QUARTERLY PARK OPERATIONS UPDATE
                FIRST QUARTER, FY00: OCTOBER - DECEMBER, 1999
  
  February 11, 2000                                                00-01
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                              TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
  1.0   Associate Director, Park Operations and Education
  2.0   Concessions
  3.0   Interpretation and Education
  4.0   Facilities Management
  5.0   Harpers Ferry Center
  6.0   Youth Programs
  7.0   Risk Management
  8.0   Public Health Service
  9.0   Ranger Activities
  
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  1.0   ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, PARK OPERATIONS/EDUCATION - Maureen Finnerty
  
  As will be seen from the following summary of current activities 
  within divisions in operations, there's a lot going on. My own 
  priorities over the coming months will focus on some of the more 
  critical issues noted below:
  
  Fees - My efforts will focus on continuing to streamline the approval 
  process and launching the new National Parks Pass this coming June. 
  Kudos to Dan Wenk and all the others who've worked hard to make the 
  latter a reality.
  
  Housing - Efforts will continue to get over $20 million in housing 
  rehabilitation funds released by the Hill (see 4.1). We still haven't 
  resolved the final language on the Service's housing policy; there are 
  still significant disagreements that have to be resolved. We'll be 
  working with the Hill on this.
  
  Concessions - The new regulations should be completed by March or 
  April. I will be testifying at a House oversight hearing on the 
  regulations in February.
  
  Overflights - We'll be working to add staff to an overflights office 
  in Denver.
  
  Law Enforcement - A lot of my time will be spent on the law 
  enforcement review requested by the director. Mike Finley is chairing 
  the review and will be providing you with updates through the Morning 
  Report. We hope to have a report finished by the end of the fiscal 
  year.
  
  As I've noted before, it's important for field staff to keep in mind 
  that realities here in the Washington Office are not that different 
  from what you face on a day-to-day basis - that is, reduced funding 
  and staffing and substantially increased workloads. We're working on 
  your behalf, but it's not always easy to get things done as quickly or 
  efficiently as in days past. Please bear with us...
  
  2.0   CONCESSIONS - Cindy Orlando
  
  2.1   Concession Regulations
  
  The final concession contracting regulations, reflecting public 
  comments and our responsibilities under Title IV of the National Parks 
  Omnibus Management Act of 1998, have been forwarded to the Department 
  for review.  A number of the comments included excellent suggestions 
  on how the proposed regulations might be improved for the benefit of 
  concessioners and park visitors. Over 275 concession contracts are 
  currently continuing under short-term contract extensions, pending 
  adoption of final regulations which we anticipate publishing in March. 
  A national strategy to address the critical contracting backlog has 
  been developed within the concessions program and endorsed by senior 
  NPS management. 
  
  Revisions to the proposed standard concession contract language were 
  published in the Federal Register last September 3rd; exhibits to the 
  proposed contract will be published shortly for a 30-day public 
  comment period. The comment period for the proposed simplified 
  contract closed on January 20th.
  
  2.2   Concessions Management Advisory Board
  
  The next Concessions Management Advisory Board meeting will be held in 
  Sequoia NP on the week of April 9th. A site visit for a presentation 
  on the business programs that have been developed within Golden Gate 
  NRA will be on the agenda.
  
  NPS concessions staff are also working closely with the advisory board 
  on systems for streamlining the rate approval process, contracting 
  certification for NPS concessions personnel, and developing a new 
  finance curriculum with Cornell University to reflect the requirements 
  of Public Law 105-391.  We have also undertaken a study and comparison 
  of the Department of Defense's concession program with the NPS 
  concessions program.
  
  2.2   Other Actions
  
  Tony Sisto and Sandy Poole are, respectively, the new chiefs of 
  concessions for the Pacific West and Midwest regions.
  
  A joint meeting of WASO/regional concessions chiefs and regional 
  solicitors will be held in mid-February.  Part of the discussion will 
  focus on the new concessions law and development of a strategy to 
  tackle the anticipated workload in the solicitor's offices as new 
  contracts are awarded over the next two to three years.
  
  We have been advised that we will be having our exit interview on the 
  GAO concessions report within the next few weeks.  It is expected to 
  focus on program administration and employee competencies.
  
  3.0   INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION - Corky Mayo
  
  3.1   Interpretation
  
  The National Association for Interpretation workshop, held in 
  Syracuse, New York, was a great success and well attended by NPS 
  interpreters.  Director Stanton presented the National Freeman Tilden 
  Award to Robert Woody, public information officer at Cape Hatteras NS, 
  for developing and implementing a media campaign ("Heritage and 
  Preservation Mission: Moving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse") that 
  focused on educating the public on heritage preservation. At the 
  National Park Service agency meeting, Corky Mayo presented the Sequoia 
  Award to Marie Rust, regional director for Northeast Region, and Dave 
  Larsen, training specialist at Mather Training Center. 
  
  Preparations are underway to hold the next historic weapons 
  certification training workshop at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, from April 
  3rd to the 14th. Course instructors will be training at least two new 
  instructor/trainees.
  
  A chief of interpretation course centered around leadership, 
  management and supervision is currently being advertised for the week 
  of May 8th at Mather Training Center. The closing date for application 
  to the course is February 24th.
  
  3.2   Education 
  
  All funding for Parks as Classrooms park projects for FY 2000 has been 
  distributed to the regions. This year we were able to fund 53 
  projects.  An additional $242,000 has been requested from the fee 
  demonstration Servicewide 20% fund.
  
  3.3   Cooperating Associations
      
  The public review of the reference manual on cooperating associations 
  (RM-32) has been completed. The manual is being prepared for printing 
  and release to parks, regions, and cooperating association offices.
  
  Glen Clark and Corky Mayo met with the board of directors of the 
  Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL) in November. Topics 
  discussed were policy releases, the partnership fund's future, 
  training cooperation, this year's APPL convention in Anchorage, 
  cooperation with concession efforts in interpretation, and APPL 
  support for the upcoming NPS general conference in St.Louis.
       
  Planning is underway for a training opportunity called "Managing the 
  Partnership" which will be held at Mather Training Center during the 
  week of July 10th.  This course is designed specifically for NPS 
  cooperating association coordinators and cooperating association 
  executive directors.  
  
  3.4   Volunteers
  
  Servicewide volunteer coordinator Joy Pietschmann has been busy 
  finishing up the volunteer training modules. A training course for 
  park volunteer coordinators will be held in San Francisco the week of 
  April 17th.
  
  Director's Order 7 and Reference Manual 7 for volunteers have been 
  completed and sent to the Policy Office to begin the review process. 
  VIP forms (10-85, 86, 89, 67) have also been placed in the Federal 
  Register for a 60-day review.
  
  4.0   FACILITIES MANAGEMENT 
  
  4.1   Housing - Donna Compton
  
  The housing report, which was due to Congress in September and 
  completed on time, still hasn't cleared either OMB or the Department 
  and has not yet been sent to the Hill. Meanwhile, NPS staff are 
  working with House appropriations committee staff and GAO to get about 
  $20 million in unobligated FY98 and FY99 housing funds released to the 
  field. These funds, which have been frozen by the appropriations 
  committee until they receive the housing report, would be used to 
  replace about 60 trailers and rehabilitate about 100 houses 
  Servicewide.
  
  4.2   Transportation - Lou DeLorme
  
  An alternative transportation project now underway will provide 
  electric trams, funded by DOI, DOE and DOT (Department of 
  Transportation), at three parks - Gateway NRA, Cumberland Island NS, 
  and Zion NP.  The trams will help reduce vehicle traffic, improve 
  visitor access to park sites, and showcase the use of clean-burning, 
  quiet, zero-emission, accessible electric transportation in national 
  park settings. The trams and trailers will hold up to 36 visitors. 
  
  4.3   Fee Demonstration Projects - Jack Roberts
  
  The process for reviewing and approving recreational fee demo 
  projects, outlined in previous editions of this quarterly report, has 
  been revised again. Projects are divided into three categories (group 
  names are for purposes of this report only) - Group A, 80% projects of 
  $100,000 or less; Group B, 80% projects costing between $100,000 and 
  $500,000; and Group C, a combination of all 20% projects and 80% 
  projects that cost more than $500,000. The changes are as follows: 
  
  o     Group B project review procedures now include a review by DOI.
  o     Group C formerly included only high-cost 80% projects, but now 
        also includes all 20% projects.
  o     The review and approval process for Group C projects now has 16 
        steps. Added have been steps for review and approval by the NPS 
        AD/Administration and by DOI and OMB. Here's how it works: the 
        proposed project is reviewed by region, then goes to the 
        AD/Operations and Education, then to the directorate for review 
        and concurrence, then to the regional directors for Development 
        Advisory Board (DAB) review, then to the AD/Administration, then 
        to DOI, then to OMB, then to the subcommittee, then back to DOI, 
        then to the AD/Operations and Education, then to the RD's, then 
        to parks.
  
  The directorate has begun reviewing all proposed Servicewide 20% fee 
  projects and hopes to review regional 20% fee projects soon. Then will 
  come a review of Group C 80% fee projects. Only one of these has so 
  far gotten to the Hill for review/approval. 
  
  The overall status of the projects, as of mid-January, was as follows:
  
  o     Fee demo 20% projects - A total of 352 projects valued at $42.1 
        million have been submitted.  Of these, 344 valued at $34.0 
        million have been approved.
  o     Fee demo 80% projects - A total of 1,637 projects valued at 
        $253.1 million have been submitted.  Of these, 1,594 valued at 
        $193.1 million have been approved.
  o     Golden Eagle projects - A total of 41 Golden Eagle projects 
        valued at $615,000 have been submitted.  Of these, 40 valued at 
        $228,000 have been approved.
  
  A total of 30 separate submissions have been made, varying in number 
  from single projects to over 800 projects. Most of those that were 
  approved were either Group A or B projects and/or were among those 
  submitted in 1998 or early 1999.
  
  4.4   Hazardous Waste Management - Carl Wang
  
  The Service is pursuing a cost recovery case against the "potentially 
  responsible parties" (PRP's) regarding the Krejci dump located in 
  Cuyahoga Valley NRA. The parties are continuing parallel settlement 
  and litigation efforts, but are intensify attempts to settle the 
  matter over the next six months.
  
  4.5   Alternative Fueled Vehicles - Terry Brennan
  
  In December, DOI and DOE jointly awarded $460,000 to selected NPS 
  fleet managers in 32 parks to advance the development of alternative 
  fuels. The DOE funds will be used to support the enhanced use of 
  alternative fuel vehicles in the parks, including the construction of 
  new refueling stations, the purchase of additional alternative fuel 
  vehicles, and the evaluation of emerging engine and fuel system 
  technologies. The alternative fuels transportation program makes it 
  possible for parks to buy vehicles that run on ethanol, natural gas, 
  electricity, or bio-diesel and other alternative fuels.