NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, March 28, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-016 - Intermountain SO (CO/NM) - ARPA Investigation

During 1999 and 2000, NPS investigators from Denver and Santa Fe and 
from Glen Canyon NRA worked with BIA, USFS, Customs, BLM and the state 
of New Mexico on an undercover operation in the Four Corners area 
called "Operation Silent Witness." In late January, a federal grand 
jury in Albuquerque indicted seven people - six from Aztec, New 
Mexico, and one from Fargo, North Dakota - on 14 felony counts for 
ARPA violations, conspiracy and aiding and abetting. The investigation 
is continuing; other suspects have been identified and additional 
indictments appear likely for crimes on federal, state and private 
lands. The investigation has resulted in the recovery of about 300 
prehistoric Native American artifacts, including a rare Navajo 
Nightway mask and portions of two other masks excavated and removed 
from a site on BLM lands. The investigators found several damaged 
archeological sites. Damage at one of them is in excess of $31,000. 
[Phil Young, SA (ret.), IMSO]

01-017 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Possible Suicide

A 32-year old woman from Franklin, Tennessee, jumped from the Highway 
96-Natchez Trace bridge on the afternoon of March 25th. A truck driver 
flagged down and notified a Tennessee state trooper; the state then 
informed the park. Rangers Bruce Gagnon and Kelly Roche investigated. 
The woman's vehicle, parked near the bridge, was searched, but no 
suicide note was found. A passing motorist saw her leap from the 
bridge's railing and reported this to the rangers. The investigation 
continues. [Jackie Henman, ACR, NATR, 3/27]


FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Plan

A wildland fire employment opportunities portal page 
(www.doi.gov/fire) has been added to the Department of the Interior's 
website. The page includes links to the four Interior fire management 
bureaus and to the Forest Service. The DOI homepage (www.doi.gov) 
includes an eye-catching link to the portal page.

Two National Fire Plan hearings are scheduled for this week. The House 
Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, 
Nutrition and Forestry (Bob Goodlatte, chair) will meet today. Senator 
Larry Craig's Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Forests and 
Public Land Management is scheduled for tomorrow, March 29th. 
Interior's Tim Hartzell and the Forest Service's Lyle Laverty will 
deliver the same testimony as they did in the House Resources 
Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health hearing on March 8th. The 
committees are interested in what the two departments are doing with 
communities to get the rural fire assistance program up and running.  
They also want to hear what kinds of projects are going on in 
communities and the opportunities that are available for contractors.

Fire Season Forecast

On March 7th, the National Interagency Fire Center released a document 
containing an early assessment of the 2001 fire season potential for 
the Northern Rockies prepared by the Missoula Fire Science Laboratory. 
Here's a key section from this report:

"Current drought conditions and near-record low snow pack, in 
conjunction with NCEP (National Center for Environmental Prediction) 
long-lead outlooks, are setting the stage for another potentially 
monumental fire season in the Northern Rockies. Current NCEP outlooks 
are based on weak-to-moderate cold ENSO (La Nina) conditions through 
May that tend towards neutral by mid summer. Globally, this is the 
fourth year of La Nina conditions, which was noted as an unprecedented 
event at a recent fire/climate workshop in Tucson. Western climate and 
water experts are in consensus that there is virtually no chance (less 
than 5%) of a recovery from the current drought by summer. 

"Additionally, this fire season is likely to be particularly 
problematic because of high fire activity in other geographic areas 
starting as early as April or May. It is likely, in this author's 
opinion, that there will be significant early season activity in 
Alaska and the Southeast (Florida in particular). If the southern jet 
stream continues to provide moisture over the Southwest, it should 
experience a near normal fire season; if not, this area will be in the 
early mix also. The Great Basin and Rocky Mountain areas are a toss up 
right now, but it is unlikely they will not have periods of high 
activity. The Pacific Northwest and California areas, if the long-lead 
outlooks are correct, will not come into the mix until August/ 
September. If the drought in the Pacific Northwest does not abate to 
some extent with spring rains, the Pacific Northwest area may also see 
an active early fire season.  Regardless of the spring conditions, 
these areas - particularly the Pacific Northwest - are likely to 
experience major fire activity by late August and September, with 
heavy demands on fire management resources."   

Park Fires

Great Smoky Mountains NP (NC/TN) - Tunnel Fire (200 acres estimated) - 
A hand line was put in on Tuesday, but was lost. Most of the fire is 
contained by natural barriers. Plans were to attain containment 
yesterday. A Type II crew and a Type III incident team have been 
ordered. Another fire is burning near Cherokee that is either on the 
boundary or within the park. Tanker and bucket drops have been made on 
it. 

Little River Canyon NP (AL) - The park conducted a 274-acre prescribed 
burn yesterday with assistance from firefighters from Great Smoky 
Mountains NP and Buffalo NR. The objective is ecological restoration, 
with a special emphasis on the endangered pitcher plant (Saracenis 
oreophila), a pryrophytic species.

[Debee Schwarz, NPS Fire Information, WASO, 3/28; Mike Warren NPS 
FMPC, 3/27; Doug Wallner, Philadelphia SO, 3/27]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Dinosaur NM (CO/UT) - Bonytail Fish Reintroduction

More than 13,000 endangered bonytail fish were released in the Green 
River in Browns Park NWR on March 23rd. The refuge is immediately 
upstream from Dinosaur NM. The two- to four-inch fish are expected to 
acclimate to riverine conditions, then be redistributed downstream 
during the spring runoff. Bonytail fish have been virtually extirpated 
from the wild. About 10,000 were released in the Green and Yampa 
rivers last summer; this release is a continuation of the attempt to 
reestablish wild populations in historic habitats. Populations of 
three other endangered Colorado River fish - the Colorado pikeminnow, 
razorback sucker, and humpback chub - still exist within the park. 
[Steve Petersburg, RMS, DINO]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

EMS Coordinators' Conference - The conference, which will be held in 
May, will include a meeting of medical directors which will be held 
from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 14th and all day on May 15th. This will 
be an important planning meeting for all park or regional physician 
medical directors, particularly for areas with ALS programs. Those 
physicians planning to attend this meeting should contact Randy 
Coffman, the national EMS/SAR program manager, at 202-208-6380 to 
submit agenda items or for general information. Call Chuck Anibal at 
304-535-6401 with any logistical questions or to register for the 
conference. [Joyce Howe, STMA]

MEMORANDA

"Request for Detailers for the National Incident Information Center at 
the National Interagency Fire Center," signed on March 26th by the 
national fire management officer and sent to all regional directors 
and park superintendents. The due date for replies is April 7th. The 
text follows: 

"The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC,) located in Boise, Idaho 
is currently seeking qualified employees for detail assignments to 
staff the National Wildland Fire Information Center during the 2001 
fire season.  Assignments to the National Incident Information Center 
at NIFC will be on an 'as needed' basis depending upon national fire 
activity.   

"The detailee would be assigned to work at the fire information center 
located in Boise, Idaho. Assignments will begin during the first week 
in May, and extend through September 2001.  A two-week commitment (not 
including travel and lieu days) is required.  If fire activity merits 
the establishment of the information center, travel, per diem, and 
base salary is funded through a designated emergency account.  

"Applicants with experience as qualified Incident Information 
Officers, Public Affairs Specialists or experience and background in 
fire information, legislative affairs, crisis information management, 
and public affairs work are being sought at this time.  

"Individuals interested in this opportunity should submit the attached 
nomination form no later than April 7, 2001, to the NIFC External 
Affairs Office (see nomination form for instructions.)  A confirmation 
letter will follow for accepted candidates.  If you have any questions 
please contact Janelle Smith, NIFC External Affairs by e-mail at: 
janelle_smith@nifc.blm.gov, or by phone at 208-387-5473."

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS

Regular sections not appearing today but available at all times for 
submissions:

o       Interpretation/Visitor Services - Significant developments in 
        these fields.
o       Interchange - Requests or offers from any park or office for 
        materials, information or any other operational needs.
o       Parks and People - Reports on people (job openings, 
        retirements, etc.) and parks (significant happenings of any 
        kind).
o       Film at 11 - Reports on current or upcoming print or 
        electronic media stories on the NPS.

                            *  *  *  *  *

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed 
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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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