NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT
   
   
   To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices
   
   From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
   
   Day/Date:   Thursday, January 13, 2000
   
   ALMANAC
   
   On this day in 1863, the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment 
   joined the U.S. Army at Fort Scott, becoming the first African-American 
   regiment from a northern state to do so during the Civil War.  The parade 
   ground is now part of Fort Scott National Historic Site.
   
   INCIDENTS
   
   99-772 - Monocacy NB (MD) - Theft of Government Vehicle
   
   Baltimore County police arrested an NPS employee driving a government 
   pickup truck at midnight on December 27th. Investigation revealed that the 
   employee was on detail from National Capital Parks Central to the Historic 
   Preservation Training Center (headquartered in the park), that the truck 
   was owned by HPTC, and that the employee had been arrested for possession 
   of heroin. Attempts were made to contact the employee over the next 
   several days, but proved fruitless. On January 3rd, he returned to work 
   and was interviewed by park staff. He confessed to taking the vehicle 
   because he needed transportation and that he had a daily heroin habit and 
   needed help. He was charged with the taking of a motor vehicle without the 
   owner's consent and immediately suspended for 30 days pending further 
   action. [Tom Kopczyk, CR, MONO, 1/5]
   
   CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
   
   Yellowstone NP (WY) - Bighorn Sheep Killed by Lightning
   
   Seven bighorn sheep appear to have been killed by lightning in the park.  
   The remains of the sheep, discovered and reported in late September by two 
   Gardiner area residents, were found on Mt. Everts near the base of a 
   Douglas fir tree bearing a recent lightning scar. The men who discovered 
   the remains reported their find to the park.  Park biologists and rangers 
   conducted three site visits to investigate the remains and determine cause 
   of mortality.  At the time of discovery and investigation, the remains 
   consisted primarily of bones and hair, due to decomposition and 
   consumption by scavengers. Based on the number of skulls or skull portions 
   and horn sheaths at the site, park biologists estimate that seven sheep 
   were killed: one young ram, four adult ewes, one lamb, and one unknown. No 
   evidence of poaching or poisoning was found at the site.  Although wolves, 
   lions and bears are known to use the area in which the sheep were found, 
   the intact condition of the skeletal remains, along with the absence of 
   scat or other predator sign and the obvious lightning scar, suggests that 
   the sheep were not killed by predators. Wildlife and domestic livestock 
   are both known to be killed on occasion by lightning strikes.  A hunter in 
   Colorado last fall reported finding 56 elk that had been killed by a 
   lightning storm on one mountainside.  In July 1987, six elk were killed by 
   lightning along the Sepulcher Mountain trail in Yellowstone, and in June 
   1995 a bison was killed by lightning near Old Faithful. The seven sheep 
   killed were part of an estimated 60 bighorn sheep that use the Mt. Everts 
   area winter range.  The loss of four breeding-age females is of concern 
   since the total northern Yellowstone population has been low in recent 
   years, numbering approximately 180 sheep.  One of the ewes killed was 
   wearing a radio-collar as part of a study of the impacts of human activity 
   and roads on sheep behavior and habitat use.  That study ended in 1998 and 
   the collared ewe had not been monitored since last spring.  The collars 
   are equipped with a splice that will degrade and allow the collar to 
   eventually drop off.  Since the study ended the collared sheep have been 
   monitored only intermittently to check for dropped collars. [PIO, YELL]
   
   OPERATIONAL NOTES
   
   Supreme Court Decision - On January 12th, the Supreme Court issued a 
   ruling stating that a subject's presence in an area of heavy narcotics 
   trafficking and his/her unprovoked flight upon seeing police officers 
   provides those officers with enough suspicion of criminal conduct to 
   warrant further investigation and his/her detention. The court found that 
   headlong flight is clearly evasive conduct and justifies investigative 
   detention when combined with other forms of suspicious conduct or presence 
   in a high crime area. Illinois v. Wardlow, No. 98-1036 (U.S. Supr. Ct. 
   2000).  For more information about these or other court decisions, contact 
   FLETC legal instructor and lawyer Don Usher via cc:Mail at NP-WASO.
   
   GPRA - The Servicewide 2000 NPS strategic plan will be posted at 
   www.nps.gov/planning/sp by January 15th. This plan should be used by 
   parks, programs and offices to prepare their 2000 strategic plans, which 
   are due by March 31st. Several sections will be added before it is printed 
   in hard copy. Thanks to all who contributed to the plan. Questions should 
   be directed to Heather Huyck at 303-987-6770.
   
   MEMORANDA
   
   No submissions.
   
   INTERCHANGE
   
   No submissions.
   
   PARKS AND PEOPLE
   
   WASO - Dr. Ernest Connally, 78, who joined the NPS in 1967 and retired in 
   1992, died of cancer on December 23rd. He served for many years as 
   director of the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation, and was a 
   recipient of the DOI distinguished service award. Memorials may be made to 
   St. Paul's Foundation, 228 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, or to the 
   Hospice of Northern Virginia (no address given). 
   
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   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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