NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, December 18, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-695 - Grand Canyon NP (Arizona) - Demonstration; Arrests

Approximately 30 people associated with Earth First and the Southwest Center
for Biological Diversity staged a protest on the South Rim on the afternoon
of December 16th.  They were demonstrating against a planned timber salvage
operation on the Kaibab National Forest.  All available law enforcement
rangers were called out to assist with the incident, which was managed under
ICS.  Six of the demonstrators were arrested for public assembly without a
permit and for failure to obey a lawful order; they were later released on
cash bail.  A seventh individual was arrested on an outstanding warrant out
of Ohio and was transported to the county jail to await extradition.  [David
Brennan, IC]

96-696 - Padre Island NS (Texas) - Alien Smuggling Convictions

On June 19th, park volunteers conducting beach patrols for endangered sea
turtles at various locations along the park's seashore began reporting a
series of events during the afternoon hours that led rangers to suspect an
undocumented alien smuggling operation was being conducted in the park. 
Rangers alerted Border Patrol agents, then began surveillance of one of the
involved vehicles, a white Astro van.  Rangers made contact with the operator
of this vehicle and were joined soon after by the responding Border Patrol
agents.  Several minutes later a Jeep Cherokee and a Chevrolet Suburban
arrived at the site.  The Suburban was carrying 14 undocumented aliens. 
Evidence at the scene linked all three vehicles, which were seized by Border
Patrol agents.  Four people - S.R., A.D., M.A.
and G.S. - were arrested and charged with smuggling the aliens. 
S.R. subsequently pled guilty to a felony charge, the others to misdemeanor
charges.  On December 13th, S.R. was sentenced in federal district court to
ten months in prison.  The other three men were previously sentenced to 45
days in jail.  Sanchez, an undocumented alien, was deported after completing
his sentence.  [CRO, PAIS]

96-697 - Everglades NP (Florida) - Special Event

On December 6th, the park dedicated and opened its new visitor center - the
last major step in rebuilding and recovering from the devastation of 1992's
Hurricane Andrew.  The new visitor center, which replaces one seriously
damaged by the storm, has been named for Ernest F. Coe, widely regarded as
the "father" of Everglades NP.  The dedication also marked the beginning of a
year-long series of events which will take place in 1997 to commemorate the
park's 50th anniversary.  The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the
annual Ernest Coe award to Dante Fascell, who represented south Florida in
the House of Representatives for 38 years and was instrumental in enlarging
and enhancing the protection of Everglades NP and creating Biscayne NP,
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge. 
Fascell also led efforts to restore the greater Everglades and south Florida
ecosystems, and to obtain emergency funding for the post-hurricane recovery
effort in south Dade County, including the funds to build the new visitor
center.  Over 300 people attended the dedication, which was followed by a
reception and open house tour of the new facility.  The event was run under
ICS; Bob Panko was IC.  [Deb Nordeen, IO, ICS Team]

96-698 - Wolf Trap Farm Park (Virginia) - Probable Suicide

On the afternoon of December 13th, the body of N.T., 31, was
found in a parked vehicle in the box office circle at the park.  He had died
from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.  N.T. was under the care of
a physician and suicide is suspected.  Park Police officers are
investigating.  [Bill Lynch, LES, NCFA]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Canyonlands NP (Utah) - Mine Closure

Canyonlands NP completed the second phase in the closure of abandoned uranium
mines in the Lathrop Canyon mining complex in early November.  The park was
the scene of much uranium exploration activity during the period from the
late 1940s through the establishment of the park in 1964.  The Lathrop Canyon
area was extensively mined and a total of seventeen adits (horizontal mine
entrances) were excavated.  In 1990, seven of those adits were closed with
cable nets.  This method has proved adequate, but was not considered
sufficient to constitute permanent closure.  In early November, the park
employed a Utah state prison conservation crew, the Flame-n-Goes, to close a
further six mine adits permanently with rocks.  The crew constructed rock
plugs ten feet thick using locally available material and completed the work
in just two days.  A further four adits were inventoried by a bat biologist
and were determined to be significant habitat for some of Utah's sensitive
bat species.  These mines will be closed in the future with bat gates,
possibly next spring, when funding and a contractor become available. (Craig
Hauke, RMS, CANY)

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Native Plant Conservation Initiative (NPCI) Proposals - For the past two
years, NPCI has funded plant conservation projects through a partnership with
the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  Last year, 27 projects totalling
$528,846 were funded, and as many projects will likely be funded in 1997. 
This is an important opportunity for native plant conservation projects to
receive much-needed funding.  Projects are being sought which involve as many
agencies and cooperators as possible.  To qualify, they need to be short-
term, on-the-ground conservation projects.  The 1997 proposal form is
available by sending a cc:Mail message with the words "NPCI/NFWF Proposal
Request" in the subject line to Peggy Olwell at NP-WASO-MIB (or
Peggy_Olwell@nps.gov via Internet); you will automatically receive a reply
with the proposal form attached.  Submissions are due by February 1st. 
Projects will likely be selected in February, with notifications by March
1st.  For more information, contact Peggy Olwell at 202-219-8933.  

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

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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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