NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, February 25, 1999

INCIDENTS

98-117 - Vicksburg NMP (MS) - Follow-up: Significant Vandalism

Thirty-eight of the park's historic monuments were vandalized on March 20,
1998.  The monuments were sprayed with a liquid vegetable oil which deeply
penetrated the porous granite surfaces of the stonework.  The vandalism was
reported by two visitors, who also said that they had seen a pair of
suspicious individuals at one of the monuments.  They told rangers that
they'd talked to the two men, who said they were "on a mission from God",
that they recently had begun a 40-day fast in Dallas, and that their mission
was to reunite the North and South to prevent an end to the world in 1998. 
The pair also said that they had plans to go to all Civil War sites in the
south before eventually heading to Gettysburg.  In addition to spraying the
monuments, the men prayed and blew shofars (ram's horns) at each site. 
Monuments at four other parks - Shiloh NMP, Brice's Crossroads NB, Tupelo NB,
and Fort Donnelson NMP - were subsequently defaced as well.  Investigation
led to identification of three probable suspects.  On October 20th, a federal
grand jury issued criminal indictments against D.R., 36, S.L.,
34, and K.L., 33, all of Evansville, Indiana, for violations of
damage to government property in excess of $1,000 (18 USC 1361) and
conspiracy to commit the offense (18 USC 371).  The charges against D.R.
and S.L. stemmed from the vandalism at Vicksburg; the two men and K.L. were
also charged with conspiracy to commit the damage found at the other four NPS
sites.  Last December, all three entered guilty pleas on the conspiracy
charges.  On February 22nd, the men were sentenced in federal court.  Each
received an identical sentence.  The judge ordered that each man:

o     serve five years' supervised probation;
o     pay $5,650 in restitution to Vicksburg NMP's vandalism account in
      installments of $100 per month until paid in full;
o     seek the permission of his probation officer before obtaining a new
      credit account;
o     write a letter of apology to the National Park Service;
o     write a letter of apology to descendants of Civil War soldiers and
      sailors;
o     pay a $25 special assessment; 
o     write a 10-page, single-spaced, detailed essay, due within 90 days, on
      particular Civil War battles - D.R. on Vicksburg, S.L. on Shiloh,
      and K.L. on Fort Tupelo, Brice's Crossroads and Fort Donnelson; and 
o     write an additional essay on another topic - D.R. on why President
      Lincoln said that "again the father of waters goes unvexed to the sea,"
      S.L. on the significance of the loss of Corinth, Mississippi, and
      K.L. on the actions of Nathan Bedford Forrest.

S.L. and K.L. were also ordered to complete 250 hours of community service;
D.R. was exempted because of a medical condition.  The charge of damage to
government property was dismissed for D.R. and K.L.  The three men were
tracked down in a cooperative NPS investigation by rangers Phil Swartz
(VICK), Dennis Turnbo (SHIL), and Robert Winkles (NATR).  [Greg Zeman, VICK,
2/24]

98-161 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Follow-up: Stolen Vehicle Arrest

On April 22, 1998, rangers Norm Simons and Terry Swift joined other county
and state officers in the pursuit of a stolen 1992 Mustang in Marin County. 
The Mustang was eventually abandoned on the dirt road leading to Slide Ranch,
an environmental education center on park land.  The two occupants - brothers
E.S. and R.S. - jumped out and fled on foot down a steep trail
toward a rocky beach.  During the ensuing foot pursuit by rangers and
officers, one of the S.s dropped a loaded 9mm handgun in thick brush. 
The pair were subsequently arrested without incident.  Last November, E.S.
was sentenced in state court to three years' probation and fined
$100 for his involvement in the crime.  On February 16th, R.S. was
sentenced in state court to 12 months in jail and fined $1,100 for felony
auto theft and felony evasion of a police officer.  He was also given five
years' probation as part of a plea bargain arrangement.  [Richard Danielson,
CR, GOGA, 2/24]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Natural Resource Management History - NPS historian Dick Sellars' book on the
history of natural resource management in the Service, entitled "Preserving
Nature in the National Parks: A History," is now out in paper.  The price is
$14.95.  The book, which won Eastern National's 1997 Authors Award in the
field of natural science and history, traces the "epic clash of values
between traditional scenery-and-tourism management and emerging ecological
concepts in the national parks."  It spans the period from the creation of
Yellowstone NP in 1872 to the present.  The author "reveals the history,
culture, and dynamics of the National Park Service - including its biases,
internal alliances and rivalries, self-image, folklore, and rhetoric."  The
book may be obtained by phoning Yale University Press at 1-800-YUP-READ or 1-
202-432-0966, contacting them via the web at http://www.yale.edu/yup/, or
writing them at Yale University Press, PO Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520. 
The book's ISBN is 0-300-07578-2.  Research and writing of the book was
sponsored in full by the NPS.  All royalties from the book go to the
Albright-Wirth Employee Development Fund.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

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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