NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, January 19, 1994

Broadcast: By 0900 ET

INCIDENTS

94-6 - San Juan (Puerto Rico) - Follow-up on Oil Spill

Oil from he barge M.J. Berman, which grounded on January 7th, continues to
spill into the ocean and coat the north coast of Puerto Rico.  Heavy seas
and swells over ten feet high have torn the bottom from the barge, spilling
an additional 200,000 gallons of #6 bunker oil.  Substantial amounts of oil
have come ashore along the park's two plus miles of coast, and two
significant cultural sites have been affected.  Federal survey crews are
monitoring the spill, assessing damage, and determining an appropriate
course of action.  The Coast Guard is in the process of determining whether
it should tow the barge out to sea or continue pumping it out in place.  [J.
Schafler, CR, SAJU, 1/13]

94-14 - Southern California Areas - Follow-up on Earthquake

Brief follow-up reports on the quake have been received from two areas:

* Santa Monica Mountains - The situation in the park is very much the
same as it was on Monday.  Although the park experienced only minor
damage to structures and facilities, several employees did not make it
to work due either to road closures or the need to repair or evaluate
damage to their homes and personal property.  Despite intermittent
power disruptions and sporadic telephone service, the park is open. 
Signs have been placed in the park advising visitors and employees to
boil water before consuming it.  The chief ranger would like everyone
to know that all employees are safe and that, although there were no
injuries, their personal lives have been "tremendously upset."

* Channel Islands - The park had a "rough ride", but experienced no
serious problems.  Phones and electricity were out briefly, but were
restored Monday afternoon.  There's no observable damage to facilities
in Ventura.

[Ernie Quintana, CR, SAMO; Jonathan Lewis, CHIS; 1/18]
 
94-15 - Thomas Stone (Virginia) - Death of Employee

Ranger Adam G. Karalius, the site manager at Thomas Stone, passed away over
the weekend.  He had been at Thomas Stone since transferring there from
Hampton about three years ago.  A viewing will be held tomorrow from 6 to 9
p.m. at Ruck Towson Funeral Home (1050 York Road, Towson, MD); the funeral
mass will be at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Church of the Nativity in Towson. 
Adam leaves his wife, Barbara, and two college-age children.  Notes of
sympathy may be sent to Barbara at 920 Radcliff Road, Towson, MD 21204. 
[Dwight Storke, Superintendent, GEWA/THST, 1/18]

94-16 - Mount Rainier (Washington) - Serious Employee Illness

Superintendent Bill Briggle experienced a heart attack early on the morning
of Saturday, January 15th.  He was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, where a
blockage was found and removed, and is now out of intensive care and resting
comfortably.  It's expected that he will be home in a few days and
recuperating for the next three to four weeks.  Cards and get well messages
may be directed to his home - 8908 31st Street West, Tacoma, WA 98466. 
[Bill Walters, PNRO, 1/18]

94-17 - Southeast Areas - Winter Storm Impacts and Closures

Although the storms and cold moving through the east have caused disruptions
to many areas, two parks report significant problems:

* Great Smokies - Most park roads and facilities are closed due to icing
of roads and continued snowfall.  A weather front stalled over the
area yesterday and more snow was expected.  Drivers on the Tennessee
side of the park have been encouraged to stay at home.  The park and
local communities have used up existing supplies of sand and/or salt. 
Very few backcountry users are in the park, and there's no indication
of any problems in the backcountry.

* Mammoth Cave - The storm which struck the park on Sunday brought
freezing rain and snow; by Monday noon, the park was covered with six
inches of snow on top of a thick layer of ice.  Many trees have broken
under the heavy snow load, closing roads and interrupting electrical
service - most of the park has been without power since early Monday
morning.  Most park roads, the visitor center and all cave tours are
closed.  The park and Great Onyx Job Corps Center have been operating
with essential personnel.  Rangers and maintenance personnel have been
working to keep primary access routes open for emergency travel and to
provide heat for park residences and other government buildings.  The
Green River ferry is being kept open around the clock to provide for
emergency travel by park staff, utility crews and National Guard
vehicles which are being used to transport doctors, nurses, and other
essential medical personnel.  The governor of Kentucky, after
declaring a state of emergency, closed all interstate highways and
parkways within Kentucky.  This closure is expected to last at least
through this afternoon.  

[Bobbie Hjelmgren, CRO, GRSM; CRO, MACA; 1/18]

94-18 - North Cascades (Washington) - Animal Incident

A resident of Stehekin was awakened by noise from his dog in the early hours
of January 12th and found his airedale fighting with a cougar.  The resident
shot and killed the cat.  The dog was fatally mauled and had to be put down. 
Because the incident occurred on private property, the investigation was
turned over to the Washington Department of Wildlife.  The cat, which was
identified as a two-year-old male, was removed for further study.  [Michele
LaFontaine, NOCA, 1/13]

94-19 - Saguaro (Arizona) - Resource Damage Settlement

The park has just received a $10,000 settlement from the insurance company
of R.T., who was involved in a motor vehicle accident on Picture
Rocks Road in the Tucson Mountain District last November 25th.  R.T. was
speeding and drove 150 feet off the road, damaging thousands of dollars in
saguaro cactus and other native plants.  Seasonal ranger Jon Hale conducted
the investigation and resource damage assessment in conjunction with the
U.S. attorney's office's civil division in Tucson.  The case was prosecuted
under 16 USC park system resource protection provisions.  [Paula Rooney, CR,
SAGU, 1/12]

94-20 - Indiana Dunes (Indiana) - Apparent Suicide

On the afternoon of January 3rd, rangers, local police, and fire and
ambulance personnel responded to a report of carbon monoxide poisoning at a
reservation of use residence within the park.  The body of M.M., 22,
was found by family members on the floor of a closed garage.  The victim's
vehicle was in the garage and the engine was running; high levels of carbon
monoxide were found in the garage and attached house.  M.M. appeared to
have been deceased for several hours.  A note was found in the victim's car. 
An investigation is being conducted by the park's criminal investigator. 
[Joni Jones, INDU, 1/12]

94-21 - Kings Mountain (South Carolina) - SAR; Fatal MVA

On January 9th, a search was begun in the park for a missing women, M.B.,
57, and her vehicle, but no sign of her was found.  Just before
midnight on January 10th, the park superintendent and a ranger were checking
drainages for the vehicle while returning from a meeting at the nearby state
headquarters when they spotted the M.B.'s vehicle beneath the Long Branch
Bridge abutment in the state park.  She was found dead in the vehicle,
apparently having succumbed to injuries received in the accident.  She was
not wearing a seatbelt.  Alcohol may have been a factor.  [Mike Loveless,
Superintendent, KIMO, 1/12]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Lower Colorado River Parks (Utah/Arizona) - Draft EIS on Water Releases

The draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on water releases from the
Glen Canyon dam was released on January 6th for a three month public review.
During this period, three informal public information sessions and seven
formal public hearings will be conducted.  The Service is one of 12
cooperating agencies who participated in the preparation of the EIS.  Glen
Canyon, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain and Western Regions, and the Washington
Office have been directly involved in the development of alternative ways of
managing water releases from the 29-year-old federal dam and hydropower
plant.  Since 1983, NPS scientists from many disciplines have worked with
researchers from several federal and state agencies, tribes and academic
institutions in the effort to identify actual damage and threats to park
resources and to enhance our understanding of the processes at work in the
post-dam riverine environment of today.  In addition to a preferred
alternative operating criteria for Glen Canyon dam, a critical component of
the EIS is a program of "adaptive management" in response to a long-term
monitoring program in the river corridor from the dam to Lake Mead.  The
final EIS is due in October.  For further information on this project,
contact Raymond Gunn of the Environmental Quality Division at 801-524-3315. 
Comments on the draft document will be coordinated through him and the
Environmental Quality Division in WASO.  [EQD/WASO, 1/13]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) After Hours Incident Reporting - The voice mail service for the Service's
serious incident reporting pager system has been suspended in favor of a
single direct contact phone number (see below).  Callers are asked to leave
a return phone number.  Normal response will be within 15 minutes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda today.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax:   202-208-6756
cc:Mail:   WASO Ranger Activities
SkyPager:  Emergencies ONLY: 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843