NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, April 17, 1998

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-96 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Follow-up on Demonstration 

On March 9, 1997, 83 demonstrators were arrested for holding a non-permitted
demonstration at the visitor center in the Presidio.  The group was offered a
First Amendment area, but refused to accept the conditions of the permit,
arguing that 36 CFR 2.51 (the regulation on public assembly) is
unconstitutional.  On April 13th, a federal district court judge found the
defendants guilty of demonstrating without a permit.  Each defendant was
sentenced to 12 hours of community service and 90 days' probation.  This was
the group's second conviction for demonstration in the Presidio.  They were
found guilty of trespassing into unoccupied buildings in the first case. 
[Lt. Kevin Hay, USPP/GOGA, 4/16]

98-143 - Ulysses S. Grant NHS (MO) - Flooding

Heavy rain fell throughout the St. Louis area on April 15th.  The most
intense rainfall occurred after the park was closed for the day.  Three
historic structures were affected by the resulting flooding - six inches of
water covered one section of the basement of the main house, about a third of
the barn where the visitor center is located was flooded, and there was
serious erosion around two of the piers supporting the chicken coop.  [Steve
Demske, PR, ULSG, 4/16]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Great Smoky Mountains NP (TN/NC) - Wildland Fire for Resource Benefit

On April 7th, the park began managing its first-ever wildland fire for
resource benefits.  This represents a new beginning for the park, and follows
the approval of its fire management plan last year.  The Forney Creek fire
was evidently started by lightning on April 3rd, and had burned about 370
acres, mostly in old growth oak forest, at the time of the report on
Wednesday morning.  Recent studies have shown that little or no oak
regeneration has been occurring in this community; although it's not known
for certain that fire will help this process, the park is hoping for such an
outcome.  Monitoring plots have been established to quantify fire effects and
test the assumption.  [Carroll Schell, RMS, GRSM]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Special Park Uses Update - There have been developments in several areas
recently:

Telecommunications antenna sites - The NPS, testifying before a
congressional oversight committee, has stated that the agency will
comply with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the GSA procedures
requiring all agencies to complete applications received from the
industry within 60 days, and has advised congress that a policy
statement (DO 53A) to this effect has been published.  The Federal
Register notice asking for comments on the draft procedures based on
this new policy ends on May 1st.  The final version of these procedures
will probably be disseminated to the field in June.

36 CFR Part 14 - The comment period for the draft revised right-of-way
regulations has ended and most changes have been incorporated.  The
document still has to go to OMB for clearance, but this should not take
long.

Filming - The Federal Register comment period for the new draft filming
procedures has now ended and a task force has been formed to work on
the recommendations.  There's a lot of demand for this SOP, and efforts
are accordingly being made to get it completed and out as soon as
possible.  This may occur as soon as the end of May.  Once this is
done, a separate director's order (DO-53B) will be developed on filming
policy.

Highway easement deeds - The NPS has just completed revisions to
procedures for dealing with non-NPS roads in parks which have some
federal funding.  The procedures were rewritten, the regulatory section
on them in CFR was revised, and discussions have begun on a
programmatic agreement with Federal Highways.  Copies of the final
version of the procedures will be sent to all regional special park use
coordinators with instructions to pass them on to parks in their
regions.  

Please contact me with any questions on these matters.  [Dick S. Young,
RAD/WASO @ COLO]

FLETC Graduates Set Record -  National Park Service basic law enforcement
class LMTP-803 graduated on Tuesday April 14th from the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).  This class set a new record for the
most members of any class to score perfect scores (500 points) in the
physical efficiency battery (PEB) tests.  Rangers John Lauretiz, Stephen
Mazur, Alyssa Van Schmus, Lornat Veress, and Peter Webster were all added to
the FLETC 500 club.  Six other members of the class scored 480 or better out
of a possible 500 points.  There were 11 members of the class who shot expert
on the practical pistol course, scoring 285 or better out of a possible 300
points.  Ranger Andrew Artz shot a 298 score, making him the top shooter of
the class; he was accordingly awarded a FLETC high expert certification.  The
highest academic score was compiled by ranger Lornat Veress, who had an
average of 98.10.  This qualified him as a FLETC honor graduate.  The
distinguished graduate for the class was ranger Bradley Merrill with an
average of 95.72.  Three other members of the class - Alyssa Van Schmus,
Andrew Coriell and Peter Webster - had class averages of 95% or better in
academics.  [Paul Henry, Superintendent, NPS/FLETC]

AVADS Correction - Although the Morning Report does not by policy run job
announcements, we do carry corrections on occasion.  Olympic NP reports that
yesterday's AVADS listing has an announcement for a GS-9 ranger position in
the Quinault District which has already been filled.  The vacancy
announcement appeared due to a coding error.  There are no open announcements
for ranger positions at Olympic at present.  [Ev Winters, OLYM]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

EXCHANGE

No entries.

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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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