NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT
   
   
   To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices
   
   From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
   
   Day/Date:   Thursday, January 6, 2000
   
   ALMANAC
   
   On this day in 1919, Theodore Roosevelt died at Sagamore Hill, which had 
   been his home in Oyster Bay, New York, since 1886.  It became Sagamore 
   Hill National Historic Site in 1962.
   
   VISITOR PROTECTION/PARK MANAGEMENT INCIDENTS
   
   99-657 - Acadia NP (ME) - Follow-up: Special Event - Millennium 2000
   
   The park received considerable media attention prior to the millennia due 
   to the presence of Cadillac Mountain within its boundaries. The mountain 
   is commonly regarded as the first location in the United States to be 
   touched by light from the morning sun.  Additional interest was generated 
   by the town of Bar Harbor, which advertised a celebration that included 
   fireworks, parades, bonfires, dances and a number of other events, 
   including an in-park gathering along Ocean Drive. Cadillac Mountain had 
   been closed throughout December due to adverse winter conditions, but the 
   weather cooperated long enough to permit the park's incident management 
   team to open the road to the summit to vehicles at 3 a.m. on January 1st. 
   Local and national television, radio and newspaper reporters and over 
   2,500 people hiked or drove to the summit to see the sunrise, while 
   another thousand or so people gathered on Ocean Drive. No safety-related 
   incidents occurred, and the response from the public was highly favorable. 
   [Dave Buccello, CR, ACAD, 1/5]
   
   99-768 - Cape Cod NS (MA) - Ship Grounding
   
   The "Alexis Ann," a 31-foot Bertram fishing boat, ran aground on the outer 
   beach a mile and a half south of Race Point on December 29th. Ranger Eric 
   Schultz discovered the abandoned craft taking on water in heavy surf while 
   on patrol. Investigation revealed that the operator of the boat, John 
   Clark, had purposely grounded the boat when he discovered that it was 
   taking on water and suspected that he'd lost a rudder. While attempting to 
   run the boat ashore, Clark ran aground on Peaked Hill Bar in an area where 
   numerous shipwrecks have occurred. Heavy wave action pushed the "Alexis 
   Ann" off the bar, and Clark was able to run it aground. He then walked 
   through the dunes and got a ride back to Provincetown Harbor. Personnel 
   from the park, Coast Guard and Safe Harbors, an environmental cleanup 
   contractor, coordinated efforts to pump off any remaining fuel and 
   mitigate environmental hazards. The boat was eventually cut up and hauled 
   off by a local contractor who employed three front-end loaders and two 
   dump trucks to accomplish the task. [Andy Fisher, DR, North District, 
   CACO, 12/30]
   
   00-002 - Big Thicket NP (TX) - Search
   
   M.G. and S.Z. went hunting on Beaumont Island on 
   the afternoon of January 2nd (the island is in the Beaumont Unit, one of 
   the areas of the park where it is legal to hunt under permit). When 
   M.G. failed to return to their boat at dark, S.Z. and several 
   relatives began a search for him. They had no luck and at midnight 
   notified the county sheriff's department. The park was advised about 90 
   minutes later. Ranger Peter Jordan was named IC and coordinated the 
   search, which included personnel from the park, two county sheriff's 
   departments, and a county EMS district. The search was conducted both on 
   land and water throughout the night and early morning. Rain, darkness and 
   swampy terrain hampered the search. Deputies found M.G. on the banks of 
   Pine Island Bayou at 9:15 a.m. on January 3rd. He said that he'd walked 
   until he came to the bayou, then stopped, built a small fire, and waited 
   for daylight. He was wet and tired but otherwise unhurt. It turned out, 
   however, that M.G. had neglected to get a park hunting permit, and was 
   accordingly cited for hunting without one. [Bob Appling, CR, BITH, 1/4)
   
   RESOURCE PROTECTION INCIDENTS
   
   99-769 - Great Smoky Mountains NP (NC/TN) - Poaching Arrests
   
   On December 20th, rangers Richard Jenkins and Jonathan Murphy began a 
   poaching surveillance operation along the north shore of Fontana Lake. 
   They discovered a hunt underway around 5:30 a.m. Two of the three poachers 
   fled; the third, who was operating a powerboat as a pickup vehicle, was 
   taken into custody. Rangers from the Oconaluftee and Lake Districts and 
   TVA police began a search for the pair. Rangers Lamon Brown and Pat Patten 
   employed their tracking skills to run them down around 4:30 p.m. the next 
   afternoon. Both were arrested; two dead hogs and four hunting dogs were 
   seized. The hogs had been killed with a pocket knife after the dogs had 
   pinned them down. The two men - N.B. and M.W. - 
   have prior records for resource violations; the third, a juvenile, was 
   released to his mother. A boat, truck, radios and other hunting-related 
   items were also seized. Jenkins served as the IC and primary investigator. 
   [John Mattox, CI, GRSM, 1/4]
   
   CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
   
   No submissions.
   
   OPERATIONAL NOTES
   
   Instructor Needed - The Partnership for Biodiversity, a DOI initiative, is 
   seeking a qualified individual with expertise in marine park law 
   enforcement to conduct a training workshop in marine law enforcement in 
   the Batangas province of the Philippines in February.  The individual 
   selected will work with one other DOI marine law enforcement specialist 
   (the team leader) and a number of Philippines conservation specialists to 
   conduct the training. The announcement closes on January 14th. For 
   specifics and information on how to apply (a one-page resume is adequate), 
   see http://www.doi.gov/intl/opportunities.html.
   
   MEMORANDA
   
   "National Park Service Accessibility Evaluations-Status of Comprehensive 
   Accessibility Assessment Inventories and Interim Guidance," signed on 
   January 3rd and sent to all regional directors. The text follows:
   
   "Last month each of you received two memoranda regarding the requirement 
   for conducting inventories of the degree that our facilities, programs and 
   services are accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.  
   These inventory evaluations have been required by Departmental regulations 
   as well as by Director's Order  #16A and by the National Park Service 
   (NPS) Diversity Action Plan.  In both of the previous memoranda, we 
   indicated that the NPS Servicewide Accessibility Coordinating Committee 
   and the WASO Accessibility Management Program were working on long term, 
   comprehensive direction for ensuring that the inventories are appropriate 
   and can be integrated into the overall Park Facility Management Asset 
   Management Program.  We also indicated that we would be providing interim 
   guidance on how to continue to be proactive in addressing accessibility 
   deficiencies while the comprehensive accessibility assessment inventories 
   were being developed.  The purpose of this memorandum is to provide some 
   direction for ongoing actions and to clarify the intent and status of the 
   comprehensive accessibility assessment inventories.
   
   "The primary purpose of these accessibility assessment inventories is to 
   identify barriers that might prevent visitors or employees with 
   disabilities from having an equal opportunity using our facilities and 
   programs; and, to use that information to develop action plans for 
   eliminating those barriers.  These accessibility assessment inventories 
   and action plans are required by the Secretary of the Interior's 
   regulations regarding 'Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of 
   Disability in Department of the Interior Programs' (43 CFR 17).  As we 
   assess our buildings and facilities for accessibility, it is important 
   that we evaluate them in relationship to current design standards in order 
   to clearly identify where we have deficiencies and to plan appropriate 
   modifications.  At the present time, Federal agencies are required to 
   conform with the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), but a 
   process is currently underway to amend that standard to bring them more in 
   line with the more comprehensive Americans with Disabilities Act 
   Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).  In the interim, we are required by a 
   1992 Departmental Directive to utilize the ADAAG in all construction and 
   alteration projects, except in those few instances that UFAS provides a 
   higher degree of access.
   
   "The Servicewide Accessibility Coordinating Committee is working with the 
   Park Facility Management Asset Management Steering Committee to develop an 
   appropriate, effective, accessibility assessment inventory instrument.  
   This will be done to ensure that the information gathered can effectively 
   be incorporated into the overall Park Facility Management Asset Management 
   Program.  This project will most likely have to be completed in at least 
   three phases.  Phase I will include the development of a checklist that 
   will include the existing standards that are part of ADAAG and the 
   elements of UFAS that provide a higher degree of access.  Phase II will 
   include a checklist of the new proposed standards for elements of the 
   outdoor recreation environment.  Phase III will include a checklist for 
   evaluating interpretive and programmatic elements. It is anticipated that 
   Phase I will be completed first and that the other two phases will be 
   addressed concurrently.  Once Phase I is completed, each park will be 
   encouraged to use the accessibility access inventories to assess the 
   current level of access of all buildings and facilities, and to develop 
   action plans for eliminating deficiencies.   Having this information in 
   the Park Facility Management Asset Management Program will enable us to 
   ensure that we have more accurate information on our accessibility 
   deficiencies, and will enable all of us to better integrate accessibility 
   modifications into the overall facility improvement program.
   
   "All parks must continue to do what they can to identify barriers to 
   access and to take whatever action is possible to eliminate those 
   barriers.  This action cannot be deferred.  These corrections and 
   modifications must be completed in conformance with the appropriate design 
   standards and federal regulations.  The WASO Accessibility Management 
   Program and the Regional Accessibility Coordinators will continue to 
   provide technical assistance and guidance on how to do this.
   
   "In order to provide some guidance regarding sustained effort in 
   eliminating accessibility barriers while we are completing the 
   comprehensive inventory, we provide the following recommendations:
   
   "Each park should continue to ensure that accessibility is an integral 
   component of all repair/rehabilitation, construction, and major 
   maintenance projects.  The park should ensure that accessibility is 
   addressed in these ongoing projects in the most efficient and 
   cost-effective way.
   
   "Each park should continue efforts to identify barriers to individuals 
   with disabilities and to program modifications on an ongoing basis.  We 
   encourage them to begin by addressing the issue in a systematic, 
   step-by-step process.
   
   "To facilitate the identification process, each park should look first at 
   the degree of access at the primary visitor contact stations, and the 
   administrative headquarter areas.  Evaluations of the facilities should 
   address the six 'critical elements' that comprise access to a building.  
   Those six elements are: parking, access routes, entrances, toilet 
   facilities, water fountains, and access to the 'common use' areas of the 
   building.  Official standards defining how these elements must be designed 
   in order to be accessible are found in ADAAG.  Identification of access 
   deficiencies and corrective actions taken must be done with regard to 
   these standards.
   
   "Each park should identify the most 'significant' experiences and 
   opportunities available to visitors at each park; and should plan 
   modifications that will be necessary to ensure that at least a 
   representative sample of those opportunities are readily accessible to 
   individuals with disabilities.
   
   "Each park should continue to identify ways to ensure that individuals 
   with sensory disabilities can participate in and 'receive the same 
   benefits of' the programs provided in their interpretive programs.  This 
   will require continuing to find ways to provide sign language interpreters 
   when necessary, assistive listening devices, Braille and alternative 
   formats for our publications, appropriate tactile displays and exhibits 
   and other program modifications needed by individuals with sensory 
   disabilities.   
   
   "We further suggest that the Associate Regional Directors for Park 
   Operations through the Regional Accessibility Coordinators, and the 
   Regional Equal Opportunity Program Managers establish a working 
   relationship to ensure that coordination of efforts to implement the 
   accessibility requirements of the NPS Diversity Action Plan and Director's 
   Order #16A is effective and workable within each region.  We have 
   initiated that coordination here in WASO.
   
   "This interim guidance will enable the NPS to continue to work to 
   integrate accessibility into the comprehensive Park Facility Management 
   Asset Management Program, while at the same time continue to make 
   incremental progress in eliminating the barriers that limit the Nation's 
   54 million citizens with disabilities from enjoying the national parks.
   
   "Please direct any questions or comments to David Park, Accessibility 
   Program Coordinator, Park Facility Management Division, at 202/565-1255, 
   Susan Garland, Chair, Servicewide Accessibility Coordinating Committee, at 
   303/969-2839,or to your Regional Accessibility Coordinator."
   
   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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