NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, May 8, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-176 - Cape Lookout (North Carolina) - Follow-up on Body Found

The identity of the man whose body washed ashore on North Core Banks on April
29th has been established.  He was M.T., 39, of Savage, Maryland. 
It's been determined that the death was a suicide, and that the cause of
death was drowning.  M.T. left an extensive paper trail detailing his
method of suicide, handling of the notification of his death, and
distribution of personal property.  He apparently tied himself into his
recently purchased 16-foot boat, then sank it.  The apparent broken legs were
actually caused by postmortem trauma.  [Chuck Harris, CR, CALO]

96-191 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Rescue

Rangers were advised of an injured climber on Lumpy Ridge shortly after
midnight on Monday, May 6th.  A 15-person park team was assembled under
incident commander Doug Ridley.  The team reached the victim, J.A.,
40, of Boulder, Colorado, around 2 a.m.  J.A. had taken a 20-foot leader
fall while on Cheap Date, a 5.10 difficulty climbing route.  Paramedic Mike
Pratt was lowered to J.A.'s location in order to treat a fractured upper
femur.  A technical team headed by Rick Guerrieri then effected a 1200-foot
lowering and evacuation over scree.  [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE SUMMARY

                                                                     %   Est
State      Unit                Fire          IMT      5/7      5/8  Con  Con

NM    Carson NF              Hondo            T1    7,000    7,218   10  NEC
      State                * Pastura          --        -    2,000    0  NEC

AZ    Coronado NF            Clark Peak       T1    6,317    6,317   85  5/8

Heading Notes

     Unit --    Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
                or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
                district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
     Fire --    * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
                limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
                strategy
     IMT --     T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
     % Con --   Percent of fire contained
     Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
                containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

FIRE NARRATIVES 

Carson NF - Efforts continue to secure communities.  Residents of some areas
have been allowed to return to their homes.  The fire has moved into the
rugged, inaccessible Columbine-Hondo wilderness study area.

FIRES AND ACRES BURNED

                NPS     BIA      BLM     FWS    States     USFS      Total

Number            3       0        4       0       189       24        220
Acres Burned     24       0       83       0     6,684      260      7,051

COMMITTED RESOURCES 

               Crews     Engines     Helicopters     Airtankers     Overhead

Federal          105        97           31               6            653
Non-federal        2        17            2               0             33

CURRENT SITUATION 

Initial attack continued in the Southwest yesterday.  High to extreme indices
are still being reported in most units in that region.  Initial attack
increased in the East, particularly around the Great Lakes.  

NATIONAL OUTLOOK 

A RED FLAG WARNING has been issued for gusty winds and low humidity in
northern and central Arizona.  The potential for escaped fires remains
considerable in the Southwest and southern California due to hot and dry
weather.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/8]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Wolf Reintroduction

At a meeting on April 25th, park staff discussed the management of wolf
viewing this coming spring and summer.  Given the popularity of roadside wolf
watching last summer and the possible proximity of at least three wolf packs
in the Lamar Valley area, rangers and biologists considered how best to
manage traffic, parking, informal interpretation, and information management. 
The final plan and EIS for reintroduction of the wolves contained a provision
for temporary restrictions of human access around active dens between April
1st and June 30th, when fewer than six wolf packs were present in a recovery
area.  Project biologists noted that wolves are vulnerable to disturbance
around their natal dens, although they are fairly tolerant of predictable
patterns of human activity, such as hikers and riders using established
trails and campsites.  The high levels of interest associated with the first
denning activity of the reintroduced wolves set the stage for potential
disturbance, intentional or not, by curious wolf watchers.  Park managers
therefore decided that they would prohibit visitors from approaching within
one mile around each active den site except on a maintained trail or active
roadway.  Wolf project biologists will determine when wolves are denning and
work with rangers to establish the specific restricted areas, incorporating
natural topographic boundaries and nearby park roads and trails.  [YELL]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Removal of Park Housing Rental Cap - The authority to limit rent increases
for park housing to no more than 10% annually which has been contained in NPS
appropriations bills for the past several years was omitted from the recently
passed Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.  OMB, the Department
and the Service have agreed that the rents of affected housing units will be
adjusted during pay period 9615 (June 23, 1996); that any increase of 25% or
more will be implemented in phased, equal, quarterly increments over a one-
year period; and that tenants will receive a 30-day notice of such rental
increases.  Parks should soon be receiving detailed instructions and
information from their field area housing coordinator.  [Donna Compton,
FMD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

OBSERVATIONS

"While the national parks serve in an important sense as recreation areas,
their primary use extends far into that fundamental education which concerns
real appreciation of nature.  Here beauty in its truest sense received
expression and exerts its influence along with recreation and formal
education.  To me the parks are not merely places to rest and exercise and
learn.  They are regions where one penetrates the veil to meet the realities
of nature and to appreciate more fully the unfathomable power behind it."

                                   John C. Merriam, from "Quotable
                                   Quotes: Relating to Conservation in
                                   General and the National Parks in
                                   Particular," Department of
                                   Interior, 1950s

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

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