NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, December 29, 1994

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

94-687 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - Homicide

The body of a woman in her late 20s or early 30s was found in an area
frequented by transient campers along East Lake Mead Boulevard around 4 a.m. on
December 18th.  The victim was only partly clothed and had apparently been the
victim of a sexual assault.  Las Vegas police took over the investigation when
it was determined that the crime scene was just outside the park's boundary. 
Several 9mm shell casings were found at the scene.  Campers in the area
reported hearing several gunshots between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., but stated that
they hadn't thought much of them because gunshots are so common in the area. 
The victim has not yet been identified.  [Bud Inman, LAME, 12/27]

94-688 - Richmond (Virginia) - Fire

Around noon on December 24th, high winds from a northeaster blew down an
electric power line that traverses part of the park.  Sparks from the line
caused a fire that consumed about six acres in and adjacent to the park and not
far from the maintenance yard and two park houses.  Nine fire units from
Henrico County, a tractor crew from the Virginia Department of Forestry, and
seven park employees fought the fire for five hours.  Snags and spot blazes
made the going difficult.  Care was taken to avoid destruction of cultural
resources on the battlefield.  If the wind had changed direction, the houses
and yard would have been in immediate jeopardy.  [Cindy MacLeod,
Superintendent, RICH, 12/27]

94-689 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - Fire

On December 19th, a fire broke out at a construction project at Echo Wash
bridge on Northshore Road.  A 50-gallon propane tank ignited and the fire
quickly spread to several other pieces of construction equipment.  A four-
person crew and engine from Echo Bay made the initial attack and were soon
supported by another park unit from Callville Bay, a Clark County pumper, and a
medical unit from Logandale.  The construction site was evacuated and traffic
on the road was stopped for about 90 minutes.  There were no injuries.  A
mobile concrete cutter, a mixing tank, and about a dozen wooden guardrail posts
were destroyed.  The exact cause of blaze is unknown, but it appears that a
spark from a piece of equipment may have ignited a propane leak.  [Bud Inman,
LAME, 12/27]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

COMING EVENTS CALENDAR

The Coming Events calendar appears in the morning report every other Thursday. 
If you know of a significant event of Servicewide interest, please forward the
listing to WASO Ranger Activities.  Entries are listed no earlier than FOUR
months before the event.  Asterisks indicate new entries; brackets at end of
entry indicate source of information:

12/8-1/1 -- Pageant of Peace, The Ellipse, President's Park, Washington, D.C. 
Open to the public daily from 9:00 a.m. through 11:00 p.m. to visit
the decorated National Christmas Tree and trees representing all
U.S. states and territories.  Evening entertainment runs from
Thursday, December 8th, through Friday, December 30th, from 6:00
p.m. until 8:00 p.m.  There is no live entertainment on 12/24 and
12/25.  Contact: President's Park, 202-755-7798.  [Maura Vaughn,
NCRO]

12/27-29 -- Annual Christmas candlelight tours of the White House, President's
Park, Washington, D.C.   These evening tours, which run from 5:00
p.m. until 7:00 p.m., show the White House decorated for the
holiday season.  Contact: President's Park, 202-755-7798.  [Maura
Vaughn, NCRO]

1/1* -- Mummer's Parade, Independence National Historical Park, 
Philadelphia, PA. This years traditional Philadelphia Mummers
Parade has been moved due to construction on the normal route,
putting the parade through the park.  The parade consists of comic,
fancy, and string band units, totalling 20,000 people.  It will
begin at 8:15 a.m. on New Year's Day and last until approximately
5:30 p.m.  Contact: INDE Public Affairs at (215) 597-0060. [Ann
Marie DiSerafino, PAO, INDE]

1/7-1/29* -- 186th Anniversary, Edgar Allan Poe's Birth, Philadelphia, PA.
Special tours highlighting the many facets of Poe's work, including
poetry, satire and science fiction. Saturdays and Sundays in
January, and on his actual birthday, Thursday, January 19th. 
Contact: EDAL, 215-597-8780.  [INDE]

1/7-8 -- 180th Anniversary of Battle of New Orleans Celebration, Chalmette
Unit, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve,
Chalmette, LA.  Approximately 175 living history volunteers from
the United States and Canada will present programs dealing with
weapons and lifestyles during the War of 1812 period.  Contact:
Chalmette National Battlefield,, 504-589-4428. [Gary Hume, JELA]

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

Telephone: 202-208-4874
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