RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION MORNING REPORT Attention: Directorate Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC Ranger Activities Division Information Network Day/Date: Monday, December 9, 1991 INCIDENTS 91-630 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Follow-up on Arson Arrests On November 20th, rangers arrested J.W.V., 37, and R.L.M., 27, both of Beaver, West Virginia, on charges of setting four arson fires within the park. The subsequent investigation involved a number of agencies and several state and federal jurisdictions, but was coordinated by rangers. On December 4th, the men were each indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of arson. A trial date has not yet been set. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, 12/5] 91-638 - USS Arizona (Hawaii) - Follow-up on Pearl Harbor Anniversary The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor reached its peak on December 7th with a full day of programs. Visitors began arriving at 5:00 a.m.; although crowds were large, the parking and seating plans laid out ahead of time made it possible for the staff to manage events without problems. Many visitors listened to the President's speech via monitors in the park's visitors center. In addition to the program at the memorial itself, events of the day included: - the premier of a symphony which was written for the occasion and was performed by the Honolulu symphony; - a children's choir concert; - a special tour of the memorial for 300 members of the Arizona Reunion Association; and - a sunset service for 3,500 Pearl Harbor survivors. Over the next three days, up to 20 employees a day will be acting as interpreters and media escorts during a Pearl Harbor symposium. Many NPS employees will be returning home today, but the incident management team and several key personnel will continue to work on site until Thursday. The anniversary was a very large and complex incident and would have been a true test of any organizational system. The flexible, modular concept of the incident command system, while not specifically designed to manage special events, again proved to be an excellent management tool. [Bill Gabbert, ICS Team, USAR, 12/8] 91-650 - Joshua Tree (California) - Poaching Convictions On September 7th, rangers discovered that J.E., 49, and S.H., 46, both of San Pedro, California, had caught five species of reptiles in the park and were transporting them elsewhere. On December 3rd, the two men pled guilty in federal court to one count each of violations of the Lacey Act. They were each fined $7,500 and their collecting equipment was forfeited to the government. [Paul Henry, CR, JOTR, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 12/5] OPERATIONAL NOTES 1) Second Notice: The notice on the proposed revision to OMB Circular A-45, "Policy Governing Charges for Rental Quarters and Related Facilities", was published in the Federal Register on Friday, November 22, 1991. The notice states that there will be a 30-day comment period, but this has been extended to 60 days and now ends on January 21, 1992. All employees occupying park housing may send comments to their regional housing office or comment directly to OMB, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Room 9025, New Executive Office Building, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503. If you need a copy of the proposed revised circular, please call the WASO Housing Office at FTS 343-1335 or 202-343-1335. [Donna Compton, Housing, WASO] STAFF STATUS Division Chief: Brady at R&R Uniforms, Nashville, TN (12/10-12/11). Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Martin and Halainen at R&R Uniforms, Nashville, TN (12/10-12/11); Marriott at ARPA training course, Marana, AZ (12/9-12/13); Lee at law enforcement for managers course, FLETC, Glynco, GA (12/9-12/13). Branch of Fire and Aviation: Spruill conducting aviation review, Hawaii (12/9-12/17); Gale serving as incident commander for 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, HI (12/9-12/12). Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities Telephone: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039 Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5572/5573 or 202-208-5572/5573 Telefax: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756 Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977 CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO SEAdog: Branch of R&VP - 1/650 Branch of F&A (WASO) - 1/655