NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, April 11, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

                            *** NOTICE ***

The White House has ordered that all flags which were lowered to half staff
in tribute to Commerce Secretary Ron Brown are to be returned to full staff
effective this morning.

INCIDENTS

93-510 - Zion (Utah) - Follow-up on Lawsuit

On July 15, 1993, L.E. and D.F. drowned while leading a
group of five Boy Scouts on a technical route through Kolob Creek near the
northern boundary of the park.  A third adult leader and the five Scouts
survived the cold, fast moving water by moving onto a small ledge out of the
water and waiting for rescue.  After they were reported overdue, an extensive
helicopter search in very rugged terrain was initiated.  The six survivors
were located and rescued on July 19th through a cooperative effort by
Washington County sheriff's officers and the park's SAR team.  The body of
K.E. was retrieved the same day; D.F.'s body was not located and
retrieved until ten days later because of extremely high, cold water and
steep narrow terrain.  The latter recovery effort was one of the most
technically demanding and hazardous retrievals undertaken by the combined
county/park SAR team.  On January 3, 1994, the park received multiple tort
claims for a total of about $24.5 million dollars from attorneys representing
families of both victims and survivors.  The plaintiffs alleged that there
was a failure to warn them of how dangerous the route would be because of
high water flow releases from a dam above the slot canyon route they
attempted.  The tort claim was subsequently denied.  All but one of the
survivors then joined in a civil suit against the park and the Washington
County Water Conservancy District for unspecified damages.  The case has
generated substantial interest by the public, resulting in numerous newspaper
and magazine articles.  The media focus has centered around the issue of
personal responsibility for safety versus the government role of attempting
to judge personal skills and abilities of backcountry users.  Media interest
was raised recently when the government discovered the surviving adult scout
leader was debriefed soon after their rescue by officials of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (many scouting groups are sponsored by LDS
churches.)  The debriefing was recorded and transcribed by church leaders. 
The plaintiffs argue that the documents are protected by clergy privilege and
a judge is now reviewing the documents to make a final determination on
whether or not any of the information will be released.  On April 24th,
government attorneys will argue for dismissal of this case based upon four
issues:
 
o whether the park's decisions with respect to furnishing information to
its visitors involve the permissible exercise of policy judgement and
are protected by the discretionary function exception to the Federal
Tort Claims Act;

o whether liability of the United States is also barred in this case by
the misrepresentation exception to the Federal Tort Claims Act;

o whether, under Utah negligence law, the United States had an actionable
duty of care toward the plaintiffs or their decedents upon which
liability can be based; and

o whether the plaintiffs' claims against the United States are barred by
the Utah Limitation of Landowner Liability Act.

If the case is not dismissed the trial will probably go forward in late June
of 1996.  [Denny Davies, PIO, ZION]

96-136 - Whiskeytown (California) - Shooting

During the early evening of Saturday, April 6th, ranger Bill Watkins was
dispatched to Mercy Hospital to investigate a shooting incident that took
place at Brandy Creek around 5 p.m. that afternoon.  The victim, P.W.,
31, of Modesto, California, said that he was walking at Brandy
Creek beach with two other friends when they approached a picnic table where
a group of men were sitting.  One of them accosted P.W., and a
shouting match ensued.  This in turn led to a wrestling match, during which
the man with whom P.W. was struggling pulled out a handgun.  There
was a struggle for the weapon, and P.W. was shot once in the left
thigh.  The assailant and his friends left the area immediately after the
incident.  P.W. has so far declined to press charges.  The incident
is under investigation.  [Larry Carr, CR, WHIS]

96-137 - National Capital Parks (D.C.) - Armed Robbery Arrests

Park Police officer R. Matias apprehended and arrested two adults and a
juvenile on the morning of April 2nd for an armed robbery which had just
taken place in Fort Totten Park.  It's believed that the trio have been
responsible for a series of armed robberies and assaults in the area around
the park over the past 18 months.  The investigation is continuing.  [Bill
Lynch, LES, NCFDO]

96-138 - Delaware Water Gap (Pennsylvania/New Jersey) - Drug Incident

A fire was detected along the Appalachian Trail on the New Jersey side of the
park on April 6th.  While hiking in to size up the fire, ranger Pete Roehrs
encountered a group of eight men, five of them doctors, who'd been in the
area of the fire.  One member of the group, Syed Hyder, was very ill, and an
ambulance was summoned to pick him up at the trailhead.  In their hurry to
escape the fire, the members of the group had discarded packs, clothing, and
other camping equipment.  These items, many of them burned, were found spread
throughout the fire scene.  Further investigation revealed that several
members of the group were in possession of controlled substances.  A criminal
investigation into the origins of the fire is underway, and additional
charges against members of the group are pending.  [CR, DEWA]

96-139 - Natchez Trace (Mississippi/Alabama/Tennessee) - MVA with Fatality

In the early hours of Friday, April 5th, a 1988 GMC driven by R.R.,
25, drifted off the northbound lane, rolled five times and came to rest 800
feet from the parkway.  Both R.R. and his passenger, 30-year-old G.G.
of Verona, Mississippi, were ejected from the vehicle.  G.G. was
pronounced dead at the scene; R.R., who sustained a fractured rib,
lacerations, and contusions, was treated and released.  R.R. has been
charged with driving while his license was suspended.  An investigation is
underway into the cause of the accident.  [Anthony Steward, Chief of
Communications, NATR]

96-140 - Whiskeytown (California) - Sexual Assault Conviction

On April 2nd, B.Y., 36, of Anderson, California, was sentenced to a
stipulated term of six years in prison for sexual assault on a 12-year-old
girl in Oak Bottom campground on May 27, 1995.  B.Y. had pled guilty to the
charge.  A joint investigation involving the park, the Shasta County
sheriff's and DA's offices, and the Anderson police department revealed
additional assaults on at least one other child, but outside the park.  [Alan
Foster, WHIS]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Prince William (Virginia) - Mine Reclamation

The Cabin Branch pyrite mine reclamation project was completed this past
October, and site recovery is now well underway.  During the reclamation
effort, approximately seven acres of highly acidic pyrite mine tailings were
removed, treated with lime, and buried under a foot of clean topsoil in order
to come into compliance with EPA storm water regulations.  Eight mine shafts
were sealed with  reinforced cement caps and covered with soil.  The entire
site was seeded and is now in the process of "healing."  Trees and shrubs
donated by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) and
purchased with a $3,500 grant from the Virginia Division of Conservation and
Recreation were planted by local volunteers in late March to further aid in
stabilization of the site and, in particular, the half mile of stream bank
that runs through the site. The project was conducted through a memorandum of
agreement between the NPS and DMMM.  Project funding consisted of a grant of
$75,000 from EPA, $40,000 in funds from the WASO Water Resources Division,
and $20,000 in emergency funds from the National Capital Area (to close four
additional shafts uncovered during the project).  The primary goal of the
project was to bring the site into compliance with EPA storm water
regulations; the mitigation of on-site safety hazards was an additional
benefit derived from the project.  The completion of this project is truly a
success story, since there is no designated funding source for abandoned mine
reclamation in the NPS.  Parks must rely on a variety of funding sources -
often ONPS park base funding - to accomplish these projects.  With the
reclamation project behind it, the park now will move forward with plans to
restore the wetland habitat of Quantico Creek, which runs through the site,
and restore a hiking trail to the site.  [PRWI]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Special Park Uses - Several activities regarding special park uses are
currently underway:

o Part 14 of 36 CFR is being edited for submission to the Department.

o A filming policy is being prepared which will be published in NPS-53,
the special park uses guideline, and as a separate procedures manual.
o The NPS-53 work group will be meeting in Washington at the end of this
month to complete at least a draft of both the guideline and the
filming policy manual for field review.

o Numerous questions have been raised regarding Deputy Director Reynolds'
memo of February 27th regarding special park use fees.  A second memo
has been sent to SSO and FAO special park use coordinators for
dissemination to superintendents in their areas.  This memo will
explain several points, provide examples, and answer several commonly-
asked questions.

[Dick Young, RAD/WASO @ COLO]

MEMORANDA

"National Recreation Reservation System", signed by Director Kennedy and sent
to all superintendents and field directors.  Since a reply is due by April
30th from some areas, the full text is included here and follows:

"On October 25, 1995, the National Park Service (NPS) took the first step in
a major commitment to improve the service we offer our recreational visitors. 
On that day, we joined with our sister agencies, U.S. Forest Service, U.S.
Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Land Management, to sign an agreement
that will provide a single toll free phone number for American families
seeking campground reservations and other recreation experiences at the areas
we manage.

"This joint reservation system makes sense for the American people and it
makes sense for the NPS.  It was highlighted by the Vice President in an
address to the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism last year and is
one component of the commitment Jack Ward Thomas, Chief, U.S. Forest Service
(USFS) and I have made to improve services to visitors to our facilities.  In
addition to the joint reservation system, we are working with the USFS and
other partners to develop a prototype national recreation information system. 
Chief Thomas and I will be briefing Vice President Gore on our progress on
these initiatives in the very near future.

"The Request for Proposal to run the recreation reservation system will be
issued later this spring.  It is our intention to have the new system in
place in time for the 1997 visitor season.


"The NPS is committed to full participation in this system and must be a full
partner. 

"All parks that participate in the current reservation system will move to
the new system (Acadia National Park, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Grand
Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Death Valley
National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park,
Sequoia National Park, Shenandoah National Park, Whiskeytown National
Recreation Area, Yosemite National Park, and Mammoth Cave National Park).  

"In addition, other units have been identified as candidates for inclusion in
the new system.  [Editor's note: These parks, listed in an attachment to the
memorandum, are the Washington Monument, White House, Denali National Park,
Glacier Bay National Park, Katmai National Park, Apostle Islands National
Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, Ozark
National Scenic Riverways, Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore, Bryce
Canyon National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Great
Sand Dunes National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Yellowstone National
Park, Zion National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Channel Islands
National Park, Coulee Dam National Recreation Area, Ft. Point National
Monument, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area,
Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, Muir Woods National
Monument, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, USS Arizona
Memorial, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Blue Ridge
Parkway, Everglades National Park, and Gulf Islands National Seashore] 

"While many parks are looking at the cost of operating campgrounds and
considering alternatives to NPS management, the impact of pending fee
legislation must be considered as well as the loss of fee revenue to the park
and the NPS budget.  In any event, campgrounds, regardless of who manages
them, can and should be part of the national reservation system.  

"By early May, we must identify the scope of NPS inventory that will be
offered through the new reservation system.  If your park is on the list of
expansion candidates and there are compelling reasons why it should be taken
off please contact Maureen Finnerty, Associate Director, Park Operations and
Education by April 30, 1996.  Parks not on this list that should be included
in the new system should communicate via the same route."

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

OBSERVATIONS

Today's "Observation" was provided by Marianne Mills, of Badlands:

"If Nature is to survive in all its complexity, an awful lot of people from
very diverse groups must agree that it is a mother lode of inner as well as
material resources that in some way enriches everyone.  Although we often
overlook or disparage as romantic the effects of natural stimuli on our well-
being, an expanding body of eclectic research shows that almost all of us
rely on nature - whether it is sprouting in a pot or stretching as far as the
eye can see - to excite our senses, restore our nerves, invite us to play,
enhance our social bonds, and supply meaning and metaphor to our lives."

                                Winifred Gallagher, "The Power of
                                Place"

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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