NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, April 10, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-136 - Big Bend (Texas) - Search and Rescue

A 78-year-old male visitor became separated from his spouse while the couple
hiked on the Rio Grande Village nature trail on the morning of Wednesday,
April 3rd.  A search was mounted which employed over 40 people, including
park employees, volunteers, SCAs, Border Patrol personnel, and residents of
adjacent villages in Mexico; district ranger Gus Martinez was incident
commander.  Temperatures rose to 92 degrees on Wednesday.  The man was found
by local Mexican residents on Thursday afternoon.  The man had spent a day
and a night in a dense thicket of river cane.  He was hungry and thirsty when
found, but otherwise in good condition.  [CRO, BIBE]

96-137 - Colorado NM (Colorado) - Stolen Vehicle

A patrol ranger investigating broken glass on Rim Rock Drive near the Red
Canyon overlook on the morning of April 6th discovered a 1982 Cadillac
resting on a ledge about 200 feet below the rim and 150 feet above the floor
of the canyon.  Two local fire departments responded and provided emergency
technical assistance.  A ranger and a fireman rappelled down to the car and
determined that their were no occupants or any signs of apparent victims. 
The Cadillac was found to have been stolen from Palisade, Colorado, earlier
that day.  Removal of the vehicle will be difficult due to its precarious
location on a steep ledge.  Efforts are underway to determine how to
accomplish the task with the least amount of risk to personnel and the
environment.  An investigation of the incident continues.  [Ron Young, CR,
COLM]

96-138 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - Stolen Vehicle

Rangers received a report of a motor vehicle accident near mile post 7 on
April 2nd and found an unoccupied vehicle located off the road and down a
steep embankment.  A check of the plate revealed that it had been stolen from
a nearby jurisdiction on March 26th.  It appears that the vehicle was dumped
at the location within two days of the theft.  An investigation is
continuing.  [CRO, BLRI]

96-139 - Petrified Forest (Arizona) - Stolen Vehicle; Arrest

Ranger Peter Pappas stopped at the Painted Desert visitor center parking lot
on the afternoon of April 1st to help V.S., a 23-year-old Mexican
national, change a flat tire.  Pappas ran a routine check on the plate and
discovered that the vehicle had been stolen in California.  Rangers Pappas
and Pat Quinn waited until the V.S. finished changing the tire and drove
away from the busy parking area before stopping and arresting him.  He was
turned over to the state police for transportation to a jail.  [CRO, PEFO]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Wolf Release

The park began releasing wolves from their confinement pens on April 2nd. 
The release included six wolves from the Nez Perce group, and five wolves
from the Rose Creek group.  The six remaining wolves in the Blacktail and
Crystal Bench pens were to be released later in the week or some time this
week.  Wildlife biologists stress that the wolves have done well in
confinement.  They have been held for as long a period as possible to allow
the adult pairs to remain together during the breeding season, to increase
the chances of the packs remaining together, and to reduce the distances they
will travel once they are released.  It's not known if any of the alpha
females are pregnant; in the event that any are, it's important that they be
released in time for the females to pick a den site prior to whelping (wolves
generally mate from late February through early March and have a gestation
period of approximately 60 days).  [Marsha Karle, PIO, YELL]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Regulations Update - The following summarizes the status of the several
regulatory packages currently under some form of consideration or action in
the Washington Office:

o 36 CFR 1.2, 1.4 and 13.2 - Comments received on the proposed rule,
which deals with applicability and scope of all regulations in Title
36, are now being reviewed in Ranger Activities and the Solicitor's
Office.

o 36 CFR Part 3 (Boating and Water Use Activities) - The proposed
regulation concerning the introduction of "non-indigenous aquatic
nuisance species" (zebra mussels) into park waters has been approved by
Assistant Secretary Frampton and is currently being reviewed by the
Departmental Office of Regulatory Affairs.  The rule, which amends
boating regulations in 36 CFR Part 3, will provide authority to
regulate access to NPS waters by individuals and vessels that have
recently operated in waters infested with injurious non-indigenous
aquatic plant and animal species.

o 36 CFR Part 11 (Arrowhead and Parkscape Symbols) - This proposed rule
will provide protection not only for the NPS arrowhead symbol, but also
for the Park Police insignia, ranger badge, and the park ranger,
special agent and criminal investigator credential shield.  The rule,
which will also delete reference to the old Parkscape symbol, is being
reviewed by Assistant Secretary Frampton.

o 36 CFR Part 17 (Conveyance of Freehold and Leasehold Interests) - This
proposed rule will revise portions of the regulations for conveyance of
freehold and leasehold interests on lands administered by the NPS.  The
rule would allow bids for freehold and leasehold interests on NPS lands
to be accompanied by earnest money equivalent to two percent of the
appraised value or $2,500, whichever is greater, with the balance of
the bid due within 45 days of the award.  This rule was published in
the Federal Register on February 12th.

o 36 CFR Part 61 (Procedures for State, Tribal and Local Government
Historic Preservation Programs) - The NPS is revising and amending 36
CFR 61 with the intent of providing more flexibility in state historic
preservation office staffing, state historic preservation review board
membership and operations, and state historic preservation officer
responsibilities.  The proposed rule has been approved by the
Solicitor's Office and is currently being reviewed by the Associate
Director, Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnerships.

o Part 7 & 13 Regulations - Recently published rules include:

     Denali - Final rule on pre-registration
     Appalachian Trail - Proposed rule on hang gliding
     Voyageurs - Proposed rule on aircraft operations
     Shenandoah - Proposed fishing regulations
     Grand Teton - Proposed rule on snowmobile operations

Approximately 18 other special park and Servicewide regulations are in the
Department at some level of the review process.  [Dennis Burnett, RAD/WASO]

Fee Legislation - The House of Representatives Committee on Resources took up
H.R. 2107, Representative Hansen's "Visitor Services Improvement and Outdoor
Legacy Act of 1996" (fee bill), in a full committee mark-up on Thursday March
28th.   The bill passed with amendments and will be reported to the House. 
The main points of the bill are as follows:

o It is a multi-agency bill (the Corps of Engineers will operate under
the current authorities of the Land and Water Conservation Fund).

o There are no caps; fees are established at the discretion of
administering Secretaries.

o Agencies are to establish revenue targets from recreation fees.

o Agencies get to use an amount equal to 15% of the previous year's total
fees to cover the current year's fee collection costs.

o 1995 is established as the base year.  Any revenue collected each year
after 1995 over and above what was collected in 1995 is considered new
revenue and not subject to appropriations.

o New revenue is distributed back to all collecting parks based on a
percentage of their contribution to the total amount collected each
fiscal year.  Of new revenue, each park receives 75% of their
contribution.  The remaining 25% is for Servicewide needs.

o Prohibitions on charging admission fees are lifted for all areas except
Alaska units (except Denali) and Mount Rushmore.  Lincoln Boyhood Home
and Great Smokies prohibitions remain due to deed restrictions.

o Authority to retain funds from special use permits was revoked.  The
Service is directed to establish guidelines and regulations for
commercial and non-recreational activities (filming, events, weddings,
grazing, etc.) that would address fees.  Fees collected for such could
be retained where collected and remain available until expended.  Fees
are to cover costs of services provided for such activities.

o Activities for which recreation use fees may be charged are expanded;
the bill covers backcountry and other activities.

Please note that this bill is significantly different from the Senate Budget
Reconciliation version of fee reform.  If H.R. 2107 is passed by the House in
this form, it will require the Senate consideration.  At this time, the
Senate appears to still favor the budget reconciliation fee proposal.  Any
final bill is likely to require a conference between the House and Senate. 
[Chris Soller, Legislative Affairs Specialist, WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

Field Seminars - Acadia recently published a 41-page manual to assist in the
coordination of public field seminars, especially those that address
resource-related issues that affect parks.  This manual is based on the
experiences that park staff had in coordinating the "Resource Acadia" field
seminar series, first developed in 1993, which is an outreach program of one-
day seminars targeted primarily at residents in the park's neighboring
communities to keep them up to date and involved in what the park is doing in
the field of resource management and research.  The information provided
should be of use to those coordinating both field seminars and other sorts of
public programs.  If you'd like a copy, please contact Paul Super at ACAD
Interpretation or call 207-288-3893.

Clarification on Radio Offer - There's been some confusion on the radios that
were offered by C&O Canal via the Morning Report several days ago.  The park
bought these radios five years or so ago in order to allow the rangers to
communicate with the Maryland Natural Resources Police, who operate in the
146 to 162 frequency range.  The advent of broadband programmable radios
quickly made these obsolete in that many frequencies can now be programmed
into the same radio.  Since most NPS areas operate above the 162 range, it
would be necessary to spend approximately $400 per radio to get these used
HT600's retrofitted with the higher band width. The park offered them on the
chance that someone might be operating in this range.  Apologies for the
confusion.  If you're still interested, contact Kevin FitzGerald at NP--NCR.


MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS CALENDAR

Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains meetings, conferences and events, and a second, which contains
workshops and training courses.  If you know of a conference, meeting,
workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and implications,
please send the information along.  Entries are listed no earlier than FOUR
months before the event, EXCEPT in instances in which registration dates
close much earlier.  Asterisks indicate new entries; brackets at end of entry
indicate source of information.  Brevity is appreciated.

4/13-17 -- "Planning for Tomorrow's World," APA National Planning
Conference, Orlando, FL.  Contact: Renee Kaiser, 312-431-9100. 
[Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

4/15-17 -- Trail Accessibility Symposium, Martinsville, IN.  Contact: The
National Center on Accessibility, 317-349-9240 or 800-424-1817.  

4/17-21 -- Annual Conference, American Planning Association, Orlando, FL. 
Contact: 312-431-9100.  [Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]

4/18-21 -- Annual Meeting, Society for Military History, Rosslyn, VA. 
Contact: Dr. Kevin Ruffner, 703-351-2621 (phone), 703-522-9280
(fax).  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]
 
4/19-21 -- "March for Parks", sponsored by National Parks and Conservation
Association.  Contact: NPCA.  ["The NPS Electric Courier"]

4/21-24 -- Scenic Byways '96, Tysons Corner, VA.  Contact: American
Recreation Coalition, 202-662-7420.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

4/22-28 -- National Park Week.  Contact: Sue Waldron, 202-208-5477.  

4/24-28 -- 30th Annual Military History Conference, El Paso, TX.  Contact:
CAMP '96 Conference, PO Box 1151, Fort Myer, VA 22211.  [Diane
Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]

5/1-3 -- First Conference on Research and Resource Management in Southern
Arizona National Park Areas, Hilton East Hotel, Tucson, AZ. 
Contact: Tim Tibbitts, ORPI, 520-387-7662, x 7114.  [Kathy Hiett,
CPSU/UA]

5/2-3 -- "Seeking a Public Audience for Federal History," Annual Meeting,
The Society for History in the Federal Government, Cliffside Inn,
Harpers Ferry, WV.  Lodging arrangements can be made by
contacting the Cliffside Inn (800-782-9437) before April 2nd. 
Contact: Bruce Noble, 304-535-6158.  [Bruce Noble, HAFE]

5/4-8 -- Annual Meeting, The American Association of Museums, Minneapolis,
MN.  Contact: AAM, 202-289-1818.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]

5/5-9 -- Annual Conference, National Association of Recreation Resource
Planners, Clearwater Beach, FL.  Contact: Al Gregory or Tim
Bradley, Florida Division of Recreation and Parks, 904-488-2200. 
[Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

5/7-10 -- "Fire and Ecosystem Management: Shifting the Paradigms from
Suppression to Prescription," Tall Timbers Fire Ecology
Conference, Boise Id.  Contact: Leonard Brennan, Tall Timbers
Research Station, 904-893-4153 ext.222; brennan@bio.fsu.edu. 
[Kathy Jope, CCSSO]

5/11-18* -- National River Cleanup Week.  The NPS is a federal partner in
this effort.  Since 1992, over 127,000 volunteers have
participated and cleaned over 36,000 miles of waterways. 
Contact: America Outdoors, 423-524-4814 (phone) or 423-525-4765
(fax).  [Bob Yearout, Concession, WASO]

5/15-18 -- Second National Conference, Women in Historic Preservation,
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.  Contact: ASU History
Department, Box 872501, Tempe, AZ 85287-2501.  [Diane Vogt
O'Connor, CSD/WASO]

5/17-19 -- "Friends of Trashed Rivers," Coalition to Restore Urban Waters
Conference, Chicago, IL.  Contact: Laurene Von Klan, 312-939-
0490.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

5/18-23* -- "Social Behavior, Natural Resources and the Environment," Sixth
International Symposium on Society and Natural Resources
Management, University Park, PA.  Contact: 814-865-8301.  [Sheila
Lee, T&GD/WASO]

5/19-23* -- "Wilderness and Natural Areas in Eastern North America: Research
Management and Planning," Gatlinburg, TN.  Contact: College of
Forestry, Stephen Austin State University, PO Box 6109,
Nacogodoches, TX 75962-6109.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

5/30-6/2 -- Annual Meeting, Society for Industrial Archeology, Sacramento,
CA.  Sponsored by California State Railroad Museum.  Contact:
916-445-7387 (phone), 916-327-5655 (fax), csrmf@ns.net, or
Duncan_Hay@nps.gov.  [Duncan Hay, NMSC]

6/1 -- National Trails Day.  Contact: American Hiking Society, 301-653-
6704.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

6/5-7 -- "Partnership Opportunities for Federally-Associated Collections,"
conference, Berkeley, CA.  Will address major issues pertaining
to long-term management of federally-associated collections. 
Contact: Fritz Stern, Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology, 510-
642-6271 (fax) or fstern@uclink3.berkeley.edu.  [Diane Vogt
O'Connor, CSD/WASO]

6/8-12 -- National Convention, Audubon Society, Washington, DC.  Contact:
Gail Turner, 301-499-0219.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

6/9-14 -- Seventeeth Annual Meeting, Society of Wetland Scientists, Kansas
City, MO.  Contact: David Wiley, 800-627-0629.  [Leslie Krueger,
AQ/WASO]

6/10-14 -- "Coast to Coast: 20 Years of Progress," 20th Annual Conference,
Association of State Floodplain Managers, San Diego, CA. 
Contact: Charlie Stockman, 202-343-3672.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

6/10-16 -- Annual Meeting, American Institute for Conservation of Historic
and Artistic Works (AIC), Norfolk, VA.  Contact: AIC, 202-452-
9545 (phone) or vnyaic@aol.com.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]

6/12-15 -- "New World: Historic Natural History Collections," Annual
Meeting, Society for the Preservation of Natural History
Collections, Philadelphia, PA.  Contact: Elana Benamy, Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 215-299-1137 or 1170 (phone) or
benamy@acnatsci.org.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, CSD/WASO]

6/20-24 -- "Beyond the Banks," American River Management Symposium,
Columbus, OH.  Contact: Caroline Tan, 406-549-0514.  [Sheila Lee,
T&GD/WASO]

6/20-24 -- Quarterly Meeting, Interagency Wild and Scenic River Coordinating
Council, Columbus, OH.  Contact: Chris Brown, 202-343-3758. 
[Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

7/9-12 -- "Wetlands '96: Forming Fair and Effective Partnerships,"
Association of State Wetland Managers National Symposium,
Washington, DC.  There will also be a session on wetland, flood
plain, and river on-line services and GIS applications.  Contact:
518-872-1804.  [Leslie Kreuger, AQ/WASO]

7/17-19 & 22-23 -- Annual Conference, Society of Ecological Restoration,
Brunswick, NJ.  Contact: 608-262-9547.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

8/4-7* -- 28th Annual Meeting, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation,
Sioux City, IA.  Contact: Robert Gatten, 910-334-5391, or Joy
Vogt, 605-945-3452.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

8/14-18* -- Oregon-California Trails Association Annual Convention, Elko, NV. 
Contact: Helen Sundall, 402-397-9794.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

8/25-29* -- Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Dearborn, MI. 
Contact: Frank Panek, 703-358-1856.  [Sheila Lee, T&GD/WASO]

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.

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

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