NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, April 19, 1995

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-162 - Knife River Indian Villages (North Dakota) - Arson

During the evening of April 14th, two individuals attempted to burn down the
park's newly constructed Hidatsa earth lodge.  The fire was started inside the
lodge against the entry palisade, but a fire retardant applied during
construction prevented significant damage.  The fire charcoaled eleven of the
ten foot palisade timbers, causing about $1,500 in damage.  Investigation is
continuing.  [Bill Lutz, CR, KNRI, 4/17]

95-163 - Yosemite (California) - Assault; Attempted Armed Robbery

Rangers received a report on April 7th of a young man on a park shuttle bus
threatening a visitor with a knife.  Investigation revealed that two Yosemite
residents, one 16 and the other 17, had confronted several other juveniles, all
visitors, and ordered them to leave their seats at the back of the bus.  When
the latter refused, the 16-year-old brandished a knife, threatened to kill one
of the visitors, and ordered him to hand over his money.  The victim refused to
give him any money, but yielded his seat.  Both boys were arrested.  The 16-
year-old was charged with aggravated assault and attempted armed robbery; the
17-year-old was charged with aiding aggravated assault and attempted robbery. 
The county will prosecute the 16-year-old, who is already on probation.  [CRO,
YOSE, 4/19]

95-164 - Glen Canyon (Arizona/Utah) - Capsized Houseboat 

A number of boats have either broken away from their moorings or been swamped
during recent days because of continuing high winds in the area.  One of them,
a 70-foot houseboat moored in the Hite buoy field, capsized and partially sank
on April 15th.  The boat had taken on water the previous day, but appeared to
be stable.  The concessioner notified the owners and made arrangements to keep
it afloat, but the boat capsized before the needed equipment arrived from
Bullfrog.  It is currently suspended on the buoy field's grid system in about
80 feet of water.  Recovery operations are being arranged by the owner.  The
same boat sank last year at Bullfrog, but in only a few feet of water.  [Tomie
Patrick Lee, CR, GLCA, 4/17]

95-165 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - Assault with Deadly Weapon

Rangers and park investigators arrested J.M., 40, of Las Vegas, after an
altercation at Government Wash on the evening of April 8th.  J.M. allegedly
held a 9mm hand gun to the victim's head, then beat him.  Two semi-automatic
hand guns were seized from participants in the fight.  [Malcom Demumbrun, LAME,
4/17]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Lake Mead (Nevada) - Burro Management EIS

The record of decision for the environmental impact statement for burro
management was signed on April 5th.  Since 1979, burros within the park have
been managed by the Bureau of Land Management.  Although over 1,600 burros were
removed during that period, the population has continued to increase. 
Monitoring conducted over the past five years revealed that these burros were
having a severe impact on park resources.  In 1992, the park initiated public
scoping under NEPA procedures to help develop issues and determine strategies
for burro management.  The draft EIS was released for public review last
summer, and the final EIS was issued on March 3rd.  The goal of the chosen
course of action will be to eliminate environmental changes caused by the
burros and protect the parks, natural, cultural and recreational resources. 
Burros will be removed from portions of the park that have been so severely
over utilized that habitat recovery is not possible with any level of use. 
Burros will also be removed from areas that have threatened, endangered,
sensitive or unique resources, and from those areas where they cause threats to
public safety.  The plan is unique in that burros will be permitted to remain
in certain portions of the park due to the presence of burros on adjacent BLM
lands.  The park will work with BLM to set population levels in these areas and
will continue monitoring to protect park resources from further impacts.  Live
removal and other control techniques will be employed, including wrangler
round-ups, capture with net guns, fencing, sterilization, and/or birth control. 
[Nancy Yoder, LAME]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

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


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