NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, November 3, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-644 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Search and Rescue

S.L.-G., 38, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, sustained numerous
serious injuries when she fell about 60 feet from a cliff in the Beury
Mountain area on the afternoon of October 29th.  S.L.-G. was sitting on the
top of the cliff with her husband.  The two had been drinking and were
arguing just prior to her fall.  S.L.-G. asked her husband to get her another
beer; as he walked away from her, he heard a loud thud.  He was able to work
his way around the cliff to the bottom and found his wife seriously injured
and unconscious.  He then ran back to the top of the cliff and located a
hunter with a cell phone; the hunter dialed 911 for assistance.  Responding
rangers stabilized S.L.-G. and raised her vertically to the top of the cliff. 
She was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where she was treated for a flail
chest, punctured lung, fractured pelvis, fractured tibia and fibula, and
possible skull fracture.  She remains in critical condition at a level one
trauma center in Charleston.  Alcohol was definitely a contributing factor in
the incident.  The investigation into the cause of the accident is
continuing.  [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 11/1]

99-645 - Badlands NP (SD) - Rescue

On the morning of October 27th, the county sheriff's office notified rangers
that a hiker had fallen 800 feet down into a canyon on Sheep Mountain Table. 
Rangers, deputies, local SAR and EMS units, and the South Dakota Air National
Guard responded.  The victim, R.H., was hiking off-trail on October
26th when he slipped and slid down a 50-foot slope off Cedar Butte, breaking
his heel in the process.  R.H. crawled to an open area below Cedar Butte,
where he spent the night.  A visitor heard R.H. yelling the next morning
and drove to a nearby town to telephone for help.  R.H. was evacuated from
the bottom of the gorge and airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital by an
ANG helicopter.  He was listed in satisfactory condition with a broken heel
and mild hypothermia.  Ranger Ken Thompson was IC.  [Scott Lopez, CR, BADL,
10/29]

99-646 - Arches NP (UT) - Illegal Overflight

Two motorized paragliders, also known as "powerchutes," landed at a picnic
area inside the park at dusk on October 1st.  The two men operating the craft
were met by members of their group in motor homes, who were reportedly in
radio contact with them while they were flying.  A Biological Resources
Division employee who saw the landing contacted the group.  One of the pilots
told her that he landed because it was getting dark.  Rangers arrived shortly
thereafter.  During the several hours prior to the landing, the park had
received multiple complaints that up to eleven paragliders were flying at low
altitude over various park features, including over and beside Delicate Arch. 
The two pilots - M.L.T. and T.P.S., both French
nationals - were cited under 36 CFR 2.17, aircraft and air delivery, and
their equipment was seized as evidence.  Rangers Jim Webster and Karyl Yeston
met with members of the group the following morning to educate them about
relevant regulations and laws and the issues of quiet as a valuable resource,
overflights, and visitor expectations.  The group was comprised of 14
motorized paraglider pilots and support crew members, all from France.  They
were making one-day flights over scenic areas along their route from Los
Angeles to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, where they would be making
demonstration flights.  Several of the pilots are of international renown in
the motorized paragliding community; one was featured in the March, 1999,
issue of National Geographic.  Prior to the incident at Arches, the group had
been camping, landing and taking off outside parks, but had flown over
Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Death Valley NPs.  Group members had been
contacted by rangers in each of those parks and had been informed of
regulations governing air delivery (landing and taking off) and the FAA
advisory requesting that pilots maintain a 2,000-foot altitude over protected
areas.  [Jim Webster, CR, ARCH, 10/29]

99-647 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Resource Theft Convictions

On October 8th, rangers received two reports from visitors of two men and one
woman digging in the ground with a screwdriver on the slope above a petrified
tree about three miles west of Tower Junction.  A park ranger responded and
saw two of the people digging in the area.  The ranger contacted the third
person at one of the two vehicles the group was travelling in.  The
subsequent investigation led to the discovery of one bag of about 100 small
pieces of petrified wood in one of the vehicles and a large number of pieces
of petrified wood in a small backpack.  Several other mineral specimens and
fossils were also found in the car.  One of the men said he had taken pieces
of travertine and geyserite from one of the thermal areas earlier in the day,
but denied finding the fossils and other minerals in the park.  On October
13th, T.B., 21, and K.U., 19 of Upton, Massachusetts, and
A.T., 19, of Beaver Creek, Ohio, pled guilty in magistrate's court to
the charge of removing natural features from the park.  Each was fined $750,
placed on three years' probation, and prohibited from entering the park for
three years.  All of the specimens were seized and will be returned to their
natural state if possible.  [Public Affairs, YELL, 10/20]

99-648 - Great Sand Dunes NM (CO) - Commercial Use Violation

Despite warnings from the park's superintendent and the U.S. Attorney's
Office, the Tabasco Extreme Heat 6 Desert Snowshoe Scramble was held near and
in the park on October 2nd.  Between 100 and 150 participants, many clad in
unusual costumes, met at the base of the dunes, donned snowshoes and race
numbers, ran or walked up the dunes to the summit ridge and back, then held
an informal party.  Park officials had advised Andrew Bielecki, the event's
organizer, that he would have to apply for a special use permit in order to
hold the event, just as he had in past years, and told him that it wouldn't
be allowed in the park's wilderness area.  Last year, Bielecki was told that
the event, then called a race, was in conflict with the Wilderness Act
prohibition against commercial enterprises, since he charged participants a
race fee, had numerous commercial sponsors, and advertised the event as such. 
It was also in conflict with the draft NPS policy on wilderness management
which went into effect this year.  Bielecki informed the park that he was
going to hold the event anyhow, and that he didn't need a permit.  He moved
the registration area outside the park, displayed most of the advertising
there, and called the event an unorganized scramble in order to justify not
requiring a special use permit.  Park officials did not interfere with the
peaceful event.  He was mailed mandatory appearance citations for failing to
obtain a special use permit and for conducting business operations within the
park.  [CRO, GRSA, 10/22]

99-649 - Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - Illegal Dumping

Rangers and beach users began finding isolated bottles of unopened
prescription drugs and IV bags on the park's beaches late on the afternoon of
October 13th.  The affected area ran from Coquina Beach southward to the
beaches in front of the village of Avon.  The drugs continued to wash ashore
throughout the day.  No syringes, bandages or other medical wastes that could
pose biological hazards to the public or employees were found.  It appears
that the items were thrown from a ship at sea.  The Coast Guard and NPS were
conducting a joint investigation at the time of the report.  [Jeff Cobb, CR,
CAHA, 10/13]

99-650 - Badlands NP (SD) - MVA with Multiple Injuries

On the morning of October 28th, chief ranger Scott Lopez came upon a two-
vehicle accident south of Scenic at the Sheep Mountain Road turnoff in the
park.  The six victims - two children and four adults - had suffered injuries
ranging from mild to critical.  Rangers, county deputies, state police, and
medical units from New Underwood, Rapid Valley, Wall and Rapid City were
dispatched to the scene.  All victims were transported to Rapid City Regional
Hospital by ambulance.  The accident remains under investigation; criminal
charges are pending.  Alcohol was a factor in the accident.  [Scott Lopez,
CR, BADL, 10/29]

99-651 - Badlands NP (SD) - Assist; MVA with Multiple Injuries

Ranger Vincent Littlewhiteman was notified of a single-vehicle rollover
accident on BIA Route 2 seven miles west of the White River Visitor Center on
Friday, October 29th.  Oglala Sioux Tribe officers and an ambulance were also
dispatched.  Littlewhiteman found a Chevrolet Astro van on its top with four
victims inside.  The driver, R.T.B., 18, sustained a possible back
injury; one of the passengers, A.T.B., five, sustained minor facial
lacerations.  All four were evacuated to the Kyle Health Clinic for further
medical treatment.  [Scott Lopez, CR, BADL, 10/29]

99-652 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - Suicide

The body of B.K.L., 57, of Asheville, North Carolina, was found in
her vehicle near the junction of the parkway and the entrance to the new
headquarters construction site.  B.K.L. died from a single gunshot wound to
the chest.  Her revolver was recovered from the car.  The time of death has
been established as between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.  A note and a letter were
found; she had recently put many of her affairs in order, including the
cleaning of her house.  [John Garrison, Protection Specialist, BLRI, 10/29]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Sun     Mon     %  Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident  IMT      10/31   11/1   Con Con

ND    Dakota Prairie NF    * Rough Creek/
                              Squaw Gap     T2           -   32,000   5 UNK

MT    State                * N.E. Corner    --           -    1,500  95 11/1
                           * Mill Iron      --           -    4,000  90 11/2
                           * Johnstone      --           -    7,800  90 11/2
      Miles City District  * Ghost          --           -      200 100 CND 
      Ft. Belknap Agency   * Halloween      --           -      883 100 CND 
 
CA    Shasta-Trinity NF      Big Bar Cx     AC/2T1 138,960  138,960  95 11/1 

MI    Huron-Manistee NF      Wagner Lake    --         100      100 100 CND
      State                * Caribou        --           -      640 100 CND

MN    State                * McKinley       --           -    8,000  90 11/1

IN    State                  Camp Atterbury --         500      500 100 CND  

WY    State                  Clark Allen    --      60,000   20,000 100 CND 

TN    Cherokee NF          * Calder Wood    --           -      250 100 CND

                                  Heading Notes

Unit        Agency or Area Office = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA
            state resource or ranger unit; RD = CA state ranger district;
            Region = CA state region; FO = BLM field office; District = BLM
            district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire        * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex 
IMT         AC = Area Command; 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; RBF = resource benefit fire, no containment action being
            taken; LR = last report unless significant activity occurs

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total
 
Friday, 10/29        1      6         5       0      147     11       170
Saturday, 10/30      0     15         2       0       25      8        50
Sunday, 10/31        0      0         1       0        3     20        24
Monday, 11/1         1     16         0       0      157     33       207

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Friday, 10/29       35         69          18             0           677
Saturday, 10/30     32         54          15             0           641
Sunday, 10/31       31         52          11             0           637
Monday, 11/1        28        200           8             0           542

CURRENT SITUATION

There was little activity anywhere Monday except in the northern Rockies. 
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in California, Utah, Arizona,
Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming and Indiana.  [NICC Incident Management Situation
Report, 11/1]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND EDUCATION 

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Cape Hatteras NS - Director Stanton presented the national Freeman Tilden
Award to Bob Woody on October 17th for his "outstanding work in managing a
proactive mass media campaign for moving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse." 
Woody established a web site that ran daily accounts of events as they
occurred; it received 365,000 hits in less than six months.  He also arranged
for 1,500 hours of high-definition video, 6,000 slides, and a 60-minute video
to document the historic move.  Woody is the public information officer at
Cape Hatteras NS and unit manager at Fort Raleigh NHS.  [Chris Bernthal,
Acting Superintendent, Outer Banks Group]

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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