NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Monday, March 21, 1994

Broadcast: By 0900 ET

INCIDENTS

94-125 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Structural Fire

The original Babbitt's general store at the Grand Canyon burned to the
ground at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 18th.  The building, which is on the
National Historic Register, is a total loss.  Although it no longer served
as a store, the concessioner, Fred Harvey, was using it as a community
library, pub, recreation center and weight training center.  The library
contained a number of historic documents, including letters from Teddy
Roosevelt.  Four engines and 20 firefighters responded from the park, the
concessioner and the community of Tusayan.  Heat threatened to ignite the
adjacent magistrate's office, operations center and fee collection building,
but firefighters were able to save them.  The fire was so hot that the
temperature inside the operations center reached 120 degrees at one point. 
The cause of the fire is not known, but arson is possible.  When rangers at
the scene began taking photos of the crowd, a standard practice in
structural fires because arsonists sometimes like to watch their work, a man
in the group immediately bolted and was arrested.  No further details are
available.  In the past, there have been problems with the a butane heater
in the building, and with some of its electrical system; an accidental start
therefore can not be ruled out.  The building had no sprinkler system. 
Details to follow.  [Paul Ducasse, RAD/WRO, 3/18]

94-126 - Independence (Pennsylvania) - Special Events

The park had three significant special events during the four day period
from March 10th to March 13th:

* President Mary Robinson of Ireland visited the Liberty Bell with
superintendent Martha Aikens and Philadelphia mayor Edward Rendell on
March 10th.  

* Kin Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden were given a walking
tour of the park by the superintendent on March 12th.  They visited
the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall before walking to Carpenters'
Hall to attend a luncheon sponsored by the mayor.  Park law
enforcement rangers worked closely with the Secret Service on security
arrangements.  There were no incidents.

* The annual St. Patrick's Day parade took place on March 13th.  The
reviewing stand for the parade was across from Independence Hall.  An
estimated 6,000 people viewed the parade from within the park.  Also
in attendance were approximately 75 firefighters and their supporters;
they were demonstrating against the recent contract with city
administration.  The demonstration was orderly and did not interfere
with the parade itself.  There was a high incidence of alcohol
consumption, particularly underage drinking.  Several arrests were
made.

[Lee Dickinson, Special Event Coordinator, INDE, 3/18]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

"Streamlining Update", signed by Deputy Director Reynolds and sent to all
employees via the Director's Bulletin Board on March 18th.  Because of the
importance of the memo, the full text is being repeated here:

On Thursday, March 10, the Directorate, members of the Streamlining Task
Force and some WASO Office Chiefs met in Denver to continue discussions
regarding the streamlining and strengthening of the National Park Service.

We made significant progress in formulating the basis for making a concrete,
sensible and achievable proposal to the Department of Interior.  We expect
to be able to do so by the end of April.  I caution you, however, that no
decisions will be made until we come to the conclusion of the entire process
described below.

Key presentations and discussions at the meeting included:

1. Alternative regional boundary alignments for the Service, including
the concept of the reduction of the number of "full-service" regions
and the creation of specialized "system offices" providing expert
services to groupings of parks.

2. Analysis of the functions that regional offices should provide.

3. The costs associated with making major changes in our structure.

4. Downsizing alternatives for both the Denver Service Center and the
Harpers Ferry Center, with consideration of the fact that both centers
are now managing the largest programs ever in their histories.

Following those discussions, and a reaffirmation of the basic principles for
the streamlining agreed to in Atlanta and the March 8 memorandum to all
employees from Assistant Secretary Frampton and Director Kennedy, we agreed
to the following actions:

1. Further analysis of the Washington Office (including the training
centers).  Each Associate Director and Office Chief in WASO will show
how, if required, they could make 25 percent cuts by function and FTE,
and the impacts of those actions.  This is due to Maureen Finnerty by
March 18.

2. On April 1, the Associate Directors, Maureen Finnerty, and I will meet
to create a consolidated WASO analysis and role definition.

3. The Denver Service Center and Harpers Ferry Center teams, led by Denny
Galvin, will continue to prepare recommended roles, responsibilities
and reduction analyses.  They will report by April 6.

4. A broader analysis of options to accomplish planning needs, which has
been underway since January, will be completed by April 11.

5. John Cook, Stan Albright, Bob Baker, Jim Coleman, Don Castleberry, B.
J. Griffin and Maureen Finnerty were assigned to develop roles,
functions, and responsibilities of potential larger and fewer regional
offices.  Their work is due to be completed April 11.

6. As we discussed potential future regional alignments, several
questions about precise boundaries arose.  The regional directors will
make proposals by April 11.

7. We are also looking into the potential for long-term cost savings
associated with the location of centralized offices.  Regional
directors and Kate Stevenson will report by April 11.

8. In addition to discussing decreasing the number of full regional
offices, we discussed needs for smaller offices that are designed to
provide specialized support services to groupings of parks, such as
the Pacific Northwest ecosystem or Civil War sites.  Bob Stanton, Jack
Morehead, Chuck Odegaard, Marie Rust and I will make proposals on this
subject by April 11.

9. We determined that we needed more in-depth analysis of alternatives in
the provision of our partnership functions.  Jerry Rogers, Bob Baker
and Bill Spitzer will report by April 11.

10. A group of two or three persons under the leadership of John Byrne is
being assigned to recommend reports and procedures that can be
eliminated or reduced, in order to make NPS a more efficient and
effective organization.  They will report by April 15.

11. Between April 11 and 30, two activities will happen:

a) A separate, highly varied group of Park Service employees will
be asked to take a look at and evaluate the work done to date,
and to see if, as employees, they can find improvements to the
work leading up to making a final recommendation.  This group
will consist of Rick Gale (Boise Fire Center), Rick Shireman
(Chief, Maintenance, Mesa Verde), Diane Dayson (Superintendent,
Roosevelt Vanderbilt), Connie Rudd (Chief, Interpretation,
RMRO), Debbie Campbell (Engineer, DSC), Larry Aten (Chief,
Interagency Resources, WASO), Marie Bostic (Recreation Planner,
SERO), Miquel Flores (Air Quality Division, WASO), Bill Paleck
(Superintendent, North Cascades), Patty Neubacher
(ARD-Administration, WRO), Jim Hammett (Resource Management
Specialist, DSC), Mardell Plainfeather (Chief Ranger, Fort
Smith), Dabney Ford (Archeologist, Chaco); and Nancy Deschu
(Acting Chief Scientist, ARO).

b. John Cook, Jack Morehead, Maureen Finnerty, Kate Stevenson,
Denny Galvin and I will then meet to prepare a final proposal to
make to Director Kennedy and subsequently to Assistant Secretary
Frampton.

Finally, I would like to share an observation of my own with all of you. 
There are many who have doubted whether or not the National Park Service
could effectively address itself to streamlining its own organization.  I
wish all of you could have in some way observed the meetings in Atlanta and
Denver, and the several other smaller working meetings and video
teleconferences.  You would have seen two things.  First, the meetings are
exhausting and extremely difficult.  Second, the Directorate of the Service
has stepped up to its tasks forthrightly and vigorously.  They have made
incredibly good progress in a very short time on an extremely
difficult and painful problem.  I am sure many of you have heard tales of
these meetings.  Although the process and the discussions have often not
been elegant or easy, they have been highly focused, honest and inclusive. 
In sum, they have been some of the most highly productive and thoughtful
meetings I have ever participated in.  Above all, the Directorate has worked
together for the long term good of the National Park Service.  It has not
been perfect...we would have missed a great deal if it had been...but they
deserve a great deal of credit for what they have done and how they are
doing it.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: 202-208-4874
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