NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, September 12, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1943, U.S.S. Cassin Young was launched at the Boston 
Navy Yard. The destroyer saw Pacific action during World War II and 
remained in service until 1960. It is now exhibited at the yard, which 
is part of Boston National Historical Park.

INCIDENTS

00-554 - Western Arctic National Parklands (AK) - Follow-up on         
         Employee Illness

On August 30th, pilot/ranger Richard "Shad" Dusseau suffered a heart 
attack while piloting an NPS floatplane with park staff onboard. 
Dusseau, a registered EMT, recognized his symptoms and managed to land 
and beach the aircraft in Kobuk Valley NP before becoming 
incapacitated. Dusseau was treated at the Maniilaq Health Center, then 
flown by air ambulance to Providence Hospital in Anchorage. On 
September 11th, Dusseau returned to light duty in Kotzebue. Medical 
tests verified the heart attack, but, fortunately, damage to the heart 
muscle was minimal. He will continue medical screenings and light duty 
for the time being. Options for returning to flight duty will be 
evaluated in six months. [Greg Dudgeon, CR, WEAR, 9/11]

00-573 - Western Arctic National Parklands (AK) - Bear Mauling

On Wednesday, September 6th, G.F., a professional outfitter 
from Alpine, Wyoming, and D.C., his 65 year-old neighbor, 
were hunting on foot near Poppie Creek in the northwest area of Noatak 
NP. They had spotted caribou in the vicinity earlier that morning and 
began stalking them from across the valley. As they walked out of a 
dense stand of willow, they saw a large, dark brown grizzly bear about 
25 yards ahead. The bear was standing on its hind legs, looking in 
their direction. G.F. yelled a warning to D.C.. The animal 
immediately charged G.F., who fired two shots with a 30.06 rifle, 
one from point-blank range. The bear knocked him down and bit through 
G.F.'s lower left leg, fracturing both bones above the ankle. It 
then began to bite and tear at his thigh. D.C. took aim at the 
bear and fired once with a 7mm rifle from close range. The bear then 
fled. D.C. helped G.F. move approximately 80 yards away to a 
nearby clearing, attempted to make him comfortable, then left for 
help. He arrived at the small lodge he and G.F. were staying at 
around 7:30 p.m. D.C., local guide-outfitter J. "J." J. 
and four others returned on foot, arriving around 9 p.m., and began 
dragging G.F. back to camp on a tarp. The group returned to 
J.J.'s lodge the following morning. After reaching Kotzebue on 
Thursday afternoon via J.J.'s Super Cub airplane, G.F. flew to 
Jackson Hole for additional treatment and reconstructive surgery. As 
of this time, the grizzly bear that attacked G.F. has yet to be 
located. Rangers will conduct aerial patrols in order to ascertain the 
bear's location and condition. [Greg Dudgeon, CR, WEAR, 9/11]

00-574 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - Aircraft Accident with           
         Fatalities

A North Carolina Forest Service helicopter used for initial attack on 
fires and on SAR operations crashed in the park on September 7th, 
killing the pilot and crew chief. The UH-1 was flying from its base in 
Franklin to Waynesville to participate in a school educational 
program. The pilot reported that he'd encountered heavy fog while 
crossing the mountain range near Balsam Gap Station and was seeking an 
emergency landing zone. Communications were then lost with the 
helicopter, so a search mission was launched. Search efforts were 
hampered by the lack of an ELT signal, the extremely limited 
visibility, and the full canopy cover, so the crash site near Rabb 
Knob overlook was not found until the following afternoon. Pilot T.N. 
and crew chief M.F. did not survive the crash. Rangers 
from both Great Smokies and Blue Ridge responded. The NTSB and FAA are 
investigating. [John Garrison, Protection Specialist, BLRI, 9/8]

00-575 - Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Fatality

A couple driving down Burro Wash Road on the afternoon of September 
10th found a body in a wash and reported their findings to the Boulder 
City Police Department. They in turn notified the park. The couple led 
ranger Paul Crawford and a BCPD officer to the scene, where they found 
the body of D.H., 25, of Boulder City. D.H. was wanted by 
police for the attempted murder of his mother on September 5th. He had 
beaten her with his fists, a toaster and a gun. D.H. has a history of 
mental illness and contacts with/arrests by rangers and local officers 
and was not taking his medication at the time of the incident. 
Preliminary investigation indicates no foul play. It appears that he 
wandered in the desert and fell victim to the heat and lack of food 
and water. He was about six miles south of Boulder City. The final 
cause of death will be determined by autopsy. [Paul G. Crawford, SPR, 
Boulder Basin District, LAME, 9/11]

00-576 - Amistad NRA (TX) - Drug Seizures, Arrests

Rangers, Customs agents, and Texas DPS narcotics agents seized more 
than 220 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $180,000 and arrested 
two Texas residents on September 3rd. A joint surveillance operation 
was begun following the receipt of a report of suspicious activity. 
J.B., 24, rented a boat and headed to Spur 454, a local 
swimming area, where she picked up J.C., 25. They took the boat 
into a canyon on the Mexico side of the lake, then returned to the 
beach and began unloading marijuana and putting it into J.C.'s 
vehicle. They were arrested and their vehicle was seized. This 
incident follows two other drug smuggling incidents that occurred in 
August. On August 6th, DEA agents raided a residence at Rough Canyon, 
just outside the park on the east side of the lake, and seized 420 
pounds of marijuana that had been transported through Rough Canyon 
Marina. On August 28th, rangers assisted Border Patrol officers on an 
incident in which drugs were transported by boat through the park. 
Three vehicles and 485 pounds of marijuana were seized at a residence 
outside the park. David Van Inwagen was IC for the September incident. 
[Todd Brindle, CR, AMIS, 9/5]

                  [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE SITUATION

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level IV

CURRENT SITUATION

Two new large fires were reported; eight more were contained. Initial 
attack was light everywhere. 

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, California, 
Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, 
Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. 

The following resources were committed nationwide as of yesterday 
(changes from yesterday's numbers in parentheses): 156 crews (- 51), 
1,805 overhead (- 601), 198 engines (- 53), and 73 helicopters (- 15).

NPS AND NPS-RELATED FIRES

No reports.

OUTLOOK

No fire weather watches or warnings have been issued.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/11]

DISCOVERY 2000

The Discovery 2000 Conference opened Monday morning with a dramatic 
Harper's Ferry Center film on the parks and a challenge to the 
participants to look toward the future and conceive of the Service's 
role in American life in the 21st century.

"With 128 years of national park experience behind us, we are called 
to examine the new century," said Jerry Rogers, conference chairman, 
adding that the goal for the week was to conceive the future, not to 
plan it. Director Stanton reiterated this theme in his opening 
address, urging participants to "think aloud" in a gathering of 
friends. He said that "the future will come with or without our 
preparation," and urged the audience to fully engage in the 
discussions of the week - to dream, to anticipate, to speak on behalf 
of their children and listen on behalf of others' children.

The theme for the day was cultural resource stewardship; the keynote 
speaker was Dr. John Hope Franklin, the current chair of the NPS 
Advisory Board and professor emeritus of history at the Duke 
University Law School. Dr. Franklin reflected on changes in years past 
and challenges in years to come for the National Park Service.

He said that NPS employees, partners and supporters "share a common 
commitment to the natural and cultural values which the National Park 
Service holds as its core." 

He said that he was encouraged by the positive change he has seen 
during his 85 years, noting that the NPS has broadened from places of 
natural wonder to include places of "both sadness and celebration." 
Parks have become important as places where visitors can hear about 
significant, complex subjects, such as the struggle for racial 
justice, women's rights and the rights of workers. He applauded the 
Service for its increasing candor and its role as a strong supporter 
of expansion to include sites that relate to all its citizens. In his 
eyes, the NPS has the unique opportunity to teach "in real places 
about real history and real nature with real things."

Dr. Franklin believes our society is "on the verge of historical 
amnesia" and can ill-afford to move ahead in a new century 
ill-informed. In order to respond to the many and varied challenges 
facing the NPS in the first quarter of the 21st century, we need to:

o       Refine our focus on the purposes and prospects of the Service 
        and the System.
o       Better manage places and programs in partnership with all 
        levels of government and with private industry.
o       Respond to and reflect the nation's changing diverse 
        population and demographics in both its workforce and outlook, 
        and
o       Rededicate itself to its role as an educational institution 
        that brings more scholars into the parks and allows more park 
        employees the opportunity to expand their scholarship.

Dr. Franklin charged the Service and its many partners to "leave 
nostalgia and complacency aside" and to "broaden the truths we teach" 
in order to deepen the respect of our fellow citizens and their 
support for the Service and its mission. He also encouraged the 
Service to continue to respond to the broad popular constituency of 
preserving our cultural and natural history and the environment.

"We're not looking for easy answers," he said. "Nor are we expecting 
to predict the future. But if we don't envision the future we desire, 
how can we attempt to achieve it?"

His speech was followed by a day of numerous workshops on cultural 
resource issues. Topics included preservation technology, 
interpretation of contentious historic events, overcoming cultural 
biases in historic preservation, "multiple and often conflicting 
values" derived from archeological records, the impact of preservation 
on sacred sites, and finding ways to use collections to better benefit 
the parks and public. Some brief excerpts from three of them follow 
(additional details can be found at the website noted below):

Message project - Recent research has shown that Americans know very 
little about the System. Many people believe that there are about five 
national parks, all of them in the West and all of them destinations 
for vacationing. The message project, funded by the National Park 
Foundation, began as a reaction to these findings. A public relations 
firm conducted research and determined that "there is no more 
positive, strong, dynamic a brand on the planet than the NPS brand 
expressed through the arrowhead and ranger hat." The problem, however, 
is that parks don't associate themselves with the brand. In order to 
get the public to understand and appreciate the parks, the Service 
needs to tell them about the special places we manage, convey the 
meaningful experiences parks hold for them, and guarantee that those 
experiences will always be there. The message project is an effort to 
do just that, "a foot in the door to begin a conversation with the 
American public."

Authenticity - A workshop was held on whether or not it's necessary 
for something to be authentic to be true and whether entertainment and 
education should be separate or commingled. A representative from 
Disney who worked on the "Living Seas" exhibit at Epcot Center 
endorsed an approach which "mixes magic and creativity with 
authenticity." He also said that parks are great theaters with great 
plays, and that park employees are entertainers whether they like it 
or not. The counter argument was that the Service has "the real stuff" 
in a world desperate for real experiences, that our "franchise is the 
truth," and that park staffs should use their talents to educate and 
interest visitors. 

Context in interpretation - Every historical park should answer three 
basic questions through its interpretive program - what happened, why 
it occurred, and what it means. Most parks do the first well, but not 
the latter two. Efforts need to be increased to provide context and 
meaning. One way to interpret differing viewpoints of history is to 
conduct a "spoke analysis," with the event at the hub and individual 
spokes representing points of view from different groups or cultures. 

Tuesday's theme is natural resource stewardship. It began with a 
keynote address by Dr. Edward O. Wilson, continued with a similar 
array of workshops, and will close with an address by noted 
conservationist Dr. Peter Raven. Details will appear in tomorrow's 
Morning Report.

More information on the conference can be found on the web at 
www.nps.gov/discovery2000. To see the daily conference newspaper, 
click on "Daily Newspaper;" for photos, the text of keynote addresses, 
a list of workshops, and reports on other events, click on the daily 
"highlights' listings.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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