NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, June 29, 2000

                           *** NOTICE ***

Flags in NPS areas that were lowered to half staff last week in 
commemoration of those who died in the plane crash at Denali NP on 
June 19th should be returned to full staff this morning.

ALMANAC

On this date in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation 
establishing Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.  It contains the most 
notable and best preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in the U.S.

INCIDENTS

00-317 - Carlsbad Caverns NP (NM) - Follow-up on Rock Fall

Rangers discovered a significant rock fall in the vicinity of Iceberg 
Rock on the morning of June 26th. Enough material - about three cubic 
yards of rock - had fallen to almost entirely block the trail to 
visitors and it was accordingly closed. Removal of the rock is now 
underway. Loose rocks and smaller pieces have been cleared from the 
site. Larger rocks will be drilled, then filled with expanding foam 
that will break them apart. Some of the foam was sent from Guadalupe 
Mountains NP on Tuesday; more will arrive from a vendor today; 
additional foam, if needed, will be ordered or obtained from local 
potash mines. With luck, the debris will be removed and the trail 
reopened by Sunday. Visitors still have access to the Big Room, the 
Kings Palace tour, and the off-trail caving tours. [Mark Maciha, CACA, 
6/28]

00-323 - Katmai NP&P (AK) - Aircraft Accident

A Cessna 206 float plane owned and operated by Katmai Air and a 
privately-owned Dehavilland Beaver collided while taxiing on the 
afternoon of June 23rd. The former had a pilot and five passengers on 
board, the latter had a pilot and six passengers. The accident 
occurred as the Cessna was beginning to take off and the Beaver, which 
had just landed, was taxiing to the beach. The right wing of the 
Cessna hit the prop of the Beaver, tearing half of the Cessna's wing 
off and sending debris through the windshield of the Beaver. 
Amazingly, the only injury was a small laceration to the pilot of the 
Beaver. The accident occurred a half mile from shore. A 
multi-divisional NPS and concession response was begun immediately. 
The Cessna was able to make it to shore under its own power; 
concession and park boats towed the Beaver to the beach. The cause of 
the accident is still under investigation and review by the NTSB, FAA 
and NPS. Ranger Pavia Wald is leading the investigation. [Chris 
Pergiel, CR, KATM, 6/23]

00-324 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Burglary; DUI Arrest

While returning from a medical incident at 4:15 a.m. on June 25th, 
ranger Curt Dimmick saw a vehicle being driven erratically in the 
park's residential area. Just prior to this, ranger Pete Webster 
investigated a break-in at Hamilton's store at Old Faithful. Webster 
notified Dimmick that numerous cases of Natural Ice beer and a box of 
potatoes had been stolen, and that the thieves had gained entry 
through a broken window. Dimmick stopped the vehicle and contacted the 
driver, who had fresh blood stains on his clothes and hands. Both the 
driver and passenger were intoxicated and were arrested. The rangers 
found and recovered 221 bottles and cans of beer from the vehicle's 
trunk. [Alison Robb, Assistant SDR, Old Faithful Subdistrict, YELL, 
6/27]

                [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

CURRENT SITUATION

New large fires were reported yesterday in the Northwest, Great Basin, 
California and Alaska. Fire activity is likely to continue due to 
forecast calling for lightning in the Great Basin and high winds east 
of the Cascades. 

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 92 crews (+ 9), 443 
overhead (- 101), 167 engines (+ 22), 36 helicopters (- 1), and seven 
air tankers (+ 7).

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

NPS FIRES

Denali NP (AK) - The park is dealing with four large fires:

o       A303/Chitsia Fire (approximately 2,000 acres) - The fire has 
        not been mapped due to heavy smoke and time constraints. The 
        fire is burning in the modified management zone.
o       A274/Foraker Fire (5,100 acres) - The head of the fire is 
        burning in black spruce and tundra. Wet meadows and ponds 
        disrupt the continuity of the fuels around the fire. Flame 
        lengths of five to ten feet have been reported at the head of 
        the fire, with rapid torching of individual and small groups 
        of trees. About 20% of the perimeter is active. No structures 
        or sites are threatened; the fire is entirely within a limited 
        management zone. The head of the fire is about three miles 
        from entering a full management zone near the south end of 
        Lake Minchumina.
o       A-288/Otter Creek Fire (2,195 acres) - The fire has not been 
        mapped due to heavy smoke and time constraints. 
o       A-296/Upper Otter Creek Fire (395 acres) - Ditto.

The Wrangell-St. Elias FirePro crew and helicopter were to arrive in 
the park yesterday to help monitor these fires. They will be stationed 
at Kantishna.

SIGNIFICANT NON-NPS FIRES 

Saddle Mountain NWR (WA) - The Two Fork Fire (northwest of Richland) 
has burned 100,000 acres and is threatening DOE's Hanford site. The 
fire has crossed Highway 240 and is threatening structures. Forecasts 
call for high winds today, which will cause suppression problems. A 
Type I team, 13 crews and 35 engines have been committed so far.

Carson City Field Office, BLM (NV) - A Type I team has been assigned 
to the 4,000-acre Reno Complex, and a Type II team has been ordered. 
This complex of lightning-caused fires consists of the Hungry, 
Mitchell Canyon, Lemon Valley and Antelope Fires, all about ten miles 
north of Reno. A voluntary evacuation of Antelope Valley has been 
begun. A thousand head of cattle are also threatened.

Alaska State/BLM - Progress is being made on five large fires - the 
Clear Fire (2,600 acres), Natlaratlen River Fire (6,540 acres), 
Tolovana Dome Fire (700 acres), Bearpaw Mountain Fire (10,000 acres), 
and Zitziana Fire (60,000 acres). A Type II team and 18 crews are 
assigned to the Clear Fire; a total of 11 crews are dealing with the 
remaining four. 

Los Padres NF (CA) - A Type II team is assigned to the 100-acre 
McKinley Fire (30 miles northwest of Santa Barbara). Structures are 
threatened at Zaca Lake. 

OUTLOOK

NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for strong winds on the east 
slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Washington.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/29; Mike Warren, NPS 
Fire Management Program Center, 6/28]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Gettysburg NMP (PA) - Historic Landscape Restoration

The first dramatic step in a major effort to restore the Gettysburg 
battlefield to its 1863 appearance will take place July 3rd when the 
307-foot Gettysburg National Tower will be torn down. The NPS, the 
Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg (FNPG), and an array of 
historians, preservationists and Civil War enthusiasts have worked for 
years to remove the tower, which was opened in 1974 as a 
privately-owned tourist attraction. The tower was built on private 
property near the battlefield after an unsuccessful suit by the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to prevent its construction because of 
its intrusion on the historic site. On December 9, 1999, the 
Department of Justice, on behalf of the United States government, 
filed a complaint in condemnation to acquire the National Tower so 
that the National Park Service could accomplish its preservation goals 
for Gettysburg National Military Park.  The court granted the Service 
possession of the property on June 15th. The removal of the tower 
coincides with the start of a major effort on the part of the park to 
restore the battlefield to its appearance at the time of the momentous 
clash in 1863. Over the next 15 to 20 years, the new GMP proposes a 
significant battlefield restoration, including removal of non-historic 
trees, management of woodlands and thickets, and restoration of 
missing fences and orchards, thereby making it possible for historians 
and visitors to more clearly understand and study what took place 
during the battle. Controlled Demolition Incorporated (CDI) and the 
Loizeaux family of Baltimore, Maryland, are donating their services to 
demolish the tower with explosives.  The donation, valued by NPS at $1 
million, is being made through the non-profit preservation group, 
Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg.  CDI's donation is the 
single largest corporate contribution toward preservation in the 
park's 105-year history. The tower is scheduled to come down at 
approximately 5 p.m. on July 3rd, only moments from the time on July 
3, 1863, when Union forces repulsed Pickett's Charge on Cemetery 
Ridge.  In the interest of public safety, there will be a substantial 
restricted area around the tower, but there still will be plenty of 
safe viewing areas for interested residents, historians and park 
visitors. Extensive media coverage is likely. The Service's national 
Type I incident management team has been assigned to the event; 
incident updates will appear in the Morning Report. [Public Affairs, 
GETT, 6/28]

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Conflict Resolution Program (CORE) - DOI has developed a program to 
reduce workplace conflict. The CORE program is an early intervention 
alternative to established dispute resolution processes. Its purpose 
is to provide a fair, equitable, confidential and effective means for 
resolving workplace issues at the lowest organizational level and to 
the mutual satisfaction of all parties. CORE helps increase 
communication and understanding, thereby reducing conflict. The 
program goes into effect on Monday, July 3rd. A DOI web page has been 
established (www.doi.gov/core) to provide information on how to reach 
a CORE specialist. It also has a CORE program handbook that can be 
downloaded. A director's order (DO-93) has been written for the 
program and is awaiting final signature. Last April, 25 DOI employees, 
including eleven from the National Park Service, completed CORE 
training. They are Jim Poole (WASO), Robert Hines (NCR), Nancy Woods 
(NER), Toni Lee (WASO), Sam Nichols (NCR), Randi Owens (AR), Debbie 
Richards (NER), Troy Lissimore (SER), Angela Scarborough (WASO), 
Victoria Squire (SHEN) and David Emmerson (WASO); a number of other 
NPS employees also attended mediation training in May in Colorado. 
Each region has a designated CORE specialist. [Kim Montoya, IMRO; 
David Emmerson, WASO]

MEMORANDA

Farewell message, sent to all employees by deputy director Jackie 
Lowey. The full text follows:

"I am writing to let you know that I will be stepping down as deputy 
director at the end of June. I will continue for the remainder of the 
year to work on an intermittent basis on special projects  (i.e. 
overflights/transportation) at the discretion of the Director.  

"As some of you know, I will be getting married later this year.   
After nearly two years of  an exhausting weekly commute, I have come 
to the conclusion that it's time to stop commuting.  So, after 14 
years in Washington, I will be moving in July to the East End of Long 
Island, New York to be with my fiancé. 

"The decision to leave now was a difficult one because I love my job 
with the National Park Service - the issues, the organization, the 
people and the parks.  Under different circumstances, you would have 
had to bodily kick me out of my office in January, with the change of 
Administration.  

"The NPS has the most incredible mission in the federal government.  
It has been an honor, a privilege and most of all a joy to be part of 
this organization.  I believe deeply in what it is we are all charged 
to do - preserve this nation's natural and cultural treasures for 
future generations.  I hope to continue to work with you all in the 
future to help advance that goal in whatever way possible.

"I would like to express my special gratitude to Bob Stanton and Deny 
Galvin, who gave me a seat at the table and made me feel welcome from 
the beginning.  They supported me, educated me, and respected me.  I 
will be forever grateful for that.

"Thanks to all of you for your friendship and support.  It's been a 
pleasure."

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

No submissions.

FOOTNOTE

Several readers noted an error in the "Almanac" entry for June 26th. 
It said that Lt. Col. George Custer and all members of that portion of 
the 7th Cavalry under his immediate command had been killed at the 
Little Bighorn on that date in 1876. Said event actually occurred on 
June 25, 1876, as anyone who worked as an interpreter at the park 
(such as your editor) should know and remember....

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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