NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, November 2, 2000

ALMANAC

On this date in 1772, Samuel Adams organized the extra-legal Committee 
of Correspondence - a precursor of the union of American colonies that 
would enable the American Revolution - at a town meeting in Boston's 
Faneuil Hall. The hall is now part of Boston National Historical Park.

INCIDENTS

00-678 - North Cascades NP (WA) - Mushroom Poaching

Significant illegal commercial harvesting of mushrooms occurs in the 
park each autumn. This year, rangers Hugh Dougher, Margaret Goodro, 
Brett Timm and a county deputy sheriff made a concerted effort to 
address the problem. During the month of October, they apprehended 36 
mushroom poachers and recovered 300 pounds of pine mushrooms with a 
market value approaching $9,000. A loaded handgun, a carbine, a club 
fashioned from a crowbar, and nine knives were seized. Arrest warrants 
are being prepared for two Canadians with criminal records who 
illegally entered the country, then resisted arrest by fleeing on foot 
back into Canada. [Pete Cowan, CR, NOCA, 11/1]

00-679 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - MVA with Fatality

R.C. of Indianapolis died of injuries received in a 
motorcycle accident on October 20th. His passenger sustained serious 
injuries. The accident occurred at MP 451 in the Pisgah District. 
Ranger Barry Lewis is investigating. [John Garrison, Protection 
Specialist, BLRI, 10/27]

00-680 - Gateway NRA (NY/NJ) - Apparent Suicide

Park Police officers investigated a report of a fatality at Canarsie 
Pier on the morning of October 27th. They found the body of a 
59-year-old Staten Island man in the driver's seat of his 1998 Toyota 
at the south end of the pier, a .38 caliber revolver with one spent 
round next to his right hand. He had a wound to his right temple. The 
victim had a license for the pistol and operated a business nearby. 
The medical examiner has tentatively ruled the death as a suicide. the 
investigation continues. [Lt. John Marigliano, USPP, GATE, 10/30]

                  [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE SITUATION

Shenandoah NP (VA) - The Shenandoah Complex consists of three 
fires - the Pinnacles Fire, Old Rag Fire and Rapidan Road Fire. The 
fires have so far burned about 1,500 acres. A Type I team and 616 
firefighters and overhead personnel have been committed. The Rapidan 
Road Fire has been 100% contained. The Pinnacles and Old Rag Fires 
made wind-driven runs to the east and south yesterday and continue to 
back down slope. Private residences along the park's east boundary are 
threatened. Bulldozers have been ordered to protect residences if 
needed. [Greg Stiles, SHEN, 11/1]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

"Federal Lands Highways Program - Highway Traffic Accident Database," 
signed on October 10th by Associate Director, Park Operations and 
Education Dick Ring and sent to all regions, marked to the attention 
of regional FLHP coordinators. Responses are due by December 1st. The 
full text follows, except for the attachments:

"In 1999, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Park 
Service (NPS) signed an agreement that formalized the NPS Highway 
Safety Program.  A fundamental component of a Highway Safety Program 
is to establish, or in this case reestablish, a traffic accident 
database.  For example, the traffic accident database will allow for 
the systematic identification and correction of high accident 
locations Servicewide.  Traffic accident data will also be used in the 
formula for the distribution of Federal Lands Highways Program dollars 
as well.    

"Currently, the NPS Servicewide Traffic Accident Reporting System 
(STARS) does not contain sound, accurate traffic accident data past 
1995.   The Washington Office is establishing a new safety information 
management system due to be available late in 2001 or early in 2002.  
Accordingly, we see this effort as a short-term solution until this 
new information management system is successfully implemented.

"By this memorandum, we solicit your support to update the NPS's 
traffic accident database.  The Case Incident Reporting System (CIRS) 
has been for many parks the administrative mechanism for collecting 
the data for STARS.  Other parks use alternative automated traffic 
accident collection systems or depend on hard copy reports.  

"We request that parks forward traffic accident data electronically by 
December 1, 2000, to the Field Operations Technical Support Center, 
Highway Operations (FOTSC-HO) via cc:Mail to           Ms. Nancy 
Arwood at 303/969-2608.  

"Instructions for parks that use CIRS for traffic accident data 
reporting are attached.  Parks that do not use CIRS, but use other 
software, should contact Ms. Nancy Arwood to coordinate the best 
strategy to submit electronic files.  Parks that have been forwarding 
hard copies of traffic accident reports should continue to forward 
those reports to FOTSC-HO at, 7333 Jefferson Avenue, Lakewood, 
Colorado 80235.

"This paragraph is applicable to parks that use CIRS only.   The 
instructions are contained in the three attachments.  REGION.DOC is 
the latest list of park CIRS contacts.  We suggest this action be 
forwarded electronically to them to complete in a timely manner.  
CIRS2000.EXE is a self-extracting ZIP file that contains CIRS upgrade 
and administrative utilities for the park CIRS users.  CIRS2000.DOC is 
a Word97 document containing detailed instructions regarding upgrading 
CIRS, collecting STARS data and forwarding to FOTSC-HO by cc:Mail.  

"We thank you in advance for your support in completing this important 
task. In the future, park traffic accident data should continue to be 
forwarded to FOTSC-HO.  Technical automation support is available 
through our contractor Ms. Linda Dean, at 301/731-3900 or via cc:Mail 
at Ldean@sigi.com.  Questions regarding the Highway Safety Program's 
traffic accident database can be directed to Ms. Nancy Arwood at 
303/969-2608."

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Submissions pending.

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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