RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Friday, January 8, 1993

Release:   0800 EDT

INCIDENTS

93-4 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Rescue

On January 1st, park personnel responded to an ice climbing accident at an area
called The Jaws - a two-pitch ice climb about a mile into the park's
backcountry.  A climber had been struck in the back by a large chunk of ice and
sustained a pneumothorax.  He was stabilized and littered out to a waiting
ambulance.  Warm weather and poor judgement contributed to the accident.  [Joe
Evans, CR, ROMO, 1/7]

93-5 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Significant Injuries

Over the eleven day period between December 23rd and January 2nd, rangers
responded to a series of significant injuries which occurred to tubers sliding
at the former Hidden Valley ski area.  Injuries suffered in the nine separate
incidents were as follows:

- basal skull fracture and separated shoulder
- contusions and misaligned jaw
- fractured clavicle and concussion
- compression fracture of vertebra
- fractured clavicle
- knee fracture and dislocation
- thumb fracture
- ankle fracture
- sprained ankle

Rocky Mountain would like to hear from any park with ideas on and/or experience
in managing tubing or sledding areas.  Please contact Doug Ridley, the Fall
River subdistrict ranger, at 303-586-2371.  [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 1/7]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Brady at ranger futures work group meeting (1/5-1/7).

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Martin at national FMO meeting (1/6-
1/8); Halainen instructing management and leadership training class (1/6-1/8);
Marriott on annual leave (1/7-1/8).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd at NWCG meeting (1/5-1/6) and national FMO
meeting (1/6-1/8); Gale at meeting with staff at Southern Area Coordination
Center (1/4-1/5).

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities



                          UPDATE:
                 IMPLEMENTING THE VAIL AGENDA
                      JANUARY 8, 1993

Every two weeks, the morning report will include an attached update on
progress made on implementation of the Vail Agenda.  A review of actions
since the symposium will help readers understand how developments have
proceeded to this point.  

After the symposium, the Director and Deputy Director created a task force
of senior NPS personnel to prepare an implementation plan.  This group,
called Team Implement, examined the report, developed eight goals to guide
reform, and identified 45 substantive actions that needed to be
undertaken.  The Associate Directors, working with the Regional Directors,
were given the responsibility for coordinating these implementation
actions, which are organized under the headings of the four symposium work
groups: Resource Stewardship, Environmental Leadership, Park Use and
Enjoyment, and Organizational Renewal.

Today's report looks at progress made in Resource Stewardship, led by
Associate Director Gene Hester.

GOAL 1 (UNDER RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP): DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE NATURAL,
CULTURAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH PROGRAM.  

Legislation entitled "The National Parks Research Act" is being drafted to
provide the NPS with a mandate to conduct research in the parks.  This
accomplishment corresponds with the first recommendation made under
strategic objective number five in the Vail report.  A visiting senior
scientist is being recruited to assist the Service in working with
Congress to get the legislation enacted.  This individual will also assist
the Service in establishing a "Parks for Science" program, establishing an
NPS competitive grants program, and identifying needs for a strategic
Servicewide research program.  This accomplishment also responds to
recommendations made in the National Academy of Sciences report.

A ten-year strategic plan for implementing inventories throughout units of
the National Park Service is being developed in order to promote sound
ecological and cultural resource management of park resources.  This
accomplishment responds to Vail's first and second strategic objectives,
which are, respectively, for resource stewardship and education and
interpretation.  This inventory will not only help each park to catalogue
and protect its special resources, but will also assist in the
interpretation of values of those resources.

Also tied to these Vail objectives is progress that has been made towards
establishing a National Center for Preservation and Technology and
Training.  Cultural resource representatives are meeting with key
Congressional and budget staff and other principals onn this proposal. 
Cultural resource data management teams are also improving and updating
existing data management systems, such as the archeological sites
inventory.

Progress has been made on implementing the sixth strategic objective,
which calls for improving professionalism and professional training
programs in the Service.  An evaluation of the Team Resources training
program which was recently completed recommends that the program continue,
that an instructor's workshop be conducted, that the curriculum be
redesigned, and that lesson plans and instructors assist with regional
orientations to NPS training efforts.  Cultural and natural resource
divisions have also sponsored or co-sponsored over a dozen conferences and
scientific meetings since Vail and will offer at least two new training
courses related to resource stewardship over the next two months.
Rocky Mountain Region has made a commitment to integrating natural and
cultural resource management and research into a comprehensive program, as
recommended in the Vail Agenda.  Consistent with this goal, the region
created an Associate Director for Resource Management and Research, hired
a subject matter specialist to lead the program, and consolidated its
regional resource management and research offices under this directorate. 
This reorganization and commitment to integrating resource management and
research will serve to focus on inventorying resources and understanding
processes, developing systems to manage data so that it can support
management needs, and providing parks with adequate tools, including
trained subject matter specialists, to enhance resource protection
efforts.  This undertaking represents a broad commitment to implementing
the overall strategic objectives of the Vail Agenda.

GOAL 2 (UNDER RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP): PROMOTE MORE EFFECTIVE USE OF ALL
EXISTING AUTHORITIES AND OTHER TOOLS TO DEAL WITH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
CONCERNS AND ACTIVITIES THAT TRANSCEND PARK BOUNDARIES AND SEEK ADDITIONAL
LEGISLATION THAT MAY BE NECESSARY TO PROTECT PARK RESOURCES FROM EXTERNAL
THREATS.

There are three action items under this goal.  The first is to develop a
summary of significant tools pertaining to transboundary issues and
resource management and to distribute that list throughout the Service. 
The second seeks to initiate an NPS training course to disseminate
transboundary management strategies throughout the Service.  The third is
to regularly review the list of tools, evaluate their efficacy and
recommend improvements as needed.

This week, Ron Clark of Big Cypress joins the Resource Stewardship Working
Group for a two-week detail to develop the summary of significant tools. 
Ron is designing a data base that will list and summarize all laws,
treaties, executive orders, cooperative agreements, regulations,
guidelines, and other tools pertaining to natural and cultural resource
management.  This list is a prerequisite for the planned Servicewide task
force which will be asked in the near future to address the objectives
outlined in the three actions items under this goal.