NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, January 6, 1998

INCIDENTS

96-35 - Patuxent NWR (Maryland) - Follow-up: Assist; Triple Homicide

On January 27, 1996, Park Police officers, assisted by FBI agents, began an
investigation of the murder of three women whose bodies were found on a
remote roadway in the refuge.  The Park Police provide law enforcement and
criminal investigations on the refuge through an agreement with the Fish and
Wildlife Service.  The women - T.B., 19, T.J., 21, and
M.C., 23 - had all been shot to death on Maryland Route 197 just east
of the Baltimore Washington Parkway.  On Friday, December 18th, Victor Gloria
of Laurel, Maryland, pled guilty in district court to being an "accessory
after the fact" to the slayings.  A federal grand jury is considering murder
charges against D.H., 25, of Laurel, and W.H., 20, of Bowie. 
The victims were friends and were last seen leaving their homes to go out
"partying" in the city.  [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCSO, 1/5]

98-389 - Lassen Volcanic NP (CA) - Follow-up: Resource Violations and Arrests

On the evening of July 10th, the ranger at Butte Lake heard gunfire coming
from the south end of the lake.  He went to the area the next day and located
a well-concealed campsite in close proximity to the site of last year's
Huffer fire.  Nearby were about 300 morel mushrooms drying on a tarp. 
Rangers conducted surveillance of the camp and subsequently contacted and
arrested C.Y. and T.V., both from Bend, Oregon.  Seized were
about 3,500 morel mushrooms, weapons, and a small quantity of a controlled
substance.  T.V. appeared in district court on December 15th and pled guilty
to violations of 16 USC 204(c) (protection of property and plants) and 36 CFR
2.1(c)(3)(v) (preservation of natural resources, sale or commercial use of
natural resources).  He was fined $500 for each violation, placed on a year's
probation and banned from the park for a year.  During the investigation,
rangers determined that T.V. had been querying NICC reports to determine the
location of large wildland or prescribed fires.  Mushroom pickers target
these areas, as the morel mushroom can be found in large quantities during
the first growing season after a fire.  [Bryan Swift, CR, LAVO, 1/5]

98-767 - Great Smoky Mountains NP (NC/TN) - Follow-up: Winter Storm Impacts

Damage assessments completed since the last Morning Report entry from the
park revealed that the December 23rd ice storm which struck much of the
central south took a heavy toll on trees along sections of the Foothills
Parkway, segments of which will be closed for the next two to three weeks. 
The 17-mile section from US 231 to US 129 in Blount County remains blocked by
an estimated 6,000 downed trees; the six-mile section from I 40 to US 321 in
Cocke County is also blocked by hundreds of trees.  Park road crews are
working to clear the debris, but progress has been slow due to the number of
downed trees.  Substantial tree damage is also expected along many of the
park's trails and secondary roads, particularly at low to middle elevations
in areas with many pine trees.  The precipitation fell as snow rather than
freezing rain above 3,000 feet, so most roads and trails there sustained less
damage.  [Bob Miller, PIO, GRSM, 1/4]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

"Development of National Standards for the Design of Outdoor Recreation
Facilities," signed on December 18th by the associate director, park
operations and education, and sent electronically (no hard copy to follow) to
the directorate, WASO division chiefs and all superintendents.  The text
follows:

"The purpose of this memorandum is to update you on the status of a national
project that has been going on for the past several years, and to provide you
the opportunity to comment on the evolving recommendations.  The project is
being directed by the United States Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board (Access Board) and will result in the development of
national standards for the design and construction of accessible outdoor
recreation facilities.    
     
"The project was initiated officially in the summer of 1993, and is gradually
progressing to the point of finalizing draft design standards.  The National
Park Service (NPS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) have been
participating as active members of the project since its inception.  The NPS
representative on the project is David Park, who also serves as the DOI
representative.    
     
"The Access Board is responsible for developing accessibility guidelines
under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Architectural
Barriers Act of 1968, to ensure that new construction and alterations of
existing facilities are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with
disabilities.   In July of 1993, the Access Board established a Recreation
Access Advisory Committee to examine various types of recreation facilities
and to make recommendations for accessibility guidelines for the facilities. 
That committee divided its deliberations into six subcommittees and submitted
a comprehensive set of recommendations to the Access Board in July of 1994. 
The six areas of concern were: sports facilities, places of amusement, play
facilities, boating and fishing facilities, golf facilities, and 
outdoor developed areas.  The Access Board published the report in the
Federal Register in September of 1994, as an advanced notice of proposed rule
making, and public comment was invited.  Comments received generally
supported the committee's recommendations.
     
"Based upon the recommendations in the Recreation Access Advisory Committee
Report and the comments received on that report, the Access Board has
continued the process of developing official proposed guidelines.  The Access
Board determined that it had sufficient information to proceed with a
proposed rule to address access to sports facilities, places of amusement,
golf facilities, and boating and fishing facilities.  This proposed rule has
been finalized and is currently awaiting approval from the Office of
Management and Budget.  Following approval, it will be published in the
Federal Register for public review and comment.  It is expected that it will
be released in January of 1999.  Once it is published, we will let you know
and will establish a procedure for soliciting and compiling comments for an
official NPS reply.

"The Access Board identified two areas in which they felt there was a lack of
consensus and consequently needed some further deliberations.  Those areas
were play facilities and outdoor developed areas.  The Access Board decided
that they would use regulatory negotiating committees to reach consensus in
these two areas.   Regulatory negotiation is a supplement to the traditional
rulemaking process that allows for face-to-face negotiations among
representatives of affected interests with the goal of arriving at a
consensus decision on the text of a proposed rule.   The proposed rule is
then published in the Federal Register and the public has an opportunity to
comment.  A committee on play areas was convened in July of 1997, and an
official proposed rule was submitted to the Access Board in July of 1997. 
That proposed rule was published in the Federal Register during the summer of
1998, and a final proposed rule is currently being prepared.
     
"In the summer of 1997, a regulatory negotiating committee was established to
address developed outdoor recreation areas.  The NPS/DOI is one of 26
agencies that were asked to participate as official members.  Since July of
1997, this committee has met on six occasions and is in the process of
finalizing proposed guidelines for picnic areas, campgrounds, trails and
beaches, and some of the amenities that go with those areas such as picnic
tables, grills, benches and tent pads.   The committee is scheduled to meet
in Miami, Florida, in January, and again in the Washington, D.C., area in
March or April.  At the present time, the committee has outlined technical 
information for campgrounds and picnic areas and is currently attempting to
finalize proposals for trails.   They then will begin deliberations on beach
access.   Detailed information on the recommendations that are being formed,
and the on-going deliberations, can be found on the Access Board's web site
at http://www.access-board.gov, or by contacting David Park, NPS
Accessibility Program Coordinator, at 202/565-1255.  We encourage all
interested individuals to review the information and to submit any questions,
comments or suggestions to him by cc:Mail or by phone.  Your comments now
will be beneficial in the development of these proposed rules, before they
become final recommendations.  It is anticipated that a final report will be
presented to the Access Board in July of 1999.   Following approval by the
Board, the proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register inviting
public comment.
     
"The information being generated by this regulatory negotiating process is
very complex and voluminous.  It includes specific technical provisions for
the design and construction of picnic sites, camping facilities, trail and
beaches which could have significant potential implications for park
operations.  It also includes scoping provisions, which outline how many of
these facilities must be designed to these specifications as well as the
circumstances that would constitute exceptions to these guidelines.  One
basic principle of the entire process is the recognition that all facilities
in the outdoor environment cannot and should not be designed to be totally 
accessible, due to the nature of the terrain and the fundamental purpose of
some outdoor recreation activities.  One reason that the guidelines for 
outdoor recreation areas have been so controversial is the difficulty in
finding the precise wording to ensure the highest level of access while also
preserving and protecting the fundamental nature of the outdoor recreation
environment.   Your comments questions and recommendations at this point will
be very helpful in ensuring that the final proposed rule will be workable and
usable by the NPS."

INTERCHANGE

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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