NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Tuesday, April 23, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET (DELAYED)

INCIDENTS

96-156 - Yosemite (California) - Search; Fatality

On the evening of April 18th, rangers received a report of an overdue hiker.
S.L., 38, a noted Yosemite artist and an avid hiker and rock
scrambler, was reported missing after he failed to meet an interviewer to
promote his recently released book.  A hasty search was begun that evening
after his vehicle was found parked near the base of Cathedral Rocks in
Yosemite Valley; he was not found, so the search continued the following day. 
S.L.'s body was discovered late in the day by two climbers who were
descending Middle Cathedral Rock.  He apparently fell about 50 feet into a
steep, rocky gully between Middle and Upper Cathedral Rocks and suffered
massive, traumatic injuries.  The search included about 70 ground searchers
and support staff, four search dog teams, and a helicopter.  Weather,
characterized by periods of rain, snow and freezing temperatures, may have
contributed to the accident that led to his death.  [CRO, YOSE]

96-157 - Olympic (Washington) - Search in Progress

The park received a report of two overdue hikers - a 30-year-old male and a
29-year-old female - in the Quinault area on Tuesday, April 16th. 
Information from the reporting party led rangers to the hikers' vehicle at
the North Fork trailhead.  The couple began their hike on Saturday, April
13th, and have a backcountry permit for a three-day hike on the Elip Loop
trail.  According to friends, the hikers have tents, sleeping bags, a cook
stove, and rain gear.  Searchers began looking for the pair on Tuesday,
covering portions of the North Fork, Irely Lake, and Elip Loop trails. 
Tracks that might have been theirs were found by a helicopter crew in the
late afternoon in the Kurtz Lake area, but snow storms forced them to abandon
operations before searchers could be flown to the area.  At the time of the
report last Thursday (received today), search efforts were focusing on the
suspected tracks and on other drainages.  Efforts were being hampered by rain
and six to ten inches of new snow.  [CRO, OLYM]

96-158 - Colonial (Virginia) - Aircraft Accident

The main rotor blade on a Marine Corps Sea Knight helicopter on a training
exercise on the James River near Jamestown apparently struck part of a Navy
ship and was damaged, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing on a
sandy beach along Colonial Parkway.  There was no damage to park resources,
and nobody was hurt.  The military plans to repair the Sea Knight on site and
fly it out of the park.  They are also conducting an investigation and
maintaining security for the helicopter.  Assistant chief ranger Hiram Barber
coordinated operations at the scene.  [Jim Burnett, CR, COLO]

96-159 - Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (Maryland/DC) - Special Event

Secretary Babbitt spent four days in the park last week, hiking 61 miles of
the towpath from Harpers Ferry to Georgetown in the District of Columbia.  He
decided to make the trek following January's flood, which caused an estimated
$20 million in damage to the park, and patterned it on a 1954 hike by Supreme
Court Justice William O. Douglas, who made his hike to convince skeptics to
save the canal and towpath from obliteration.  The hike began with a rally on
April 17th which was hosted by Harpers Ferry NHP, and concluded with hundreds
of participants from NPCA's annual "March for Parks" accompanying Secretary
Babbitt on the final three miles into Georgetown for a noontime rally. 
Babbitt was accompanied by park staff throughout the hike, and was joined at
various times by local, regional and national media, members of Congress,
local community leaders, school groups, volunteer organizations, outdoor
advocacy groups, and area residents.  The event received extensive media
coverage.  [Kevin Fitzgerald, CHOH]

96-160 - Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (Maryland/DC) - Special Event

On April 22nd, President Clinton and Vice President Gore visited the Great
Falls area of the park for two hours as part of their annual Earth Day
activities.  They walked out on to Olmstead Island, where they met with
members of the Montgomery County Youth Corps who are assisting with cleanup
and repair efforts stemming from last January's flood.  They worked briefly
with the group clearing debris, then went to the falls overlook, where
President Clinton gave his Earth Day speech to an audience of about 200
invited guests (including numerous VIPs), 150 school children and park staff. 
The event received extensive local and national media coverage.  [Kevin
Fitzgerald, CHOH]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - LEVEL II

The preparedness level has gone up one step.  Preparedness Level II goes into
effect when the following conditions are met: One geographic area
experiencing high fire danger.  Numerous Class A, B, and C fires occurring
and a potential exists for escapes to larger (project) fires.  Minimal
mobilization of resources from other geographic areas occurring.  The
potential exists for mobilizing additional resources from other geographic
areas.

LARGE FIRE SUMMARY

                                                                      %   Est
State      Unit                 Fire          IMT     4/22     4/23  Con  Con

 NM   Mescalero Agency      * Chino Wells      T1    6,800    7,100   20  NEC

 MO   Mark Twain NF         * Otter            --      235      235  100  NEC

Heading Notes

     Unit --    Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
                or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
                district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
     Fire --    * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
                limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
                strategy
     IMT --     T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
     % Con --   Percent of fire contained
     Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
                containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

3. FIRE NARRATIVES

Chino Wells Fire - The fire has burned through a housing development; 200
people were evacuated, but no homes have been destroyed.  

FIRES AND ACRES BURNED

                NPS     BIA      BLM     FWS    States     USFS      Total

Number            2       0        0       0       183       11        196
Acres Burned      5     300        0       0       949      128      1,382

COMMITTED RESOURCES 

               Crews     Engines     Helicopters     Airtankers     Overhead

Federal           41        20           13               3            160
Non-federal        0         6            0               0             24

CURRENT SITUATION 

Fire activity moderated in the Southwest yesterday, following a significant
increase over the weekend.  Tornado damage assessment is in progress on the
Ozark NF, where several areas of downed timber have been reported.

NATIONAL OUTLOOK 

Moderate fire activity is expected to continue in the Southwest.

[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 4/23]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No reports.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Reports pending.

MEMORANDA

"Employee Safety", signed by Director Kennedy and sent last week to members
of the National Leadership Council, with a reply date of June 7, 1996. 
Because of the consequence of the contents, the Associate Director,
Operations and Education, has asked that the full text (with minor ellipses)
be included in the Morning Report:

"I have some very disturbing news to share with you.  In the past two years,
nine members of our National Park Service family have died as a result of on-
the-job accidents.  They were nine men lost to families, friends, and co-
workers, and they were all hard-working, contributing members of this
organization.  Hundreds of other employees are injured each year.  In fact,
in 1995, 14 out of every 100 of us were hurt on the job, costing the American
taxpayer over $14,200,000 in OWCP benefits.  It is estimated that the hidden
costs associated with employee accidents is 300-400 percent higher than that. 
In just the first quarter of FY 1996, there was a 29 percent increase in OWCP
costs for the NPS, or $934,800 more than in the previous year.

"Does each of you know what the safety record is in your area of 
responsibility?  How many accidents have occurred in the last year?  Are
there fewer or more than in the previous year?  What are your OWCP and loss
time costs?  Are they going up or down?  What kind of emphasis do you and
your superintendents give to this program?

"The leadership of the National Park Service must take decisive action NOW to
stop these needless losses.  The recently approved Service's Risk Management
Strategic Plan....addresses the major components of an effective safety
program.  It is clear to me that if our safety record is to be reversed it
must be guided and pushed by you, but implemented and supported in the parks. 
The cluster level is where the action must take place and the improvement
occur.

"It is important that the following principles be integrated into each
operation:

1. There is nothing inherently wrong with curtailing an activity or
closing an area when weather or environmental conditions warrant such
action.  Self preservation must be an acceptable ethic, and employees
should not be pressured to do otherwise.
2. All personnel must be properly trained to understand the risks of their
jobs, to make an appropriate risk assessment of a situation, and to
proceed when they are not at high risk of injury unless absolutely
necessary to save a life, remembering that to lose a rescuer does
nothing for the victim.

3. 'Safety First, Every Job, Every Time' is the prevailing and accepted
work ethic, and is practiced by all employees.

4. Our goal should be zero tolerance for employee accidents and illnesses. 

5. We must get employees off the OWCP rolls and back to work.

"There are some excellent programs currently underway in the field, many of
which depend on private partnerships - the International Paper model in the
Southwest, Mount Rainier's connection with the Boeing Company, and the
excellent back to work programs at Lake Mead.  Other companies have expressed
an interest in developing partnerships with parks to provide mentoring
assistance in creating effective accident prevention programs.  We need to
pursue these relationships, and share successes.  Pilot projects at the
cluster level should be enthusiastically endorsed and encouraged.

"I would ask each of you to provide a Risk Management Status Report and
Action Plan to the Associate Director, Park Operations and Education Maureen
Finnerty by June 7th.  The status report should include, by park, your 1995
safety statistics and trends for the past five years associated with the
number of employees injured, work hours lost, and workers' compensation
benefits paid.  Also identify effective efforts currently underway at the
park level to improve safety.  The Action Plan must address accountability,
accident prevention, workers' compensation, and OSHA compliance.

"Dick Powell, Chief of Risk Management is available for consultation on
program direction and management, and to discuss how his division can support
your efforts....  I am asking each of you to personally meet with Dick to
discuss issues relating to risk management.

"I cannot stress enough the importance of stopping this needless loss of our
human and financial resources, and your essential role in making that happen. 
You must do whatever you can to create a new culture within your
organizations that embraces the absolute necessity to put safety first, every
job, every time."

EXCHANGE

"Retired" Patrol Vehicles Sought - The ranger training program at the
University of Maine at Presque Isle is looking for at least one (preferably
two) retired patrol vehicles.  They have limited resources for purchasing
such vehicles, and would appreciate assistance from any parks that might be
preparing to retire old patrol vehicles.  If you can help, contact Jack Lisco
at 207-768-9420 or via Internet at Lisco@polaris.umpi.maine.edu.
 
UPCOMING IN CONGRESS

The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming weeks
on matters pertaining to the National Park Service.  If you would like
further information on any of these hearings or bills, please contact Stacey
Rickard in WASO Legislation at 202-208-3636. 

April 23

House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 3127, to provide for the orderly disposal of Federal lands in
southern Nevada, and for the acquisition of certain environmentally sensitive
lands in Nevada.

April 24

House Appropriations' Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies (Regula):
Hearing on FY97 budget request for the Department of Interior.

April 25

Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Campbell): Hearing on S. 902, Natchez NHP; S.
951, White House endowment fund; S. 1098, Battle of Midway NM; H.R. 826, Big
Thicket NP; H.R. 1163, Fire Island NS.

May 15

Senate Appropriations' Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
(Gorton): Hearing on FY97 budget request for the Department of Interior.

OBSERVATIONS

"For every far-seeing conservationist, there have been scores or hundreds of
short-sighted practical persons who thought that we should be satisfied with
a small number of areas which in narrow boundaries preserved specific scenes
or wonders of nature.  They lost sight of the need for spacious areas, if the
wilderness, with its endowment of plant and animal life, is really to be
preserved as more than a museum piece."

                                  Horace Albright, Director, National
                                  Park Service, 1929-1933

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
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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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