NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, June 20, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime 
Minister Winston S. Churchill signed an agreement that resulted in the 
development of the first atomic bomb.  They met in what is now the 
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New 
York.

INCIDENTS

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

G.B., 50, of Cosby, Tennessee, was killed in a bear attack 
in the park on May 21st. The preliminary results of an autopsy on her 
show that her death was accidental and the result of blood loss due to 
injuries consistent with those inflicted by a bear or bears. The 
post-mortem report is consistent with the findings and observations of 
rangers and biologists who have been investigating her death. G.B. 
and her former husband, Ralph Hill, entered the park that day to hike 
and fish in the Little River about two-and-a-half miles from Elkmont 
campground. They split up for about an hour while Hill fished. When he 
went to rejoin her around 3 p.m., he found her body with two bears 
still nearby. Rangers arrived and shot both the 122-pound female and 
her yearling female offspring. A necropsy of both animals confirmed 
that both had preyed upon G.B.'s remains. The autopsy puts to rest 
rumors of possible foul play. [Bob Miller, PAO, GRSM, 6/19]

00-299 - Denali NP (AK) - Search for Missing Plane, NPS Seasonal/VIP's 
         Aboard

A Hudson Air Service Cessna 185 with an NPS seasonal ranger, two NPS 
VIP's and the pilot on board was reported overdue yesterday evening 
and is feared down. The plane was flying from Talkeetna to a base camp 
at 7,200 feet on Mt. McKinley. While en route, the pilot radioed that 
he was turning around due to bad weather. He was flying at 6,000 feet 
at the time of the call. The last communication with the plane was at 
6:30 p.m. The NPS sent another Hudson Air Service aircraft out to look 
for the Cessna; joining the search were an Alaska ANG C-130 and CAP 
aircraft. No ELT signal has been reported and no radio contact has 
been made. All three NPS employees had portable radios with them. 
Staff at a nearby lodge reported that there were four inches of hail 
on the ground and heavy thunderstorms with severe downdrafts in the 
area at the time of the pilot's last radio transmission. An ARO Type 
II incident management team is en route to the scene and should arrive 
by this evening. The air search is continuing, weather permitting. The 
outlook is for continued poor weather through Thursday. [Dennis 
Burnett, RAD/WASO, 6/20]

00-300 - Rock Creek Parkway (DC) - Rescue

Park Police officers investigated the report of a suspicious person 
near the Kennedy Center on the afternoon of June 14th. When an officer 
approached him, the man jumped into the Potomac River, then began 
struggling to stay afloat. Captain Henry Berberich, commander of 
Central District, entered the water and pulled him to shore. The man 
was taken to an area hospital for observation. [Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, 
NCR, 6/15]

00-301 - Little River Canyon NP (AL) - Rescue

On June 17th, rangers received a report of an injured boy who had 
fallen at Little River Canyon Falls. Ranger Mike Clarke was the first 
to arrive and found that a 16-year-old boy from Douglasville, Georgia, 
had fallen 40 feet to the base of the falls. His injuries included 
head and facial trauma and an open femur fracture. With the assistance 
of local rescue and ambulance services, the boy was stabilized, 
evacuated from the canyon via a high angle haul system, and  
transported to a local hospital. The boy was visiting the park with 
some friends and had been jumping from the top of the falls into the 
pool below when the accident happened. [Dwight Dixon, CR, LIRI, 6/18]

00-302 - Eleanor Roosevelt NHS (NY) - Special Event

On June 17th, Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the park and was the 
keynote speaker at a "Save America's Treasures" program, which 
officially designated the site as part of that program. Approximately 
400 people attended. Park staff worked with the Secret Service on 
protection matters and with White House staff on the program. This was 
Mrs. Clinton's second visit to the site. [Superintendent's Office, 
ROVA, 6/19]

00-303 - Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD) - Drug Seizure

Park Police stopped a 1992 Cadillac for a traffic violation on the 
afternoon of June 13th and found that the driver's license had been 
suspended. A search of the vehicle incident to his arrest led to the 
recovery of numerous zip lock bags containing suspected marijuana and 
over $12,000 in currency. The money, the Cadillac and jewelry were 
seized for possible asset forfeiture. The passenger was also arrested. 
[Sgt. R. MacLean, USPP, NCR, 6/15]

                [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III

CURRENT SITUATION

There were no new large fires yesterday, and initial attack was 
minimal nationwide. Containment goals were reached on numerous fires.

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 137 crews (- 39), 
708 overhead (- 259), 161 engines (- 47), 48 helicopters (- 7), and 
two air tankers (- 4).

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, 
California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Nevada, 
New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah.

NPS FIRES

Saguaro NP (AZ) - The park has two active fires, the Rocky Fire and 
the Gorge Fire. Both were caused by lightning from storms that struck 
the area last Saturday. Both were still under an acre when reported on 
Sunday. A helicopter and two tankers were working the fires. Hotshot 
crews were assigned to each.

Noatak NP (AK) - The A243 Fire has burned 680 acres. The fire appears 
to have been halted by natural barriers. No smokes have been seen 
recently. 

SIGNIFICANT NON-NPS FIRES 

Most large fires are contained or near containment.

OUTLOOK

No red flag warnings or fire weather watches have been issued.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/20]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Delaware Water Gap NRA (PA/NJ) - Bio-control of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Park staff have released Japanese ladybird beetles at VanCampens Glen 
in the park's New Jersey District and at Adams Creek in Pennsylvania 
in an effort to control hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) infestations at 
these locations. The adelgid is a non-native insect that is slowly 
destroying hemlock trees throughout the area. Ladybird beetles have 
been found to be the most effective method for controlling HWA. HWA 
was first reported in the east in the mid-1950s and last year was 
documented in eleven eastern states from North Carolina to 
Massachusetts. Almost three-quarters of the hemlocks in Shenandoah 
National Park in Virginia have suffered defoliation and mortality from 
HWA; almost half of the hemlocks in New Jersey are suffering from 
moderate to severe infestations. The destructive effects of HWA 
infestations on hemlock forests are strongly affected by other 
environmental factors, including climate changes and invasions of 
other exotic species. Hemlocks within the park and in nearby areas 
have been affected by a number of these factors, particularly the 
destructive hemlock borer beetle. This native beetle attacks severely 
stressed trees, a condition created by hemlock woolly adelgid. 
Although HWA-infested trees might otherwise survive for many years, 
they die within a year or two after being attacked by borer beetles.  
Eastern hemlock is an important part of the forest canopy in 141 
discrete stands covering about 3,000 acres of the park - many of them 
designated as "outstanding natural features_with high intrinsic or 
unique values." Many scenic waterfalls are associated with hemlock 
stands, and a number of recreational activities - hiking, 
trout-fishing, picnicking and bird-watching - are concentrated in 
these areas. HWA now threatens all these forest stands. An aerial 
survey by the U.S. Forest Service last year led to the discovery of 19 
sites with hemlock discoloration and mortality. Direct assessments 
have shown that many trees are dying or severely stressed. The 
Japanese ladybird beetle, which feeds exclusively on HWA in Japan, has 
been evaluated to determine its suitability as a bio-control agent. 
Extensive laboratory and field tests have shown that it is a very 
effective predator on HWA and it has been used for that purpose in 
Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Results there have been 
positive. In all three cases, the ladybird beetles reduced HWA 
populations, survived throughout the year, and reproduced in the 
forests. But these releases have not yet shown that the beetles can 
successfully suppress HWA populations over many years or disperse and 
reproduce beyond their immediate release sites. (Research and Resource 
Planning, DEWA]

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

"Prescribed Fire Program Status," signed by the director on June 15th 
and sent electronically to all regional directors, associate directors 
and superintendents. The full text follows (attachments are included 
on the original transmittal but are NOT included with the Morning 
Report):

"The magnitude of the situation and consequences of the Cerro Grande 
Fire have generated significant attention and scrutiny of the 
prescribed fire program of all Federal wildland fire management 
agencies.  In response to this attention, the Secretary of the 
Interior Bruce Babbitt and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman 
conducted a press conference on May 12, 2000, and instituted interim 
restrictions on the Federal agency prescribed fire management program.

"In addition, Secretary Babbitt signed a memorandum on May 26, 2000, 
which provides further direction for the National Park Service (NPS).  
The Secretary of the Interior has commissioned the National Academy of 
Public Administration (NAPA) to participate in a review of prescribed 
fire.  The scope of work that identifies the specific areas that NAPA 
will look at is being developed.  Once it is finalized it will be 
shared with you.  The Secretary is also reconvening the group that is 
responsible for the 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy to 
see if any changes or additions to the policy are necessary.

"The Cerro Grande Fire represents the second tragic outcome from a 
Federal agency prescribed fire in the last 2 years.  In 1999, an 
undesirable outcome occurred following implementation of a prescribed 
fire by the Bureau of Land Management in California (Lowden Ranch 
prescribed fire).  In response to that situation, NPS conducted a 
review of directions for planning, implementation, and evaluation of 
prescribed fire applications.  Results of this review were reported in 
a memorandum from the Associate Director, Park Operations and 
Education dated August 31, 1999.  It is important to remember that 
this review determined that NPS direction provided in Director's Order 
#18 and Reference Manual - 18 (RM-18) is adequate to successfully 
guide prescribed fire planning, implementation, and evaluation 
operations.

"On Friday, May 12, 2000, Secretary of the Interior Babbitt and 
Secretary of Agriculture Glickman instituted a 30-day suspension of 
the Federal agency prescribed fire program west of the 100th meridian 
(see attachment 1:  Interagency Suspension of Prescribed Fire Program, 
and attachment 2:  Effects of the Prescribed Fire Suspension on NPS 
Prescribed Fire Personnel).  In a letter to NPS Director Stanton, 
Secretary Babbitt stated that he was extending the moratorium on 
prescribed burns within the NPS west of 100th meridian until further 
notice.  The Secretaries stated at their press conference that if the 
particular prescribed fire proposal met specified criteria (see 
attachment 3:  Exemption Criteria) then 'certain exceptions may be 
granted with national-level approval to address high priority 
mitigation efforts in very low-risk areas.'  These same exemptions 
will apply during the suspension extension (after June 12).

"Prescribed fire implementation will be permitted east of the 100th 
meridian (see attachment 4:  Prescribed Fire Approval and 
Implementation).

"A wildland fire (a fire that is started by natural causes, usually by 
lightning) in any part of the country that meets the criteria defined 
in NPS Fire Management Plans or Alaska Interagency Fire Management 
Plans can be managed for resource benefits.  Operational requirements 
which are specified in RM-18, Chapter 9 must be followed.  Wildland 
fires occurring in designated units (as identified in Fire Management 
Plans) where they can be managed for resource benefits must be closely 
scrutinized not only to ensure that they meet the necessary criteria 
to facilitate the accomplishment of resource objects, but to also 
affirm that the highest probability of success can be ensured.  Park 
units must proceed in wildland fire use with an actively cautious 
attitude; if the highest probability of success cannot be ensured, 
fires should not be managed for resource benefits.  You should 
exercise the greatest caution where there is any threat to life or 
property.  The existence of an urban/wildland interface near a 
wildland fire with resource benefits should cause you to adopt the 
most conservative approach.

"If you have any questions, please contact Associate Director Maureen 
Finnerty at 202/208-5651 or Rick Gale at the Fire Management Program 
Center at 208/387-5200."

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Chickasaw NRA (OK) - After more than 31 years of federal service, 
chief ranger Len Weems has decided to retire, effective July 1st. Len 
began his career in 1970 in visitor protection at Gulf Islands NS; 
during his career, he also worked at Colorado NM, Everglades NP, Great 
Smoky Mountains NP, Bandelier NM, and Natchez Trace Parkway. He and 
his wife, Liz, plan to live in Purcell, Oklahoma, in order to be close 
to two of their daughters and their grandchildren. [Susie Staples, 
PAO, CHIC]

                            *  *  *  *  *

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.

                             --- ### ---