NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Tuesday, October 31, 1995

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-711 - Washington Office (DC) - Death of Employee

Don Herring, chief of the Service's Park Facility Management Division, died at
his home in Fort Washington, Maryland, on Sunday, October 29th, after a long
bout with retinal eye cancer.  He was 49.  A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Don
began his career with the NPS in the late 1960s as a seasonal on a trash crew,
then moved on to become a sewer treatment plant operator at Grand Canyon.  He
then served as an engineering technician in maintenance at Sequoia and in
public health and environmental sanitation in NCR before becoming a facility
management specialist in WASO in 1977 in what was then the Maintenance
Division.  He was appointed division chief in 1989.  In 1991, Don received the
Director's "75th Anniversary Outstanding Employee Award" for his significant
contributions to the Service and its maintenance programs.  This year, he was
chosen to receive the Association of National Park Maintenance Employees'
highest honor, the "ANPME Recognition of Excellence" award, for his outstanding
efforts in advancing the cause of ANPME, NPS park facility management, and the
park facility management profession.  He is survived by his mother, Mary
Herring of Phoenix, Arizona, and by an uncle, several aunts and cousins. 
Condolences can be sent c/o John O'Connell at 12228 Hollybank Drive, Fort
Washington, MD 20744.  A private mass was held in Fort Washington yesterday. 
Arrangements for a public memorial service are pending.  [John Gingles,
FMD/WASO]

95-712 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Special Event

On Saturday, October 21st, the park hosted the annual Bridge Day event.  An
estimated 100,000 visitors attended, down from previous years because of
forecasted rain showers.  One lane of the four-lane bridge was closed off and
pedestrians were allowed on the bridge to view the fall colors and to watch
BASE jumpers and rappellers jump from it.  A total of 361 registered
parachutists made a total of 609 jumps; a world record was set when nine of
them made a successful jump from the bridge at the same time.  Another 161
persons rappelled and climbed from heights of between 350 and 650 feet without
incident.  Threatening heavy rains and high winds held off, which helped bring
down the number of injuries and other emergency incidents during the day. 
There were only 54 water landings, one tree landing, and four injuries
requiring treatment - three requiring transport to the hospital but resulting
in same-day treatment and release.  During the event, rangers conducted a
technical rescue of three juveniles who ran away from an adjudicated juvenile
group that was hiking in the area.  They climbed down a steep drainage and
became stranded on a cliff band about 45 feet above the grounds.  They were
rescued without incident.  Edward Trick was arrested on October 20th for
illegally parachuting off the bridge.  Because of this and in accord with an
agreement with the World BASE Association, Trick was prohibited form jumping
under the terms of the permit the following day.  Trick ignored the prohibition
and jumped anyway.  He was arrested at the bottom of the bridge; a U.S.
magistrate judge fined him $100 for the first jump and $300 for the second. 
[Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI]

95-713 - Mojave (California) - Train Robbery

Over the past weekend, rangers discovered numerous boxes of goods hidden along
the Union Pacific Railway road line near Cedar Canyon Road.  The boxes
contained a variety of items, including high quality leather brief cases,
10,000 cartons of cigarettes, stereos, speakers, televisions and tennis shoes. 
Trains on this section of the line were robbed of over $1,000,000 in goods last
year.  It's believed that groups out of Los Angeles are responsible for the
thefts.  Arrests have been made for similar cases in the past.  Union Pacific
has asked rangers to investigate these and other thefts.  [Thane Wiegand, DR,
Kelso District, MOJA]

95-714 - Mojave (California) - MVA with Fatality

A single car accident occurred on Black Canyon Road on October 29th.  B.M.,
37, of Las Vegas, was killed; the driver of the vehicle, M.K.,
also of Las Vegas, was arrested for felony drunken driving.  M.K. also had a
felony warrant out for his arrest for sale and possession of dangerous drugs. 
The section of the road where the accident occurred has had several single car
accidents, mostly because of high speeds and poor road conditions.  [Thane
Wiegand, DR, Kelso District, MOJA]

95-715 - Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania) - Poaching Arrest

On October 29th, rangers discovered a freshly killed deer in Peters Valley, a
section of the park closed to hunting.  A wildlife forensics investigation
conducted by ranger Pete Roehrs put the time of death at approximately 11:35
p.m. the previous evening.  The nature of the wounds to the deer were such that
death would have occurred within 30 minutes of the time the deer was shot. 
Increased patrols in the area that evening led to the investigation of a
suspicious vehicle parked along the roadway; backup was summoned, and a ranger
from an adjoining New Jersey state park responded.  The occupant of the
vehicle, M.W., a resource manager for New Jersey Fish and Game, said that
he'd heard a shot about a quarter mile away.  When patrols of the area proved
fruitless, ranger Mike Fernalld returned to New Jersey Fish and Game's field
office to interview M.W..  The rangers found M.W.'s vehicle behind the office
and discovered fresh blood in the bed of the truck and a rifle and spotlight in
its cab.  Further investigation led to the discovery of a hidden, freshly-
killed deer and two people hiding behind the building.  Conservation officers
from New Jersey responded to provide assistance.  M.W. confessed to his
involvement in taking the deer and implicated the others.  The investigation is
continuing; charges against the men are pending.  [Barry Sullivan, DR, New
Jersey District, DEWA]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) 6c Claims -  November 1st is the last day that FERS 6c claims can be filed. 
If you are submitting such a claim, now is the time to get it in.  Please
remember that claims should be submitted through the regular mails at the
submitters expense.  Please also note that there's a misunderstanding abroad
that some window of opportunity remains open for submission of 6c claims. 
There is NO OPPORTUNITY FOR CSRS EMPLOYEES WHO DID NOT FILE PA PAST SERVICE
CLAIM IN 1989 TO FILE NOW.  [Bill Sanders, RAD/WASO]

2) Resource Careers Initiative - The purpose of the new Resources Careers
initiative is to define and implement a human resources development program for
cultural and natural resources management careers that will meet the
stewardship needs of the National Park Service.  It will cover technical and
professional positions and will entail career entry, position management,
training, work force diversity, career paths, seasonal issues, and
professionalization.  An overall goal of Resources Careers is to give the
National Park Service the professional recognition it should have as a steward
of world class parks.  Resources managers require education and training
commensurate with the complexity of issues, disciplines, and competing
interests that challenge the integrity of park resources today.  This
initiative is linked to other programs improving personnel, training, and
professional development opportunities for all NPS employees, such as CR-MAP
and NR-MAP, Proclass, employee training and development, strategic plans,
Ranger Careers, Administration Careers, Maintenance Careers, Concessions
Careers, and other activities.  Look for an announcement about the Resources
Careers Initiative in the October 27th curatorial and natural resources
bulletin boards that describes the purpose, goals, working group composition,
current activities, and results to date.  Periodic updates will be given
through these bulletin boards.  Please contact any committee member by phone or
mail to discuss this initiative.  [Amy Moore, SOAR]

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 Stacey Rickard in
WASO Legislation at 202-208-3636.

October 31

House Resources Committee (Young): Hearing on H.R. 1342, to provide for
conveyance of lands within the Cook Inlet region in Alaska, for reconveyance to
village corporations under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Markup of H.R.. 2081, a bill to recognize the validity of rights-of-way granted
under section 2477 of the Revised Statutes; H.R. 2017, to amend the Land and
Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to improve the quality of visitor services
provided by Federal land management agencies through an incentive-based
recreation fee program; H.R. 2172, to establish the Vancouver National Historic
Reserve.

November 7

House Resources Committee (Young): Draft legislation regarding Glacier Bay
National Park and Preserve Boundary Adjustment Act.

November 9

Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Campbell): Hearing on S. 231, to modify the
boundaries of Walnut Canyon NM; S. 342, to establish the Cache La Poudre River
National Water Heritage Area; S. 364, to authorize the Secretary to participate
in the operation of certain visitor facilities associated with, but outside the
boundaries of, Rocky Mountain NP; S. 489, to authorize the Secretary to enter
into agreement with the town of Grand Lake, Colorado, to authorize the town to
maintain a cemetery within Rocky Mountain NP; S. 608, to establish New Bedford
Whaling NHP in New Bedford, MA; H.R. 562, to modify the boundaries of Walnut
Canyon NM; H.R. 629, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate
in the operation of certain visitor facilities associated with, but outside the
boundaries of, Rocky Mountain NP.

November 14

House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 2528, to require the Secretary of the Interior to renew to the
heirs of permittees permits for historic cabinets located in the Mineral King
addition of Sequoia NP; H.R. 1666, to amend the act establishing Sleeping Bear
Dunes NL to permit certain persons to continue to use and occupy certain areas
within the lakeshore.

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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