NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Tuesday, March 7, 1995

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-89 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Storm Damage

The storm that struck northern Arizona over the past weekend dropped just under
two and a half inches of rain on the South Rim and five inches of rain
(together with snow melt) on the North Rim - both amounts almost double the
average total monthly precipitation for their respective areas.  Runoff was
heavy on the rims and in the canyon.  The corridor trails - Bright Angel, North
Kaibab and South Kaibab - and the trans-canyon water line were all heavily
damaged.  Preliminary assessments by park personnel revealed that the water
line had been extensively damaged between the Roaring Springs intake and the
North Rim on the north side and between the Roaring Springs intake and Phantom
Ranch on the south side.  Loss of the adjoining North Kaibab trail at several
locations has made access to the water line leading to the North Rim impossible
until those portions of the trail are reconstructed.  There is storage capacity
for two to three weeks of water use on the South Rim, but preliminary estimates
of trail and water line damage indicate that the time necessary to repair these
might exceed three weeks.  Park staff will conduct a more detailed assessment
and planning sessions today.  Forecasters are predicting more storm activity in
the area over the coming week.  [Mallory Smith, GRCA, 3/6]

95-90 - Saguaro (Arizona) - Suicide

On February 28th, rangers and local deputies received a telephone call from the
brother of 25-year-old Tucson resident K.W. reporting that he'd just
received a 15-page suicide letter from K.W. saying that he was going to hike
to a remote area in the Rincon Mountain District to end his life.  A helicopter
search was begun, and K.W.'s body was spotted on a rock outcropping about ten
miles from the trailhead, where he'd parked his vehicle on February 25th.  He
died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  [Paula Rooney, CR, SAGU, 3/1]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Petrified Forest (Arizona) - Rare Fossil Discovery

Ranger Marten Schmitz found a fossil in the Rainbow Forest Museum area of the
park in February which turned out to be the skull of a phytosaur - the first
such skull yet found in the park's Sonsela Sandstone formation and the most
important find in the park in 50 years.  Dr. Adrian Hunt of the University of
Colorado, who examined the skull, said this about the discovery: "Until 1995,
no fossil vertebrates were known from the Sonsela Sandstone within Petrified
Forest National Park or elsewhere in Arizona or New Mexico where this rock unit
is exposed."  [PEFO]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

UPCOMING IN CONGRESS

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

March 7

Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Thomas) and House Resources' Subcommittee on
National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen): Joint hearing on changes to the
National Park Service.

March 9

House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. (unnumbered), Virginia parks bill.

March 15

House Appropriations' Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies [Regula]:
NPS FY96 budget.

March 23

House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Markup of H.R. 260, to provide for the development of a plan and management
review of the National Park System and to reform the process by which areas are
considered for addition to the National Park System.

March 28

House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. (unnumbered), heritage area bill.

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

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