NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, August 2, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant approved legislation 
accepting the unfinished Washington Monument from its private sponsors 
and appropriating $2 million to complete it.

INCIDENTS

00-440 - Zion NP (UT) - Multiple Injury EMS Response

On the afternoon of July 31st, over 40 members of an American Trails 
West tour group were picnicking on the grassy area in front of Zion 
Lodge when a strong down canyon wind snapped the trunk of a 30-inch 
diameter cottonwood tree, which then fell over onto several members of 
the group. Four teenagers were transported to Dixie Regional Medical 
Center for treatment of suspected C-spine and other injuries. No 
serious injuries were found, however, and the four were treated and 
released. Nineteen people, three ambulances and sundry emergency 
response vehicles from the park and two neighboring agencies 
responded. Kevin Killian was IC. [Chuck Passak, Chief of Operations, 
ZION, 7/31]

00-441 - Whiskeytown NRA (CA) - PWC Accident with Injury

The third reported personal watercraft accident on Whiskeytown Lake 
this year occurred on the evening of July 30th. Preliminary 
investigation indicates that two PWC's were on a parallel course when 
the lead vessel abruptly turned into the path of the second PWC. 
Witnesses report that the operator of the second PWC was looking 
backward at the time. G.B., 22, was flown by helicopter to 
Redding Medical Center with abdominal injuries. He was treated there 
and subsequently released. His mother C.B., 42, who was 
operating the second PWC, was not injured, but her PWC suffered major 
damage and was in danger of sinking when recovered from the lake. 
[Alan Foster, CR, WHIS, 7/31]

00-442 - Gateway NRA (NJ/NY) - Copyright Infringement Arrest

On July 30th, USPP officers discovered an illegal vendor selling 
compact discs at Riis Park. Further investigation led to the discovery 
that the CD's were bootlegged copies. The vendor was arrested and 
charged with vending and copyright infringement violations. Over 1,100 
CD's with a street value of $5,700 were seized. [Lt. John Mariglianao, 
GATE, 7/31]

00-443 - Great Smoky Mountains (NC/TN) - MVA with Fatality

C.W., 50, of Maryville, Tennessee, was killed in a 
single-vehicle accident on Foothill Parkway West near Look Rock on 
July 30th or 31st. Ranger Al Voner found her van more than 100 feet 
down a heavily wooded embankment on Monday afternoon. There were no 
skid marks or other tell-tale signs indicating an accident. It appears 
that it occurred sometime on Sunday night or early on Monday morning. 
According to family members, C.W. was depressed. Numerous 
prescription drugs and alcohol were found in the van. Rangers were 
assisted by the Blount County Sheriff's Office's mobile crime lab. The 
county rescue squad employed the jaws-of-life to extricate C.W. from 
the van. [Jason Houck, CR, GRSM, 8/1]

                    [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level V

CURRENT SITUATION

Dry lightning and very heavy initial attack occurred yesterday in 
Arizona, southern New Mexico, southern California, Nevada and Utah. 
Many of the new starts are unstaffed. Although containment goals were 
reached on three large fires, another seventeen new large fires were 
reported throughout the West. 

An area command team has been dispatched to the northern Rockies, and 
three more Type I teams have been mobilized - one to Nevada, one to 
the eastern Great Basin, and one to the northern Rockies. Priorities 
for fires in the eastern Great Basin and northern Rockies are being 
established by separate multi-agency coordinating groups. A Type II 
team is managing a staging area in Missoula.

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 534 crews (+ 17), 
3,224 overhead (+ 370), 844 engines (+ 94), 167 helicopters (+ 3), and 
six air tankers (no change).

Very high to extreme fire danger indices were reported in all eleven 
Western states.

For more national fire news, go to www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html, 
which also provides links to web sites for specific fires.

NPS FIRES

Great Basin NP/Humboldt-Toiyabe NF (NV) - Phillips Ranch Fire (1,275 
acres, 25% containment, 75 firefighters and overhead): The fire 
continues to torch within its interior. Water drops from helicopters 
have been very effective.

SIGNIFICANT NON-NPS FIRES 

Updates will appear tomorrow. For a full listing of all project fires, 
see www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.html. 

OUTLOOK

Hot and dry conditions will continue across much of the western United 
States, with a slight chance of dry thunderstorms over Idaho, Montana 
and Wyoming. Central portions of the western United States will be hot 
and dry with a little more thunderstorm activity. There will be a 
chance of showers and thunderstorms in the Southwest.

NICC has issued a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for strong winds and low humidity 
in eastern Montana. 

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/2]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

"Commercial Filming Legislation," signed on July 18th by Associate 
Director, Park Operations and Education Maureen Finnerty and sent to 
all regional directors, ARD's for operations and superintendents. The 
full text follows:

"The President recently signed Public Law 106-206, which allows the 
Secretaries of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the 
Interior (DOI) to establish a fee system for commercial filming 
activities on Federal land.  This legislation will require regulations 
to be in place before implementation.  Since other DOI Bureaus are 
involved, the Assistant Secretary, Policy Management and Budget and 
the Solicitor will take the lead on regulations.  The first meeting of 
the interagency work group took place June 28, 2000, with Dick Young 
and Kym Hall as the NPS representatives.

"Special Park Uses has been involved with the legislation since its 
inception and RM-53 is written to address P.L. 106-206.  The NPS will 
draft a recommended regulation for Departmental comment.  You should 
know that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had serious concerns about 
First Amendment issues that may have risen from the legislation.  The 
concerns revolved around the possibility that a Bureau would deny a 
permit base on the content of the film's script and were considering 
recommending a veto to the President.  The DOI countered by offering 
the Solicitor's Office to lead the drafting of the regulation and that 
was accepted by DOJ.

"Hopefully the regulation process will move quickly, but NPS units 
should understand that we cannot implement the law until regulations 
are in place.  Therefore, it is business as usual until then (see 
RM-53).  Business as usual means that we continue to recover costs 
under 16 U.S.C. 3(a).

"Here follows a summary of the legislation:

o       The Act affects NPS, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and 
        Wildlife Service, and the United States Forest Service.
o       A permit is required to film and the fee for the permit will 
        be based on (1) the number of days of filming activity; (2) 
        size of the crew; and (3) amount and type of equipment.
o       The Bureau can recover all costs in addition to charging the 
        fee.
o       Permits and fees for still photography are authorized only 
        where the activity takes place in an area the public is 
        normally not allowed to go or when models are not allowed to 
        go or when models and props which are not part of the natural 
        or cultural resources are used.
o       Permits will not be issued when the activity would (1) damage 
        resources or (2) unreasonably disrupt public use or enjoyment 
        of the site; or poses a health or safety risk to the public.
o       All fees collected shall be distributed 80 percent-20 percent 
        staying with the collecting area and 20 percent going to 
        Servicewide fund. The funds are available until expended.
o       All costs recovered will stay in the park where the activity 
        occurs and will remain available until expended.
o       Permit applicants will be responded to in a timely manner.

"Please contact Kym Hall at 202/208-4874 or Dick Young at 757/ 
898-7846, if you have any questions."

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Buffalo NR (AR) - Superintendent John D. "Jack" Linahan will retire 
from the NPS on September 29th after a total of 44 years in the 
agency. Jack and wife Dee will be relocating to Custer, South Dakota. 
Jack's career took him to eleven assignments in nine parks - Rocky 
Mountain, Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Canyon, Olympic, Lake Mead, Padre 
Island, Great Smoky Mountains, Chickasaw and Buffalo River. He also 
was acting deputy regional director for the Southwest Region during 
his twelve-year tenure as superintendent at Buffalo River. A party 
will be held at North Arkansas College in Harrison on August 31st, 
beginning at 6:30 p.m. If you'd like to attend, please contact Judy 
Deitrick at the park (870-741-5446 x 103) before August 21st. Cards, 
photos and other remembrances from Jack's career should also be sent 
by August 28th to Judy Deitrick c/o Buffalo National River, 402 N. 
Walnut, Suite 136, Harrison, AR 72601.

UPCOMING IN CONGRESS

The following activities will be taking place in Congress during 
coming weeks on matters pertaining to the National Park Service or 
kindred agencies.  For inquiries regarding legislation pertaining to 
the NPS, please contact the main office at 202-208-5883/5656 and ask 
to be forwarded to the appropriate legislative specialist.

HEARINGS/MARK-UPS

Thursday, August 10 (Juneau, AK)

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Public 
Lands  (Craig): Field oversight hearing on establishing the value of 
the Brady Glacier mineral deposit in Glacier NP and to examine 
implications of NPS restrictions on commercial fishing in Glacier Bay.

Monday, August 14 (Albuquerque, NM)

House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health 
(Chenoweth-Hage): Field oversight hearing on fire policy of federal 
land management agencies.

Wednesday, August 23 (Anchorage, AK)

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Murkowski): Field 
oversight hearing on the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation 
Act (ANILCA).

LEGISLATION INTRODUCED

The following bills either directly or indirectly pertaining to the 
NPS have been introduced since the last Morning Report listing of new 
legislation (July 27th): 

o       S. 2919 (Campbell, CO), a bill to amend the Omnibus Parks and 
        Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to extend the legislative 
        authority for the Black Patriots Foundation to establish a 
        commemorative work.
o       S. 2950 (Campbell, CO), a bill to authorize the Secretary of 
        the Interior to establish the Sand Creek Massacre Historic 
        Site in the State of Colorado. 
o       S. 2956 (Campbell, CO), a bill to establish the Colorado 
        Canyons National Conservation Area and the Black Ridge Canyons 
        Wilderness, and for other purposes. 
o       S. 2959 (DeWine, OH), a bill to amend the Dayton Aviation 
        Heritage Preservation Act of 1992, and for other purposes.
o       S. 2977 (Feinstein, CA), a bill to assist in the establishment 
        of an interpretive center and museum in the vicinity of the 
        Diamond Valley Lake in southern California to ensure the 
        protection and interpretation of the paleontology discoveries 
        made at the lake and to develop a trail system for the lake 
        for use by pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles. 
o       S. 3000 (Robb, VA), a bill to authorize the exchange of land 
        between the Secretary of the Interior and the Director of the 
        Central Intelligence Agency at the George Washington Memorial 
        Parkway in McLean, Virginia, and for other purposes.
o       H.R. 4957 (Rangel, NY), a bill to amend the Omnibus Parks and 
        Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to extend the legislative 
        authority for the Black Patriots Foundation to establish a 
        commemorative work.
o       H.R. 4988 (Bateman, VA), a bill to expand the boundary of the 
        George Washington Birthplace National Monument, and for other 
        purposes.
o       H.R. 5013 (Bereuter, NE), a bill to provide for additional 
        lands to be included within the boundaries of the Homestead 
        National Monument of America in the State of Nebraska, and for 
        other purposes.
o       H.R. 5014 (Bereuter, NE), a bill to amend the National Trails 
        System Act to update the feasibility and suitability studies 
        of four national historic trails and provide for possible 
        additions to such trails. 
o       H.R. 5030 (Doyle, PA), a bill to establish the Steel Industry 
        National Historic Park in the State of Pennsylvania and to 
        provide for the extension of the Potomac Heritage National 
        Scenic Trail between Cumberland, Maryland, and Pittsburgh, 
        Pennsylvania.
o       H.R. 5036 (Hall, ON), a bill to amend the Dayton Aviation 
        Heritage Preservation Act of 1992 to clarify the areas 
        included in the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical 
        Park and to authorize appropriations for that park.
o       H.R. 5041 (Hill, MT), a bill to establish the boundaries and 
        classification of a segment of the Missouri River in Montana 
        under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 
o       H.R. 5047 (Jones, NC), a bill to impose restrictions on the 
        use of amounts collected as fees at Cape Hatteras National 
        Seashore under the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program.
o       H.R. 5098 (Udall, CO), a bill to provide incentives for 
        collaborative forest restoration and wildland fire hazard 
        mitigation projects on National Forest System land and other 
        public and private lands in Colorado, and for other purposes.

NEW LAWS

The following bills have passed Congress and been signed into law: 
Three new laws - information to appear in next week's "Upcoming in 
Congress."

                            *  *  *  *  *

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.

                             --- ### ---