NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Tuesday, May 3, 1994

Broadcast: By 0930 ET

                         *** NOTICE ***

The Morning Report distribution time has been moved up to 9:30 a.m. EDT in
order to incorporate NIFC's incident management situation reports, which are
now being released daily.

INCIDENTS

94-200 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Car Clouting Indictments

Over the past three months, rangers received reports of nine car clouting
incidents in the Fern Creek and Fayette Station areas of the park.  All of
the vehicles belonged to out of state rock climbers, and almost $5,000 worth
of climbing and camping equipment was taken from them.  The culprits also
caused about $2,000 damage in smashed windows; in two cases, almost all of
the vehicle's windows were shattered.  During the evening of April 23rd, a
"bait" vehicle was set up in the Fern Creek parking area, and surveillance
of the location was begun.  Rangers observed a vehicle entering the lot at 3
a.m. the following morning, and two men, S.D. and P.B., were
subsequently apprehended while in the act of siphoning gasoline from one of
the vehicles.  S.D. and P.B. were interviewed and led investigators to
Steven Falls of Fayetteville.  Rangers utilized information provided by
S.D. to obtain a search warrant for Falls' residence and vehicle.  During a
consent search, they found climbing gear and audio tapes identified from the
car clouts.  Confessions were obtained from Falls regarding five separate
car clouting incidents in the Fern Creek lot; two other individuals were
implicated in the break-ins.  Rangers are working with the U.S. attorney's
office to obtain indictments.  The incident is still under investigation. 
[Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 5/2]

94-201 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Illegal Collecting Arrests

Early on May 2nd, rangers stopped a pickup truck occupied by C.H.,
22, and J.W., 24, near Mammoth Hot Springs.  In plain view
in the truck were a large number of elk antlers; the two men were therefore
arrested for illegal possession of antlers inside the park.  C.H. and
J.W., both college basketball players from Billings, Montana, had been
suspected (along with others) of collecting and caching antlers in the park
and had been under periodic surveillance by rangers in the Mammoth
subdistrict.  Elk antlers are valued on the Asian market for alleged
medicinal qualities.  The seized antlers, which weighed over 200 pounds, had
a local value of over $2,000.  The park is working with the U.S. attorney's
office on felony Lacey Act charges.  [CRO, YELL, 5/2]

94-202 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Suicide

An overdue rental vehicle whose operator was reported to be a missing person
was discovered at Maricopa Point on April 22nd.  An aerial search was
conducted later that day, but no sign of the driver, 34-year-old J.S.
of Cannonburg, Pennsylvania, was found.  Due to inclement weather, the
search was discontinued, but resumed again on May 1st.  Later that day,
J.S.'s body was found in the canyon about a third of a mile west of Hopi
Point.  He had apparently jumped to his death.  [Terrill Pettet, GRCA, 5/2]

94-203 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - Serious Falling Injury

J.M., 21, of Norfolk, Virginia, fell 75 feet while climbing
Humpback Rocks in the James River District on April 23rd and suffered
serious skull and arm fractures.  She was transported by Lifeflight
helicopter to the University of Virginia hospital in Charlottesville, where
she is being treated for her injuries.  [CRO, BLRI, 5/2]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I

2) FIRE SUMMARY

No major fires.

3) ANALYSIS - Fire activity was low nationwide yesterday, but there was some
increase in activity in the South.

4) PROGNOSIS - Mostly fair weather over the Southwest may be conducive to a
slight increase in activity.  Fire activity in the South will lessen due to
forecasted cloudy and wet weather over most of the area.

[NIFC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/3]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Wilderness Legislation

On May 2nd, Congressman David Skaggs announced that he will introduce
legislation to designate about 91 percent of the park's 265,595 acres as
wilderness.  The original wilderness recommendation for Rocky Mountain was
submitted to Congress by President Nixon on June 13, 1974.  Since that time,
modifications have taken place due to changes in land ownership, boundary
adjustments, and changes in the place of diversion or storage for water
rights.  The wilderness would include Longs Peak and other major mountains,
glacial cirques and snow fields, expanses of alpine tundra and wet meadows,
old-growth forests, and hundreds of lakes and streams.  [Tim Devine, RMS,
ROMO]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

IN CONGRESS

The following activities have occurred recently or will be taking place in
Congress during coming weeks on matters of interest or consequence to the
National Park Service.  If you would like further information on any of
these hearings or bills, please contact Dottie in WASO Legislation at 202-
208-3636.

Upcoming Hearings

5/5 -- Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests (Bumpers): Hearing on S. 471,
the New Parks Study Act of 1993.

5/9 -- House Government Operations Subcommittee on Energy, Environment
and Natural Resources (Synar): Oversight hearing on Gettysburg
NMP.

5/11 -- Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related
Agencies (Byrd): Hearing on NPS FY 95 budget request.  

5/12 -- Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests (Bumpers): Hearing on H.R.
3252, West Virginia Rivers Conservation Act of 1993; H.R. 4034,
Urban Recreation and At-Risk Youth Act of 1994; S. 1683,
Sterling Forest and New Jersey Watershed Protection Act of 1993;
S. 1999, Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site
Act of 1994; and S. 112, Hudson River Artists National
Historical Park Act of 1993.

5/19 -- Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Public
Lands, National Parks and Forests (Bumpers): Hearing on park
overflights.

5/25 -- Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related
Agencies (Byrd): Hearing on DOI FY 95 budget request.

Recent Actions

House -- Two bills have been introduced - 4257 (Zimmer), to provide for
the study of Revolutionary War battlefields, and H.R. 4266
(Byron), to expand the boundaries of Stones River.

Senate -- One bill has been introduced - S. 2037 (Thurmond), to establish
the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor.  The Senate
concurred in the House's amendment to S. 1574, to authorize
appropriations for the Coastal Heritage Trail Route in New
Jersey, thereby clearing the measure for the President.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax:   202-208-6756
cc:Mail:   WASO Ranger Activities
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