NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT
     
     
     To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices
     
     From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
     
     Day/Date:   Tuesday, November 23, 1999
     
                              *** NOTICE ***
     
     Dissemination of yesterday's (Monday's) Morning Report and quarterly 
     Park Operations and Education update were delayed by cc:Mail 
     transmission problems between Philadelphia and Washington.  Efforts 
     continue to assure that these problems have been resolved.
     
     INCIDENTS
     
     99-343 - Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity NRA (CA) - Follow-up: Tanker Spill
     
     On July 4th, a tanker truck overturned on SR 299 within the park.  
     The driver and passenger were badly burned and are still undergoing 
     treatment for their injuries.  The tanks, which contained 7,600 
     gallons of gasoline and 900 gallons of diesel fuel, ruptured and 
     burned, but much of the petroleum flowed into the ground.  The crash 
     site was immediately over a fault where the bedrock is highly 
     fractured and therefore able to absorb the spilled petroleum.  Over 50 
     cubic yards of soil and rock were excavated and hauled away for 
     treatment. Native material from the surrounding area was used to 
     refill the hole.  The work was done by a private contractor hired by 
     the trucking company and was supervised by the California Department 
     of Transportation and the NPS. Native seed stock has been distributed 
     on the site to restore the natural cover. The site will be monitored 
     for at least another year to determine if additional petroleum remains 
     in the ground.  Documentation of the incident is ongoing and will be 
     submitted to the solicitor and an environmental prosecutor after the 
     first of the year.  [Alan Foster, SA, WHIS, 11/22]
     
     99-584 - Shenandoah NP (VA) - Follow-up: Resource Theft
     
     On the afternoon of September 6th, rangers Ken Mehne and John Patmore 
     came upon a red Ford pickup parked at Turk Mountain overlook in the 
     South District that they'd both seen parked several miles away the 
     previous day.  There were freshly dug ferns and moss-covered rocks and 
     several digging instruments in the bed of the truck.  The driver, J.W., 
     29, of Richmond, emerged from the woods a short time later.  He 
     freely admitted to removing moss from the park the previous day and 
     also in August.  He'd also collected moss and ferns earlier that day, 
     and showed the two rangers the location where he'd gathered them. J.W. 
     admitted that he intended to use the ferns in his landscape business.  
     On November 18th, J.W. was found guilty of violating the regulation on 
     preservation of natural features (36 CFR 2.1(a)(1)(iii)) in 
     magistrate's court in Charlottesville. He was sentenced to two years' 
     probation, banned from entering all NPS and USFS areas for two years, 
     and ordered to pay restitution of $375 for the plants he removed.  
     [Rick Childs, DR, South District, SHEN, 11/22]
     
     99-688 - San Antonio Missions NHP (TX) - Burglary
     
     During the early morning hours of November 20th, the intrusion alarm 
     in the visitor contact station at Mission Concepcion was activated.  
     When staff arrived at the site, they found that someone had gained 
     entry through a broken window.  The only item missing was a CD player. 
     A crime scene investigation unit from the San Antonio Police 
     Department gathered evidence from the break-in.  There are no suspects 
     at present, but rangers and city officers are continuing the 
     investigation.  [Dan Steed, CR, SAAN, 11/22]
     
     99-689 - Saguaro NP (AZ) - MVA with Fatality
     
     P.N., 40, of Avra Valley, Arizona, died from 
     injuries suffered in a single vehicle rollover accident that occurred 
     on Picture Rocks Road on the evening of November 13th.  
     P.N., who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, failed to 
     negotiate a left-hand curve, rolled his car, and was ejected.  He was 
     thrown about 50 feet from the vehicle and suffered massive head 
     injuries.  P.N. died at a local hospital on November 18th.  
     A joint investigation is being conducted with the local sheriff's 
     department.  Autopsy results are pending; alcohol and drugs were 
     contributing factors.  [Robert Stinson, Acting CR, SAGU, 11/22]
     
     RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND EDUCATION
     
     Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Cape Ivy Removal Program
     
     A three-year, $600,000 Cape Ivy removal program is well underway in 
     the park and showing measurable progress.  Federally-funded by the 
     natural resources protection program (NRPP), the project is aimed at 
     reducing and controlling more than 185 acres of ivy infestation in 
     both Golden Gate NRA and Point Reyes NS.  The vine, originally from 
     South Africa, was introduced by Europeans in the 19th century and has 
     been listed as one of California's most invasive wild land pest 
     plants.  It spreads extremely rapidly, shutting out light and moisture 
     to grasses, brush and trees, eventually killing off native species.  
     To date, more than 25 acres of Cape Ivy have been contained in areas 
     in both parks, including Golden Gate NRA sites such as the Marin 
     Headlands, Wolfback Ridge, Muir Woods and Stinson Beach.  There are 
     two more years left on the Cape Ivy management program and resource 
     management personnel involved are very optimistic about attaining the 
     project goal of controlling and containing the invasive plant. [Tracy 
     Fortmann, GOGA]
     
     OPERATIONAL NOTES
     
     Uniform Program Update - R&R Uniforms is currently experiencing 
     serious problems with their supplier of our gray, military crease, 
     Class A shirts.  The subcontractor has changed the advance ordering 
     time from 60 to 120 days, sometimes longer.  It will take some time 
     for R&R's ordering and stocking system to make the necessary 
     adjustments.  About 400 shirts are currently on backorder.  This 
     number will go higher before the problem is rectified.  Over the next 
     six to seven months, changes will begin appearing in several uniform 
     items.  Information on these changes will appear in R&R's newsletter, 
     the Morning Report, several NPS bulletin boards (In Touch, 
     administration, maintenance), and at the company's new website: 
     www.horacesmallapparel.com/nps.  Some new items will replace existing 
     items, while others will be phased in as existing stocks are depleted. 
     The goal of these changes is to bring more uniformity in appearance 
     while simultaneously providing for increased comfort and practicality. 
     The most immediate and visible changes will be in the block lettering 
     on cloth name bars for maintenance employees and jeans with a more 
     relaxed fit.  [Ken Mabery, RAD/WASO]
     
     MEMORANDA
     
     No submissions.
     
     INTERCHANGE
     
     No submissions.
     
     PARKS AND PEOPLE
     
     No submissions.
     
                              *  *  *  *  *
     
     Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed 
     by park, office and/or regional cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please 
     address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your 
     servicing hub coordinator.  The Morning Report is also available on 
     the web at http://www.nps.gov/morningreport
     
     Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the 
     cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
     
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