RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           Ranger Activities Division Information Network

Day/Date:  Tuesday, December 22, 1992

Release:   0800 EDT

INCIDENTS

92-656 - Mississippi (Minnesota) - Death of Superintendent

On December 15th, Norman J. Reigle, 54, the superintendent of Mississippi
National River and Recreation Area and a career employee with 24 years in
the Service, died in St. Paul, Minnesota, following a year long bout with
cancer.  Norm was the first superintendent of the new park and had been
there since January, 1990.  Prior to that, he served for seven years as the
first superintendent of Harry S Truman.  During his career, Norm had
assignments at Ozark, RMRO, DSC, Cape Lookout, Lake Mead, Lassen Volcanic
and Grand Teton.  After graduating from West Chester State University in
Pennsylvania in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in biology, Norm worked
seasonally for the Forest Service, then took a position as a biologist with
the Fish and Wildlife Service after completing his masters in biology at the
University of Michigan.  He is survived by his wife Carol; his son Mark, 30,
of Columbia, Missouri; his daughter, Rebecca Brown, 31, of Newport, North
Carolina; and three grandchildren.  Funeral and burial services were held on
Saturday, December 19th, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Norm's home town.  Norm
asked that memorials be made to either the American Cancer Society, 17 S.
Sixth St. Lebanon, PA 17042, or to Friends of Bashore Camp, Boy Scouts of
America, 497 Cherry Street, Lebanon, PA 17042.  Cards and letters may be
sent to the family at 111 E. Kellogg Blvd., Apt. 2911, St. Paul, MN 55101. 
[Mike Madell, Acting Superintendent, MISS; John Townsend, RAD/MWRO; Michael
Shaver, PRWI, 12/21]

92-657 - Canaveral (Florida) - Shipwreck

Just before midnight on December 17th, the park received from the Coast
Guard that the "Annie", a 75-foot wooden shrimping vessel, had sunk offshore
and that the boat was breaking up and washing ashore on Klondike Beach.  All
hands had made it shore and were unharmed and safe.  The Coast Guard
requested logistical assistance; a ranger accompanied two of their personnel
to the scene the following morning.  They found wreckage spread out over
three miles of beach.  Among the items found were three of the ship's four,
400-gallon fuel bladders.  Two were completely empty and the third contained
a few inches of water.  Neither the fourth tank nor a lube oil bladder were
found.  The ship's tanks were reported to contain 1200 gallons of diesel
fuel.  Two 100-pound propane tanks that were on board were also found on the
beach; both were empty.  Investigation and salvage efforts continue.  [CR,
CANA, 12/21]

92-658 - Padre Island (Texas) - Stolen Property Recovered

On December 6th, rangers ran a license check on a pickup truck that came
through the entrance station pulling an unlicensed boat trailer and found
that the vehicle had been reported stolen from Rockport, Texas, on December
4th.  They followed the truck to the Bird Island Basin boat ramp, where they
observed the driver and his passenger meet an 18-foot boat with four men on
board.  The boat was loaded onto the trailer, and the vehicle headed for the
entrance with all six men on board.  The rangers made a felony stop on the
vehicle; after securing the scene, they found over 500 pounds of live crabs
in the truck bed.  Further investigation determined that the boat and motor
being towed by the pickup were also stolen.  The investigation is now being
turned over to state authorities.  The crabs were seized by a state game
warden when none of the four men on the boat were able to produce a
commercial license to harvest crabs.  [RAD/SWRO, 12/21]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) Vail Agenda - Beginning January 8th, a short bi-weekly report on the
status of implementation of the Vail recommendations will be appearing as an
attachment to the morning report.  A preliminary edition with updates in two
areas follows as a separate cc:Mail message.  Your thoughts and comments are
solicited and may be sent via cc:Mail to the contact person listed at the
end of each entry.  [Loran Fraser for Deputy Director Cables]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Brady on AL (12/21-1/3).

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Martin (12/21-1/3), Kreis (12/17-1/7),
Marriott (12/23-1/3), and Henry (12/24) on annual leave.

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Erskine (12/21-1/3) and Broyles (12/21-1/3) on
annual leave.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone:  Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5572/5573 or 202-208-5572/5573

Telefax:    Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977

CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO

cc:Mail     Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation

                   UPDATE - THE VAIL AGENDA
                       DECEMBER 22, 1992


GOAL 1 (RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP): DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE NATURAL, CULTURAL AND
SOCIAL SCIENCES RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH PROGRAM.  [COORDINATOR:
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR GENE HESTER]

Associate Director Gene Hester is putting the final touches on the resource
stewardship work plan, which is designed to develop an integrated resource
management research program.  The plan will contain excerpts from the
existing five year natural resource strategic plan and its cultural resource
counterpart and will include new "joint" elements which will bridge gaps
between the two programs. In order to accomplish all necessary tasks, nine
Servicewide task forces will be assembled; nominees and volunteers from
throughout the Service will be encouraged to participate on each of them. 
The task forces will be focusing on the following projects:

- Establishing common elements and linkages among NPS data bases.
- Setting higher funding priorities for acquisition of baseline data.
- Determining personnel, staffing and training needs of resource
  management specialists.
- Developing an NPS directive which will integrate management needs into
  research and resource management programs.
- Managing visitor impacts.
- Conducting periodic reviews of research and resource management
  programs.
- Developing long-term data management strategies.
- Determining interdisciplinary training needs.

Dr. Hester plans to make a general call for interested task force members
early in January.  The work plan will be distributed throughout the Service
at the same time.  Those interested in receiving a copy of the work plan may
call Tim Goddard at 202-343-8136 or contact him via cc:Mail under his name. 
Tim will send you the file, which runs to about 80,000 bytes, via cc:Mail.

GOAL 7 (ORGANIZATIONAL RENEWAL): DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE
PROGRAM OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT WITH APPROPRIATE TRAINING AND CAREER
DEVELOPMENT.  DEVELOP MECHANISMS TO IDENTIFY AND NURTURE MID- AND SENIOR-LEVEL
EMPLOYEES FOR LEADERSHIP. [COORDINATOR: ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ED DAVIS]  

* Ranger Futures Project 

Final review of the Ranger Futures concept paper is now occurring in WASO.
After it is approved, the plan is to distribute it to the field for review
and comment, probably in early January.  This proposal will identify the
qualifications, duties and responsibilities necessary for rangers to meet
changing organizational and employee needs, and the human resource actions
needed for a modern ranger career management system.

This working concept paper is the culmination of a year-long effort by the
Ranger Futures steering committee, which has worked with a consultant group
and with OPM, NPS and Department personnel.  During that period, team
members have interviewed over 200 field rangers, supervisors and management
employees.  Among other findings, team members have learned that resource
protection and resource education are and should continue to be the driving
forces of the ranger occupation.  The consulting group is project continuing
a work-management study and has interviewed nearly 100 field rangers in this
context to date.

The concept paper will be formally distributed through park and regional
mailings, but will also be available through cc:Mail.  Please contact Bill
Halainen via cc:Mail at WASO Ranger Activities if you'd like to get a copy
of the report when it is ready.  

* Management Training Project

A new training course, "Leadership and Management within the National Park
Service", has been developed, and the first session will be held at Albright
Employee Development Center this coming January and February.  This course
is for employees from maintenance, visitor protection, resource management,
interpretative and administrative divisions who have supervisory experience
and wish to improve their leadership and managerial skills.  The program
gives participants skills in supervising other supervisors, managing complex
or multi-level programs, and leading division-level programs.  The course
analyzes the participants' managerial strengths and weaknesses and provides
methods and direction whereby they can build on existing managerial and
leadership abilities for current or future jobs.  

Following the six-week classroom training session, each participant will go
on a four-week detail in which he or she will serve with a park division
chief and receive on-the-job training.  

See your park or regional training officer for further details.