NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Tuesday, February 13, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-51 - Chickamauga/Chattanooga (Georgia) - Follow-up on Oil Spill

Cleanup operations and damage assessments continued on Lookout Mountain through
the weekend.  Air and water samples were taken from one cave located below the
spill site.  The results have not been released yet, but the pipeline company
has acknowledged the presence of fumes in the area.  Monitoring of nearby
streams and the Tennessee River continue; no oil has been reported in any of
them.  No impacts to surface resources have yet been found.  Park personnel are
assisting in collecting cave air and water samples.  [Sam Weddle, CR, CHCH]

96-55 - National Capital Parks (D.C.) - Bomb Threat

On February 11th, the FBI received a phone call from an anonymous source
stating that the IRA was going to detonate a bomb in a federal building in
Washington at 5:30 p.m. that afternoon.  NPS administered monuments, memorials
and other sites were closed to the public for several hours while Park Police
officers and dogs searched the areas.  Nothing was found.  Because of that
threat and Friday's bombing in London, the Park Police are on a heightened
state of alert throughout the Washington metropolitan area.  [Bill Lynch, LES,
NCFO]

96-56 - Fort McHenry (Maryland) - Special Event

On February 12th, Vice President Gore landed by helicopter in the park for a
visit to Baltimore.  Rangers from Fort McHenry and Hampton provided security in
conjunction with the Secret Service and Baltimore police.  The vice president
took a moment to greet park staff upon his return from the city.  The park was
closed during the visit; there were no incidents.  Ranger Rick Apfel served as
NPS contact and site coordinator for the visit.  [Hugh Manar, Acting CR, FOMC]

96-57 - Blue Ridge (Virginia/North Carolina) - Suicide

Rangers in the Peaks/Valley District received a call from county police
reporting that a body had been found in a vehicle at Stewards Knob overlook. 
The victim, T.D., 44, of Moneta, Virginia, had shot himself.  A note
was found at his residence.  [CRO, BLRI]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

OBSERVATIONS

Today's observation was submitted by Hal Grovert at Yosemite:

"The High Sierra wilderness between Yosemite and Mount Whitney is still about
as wild as ever [despite rapid population growth and development in California
over the last 75 years].  National Park and Forest Wilderness designation
protected these.  They are public lands that belong to all of us, the envy of
other states and nations that aren't that lucky.  

"Back then, we could camp anywhere, find plenty of firewood and drink from any
of the streams.  Those days are gone, but not my gratitude that these areas
were set aside with foresight and devotion - nor my vision for the future.

"Instead of denouncing government, public servants and the people who respect,
protect and celebrate the Earth's wild places, we should practice global CPR:
Conserve by using these places more carefully, preserve the wilderness we can
never replace, and restore as best we can he natural and human systems we have
been careless about."

                                     Conservationist and "archdruid" Dave
                                     Brower, Earth Island Institute, 1996

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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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