NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, March 16, 1995

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-89 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Follow-up on Storm Damage

Efforts to repair the park's pipelines and trails continue.  Some portions of
the trail work at Phantom Ranch have been completed, and work is now beginning
on the concrete bridge abutments there.  A Sky Crane helicopter, designed to
lift heavy loads, has been ordered and is expected on site later this week.  It
will be used to lift concrete, pipes, conveyors, tractors and other heavy
equipment into the areas where trail repair is underway.  Fifteen water tenders
are hauling over 400,000 gallons of water a day into the park from Williams,
Valle and Tusayan.  There are 217 people currently assigned to the Canyon Flood
Incident.  [Bryan Swift, IC, GRCA, 3/16]

95-96 - Western/Pacific Northwest Regions - Follow-up on Storm Damage

Additional reports have been received from parks struck by last week's storm:

* Point Reyes (California) - Over 250 trees are now down in the backcountry -
some from the January storm, others from last week's rain and gale force winds. 
Severe erosion is reported on numerous trails, with gullies over four feet
deep.  Water has damaged historic structures and visitor center exhibits.  All
campgrounds will remain closed until further notice.

* Pinnacles (California) - Both state highways to the park remain closed and
may not open until after the weekend.  The park therefore remains closed.

* Yosemite (California) - It's now estimated that it may take up to six weeks
to complete repairs on Highway 140.  Highway 41 may reopen a bit sooner. 
Highway 120 into the valley is still open, however, and the park remains open.

[Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO; Don Neubacher, Superintendent, PORE; Gary
Candelaria, PINN; 3/14-15]

95-99 - Upper Delaware (New York) - Assist; Multiple Injury Incident

Six rangers, all with medical training, responded to a mass casualty incident
at Delaware Valley Central School in the town of Hankins on March 8th.  Twenty-
six students and a staff member from the school had been overcome by gas fumes
which occurred during the clean-up of a gasoline spill.  The rangers assisted
with triage and patient care and provided basic life support.  All patients
were taken by ambulance to hospitals, then treated and released.  The incident
was a significant test of the area's EMS and incident command system, both of
which performed well.  [Alan Henry, PR, UPDE, 3/16]

95-100 - Guadalupe Mountains (Texas) - Motorhome Fire

Rangers were dispatched to a vehicle fire on U.S. Highway 62/180 in Guadalupe
Pass on the evening of March 11th.  A motorhome climbing up the grade had
caught fire and was totally consumed.  Park staff were able to release and
rescue the owners' car, which was being towed behind the motorhome, but the
motorhome itself and all its contents were completely destroyed.  Rangers
provided traffic control and kept the fire from spreading onto park and private
lands until early the following morning.  [Fred Armstrong, Acting CR, GUMO,
3/14]

95-101 - Gulf Islands (Mississippi/Florida) - Shipping Accident

Early on the morning of Wednesday, March 8th, the tugboat Mary Sue lost control
of four coal barges in the Intercoastal Waterway about a mile north of Horn
Island.  Strong winds and heavy seas caused the tow cables to break; the crew
attempted to regain control of the barges, but was not successful.  The pilot
decided to beach the barges on the north shore of the island, a designated
wilderness area.  Two of the barges grounded on relatively flat areas of sand
and seagrass, while the other two grounded where a deep hole and sandbar meet. 
The bow portion of one barge and the stern of the other settled into the deep
water, causing them to partially submerge and flooding the cargo boxes.  After
grounding the barges, the tugboat took shelter in a port about eight miles
away.  Due to harsh weather, salvage operations did not begin until Thursday
evening, when empty barges and a large crane could be brought to the scene. 
The park imposed stringent salvage conditions in order to minimize damage to
the seagrass beds and bottom contours and to reduce coal dust sedimentation of
the waters.  Park staff have begun an environmental assessment, but continued
bad weather has prevented underwater inspections of the area.  It is feared
that impacts to the area may be severe.  The company which owns the tug, Henry
Marine of Gulfshores, Alabama, was also involved in a major coal barge accident
in the park just under a year ago.  In that incident, some 4,000 tons of coals
was spilled when two barges sank in Pensacola Pass.  Coal dust and lumps of
coal were cleaned from park beaches for several weeks after that incident, and
coal continues to wash up on park shores.  [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 3/16]

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:

3/27-4/9 -- National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC.  Series of annual
events.  Contact: Public Affairs, NCRO.

3/30* -- Frederick Douglass Commemoration, Frederick Douglass Home,
Washington, DC.  Commemoration of Douglass' death with symposium at
the Library of Congress, followed by a tour of his home and a
reception.  The symposium will feature presentations by three
leading scholars in the field of African-American studies - William
McFeely, David Blight and Waldo Martin - and will be held from 9
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the west dining room, sixth floor, Madison
Building, Library of Congress.  Contact: Cynthia Salter-Stith, 202-
690-5185.  [Frank Faragasso, NCP-East]

4/13 -- Thomas Jefferson Birthday, Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC. 
Annual commemoration.  Noon.  Contact: Public Affairs, NCRO.

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

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