NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, May 31, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-245 - Everglades (Florida) - Death of Employee

Denver Service Center architect William J. Cahmann, 26, was killed in a head-
on collision involving three motor vehicles just a few minutes before
midnight on May 29th.  The accident occurred at a spot on U.S. 1 about four
miles south of Florida City where the road is only two lanes wide.  He was
the project supervisor for the construction of the main visitor center at
park headquarters, and was living in Key Largo while on assignment.  He was
headed in that direction at the time of the accident.  The Florida highway
patrol is investigating.  [Phil Selleck, LES, EVER]

96-246 - Vicksburg (Mississippi) - Special Event

The Olympic torch relay train arrived in Vicksburg on May 26th.  Thirteen
runners carried the flame through downtown Vicksburg as the train moved onto
the old Mississippi River bridge adjacent to the park's riverfront battery
units.  Rangers from Vicksburg, Natchez Trace and Natchez NHP provided
security and crowd control at the Naval and Louisiana circles, where black
powder cannons were set-up to fire as part of the Olympic celebration.  About
40,000 people crowded adjacent areas to watch the torch runners and grand
finale.  The last runner returned the flame to the bridge at 1:15 a.m. and
relit the Olympic cauldron.  When the train was clear of the bridge, Zambelli
Internationale began a 20-minute fireworks display, and the Mississippi River
batteries were fired for the first time since the Civil War.  Twelve charges
(no projectiles) were fired from six black powder cannons by the park's
living history crew, the First Mississippi Light Artillery, the Washington
Artillery of New Orleans, Boone's Louisiana Battery and Turner's Mississippi
Battery.  No incidents occurred.  [Gregory Zeman, Chief of Ops, VICK]

96-247 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Special Event

On Tuesday, May 28th, three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee,
escorted by horse-mounted rangers from the park, carried the Olympic torch
through the park to the Overlook stage, where a cauldron was lit.  Composer
John Williams conducted the St. Louis Symphony, which performed his Olympic
theme music.  The evening culminated with a grand fireworks display.  Georgia
and Missouri state troopers and county and city police officers provided
assistance.  There were no significant incidents.  [Deryl Stone, CR, JEFF]

96-248 - Vicksburg (Mississippi) - Larceny Arrest

The park's cooperating association reported the theft of a U.S. Mint
commemorative Civil War double coin set on the afternoon of May 21st. 
Rangers reviewed the video tape from the park's security camera and
discovered that a man had reached over the counter top and taken the set. 
Clerks were able to give a complete description, and also noted that the man
was seen carrying a small blue box containing several park passports.  His
description was disseminated throughout the park.  Rangers at the USS Cairo
museum spotted the man - still carrying the blue box - at the museum the
following morning.  They radioed the license plate number and description of
his vehicle to protection rangers.  Ranger Tim Mauch stopped the man,
identified as A.C., 56, of Hollywood, Florida.  He initially denied
taking the coins, but recanted when he learned of the videotape.  A court 
appearance is pending.  [Gregory Zeman, Chief of Ops, VICK]

96-249 - Lava Beds (California) - Rescue

P.M., 16, and students from a local high school were exploring lava
tube caves in the Symbol Bridge area of the park on May 25th when P.M.
became wedged in the entrance to a small lava cave.  Teachers and students
spent almost two hours attempting to free her before notifying park staff.  A
six-person rescue team rendezvoused at the site.  When they arrived, group
members were gathering vehicle jacks with the intention of moving the rocks
away from P.M..  The rescue team took charge of the scene and halted this
hazardous project.  Resource technician Chris Roundtree worked through
another access to the cave and was able to help P.M. free herself.  She was
released after a medical assessment revealed that she was uninjured.  [CRO,
LABE]

96-250 - Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Maryland) - Assist; Sexual Assault

In the early morning hours of May 29th, Park Police officers responded to a
report of a sexual assault at the Department of Agriculture's research center
in Beltsville (Park Police provide enforcement for the site through an MOU
with Agriculture).  The adult and juvenile victims had been abducted from
city streets by two men, driven to the site, then raped and assaulted.  One
of the two men was apprehended in the area; the second fled into nearby woods
and remains at large despite a search by helicopter, dog units and SWAT
officers.  The investigation continues.  [Bill Lynch, LES, NCFDO]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE SUMMARY

                                                                     %   Est
State      Unit                Fire          IMT     5/30     5/31  Con  Con

FL    Florida NF             Magnolia         --      526      526  100  CND 

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

FIRES AND ACRES BURNED

                NPS     BIA      BLM     FWS    States     USFS      Total

Number            1       4        2       0        32       15         86
Acres Burned      0       3      401       0        24       17        469 

COMMITTED RESOURCES 

               Crews     Engines     Helicopters     Airtankers     Overhead

Federal           24        53           11               2             35
Non-federal        0         2            0               0              0

CURRENT SITUATION 

No significant fire activity was reported yesterday.  There was some minor
initial attack in the Southwest.  

NATIONAL OUTLOOK 

Hot and dry weather is forecast for southern California and the Southwest for
the coming weekend, which will increase the possibility for initial attack. 
The area remains at preparedness level IV.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/31]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Visitor Services Project Studies - Requests for 1997 visitor services project
studies are due in the Office of Interpretation and Education, WASO, by May
31st.  If you intend to request a study and are not going to make the
deadline (today), please contact Corky Mayo at NP-WASO-FMD or call him at
202-523-5270.  The project advisory board will convene on June 12th to
consider the projects selected for next year.  [Corky Mayo, OIE/WASO]

SCA Requests - Student Conservation Association (SCA) cooperators need to
submit their winter/spring 1997 resource assistant program requests as soon
as possible.  SCA has already begun processing requests for its listing for
winter/spring seasons, which is to be printed in early July.  Questions
should be directed to SCA headquarters at 603-543-1700.  [R. Flip Hagood,
SCA]

Golden Age Passports - Questions have arisen regarding the issuance of Golden
Age passports.  National Park Service policy, as stated in NPS-22, the
recreation fee guideline, requires that applications for passports must be
made in person.  NPS-22 is now under review, and consideration will be given
to permitting issuance through the mails.  The current policy will remain in
effect until further notice.  [Tim Stone, RAD/WASO]

Rocky Mountain NP Overflight Reg Comments - The 90-day public comment period
has begun for a proposed rulemaking which could lead to a ban on commercial
tour overflights of the park.  At present, there are no tour operations
overflying the park, but a number of companies have expressed interest in
beginning such businesses.  Although the park has the support of its gateway
communities, local county governments and a majority of the state's
Congressional delegation, additional support for "alternative one" - a total
ban on commercial aviation sightseeing tours - will be critical to this
effort.  Your assistance is solicited, as any other resolution to the issue
could lead to negative impacts on other parks.  Comments should be sent IN
TRIPLICATE to: Rules Docket (AGC-200), Docket #28577, 800 Independence Avenue
SW, Washington, DC 20591.  Comments MUST be marked "Docket #28577."  They can
also be sent in via Internet to: nprmcmts@mail.hq.faa.gov.  The comment
period ends on August 7th.  A copy of your letter should also be sent to the
superintendent of Rocky Mountain NP.  Questions may be directed to Sheridan
Steele at 970-586-1202 or Ken Czarnowski at 970-586-1263.  [Joe Evans, CR,
ROMO]

FLETC Memorial - The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
dedicated a new memorial during this year's Peace Officers' Memorial Day
ceremony.  Among the names listed was that of Yellowstone ranger Robert Mahn,
who was killed in a snowmobile accident while performing law enforcement
duties on January 17, 1994.  The original memorial, dedicated in 1986,
contains the names of 23 FLETC basic training graduates who have died in the
line of duty since the center's inception in 1970.  The new and much larger
memorial contains the names of another 82 graduates.  Eight of those added
this year were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing.  Lynn Smith from WASO
represented Director Kennedy.  [Paul Henry, Superintendent, NPS/FLETC]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

OBSERVATIONS

Today's "Observation" is the last of a series of excerpts from two
compilations of quotes published by the Department of Interior, one in 1954
and the other in 1966.  On Monday, the Morning Report will begin carrying the
numerous and varied observations submitted by employees from around the
National Park Service.

"Men need to know the elemental challenges that sea and mountains present. 
They need to know what it is to be alive and to survive when great storms
come.  They need to unlock the secrets of streams, lakes, and canyons and to
find how these treasures are veritable storehouses of inspiration.  They must
experience the sense of mastery of adversity.  They must find a peak or a
ridge that they can reach under their own power alone."

                                   Justice William O. Douglas, from
                                   "Quotes: Conservation, Parks,
                                   Natural Beauty," DOI, 1966

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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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