NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date: Friday, December 15, 1995 

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

                           *** NOTICE ***

As you know, members of the Administration and Congress are meeting today on
the federal budget.  The current continuing resolution expires at midnight
tonight.  It is not yet known whether there will be a shutdown, or what the
terms and conditions of a shutdown will be should one occur.  Your field
director's office will have complete details once they are available. 
Information and instructions will also be sent via the Morning Report and other
communications vehicles as soon as possible, but may not be transmitted until
later this evening or tomorrow.  Please make arrangements to have someone in
your office or area monitor cc:Mail throughout the coming weekend.  

Mary Bradford, Associate
Director for Administration

INCIDENTS

95-775 - Pacific Western Area Parks - Follow-up on Storm Damage

Additional reports have been received from the Pacific West Field Area
regarding the impact of the severe storm which struck the West coast earlier
this week:

* Golden Gate - Most areas of the park have reopened.  Areas still closed
due to contamination from a broken sewer line are China Beach, Baker
Beach and a portion of Ocean Beach.  Most park sites were without power,
water or phones for between 48 and 72 hours, but all utilities have been
restored.  Crews have begun assessing the damage to cultural and natural
resources.  It's known at this time that over 1,000 trees have either
toppled or become hazards, and that over 100 buildings have been damaged.

* Redwood - The storm dropped 6 inches of rain in the Del Norte District
and 3.8 inches of rain in the Humboldt District over a 48-hour period on
Tuesday and Wednesday.  Wind speeds reached 60 mph in the northern area
of the park, 85 mph in the southern section.  Almost all roads were
blocked by downed trees, landslides, high water and/or downed power
lines.  All phone and power service was knocked out; both have been
restored at headquarters in Crescent City, but all public use facilities
remain closed.  It will be several days before power is fully restored. 
Known impacts include wind damage to historic barns on Bald Hills Road,
minor damage to the ranger station at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park,
erosion of a levee along Prairie Creek, and structural damage to a number
of roads.  The major recovery effort will involve removal of downed
trees.  A number of redwoods were toppled by the winds, including a four-
foot diameter tree that fell on the access road to Howland Hill Outdoor
School, two three-foot diameter trees down across the Lady Bird Johnson
Grove trail, and a four-foot diameter tree that fell at the dedication
grove.  Trail damage has yet to be assessed, but extensive damage caused
by erosion and downed trees is expected.

* Mount Rainier - The National Weather Service issued a high wind warming
for the area on Tuesday morning.  Damaging winds of from 50 to 80 mph
were forecast, so the park implemented emergency operations under
incident command.  Visitors were evacuated from Paradise and other higher
elevations where greater wind speeds were predicted.  The road from
Nisqually to Longmire and from Longmire to Paradise was closed overnight
due to high winds and falling trees and limbs.  Danger from wind-thrown
trees was significantly increased by the saturation of the ground by over
30 inches of rain that fell on the area during November and early
December.  Visitors were also evacuated from Sunshine Point campground. 
The park helped employees, residents, concessioners and contractors to
prepare for damaging winds and power outages.  Safety zones and shelters
were established and supplied in the Longmire warehouse for overnight
use.  Fortunately, the storm tracked just west of the park.  Some fallen
trees and other debris had to be cleared, and power outages occurred in
several areas.  All recovery efforts concluded yesterday and the park was
back to normal operations.

* Crater Lake - About 20 feet of railing was lost from Goodby Bridge and
many trees were blown down.  Several struck and damaged vehicles.  A
significant cleanup effort is underway.

* Whiskeytown - The park came through the storm fairly well, despite
receiving over ten inches of rain during one 24-hour period.  Power was
out all day on Wednesday due to transformer failures.  One backcountry
road was washed out and closed.

* North Cascades - The park, which has been hammered by recent storms, was
spared the brunt of this storm.  Winds blew around 50 mph, but caused
little damage.

* Point Reyes - Although the park had over 10 inches of rain and winds in
excess of 100 mph, damage was minimal.  One historic structure had roof
damage, and about 25 trees were blown down. 

[J.R. Tomasovic, GOGA; Jane Sikoryak, REDW; John Krambrink, MORA; George
Buckingham, CRLA; Larry Carr, WHIS; Pete Cowan, NOCA; Don Neubacher, PORE]

95-776 - Grand Teton (Wyoming) - Death of Employee

Robert "Bruno" Smith, a motor vehicle operator in the park's South District,
was killed in a snowmobile accident on the Bridger-Teton National Forest on
December 13th.  Smith and some friends were snowmobiling in the Togwotee Pass
area when he collided almost head-on with a snowmobile being operated by Scott
Edwards.  Both operators were knocked unconscious by the collision.  The park
sent two ambulances to the scene at the request of the county sheriff's
department.  Shortly after park medics arrived on scene, Smith stopped
breathing and became pulseless.  Advanced life support measures were initiated,
but proved fruitless.  Edwards was treated by medics and airlifted to a
hospital in Jackson, where he is listed in stable condition.  Critical incident
stress debriefings are scheduled for emergency personnel and park staff. 
Further details will follow.  [Colin Campbell, CR, GRTE]

95-777 - Big Bend (Texas) - Death of Volunteer

Jeff Winterrowd, 25, a park VIP, died on December 11th in an off-duty accident. 
Winterrowd and a fellow park employee had hiked to the Mesa de Anguila, one of
the most rugged and remote portions of the park, for an overnight camping trip. 
As they prepared for bed, Winterrowd walked over to the edge of a canyon rim
overlooking Tinaja Rena.  His companion heard him cry out and saw him fall off
the edge.  Winterrowd's friend rushed to the edge, called out, and searched for
him in the dark with a flashlight.  His efforts proved futile, however, so he
packed up his belongings and hiked six miles to seek help.  An initial response
team was immediately dispatched to the scene and arrived at 5:30 a.m.  They
discovered that Winterrowd had fallen about 165 feet to his death.  A park
rescue team, assisted by a Border Patrol helicopter, recovered the body.  The
investigation into his death continues.  Further details will follow. 
Winterrowd had worked at the park since September.  [Jim Northup, CR, BIBE]

95-778 - Martin Luther King, Jr. (Georgia) - Assault with Intimidation

On December 10th, rangers responded to a report that Atlanta police officers
were surrounding a park residential building at 514 Auburn Avenue.  Responding
rangers found about 20 Atlanta officers establishing defensive positions around
the building.  The officers were investigating an allegation that the L.D.,
an occupant of the building, had assaulted one of his wives, D.B.Q.,
and had put her and her 14-day-old baby out of the house.  She
alleged that L.D. had a shotgun which he would use against anyone who tried to
enter the residence.  He failed to respond to repeated knocks and calls from
both officers and rangers.  When ranger Johnny Sims unlocked the front door,
L.D. responded verbally, telling Sims that he would protect his property from
all intruders.  Atlanta police blocked off the area and dispatched SWAT and
negotiations teams to the scene.  A two-and-a-half hour standoff ensued, which
was not resolved until an Atlanta official was allowed to enter the building
and determine that the baby was unharmed.  The mother agreed not to press
charges for the assault and to not attempt to retrieve the baby.  On December
11th, rangers found a sign on the residence that said: "Private residence. 
Warning!  Do not trespass.  Violators will be shot!"  L.D. was advised by
rangers that the sign would not be allowed on a park building and ordered him
to take it down.  When he refused, they removed it.  On December 12th, D.B.Q.
returned to the house four times in the presence of Atlanta officers
in an effort to retrieve her baby.  Police were denied entry on each occasion
by either Q. or one of his wives.  The mother continues to seek assault and
interference of custody charges against L.D. and another wife.  Except for the
incident involving the sign, all incidents were initiated, investigated,
planned and managed by Atlanta police.  The park has initiated eviction
procedures to remove the occupants from park property.  [Johnny Sims, CR, MALU]

            [Additional pending reports on Monday...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) 36 CFR Revisions - A proposed revision to the primary applicability and
scope section of 36 CFR Parts 1 through 5 and Parts 7 and 13 was published in
the Federal Register on December 5th (60 FR 62233).  Although the primary
purpose of the revision is to clarify NPS regulatory authority over navigable
waters within park boundaries, the revision will also affect non-federally
owned lands within park boundaries that are managed by the NPS under lease or
other agreements, and regulation of NPS off-park administrative sites. Requests
for fax or electronic copies or questions concerning the revision should be
made by cc:Mail or by telephone to and of the three following people - Dennis
Burnett, RAD/WASO, 202-208-4874; Russ Wilson, Alaska Desk, WASO, 202-208-6381;
or Steve Shackelton RAD/AKSO, 907-257-2641.  Discussion and comment are
welcome.  NPS internal comments should be sent by cc:Mail, if possible (please
copy all three people above), or by mail to Dennis Burnett, Ranger Activities
Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, D.C. 20013-7127
(please mark the envelope and/or document with "Internal NPS comments"). 
Comments must be received by March 1st.  [Russ Wilson, WASO]

2) Special Park Uses - On December 12th and 13th, superintendents Bill Briggle
(MORA), Walt Dabney (CANY), Mike Finley (YELL), and Randy Jones (ROMO) met in
WASO with Associate Director for Park Operations and Education Maureen
Finnerty, and representatives from WASO Budget, Legislation, Office of the
Solicitor, Office of Park Management, and Ranger Activities to discuss and
resolve special park use issues associated with pending legislative impacts on
the Service's ability to collect and retain special use fees (the NPS loses
authority for both under provisions in the current reconciliation legislation),
the NPS response to the recent IG report on special park uses and fees (the IG
recommended that the NPS tighten accountability and consistency in implementing
the program), and the in-progress revision of NPS-53, the Service's special
park use guideline. Cape Cod also contributed with a written statement of
concerns.  Outcomes of the sessions included educational meetings with key
Congressional staffers; general agreement on policy direction for special
uses/fees; and the formation of a small working group to complete key elements
of the NPS-53 revision.  Associate Director Finnerty pointed out the importance
of the participation of the superintendents from parks with experience and
vested interests in the formulation of policy and strategy in this area, and
hopes to use the same approach, when applicable, in future problem solving. 
[Chris Andress, RAD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

CROSS-REFERENCE

The following cc:Mail publications, print newsletters or program bulletin
boards are available to interested employees.  Listings appear monthly. 
Information on other Servicewide, field office or park newsletters is solicited
and should be sent to this address.

Washington Office

* "The NPS Electric Courier", produced biweekly by WASO Public Affairs. 
Contents: News from the Washington Office and around the System. 
Contact: Editor, Electric Courier, via cc:Mail at Courier Editor or at
303-969-2500.

* "National Register Bulletin", produced periodically by the Interagency
Resources Division, WASO.  Contents: The bulletin series is a group of
technical publications about the National Register.  The newest bulletin
is entitled "Defining Boundaries for National Register Properties."  The
bulletins are available in print ONLY.  Requesters should send complete
mailing addresses.  Contact: Tanya Velt via cc:Mail (by name) or browse
the World Wide Web at http://www.cr.nps.gov/histplace.html for more
information. 

* "Clear Text", produced monthly by WASO Ranger Activities Division. 
Contents: Significant divisional program activities, job openings
(principally in park ranger divisions), park ranger operational
activities.  Contact: Bill Halainen via cc:Mail (by name or WASO Ranger
Activities).

* "National Green Alert", produced every other month by the Servicewide
recycling coordinator, WASO.  Contents: Exchange of ideas and information
on solid waste management and recycling efforts, together with updates on
hazardous waste program.  Ideas and information welcome.  Contact:
National Green Alert INBOX on cc:Mail.

* "Water Resources Division Monthly Report", produced by WASO Water
Resources Division.  Contents: Information on park water resource issues,
division activities, training and travel.  Contact: Debi Cox via cc:Mail
(by name).

* "Air Resources Division Report", produced by WASO Air Quality Division.
Contents: Information on monitoring activity in the parks; federal state
and outreach activities; visibility and biological effects; permit review
and coordination with other federal land managers regarding air quality
issues.  Contact: Diane Diedrichs via cc:Mail (by name), or at 303-969-
2070.

* "Federal Archeology", published quarterly by the Archeological Assistance
Division in WASO.  Contents: Each issue features a theme as well as
regular columns on archeological protection, repatriation, public
education, technology, and international news.  Upcoming issues focus on
the Mississippi Delta, curation, underwater archeology, and international
trafficking in artifacts.  Available in print only.  Contact: David
Andrews via cc:Mail (by name).

* "Technical Briefs", published throughout the year by the Archeological
Assistance Division, WASO.  Contents: Past topics have included
sponsoring a state archeology week, training volunteers for field work,
using archeology in the classroom, and the role of archeology in the
National Historical Landmark program.  Available in print only.  Contact:
David Andrews via cc:Mail (by name).

* NPS Curatorial Bulletin Board, managed by WASO Curatorial Services
Division.  Contents: Information on special projects, events, meetings,
publications, training and more for central offices and field personnel
involved or interested in the management of museum collections and
archives.  Contact your local cc:Mail post office administrator or
regional cc:Mail hub coordinator and ask to have your name added to the
mailing list.  Send articles and news notes for publication to Virginia
Kilby via cc:Mail (by name).   

* "Geologic Resources Division Monthly Report", produced by the WASO
Geologic Resources Division.  Contents:  Information on in-park mineral
development issues, including private development and NPS uses; geologic
resources management, research, and hazards; federal and state minerals
planning and leasing near parks; coordination with external agencies
regarding adjacent minerals permitting; and abandoned mineral site safety
and reclamation issues.  Contact: Norma Clark via cc:Mail (by name).

* "Multi-Agency Fire Training Schedule", produced monthly by the Branch of
Fire and Aviation Management, NIFC.  Contents: Listings of all currently-
scheduled wildland fire training courses, with nomination deadlines,
course dates, locations, course coordinators, and phone numbers, and
more.  New inputs by regional fire management staffs.  Contact: Paul
Broyles or Sheila Williams via cc:Mail (by name), or call 208-387-5200.

Field Offices and Parks

* "PNR Natural Resource Management News", a monthly bulletin produced by
PNR Division of Resource Management.  Contents: Update on PNR resource
management activities.  Contact: Kathy Jope via cc:Mail (by name at NP-
PNRO).

* "Nature Notes", a quarterly newsletter produced by Grand Canyon NP. 
Contents: Dedicated to the pursuit and dissemination of cultural and
natural history and critical issues relevant to the interpretation and
resource management of Grand Canyon.  Contact: Greer Chesher via cc:Mail
(GRCA Village Dist. Interpreter at NP-GRCA).

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

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Telephone: 202-208-4874
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