight buses, three delivery trucks and seven drivers were taken out of
service for violations.  Members of the public made several favorable
comments regarding the inspections.  [Dick Divine, CI, YELL, 8/1]

99-475 - National Capital Parks East (DC) - Suicide

A jogger found a man hanging by his neck in a playground in Anacostia Park on
July 22nd.  The man was pronounced dead at the scene.  Park Police and city
officers are investigating the death as a possible suicide.  [Sgt. R.
MacLean, USPP, NCR, 7/22]
 
FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Sun      Mon    %  Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT     8/15     8/16  Con Con

WY    Worland District     * Mahogany         --        -      400   95 8/16

AZ    Coconino NF          * Eden             --        -      400  UNK UNK 

WA    Spokane District       Jameson Lake     --    2,000    2,000  100 CND 

CA    Cleveland NF           Laguna 100       ST    4,416    4,416  100 NR 

TX    State                  Jones            --    1,100    1,100   60 8/16

                                  Heading Notes

Unit        Agency or Area Office = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA
            state resource or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; FO =
            BLM field office; District = BLM district; NWR = USFWS wildlife
            refuge
Fire        * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex 
IMT         T1 = Type I Team; T2 = Type II Team; T3 = Type III Team; ST =
            State Team; FUM = Fire Use Management 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; UNK = unknown; NR = no report

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Friday, 8/13         0      6        11       2      178     78       275
Saturday, 8/14       0      2        14       0       53     37       106
Sunday, 8/15         3      2         5       2      107     41       160
Monday, 8/16         1      1         8       1      286     29       326

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Friday, 8/13        31         91          19             0           222
Saturday, 8/14      33        154          33             1           128
Sunday, 8/15        15        106          25             5            71
Monday, 8/16        20         74          18             3            92

CURRENT SITUATION

There was little initial attack reported anywhere in the West on Monday, but
there were new large fires in the Northwest and Southwest.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in 19 states - Oregon,
California, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, South Dakota,
Wyoming, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New
York, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Texas.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/17]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND EDUCATION 

Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Resource Education Program

The park began a new floating classroom program over a three-day period this
past May.  Students from area high schools went out on the lake in a rented
houseboat, using the boat as a platform to study water quality, biology and
history of Lake Meredith.  The education program is being funded by a
combinations of a "Parks as Classroom" allocation from the National Park
Foundation and a "Parks as Resources for Knowledge in Science" grant from
Exxon and the National Park Foundation.  The students' findings will be kept
in a database to help the park track baseline data about the lake
environment. The park has been working with three local science teachers to
develop this program since December, 1998.  It affords the park a vital
opportunity to provide hands-on education to local teenagers and also a
positive model for careers in science.  Forever Resorts, the concessioner for
the marina at Lake Meredith, donated over 30 hours of time to pilot the
houseboat for the program.  This "test" involved 75 students in five classes
who spent three to four hours on Lake Meredith.  All involved teachers and
students provided positive feedback on the effectiveness of the learning
experience.  Chief of interpretation Laura Illige managed the project from
vision to reality over the course of ten months.  Teacher workshops were held
in June to introduce other science teachers to the program.  [John Benjamin,
Superintendent, LAMR]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Acadia NP - On July 29th, the NPS and the nonprofit Friends of Acadia
launched a $13 million campaign to restore the trails of Acadia and establish
a permanent endowment to maintain them in perpetuity.  The program will
employ $4 million from park entrance fees to match $9 million in private
donors' contributions to Friends of Acadia.  This is the first time entrance
fees will be used along with privately raised funds, and Acadia will be the
first park in the nation to have a permanently endowed trails system.  Called
Acadia Trails Forever, the restoration will begin in 2000 and take
approximately 10 years to complete.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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