NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, May 23, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1928, President Calvin Coolidge signed legislation 
authorizing construction of the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, linking 
Washington, D.C., with George Washington's home below Alexandria, 
Virginia.  This early federal parkway soon became part of the longer 
George Washington Memorial Parkway, extending to the Great Falls of 
the Potomac River above Washington.

INCIDENTS

00-213 - Great Smoky Mountains NP (NC/TN) - Follow-up: Fatal Bear      
         Mauling

The name of the victim of the fatal bear attack on Sunday has been 
released. She was G.B., 50, of Cosby, Tennessee, an 
elementary school teacher at Jones Cove Elementary School. Her 
companion was her former husband, Ralph Hill, 52, also of Cosby. Park 
officials are almost 100% certain that the two bears shot by rangers 
at the scene are the ones involved in the attack, but are still 
awaiting the results of the necropsy to confirm this assessment. It 
appears that the attack was unprovoked. G.B. was an experienced 
hiker who was familiar with the park. Her day pack contained food but 
was not disturbed by the animals. The adult female, which had been 
tagged in 1998 by University of Tennessee wildlife biologists for 
research purposes, had never shown aggressive tendencies towards 
people and was evidently a truly wild bear. Most bear-human conflicts 
in the Smokies result from a bear's having been fed human food and 
becoming habituated to it. [Bob Miller, PIO, GRSM, 5/22]

00-216 - Rock Creek Park (DC) - Serious HazMat Spill

An unknown toxic substance was released into Rock Creek by an 
industrial plant in Silver Spring, Maryland, some time around May 
18th. The unknown substance flowed downstream and entered the District 
of Columbia and the waters of Rock Creek Park. The release has 
resulted in the death of approximately 100,000 to 150,000 fish 
according to the Maryland Department of Environment. Over nine miles 
of Rock Creek in the park have been affected.  The superintendent has 
issued an emergency closure order for public health purposes for Rock 
Creek, prohibiting all human and pet contact with water in the creek 
and closing the creek to fishing.  An interagency investigative team 
is attempting to locate the source of the release and to identify the 
substance that was released. The park's resource management staff will 
be working with DC fisheries personnel and WASO to contact a resource 
damage assessment. Media interest has been high. (Einar Olsen, RCR, 
NCRO, 5/22)

00-217 - Colorado NM (CO) - Attempted Suicide; Life Saved

Ranger Bill Row saw a car with a sole occupant parked at the Upper 
Serpents trail parking lot around 9:30 p.m. on May 20th. It appeared 
to him that the 42-year-old female driver was intoxicated, although 
there was no odor of alcohol on her breath. When asked if she was 
taking medication, she produced a bag with several prescriptions, most 
of which she had taken. She said repeatedly that she just wanted to go 
to sleep and not wake up. Row summoned an ambulance and kept her awake 
with questions and conversation, as her level of consciousness was 
deteriorating rapidly. She was taken to a hospital and placed in the 
intensive care unit, where she's expected to recover. She was also 
placed on a 72-hour mental health hold. [Ron Young, CR, COLM, 5/22]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III

CURRENT SITUATION

New large fires were reported yesterday in the South and in the 
Northwest, but initial attack was light nationwide. 

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from Monday's  numbers in parentheses): 76 crews (+ 3), 754 
overhead (+ 37), 151 engines (- 20), 36 helicopters (- 3), and 12 air 
tankers (no change).

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, New 
Mexico, Utah, Texas, California, and Oklahoma.

NPS FIRES

Bandelier NM (NM) - A Type I incident management team (Gage] is 
assigned to the Cerro Grande fire. The fire has burned 47,650 acres 
(no change) and is 95% (+ 5%) contained. Construction of fire lines 
continued on the west side of the fire yesterday. Control problems 
include steep terrain, unburned islands, increasing temperatures, and 
little or no moisture in the forecast.

The park reopened to the public on Saturday. Mail service to the park 
has resumed. Messages of support to the employees may be sent via 
cc:Mail or to Bandelier National Monument, HCR1, Box 1, Suite 15, Los 
Alamos, New Mexico 87544-9701

The National Park Service established a toll-free telephone number on 
Saturday for those experiencing loss or damage as a result of the 
fire. The telephone lines are staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven 
days a week. NPS employees are also working at the claims information 
center located at the Los Alamos County Joint Services Center, also on 
a seven day a week schedule.

A burned area emergency rehabilitation (BAER) team has been dispatched 
to the park and has set up an office in Los Alamos. The team's 
objectives are to prevent loss of life and property and to reduce 
further natural resource damage. Resource specialists are evaluating 
impacts the fire has had on the land and determining what actions 
should be taken to rehabilitate the burned area. Team members continue 
to break up soils in burned areas to increase precipitation 
infiltration. This type of work will help moisture from summer monsoon 
storms soak into the soil and reduce some of the potential runoff near 
the community. 

The Cerro Grande Fire investigation report is posted at 
www.nps.gov/cerrogrande (the address in yesterday's Morning Report was 
incorrect). 

A House bill for compensation to the victims of the fire awaits 
amendment in the Senate this week. According to an aide to Senator 
Pete Domenici (NM), H.R. 707 could be amended and clear the Senate 
early this week, then be returned to the House for another vote and 
clear same by week's end. The package is being partially modeled after 
a similar law passed to compensate residents who lost property after 
the 1976 Teton Dam failure in Idaho. 

OUTLOOK

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH has been posted for high winds aloft and unstable 
air in the Florida panhandle.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/23; "Intermountain 
Morning Line," 5/22]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Millennium Park Ranger Commemorative Badge - The Washington Office has 
authorized the striking of a commemorative millennium park ranger 
badge, made by Blackinton, the company that produces the current NPS 
badge. The badges are similar, but have a banner over the top saying 
"1916-2000" and another on the bottom saying "Preserving For Future 
Generations." They will be available for purchase for a limited period 
of time by NPS employees and must be obtained with personal funds. The 
Service will authorize their wear on the uniform for a prescribed 
period of time this year; if they can be distributed in time, this 
will likely be during the week surrounding Founder's Day in August. 
The badges cost $30.75 each (shipping included). Employees may order a 
maximum of two badges. Order forms will be transmitted to all 
superintendents shortly for further dissemination to their staffs. 
Order forms must be returned by June 10th. For further information, 
send a cc:Mail message to Dwayne Collier at NP-SOAR. [Dwayne Collier, 
SOAR]

MEMORANDA

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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