NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Sunday, August 27, 2000

                           *** NOTICE ***

Readers have from time to time expressed interest in seeing photos 
along with text in the Morning Report. Efforts are underway to develop 
an edition of the MR for the NPS web site some time in the future 
which will include illustrations, but it's not possible to do so in 
the edition that comes to you via cc:Mail. Attachments are feasible, 
though. Beginning today, the MR will from time to time carry digital 
pictures as attachments - no more than one at a time in order to keep 
file size manageable. Readers have made it clear that they want the MR 
to be kept as brief as possible and the file size as small as 
possible. If the file size proves a problem, please send along a note. 
Note to incident report submitters: If the opportunity presents 
itself, please send along one or two good digital photos with your 
report. Note to web site readers: The photo should appear at the 
bottom of this page.

ALMANAC

On this date in 1908, Lyndon B. Johnson was born near Stonewall, 
Texas.  After he became president, he reconstructed his birth house, 
which is part of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.

INCIDENTS

00-476 - Devils Tower NM (WY) - Follow-up on Special Event

The 60th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, held on the second week of 
August in Sturgis, South Dakota, produced the largest rally-related 
traffic at the park in its history, with over 14,500 motorcycles and 
cars entering the park during the seven-day event. Traffic peaked on 
Wednesday, August 9th, when the nearby small town of Hulett hosted the 
annual "Ham and Jam" pig roast and party, an event that drew several 
thousand bikers. Visitors waited as long as an hour to enter the park, 
which had about three times its normal visitation. Two members of the 
Midwest Region SET team based at Mount Rushmore and a ranger from 
Little Bighorn Battlefield NM assisted the park in managing the event. 
Parking assistance was also provided by the Wyoming chapter of the 
Christian Motorcyclists Association. Rangers responded to several 
accidents and medical emergencies in and outside the park and handled 
illegal drug cases, domestic disputes, wildlife violations and traffic 
offenses. They also assisted the local sheriff's office with two 
arrests just outside the park. [Ryan Petersen, PR, DETO, 8/17]

00-525 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Special Event: X-Games 

The park and city of San Francisco hosted the street luge competition 
(see attached photo) from ESPN's X-Games for the second year in a row 
over the three days from August 11th to the 13th. Although the course 
itself ran on city streets, the spectator areas were almost entirely 
on park property, including portions of Land's End, the Cliff House, 
Sutro Baths, Sutro Heights Park, and Ocean Beach. The most popular 
spectator area stretched along park property from the Cliff House down 
Great Highway to the finish line at Ocean Beach. Friday's practice 
runs attracted a few hundred spectators; an estimated 4,500 visitors 
watched the qualifying heats on Saturday. Sunny skies and warm 
temperatures on Sunday, combined with the popularity of the "super 
mass" event (six luge pilots on the course at a time) brought out some 
9,000 visitors. Close cooperation among representatives from Golden 
Gate's special park uses office,   ESPN event organizers, and Park 
Police and city officers resulted in a highly successful event. There 
were no reports of spectator injuries or illnesses. A strong Park 
Police officer/park ranger presence ensured the safety of the visiting 
public and park resources, preventing spectators from trespassing in 
closed areas of Sutro Heights Park and the surrounding dunes and 
cliffs. [Greg Shine, Chief, Office of Special Park Uses, GOGA, 8/16]

00-526 - Coronado NM (AZ) - Drug Seizure and Arrests

On August 17th, rangers stopped a pickup truck for speeding as it 
passed through the park. A consent search led to the discovery of 411 
pounds of processed marijuana concealed in the cab and under fitted 
plywood panels in the truck's bed. Two men were arrested; the truck 
and an encrypted radio and cell phone were seized as evidence. The 
street value of the marijuana has been placed at about $400,000. [Fred 
Moosman, CR, CORO, 8/17]

00-527 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Suicide

The body of a 27-year-old man from Lorman, Mississippi, was found by a 
park maintenance employee at the Sunken Trace parking area in the Port 
Gibson District on August 16th. He died from a single, self-inflicted 
gunshot wound from a 9mm rifle. He was reportedly despondent over a 
number of personal issues. All employees involved in the incident were 
offered CISD services. [Kim Korthuis, Acting DCR, NATR, 8/18]

                  [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level V

CURRENT SITUATION

Initial attack activity was moderate in the northern Rockies yesterday 
and minimal elsewhere in the nation. A total of eight new large fires 
were reported in the northern Rockies, Northwest, eastern Basin and 
the South. Crews reached containment goals on four large fires in the 
Northwest and the Great Basin. Strong, gusty winds caused very active 
fire behavior on large fires.

President Clinton announced yesterday that he is granting immediate 
authority to appropriately compensate employees of the Departments of 
the Interior and Agriculture for "working long, stressful hours" in 
support of wildland firefighting efforts throughout the country. 
Federal employees who generally fill supervisory and management 
positions, are limited under the Fair Labor Standards Act from 
receiving full overtime benefits. By granting this authority, those 
federal employees will now receive full time-and-a-half of their 
normal base salary for hours worked beyond their normal schedules. The 
agencies are currently establishing processes to meet the president's 
order.

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 709 crews (+ 30), 
6,478 overhead (+ 468), 1,217 engines (- 21), and 237 helicopters 
(- 7).

Very high to extreme fire danger indices were yet again reported in 
North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and 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 AND NPS-RELATED FIRES

Jewel Cave NM (SD) - Jasper Fire (1,800 acres, 5% containment, no 
estimated containment date, 247 FF/OH). The fire is burning near the 
park in the Black Hills National Forest. Highway 16 is still closed 
due to fire spreading along both sides of the roadway. Fire behavior 
includes crowning, profuse spotting and running. Steep canyons are 
creating access problems. Additional precautionary evacuations have 
been put into effect because of threats to residences and to the park.

Yellowstone NP (WY) - Spruce Complex (5,630 acres, 0% containment, no 
estimated containment date, 52 FF/OH). A frontal passage yesterday 
caused overcast skies, increased relative humidity and gusty winds, 
but no precipitation fell.

Grand Teton NP (WY) - Teton Complex (13,388 acres, 0% containment, no 
estimated containment date, Type II team, 423 FF/OH). This complex 
consists of the Wilcox, Moran, Hechtman, Glade and Enos Fires. Crews 
are making good progress on the Glade Fire. Structure protection plans 
are in place for buildings in the Buffalo Valley and Pacific Creek 
areas that are threatened by the Enos Fire. The Wilcox Fire continues 
to spot and advance slowly to the west and north.

Great Basin NP (NV) - Phillips Ranch Fire [2,600 acres, 0% 
containment, no estimated containment date, 30 FF/OH). The fire 
continues to burn in the park and the Humboldt-Toiyabe National 
Forest. It is being monitored by Park Service personnel. Crews 
performed mop up operations along the west finger yesterday.

For a listing of all fires, see www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.html. 

OUTLOOK

NICC has issued two RED FLAG WARNINGS - one for strong gusty winds and 
low relative humidity in southern Idaho, southwestern Montana, and 
eastern Oregon, the other for strong winds, low relative humidity and 
dry lightning in western and central Wyoming - and two FIRE WEATHER 
WATCHES - one for dry lightning in northeastern Wyoming and the Black 
Hills, the other for gusty winds in central Montana, eastern 
Washington, the Columbia River basin in Oregon, and southeastern 
Oregon.

A Pacific trough moving along the Canadian border will bring increased 
southwest winds to the northwest states. Gusts in excess of 30 mph are 
possible. Monsoon moisture will remain south. This will bring more wet 
thunderstorms to the southwest states.

Ridge top winds will generally be southwest at 15 to 25 mph with gusts 
to 30 to 40 mph in the northwest. Further south, winds will be upslope 
or southwest at speeds under 20 mph with stronger gusts near 
thunderstorms.

Temperatures will be in the lower 70's to mid 80's in the mountains, 
mid 80's to 90's in the lower elevations and 100 to 110 in the hottest 
deserts. Relative humidity will be in the teens and 20's with some 
single digits occurring in the driest areas. 

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/27]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Submission pending.

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

No submissions.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the 
cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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