NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                        MORNING REPORT
  
  
  To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices
  
  From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
  
  Day/Date:   Friday, January 28, 2000
  
  ALMANAC
  
  On this day in 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation 
  establishing the U.S. Coast Guard.  The new agency assumed the 
  responsibilities of the former U.S. Life-Saving Service, including 
  three lifesaving stations now included in Cape Cod National Seashore, 
  Massachusetts.
  
  INCIDENTS
  
  00-015 - Eastern Areas - Follow-up: Winter Storm Impacts
  
  Several more reports have been received on the impacts of the ice 
  storm and blizzard that swept through the South and East this week:
  
  o  Kings Mountain NMP (SC) - The park received four inches of snow on 
     Saturday, January 22nd, a quarter inch of freezing rain on Sunday, 
     and about seven inches of snow on Monday. Numerous trees fell and 
     power was cut. Park staff were able to make the park's main road 
     passable by late on Tuesday afternoon. Extensive damage was caused 
     by motorists who drove around the downed trees. The park remained 
     closed through Wednesday due to lack of power, which was finally 
     restored that evening. It opened again yesterday. The battlefield 
     trail remains closed pending clearance of snow and downed trees. 
     The extent of damage along the hiking and equestrian trails and 
     fire roads has not yet been determined. 
  
  o  George Washington Birthplace NM/Thomas Stone NHS (VA) - Near 
     blizzard conditions buried the two parks under 20 inches of snow 
     and drifts up to three feet in depth. Both parks were  closed on 
     Tuesday and Wednesday. The maintenance crew worked throughout the 
     two days to recover from the storm and the parks reopened on 
     Thursday. Thomas Stone fared well; damage to George Washington 
     Birthplace was minimal. Seasonals who live in the park fed the farm 
     animals during the storm, and all appeared to have weathered it 
     well. Another significant storm is predicted for Sunday.
  
  o  Fort McHenry NM&HS/Hampton NHS (MD) - The two parks were closed on 
     Tuesday and Wednesday after receiving more than a foot of snow. 
     Forty-mile-per-hour winds blew drifts to more than four feet. Both 
     parks reopened yesterday.
  
  Short summaries from other parks affected by this storm would be 
  appreciated.  [Erin Broadbent, Superintendent, KIMO, 1/27; Rijk 
  Morawe, GEWA, 1/27; Rick Nolan, CR, FOMC, 1/27]
  
  00-018 - Olympic NP (WA) - Poaching Convictions
  
  D.P. of Elma, Washington, was convicted recently in federal 
  district court for shooting a black-tail deer in the park in December, 
  1998. He was sentenced to five months in jail and ordered to pay 
  $2,000. D.P. was also placed on probation for a year and lost his 
  hunting privileges and possession of weapon privileges in the state of 
  Washington. No time limit was placed on the loss of either privilege. 
  M.F., B. "B." F., and E. "A." M. were 
  convicted for killing and taking a cow elk in the Quinault District in 
  the same month. They were sentenced to jail time, ordered to pay 
  $2,000 each, and placed on a year's probation. Hunting and possession 
  of weapons privileges were also revoked. Criminal investigator Clay 
  Butler coordinated the investigations. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 1/27]
  
  00-019 - Martin Luther King, Jr. NHS (GA) - Special Event
  
  The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (the 
  King Center) conducted a series of events celebrating the fifteenth 
  national holiday and observing what would have been Dr. King's 71st 
  birthday. The annual observance included several events in the park 
  between January 13th and 17th. Participants in the event included vice 
  president Al Gore, local, state and national politicians, and leaders 
  of national organizations. Rangers from Martin Luther King, 
  Chattahoochee, Kennesaw Mountain, and Little River Canyon provided 
  security on park lands during the events. The annual commemorative 
  service and the national march and rally were the largest events, 
  drawing about 60,000 visitors. No arrests were made, but several 
  people received warnings for panhandling and for sale and distribution 
  without a permit. [Clark Moore, CR, MALU, 1/18]
  
  CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
  
  Voyageurs NP (MN) - Water Management Ruling
  
  On January 6th, the International Joint Commission (IJC), an 
  organization established by treaty to regulate the waters that the 
  United States shares with Canada, issued a new supplementary order for 
  the management of Rainy Lake and Namakan Reservoir within the park. 
  The impetus for this change came from work by U. S. and Canadian 
  representatives, including the National Park Service, concerned about 
  the ecological effects of the water management regime adopted in 1970. 
  NPS research in the 1980s and 90s was a significant component of the 
  analysis and final report contained in the petition to the IJC in 
  1993.  The greatest impact of the new order will be on Namakan Lake, 
  where both the magnitude and timing of water levels will more closely 
  approximate those that would have occurred under natural conditions.  
  The changes on Rainy Lake, although minor, still hold the potential 
  for some environmental restoration, which has been the park's 
  principal objective in over 20 years of involvement with this issue. 
  Staff at the USGS's biological station in International Falls, 
  assisted by personnel from Voyageurs National Park and the IJC, 
  organized and hosted a Rainy Lake - Namakan Reservoir ecological 
  monitoring workshop in International Falls over January 11th and 12th. 
  The workshop objectives were to define a monitoring program to 
  determine effects of the IJC's revised water management program, 
  develop ecological monitoring protocols, and identify possible funding 
  mechanisms to implement the protocols.  About 60 scientists from 
  universities, tribal nations, private industry, and government 
  agencies in Canada and the United States participated in the workshop. 
   (Larry Kallemeyn, USGS, and Barbara West, Superintendent, VOYA, 1/27)
  
  OPERATIONAL NOTES
  
  Uniform Program Update - Backorders are plaguing the uniform program 
  at present. R&R Uniforms and Ranger Activities are working to correct 
  the following problems:
  
  o  Shirts - Details on the causes of this situation were sent out a 
     couple of months ago. Since then, a solutions has been negotiated 
     by representatives from R&R, the NPS, and the Corps of Engineers 
     (COE), which utilizes the same shirts and is on the NPS contract 
     with R&R. Some of the backorders have already been addressed, but 
     it will be several months before production can catch up.
  
  o  Brush pants - There has been a problem with the supplier. A 
     shipment l was received on January 17th that helped greatly; by the 
     end of February, all backorders should be filled.
  
  o  Felt stetsons - The manufacturer, Stratton Company, produces this 
     hat only for the NPS and COE and has fallen behind in production.
  
  o  Hiking shorts - R&R will attempt to transfer shorts from COE stock 
     (they use exactly the same garment) to the NPS until the supplier 
     can catch up.
  
  o  Twill jackets and trousers - Both are produced by R&R's parent 
     company, Horace Small Apparel, but not in Nashville. Production 
     problems have already been addressed and back orders are being 
     filled.
  
  [Ken Mabery, RAD/WASO]
  
  MEMORANDA
  
  No submissions.
  
  INTERCHANGE
  
  No submissions.
  
  PARKS AND PEOPLE
  
  Wind Cave NP - Superintendent Jim Taylor will be retiring on February 
  29th. His 35-year career in the NPS began with a seasonal appointment 
  at Lassen Volcanic NP in 1963; permanent assignments have included 
  Grand Canyon, Organ Pipe Cactus, Capulin Volcano, Mesa Verde, Capitol 
  Reef, Fort Larned, Grant-Kohrs Ranch, Colorado NM, and Wind Cave, 
  where he's been superintendent for the last seven years. A retirement 
  dinner to honor Jim and his wife Sandy will be held at the Mueller 
  Civic Center in Hot Springs, South Dakota, on February 25th, beginning 
  at 6 p.m. Reservations must be made by February 11th. Photos, letters 
  and other scrapbook items can be sent to Wind Cave Employees 
  Association, RR1, Box 190, Hot Springs, SD 57747. For additional 
  information, contact Karri Fischer (605-745-1155) or Helen Brooks 
  (605-745-1126). [Ron Terry, CI, WICA]
  
                            *  *  *  *  *
  
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  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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