NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date: Wednesday, October 18, 1995 

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-620 - Virgin Islands - Follow-up on Hurricane Marilyn

The incident management team closed out operations with the staff at Virgin
Islands on Monday.  All incident documents were transferred to the park except
for a few pending financial documents.  A closeout with the staff at San Juan
will be held today.  Preliminary resource assessments have been completed. 
They show severe effects to some coral reef areas from strong currents, heavy
surf and boat groundings.  Fish populations have declined, and some endangered
hawksbill, leather back and green sea turtle nesting sites were destroyed. 
Archeological areas suffered damage from both beach erosion and tree falls; 
some historic sites have been damaged by water.  For the most part, visitor
facilities and areas are back on line:

* Buck Island Reef - All facilities are open except for the overland hiking
trail, which should be cleared of downed trees and reopened by Friday.

* Fort Christiansted - All areas are open.

* Salt River Bay - All areas are open.

* Virgin Islands - Most of the beaches and roads are cleared, but no
camping facilities or concession operations are yet open.  Trunk Bay is
closed to visitation and to cruise ships until the end of the month.  The
Cruz Bay visitor center is open, but all park programs have been
suspended until the end of the month.  The concession-operated campground
at Cinnamon Bay will probably reopen in January.  The one private
campground at Maho Bay should reopen early next month.  Most park roads
and trails are open, as are all north shore beaches (except Trunk Bay and
Cinnamon Bay) and south shore beaches (except Lamesure Bay).  The beaches
have changed dramatically, though - some that were once very narrow are
now wide, some which had gentle sloping contours are now heavily eroded
at the vegetation line.  Boat moorings have been checked and repaired. 
The Hyatt Regency and Caneel Bay resort complexes remain closed and will
probably not reopen until, respectively, late 1995 and spring 1996.

[Nancy Gray, Information Officer, IMT]

95-687 - Colonial (Virginia) - Vehicle Arson

Ranger Jimbo Thompson contacted two men who said they were changing a flat tire
at a pullout on the parkway just after 11 p.m. on October 5th.  Thompson noted
their vehicle's plate number before departing.  About a half hour later, a
visitor reported a vehicle fire at the same pullout to ranger Mike Kelly.  The
plate number taken by Thompson was traced to its owner at Norfolk Navy Base. 
Investigators determined that sailors P.A. and G.W. had
agreed to burn a 1995 Pontiac sedan for K.B. with the intent of
obtaining an insurance settlement.  Assistant chief ranger Hiram Barber
obtained written statements from all three men.  A variety of federal charges
against them are pending.  [Jim Burnett, CR, COLO]

95-688 - Upper Delaware (New York/Pennsylvania) - Significant Storm Damage

A strong wind and rain storm which struck the park on the evening of October
14th knocked a large maple tree over on to the historic Zane Grey house and
museum.  No one was hurt in the accident, but the building's main support beam
was cracked and several gables were heavily damaged.  Some water damage also
occurred.  Large limbs covered the porch and entryway; crews are removing them
and working to restore electrical service to the building.  Other trees in the
compound were either uprooted or severely damaged.  A newly-installed security
system glass break sensor alerted the staff, as three windows were broken by
the falling tree.  [CRO, UPDE]

95-689 - Cumberland Gap (Kentucky/Tennessee/Virginia) - Ginseng Poaching

Ranger Randy Kelly apprehended T.M. and J.M. on October 7th and
confiscated 250 ginseng roots taken from the park.  They were cited for
preservation of natural features and interfering with agency functions.  All
ginseng and digging tools were confiscated.  [Charlie Caldwell, SPR, CUGA]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Badlands (South Dakota) - Update on Black-Footed Ferret Reintroduction

Park staff plan to reintroduce 34 black-footed ferrets to the park's wilderness
early on the evening of October 25th.  All of the animals have been
"preconditioned", or have had access to live prairie dogs to sharpen their
innate hunting skills and have lived in real prairie dog burrow systems to
prepare them for their new surroundings.  All ferrets will be fitted with 120-
day duration radio transmitters affixed to wool and cotton collars.  Aerial and
ground radio monitoring will be conducted through January.  In August, two
litters with a total of at least five young ferrets were seen following their
mothers in the park.  This is a strong indication that efforts to reestablish a
wild population of black-footed ferrets could be successful.  [Marianne Mills,
BADL]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

OBSERVATIONS

"Parks are an attribute of sovereignty and, of course, were known for hundreds
of years prior to the establishment of America's first national park.  Always
those parks belonged to the sovereign - the king, the queen, (or) the
emperor...In the United States, the people are the sovereign.  America's
national parks are the special creations of the people through their elected
representatives in the Congress...A myth endures that the park service alone
preserves the national parks.  That is its aspiration, but not the reality.  If
one reads the journals of the citizen conservation organizations, one may
conclude that they preserve the parks.  That is their objective, but not the
reality.  There are even some romanticists who suggest that the park service
and the citizen conservation organizations, together, preserve the parks. 
That, certainly, is their endeavor, but not the reality.  The reality is that
the people through their elected representatives in the Congress preserve the
parks - or destroy them."

                                         Director George Hartzog, "Battling
                                         for the National Parks", 1988

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


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