NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, February 14, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-049 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Rockslide

The El Portal Road (Highway 140) reopened yesterday afternoon after 
being closed since early on Monday due to a rockslide. Crews 
determined that the release point for the slide had stabilized, then 
began clearing and repairing the road. Although the road is open, work 
will continue at the site for the next several days. [Public Affairs, 
YOSE, 2/13]

01-050 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/TN) - Poaching Arrests

On February 2nd, rangers Terry Morris and Brian Stackowicz came upon a 
number of people harvesting galax in the park's Pisgah District. All 
of them fled and were able to escape. Over 20,000 stems were seized 
from a roadside cache. On February 5th, Morris stopped two vehicles on 
the parkway. They were occupied by five Mexican nationals, who had 
about 20,000 galax stems in their possession. They are to appear in 
federal magistrate's court in Asheville. Galax is an evergreen ground 
cover plant that is used in the floral industry. The leaves range from 
bright green to a deep burnt red in color, depending on the season. 
Reduced populations on Forest Service lands, a growing international 
market, and an available labor pool have resulted in increased 
pressure on galax growing in the park. Seizures over the past two 
weeks totaled more than 60,000 stems. [John Garrison, Protection 
Specialist, BLRI, 2/9]

                  [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Plan

No new information. Please check the NPS Fire Management Program 
Center web page (www.fire.nps.gov) for further information on fire 
plan projects.

Park Fires

No fires reported.

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Yellowstone NP (WY) - Catch-And-Release Fishing 

Beginning with the 2001 fishing season, all native sport fish species 
in Yellowstone will be placed under catch-and-release-only fishing 
rules. The native species affected by this change are the cutthroat 
trout and its several subspecies, the Montana grayling, and the 
mountain whitefish. Most of the park's native fishes have been 
included under catch-and-release-only fishing rules since the early 
1970s. The changes will primarily affect populations in Yellowstone 
Lake, its tributaries, and upper Lamar River. The rules are being put 
into place to repair the damage being done to native species by 
introduced organisms, including lake trout, whirling disease, and New 
Zealand mud snails. Yellowstone cutthroat trout have declined 
throughout the west and are currently designated as a "Species of 
Special Concern-Class A" by the American Fisheries Society.  A formal 
petition to list this subspecies as "threatened" throughout its range 
was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1998 and is 
currently under review. Yellowstone contains approximately 91% of the 
current range of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and 85% of the historical 
lake habitat for this subspecies, so the park is considered crucial to 
the survival of the species. Yellowstone cutthroat trout generally 
declined in the second half of the 20th century due to over-harvesting 
by fishermen, competition with exotic fishes, and overzealous egg 
collection. Populations rebounded in the park after the advent of 
catch-and-release-only fishing rules in the 1970s, but new and 
aggressive invaders are causing an increasing threat to these native 
fish and alarming park fisheries biologists. Non-native lake trout, an 
effective fish predator, were discovered in Yellowstone Lake in 1994. 
Aggressive lake trout control efforts by the National Park Service and 
no harvest limits have resulted in removing 27,000 lake trout from 
Yellowstone Lake since 1994, including more than 12,000 in 2000.  
Still, the number of Yellowstone cutthroat trout monitored during the 
annual fall count in Yellowstone Lake was lower in recent years than 
at any other time in the 25-year history of the monitoring effort. 
Whirling disease, which has been implicated in recent years in the 
decline of trout populations in many western states, was discovered in 
Yellowstone Lake in 1998.  So far, it is unclear which of these two 
non-native invaders has been the greater factor in the decline of 
Yellowstone cutthroat trout, but there is no question they are causing 
it. Other native sport fish, including westslope cutthroat trout and 
Montana grayling, have been under catch-and-release-only fishing rules 
since 1973.  This is the first time mountain whitefish have been 
placed under such rules in Yellowstone National Park.  This new rule 
gives mountain whitefish equal status to the other native sport fish 
in the park. [Public Affairs, YELL, 2/9]

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Booker T. Washington NM (VA) - Ranger Alice Hanawalt will retire from 
the NPS on March 23rd. She began her career as a seasonal at the park 
in 1981, and won several awards over the years, including a regional 
safety achievement award and a semi-final finish in a national "Take 
Pride in America" campaign. She's been involved with plantation 
history and genealogy research on the Burroughs and Williams families. 
Alice portrays plantation owner Elizabeth Burroughs during special 
programs held at the park. She will continue to teach at the local 
community college after retirement and will visit with her family. 
Letters for her scrapbook may be sent to Connie Mays, Booker T. 
Washington NM, 12130 Booker T. Washington Highway, Hardy, VA 24101. 
[Connie Mays, BOWA]

Pacific West Region (CA) - Stan Albright retired from the National 
Park Service on February 2nd after 30 years of service. A retirement 
party will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 31st at Heather Farms 
Park in Walnut Creek, California. For further information, contact 
Patty Neubacher via cc:Mail. [Tom Ritter]

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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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