NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Monday, January 6, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-707 - Western Areas - Follow-up on Storm Impacts

The impacts of the severe storms which have been striking the West Coast
since Christmas continue to be felt:

o Yosemite NP (California) - The storms caused severe damage in Yosemite
Valley and El Portal, which sustained major flooding last Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday.  Visitor use areas in Yosemite Valley became
virtual islands as the roadways between them were inundated by high
flood waters.  Upwards of 1,200 visitors and employees were trapped
during the peak of the flooding in the Curry Village area, the Yosemite
Lodge area, the Yosemite Village area, and at the Ahwahnee Hotel.  As
soon as the weather broke on Friday morning, nine medical cases were
flown out by helicopter; about 900 visitors were evacuated by caravan
on Highway 41 once waters receded sufficiently on Friday afternoon. 
Rivers were still high yesterday, but had dropped enough to make travel
inside the valley possible.  Assessments are underway, but it is
already clear that the park sustained major damage:

* Roads - Highway 41 is the only road into the valley, and has been
reduced to a single lane at one point.  Highway 120 is in good
shape, but can't be reached because the connecting road has been
undermined and cut to a width of five feet along a significant
stretch.  A 200 foot section of Highway 140 in the valley has
been completely eroded away, which also took out the park's sewer
line.  A significant section of 140 in El Portal was also largely
carried away by the flood.  The highway has accordingly been
closed below El Portal.  Only employees, residents and convoys
are being allowed in and out. 
* Sewage - The valley's sewage system is down because of the loss
of the pipeline along Highway 140.  Maintenance workers are
working on installation of a bypass, but it's estimated that it
won't be completed for between three and five days.  The park is
attempting to bring in portable toilets, but they are hard to
acquire because of the demand from other flooded areas in
California and Nevada. 
* Water - The wells which serve the valley were knocked out by the
flood.  Efforts to bring them back on line have so far failed. 
The park has enough potable water in storage to last through
Thursday, at best, and water can not be trucked in because of the
damage to roads.  Both park and concession staff in the valley
(at least 500 of the latter) will be dramatically reduced until
the water situation can be resolved.
* Electricity - The valley still has power, but three of the four
legs of one of the transmission line towers are unsupported due
to erosion.  The tower is on an island in the river, and can not
yet be reached by repair crews.
* Infrastructure - Assessments are still underway, but it is clear
that serious damage was inflicted on concessioner buildings and
most valley campgrounds, trails and road bridges.

 Because of the extent of the damage, the park requested the assistance
of a national Type I incident management team.  The closest such team,
headed by the Forest Service's Dave Kohut, arrived on scene this
weekend and has received the following delegation of authority:

* Provide for the safety and living needs of employees.
* Coordinate a damage assessment and evaluation.
* Assume public information responsibilities.
* Coordinate repair and rehabilitation of facilities.

 Hunter Sharp is the park's representative on the incident management
team; Glen Rothell is deputy operations chief.  Additional details will
appear in future Morning Reports.

o Lassen Volcanic NP (California) - Over 26 inches of rain fell at park
headquarters between December 22nd and January 3rd.  Highway 36 between
Red Bluff and Chester, which parallels the south boundary, is currently
closed.  Highway 44 on the north side of the park was closed but has
been reopened.  The intake system and main line of the water system
that serves park headquarters and the housing area in Mineral sustained
major damage and is essentially out of service.  Park residents are
obtaining treated drinking water from a portable tank.  Maintenance
anticipates that the system will be back on line by Wednesday.  A
mudslide about 100 yards long and four to eight feet deep has blocked
Highway 89, the park access road, a half mile north of the south
boundary, completely cutting off access to the Chalet, the park's
primary winter use area and site of public snowshoe walks and winter
school programs.  There is no known damage to buildings at this time. 
The Manzanita Lake dam was monitored throughout the storm, but
weathered it without problems.  Maintenance workers and rangers will be
checking outlying areas for damage as conditions permit.

o Redwood NP (California) -  Heavy rains and snow melt raised all rivers
and creeks above flood stage between Tuesday and Thursday.  The park
was split in two and several communities around the park were isolated
for up to 36 hours due to the flooding.  Highways running through the
park were closed in several areas; some spots had over eight feet of
water flowing over the road.  Rangers helped to evacuate the town of
Klamath, and assisted the sheriff's department in patrolling for
looters and providing traffic control and emergency food and medication
deliveries by helicopter or boat.  All campgrounds have been closed due
to flood or landslide damage.  The maintenance facility and south area
offices were closed because high water cut off access to them.  These
areas also contain park housing, and a few employees were stranded. 
Some park roads are closed due to road failure.  The most serious road
closure is the access road to the Tall Trees Grove, which contains
several of the world's tallest trees.  A thirty foot section of road
gave way and slid 200 feet downslope.

o Olympic NP (Washington) - The series of storms that struck Washington
dropped a foot of snow by December 28th and another three feet of snow
fell on Clallam County on the northern Olympic Peninsula throughout
that night.  All roads were rendered impassable.  The park contacted
various agency representatives the next day to offer assistance.  On
the 30th, park road and protection personnel employed snow plows and
loaders to retrieve four pieces of snow removal equipment on the
Hurricane Ridge road.  Two skiers who were stranded in the area were
also contacted and transported out.  Throughout the next few days, park
personnel employed heavy snow removal equipment to assist the state,
county and city of Port Angeles in removing snow from local roads. 
About ten miles of Highway 101 adjacent to Lake Crescent were closed
for three days due to heavy drifting and avalanches.  The early opening
of this road to one way traffic and emergency passage was primarily due
to the efforts of park staff and equipment.  Other areas on the west
side of the park were affected by high winds, heavy rain and swollen
rivers.  Rangers and maintenance personnel are assisting stranded
campers, hikers and motorists.

o San Juan NHP (Washington) - Despite heavy snows, the park came through
the storm with little damage.  The American Camp unit access road and
visitor center are open, but the English Camp access road remains
closed by snow (the visitor center is normally closed in winter).  

[Hal Grovert, Assistant Superintendent, YOSE; Russ Lesko, PIO, LAVO; Dana
Sullivan, REDW; Roger Rudolph, Assistant Superintendent, OLYM; Bill Gleason,
CR, SAJH]

96-715 - Lake Mead NRA (Nevada/Arizona) - Drowning

Lake Mead marina security was asked to check on a missing and overdue person
on December 29th.  D.C., 52, of Las Vegas, told his wife that he was
going out on the lake for the night and had not returned home.  Security
checked the boat, which was slipped at the marina, and found it open with the
radio on and the keys to the dock gate next to the boat.  The park was
notified the next day.  The dive team located D.C.'s body in 28 feet of
water near the slip.  There was no evidence of foul play.  Alcohol is
believed to have been a factor.  [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME]

96-716 - Lake Roosevelt NRA (Washington) - Boat Sinking; Oil Spill

During the afternoon of December 30th, a privately-owned, twin-engine 42 foot
cabin cruiser sank in a rented slip at the Seven Bays Marina, a park
concession.  The vessel came to rest at the end of its dock lines about 20
feet above the bottom of the lake.  The owner estimated that there was about
125 gallons of fuel in the boat; about 20 to 30 gallons and some oil have
leaked into the lake.  Containment booms were deployed and absorbent pads
employed to soak up the spill.  Park divers were able to help stabilize the
boat, turn off its electrical system, and tighten both gas tank caps to
reduce spillage.  The owner is attempting to salvage the vessel with a
commercial contractor.  The cause of the accident won't be known until the
boat is removed from the water and inspected.  The gasoline is dissipating,
and appears to have done no harm to wildlife.  [Marty Huseman, Acting CR,
LARO]

97-2 - Lowell NHP (Massachusetts) - Death of Employee

Ranger Ray Harding passed away on Friday, January 3rd, after a long battle
with cancer.  A funeral mass will be celebrated tomorrow at noon at St.
Joseph's Church in Pepperell, Massachusetts.  Calling hours are today at the
T.J. Anderson and Son Funeral home in Townsend.  Memorial contributions may
be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA. 
[LOWE]

97-3 - Yellowstone NP (Wyoming) - Road Closure

The park was closed to all oversnow vehicles on the afternoon of January 3rd 
because conditions had deteriorated to the point of being unsafe for
travellers.  Warm weather had caused snow to melt and what was left on the
park's roads had been deeply rutted by snowcoaches.  The closure will be
lifted this morning.  [Marsha Karle, PIO, YELL]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Yellowstone NP (Wyoming) - Bison Removal

Bison have begun to migrate near Stephens Creek along the northern boundary
of the park.  The interim bison management plan, approved and signed on
August 5, 1996, requires that all bison along the northern boundary moving
toward adjacent private land where cattle are grazed must be captured and
transported to certified slaughtering facilities.  Four bull bison were
discovered by rangers near the creek on the morning of January 4th.  They
were accordingly captured and trucked away to such a facility.  [Marsha
Karle, PIO, YELL]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA


No submissions.

EXCHANGE

Mountain Bike MOUs - Delaware Water Gap is developing an MOU with a local
mountain bike association and would like to hear from any park which could
provide a model agreement for reference.  Please contact Wayne Valentine at
NP-DEWA.

TRAINING AND WORKSHOP CALENDAR

Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains training courses and workshops, and a second, which contains
meetings, conferences and events.  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.

1/13-14 -- Files Improvement, National Archives, College Park, MD. 
Fundamentals of developing and using filing systems for the
management of federal records, including principals, case filing,
subject filing, practices, technology (including electronic
records), and applications.  Cost: $280.  Contact: George Chalou,
301-713-7100 x 259.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

1/19-24 -- School of RV Park and Campground Management, Oglebay Park,
Wheeling, WV.  The school is divided into two phases of four days
each in consecutive Januarys.  Training on all aspects of
campground facility management and operation.  Cost: $710,
including room and board.  Contact: Sue George, 800-624-6988,
ext. 4019, or 304-243-4019.  [Mark Maciha, CACA]

1/27-2/7* -- Modern Archives Institute, National Archives, College Park, MD. 
Survey of basic archival functions, including acquisitions,
appraisals, disposition, arrangement, description, preservation,
reference service, and outreach.  Cost: $525.  Contact: George
Chalou, 301-713-7100 x 259.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

1/29-31 -- "Federal and International Scientific Permits: A Workshop for
Natural History Museums and Collectors," San Diego, CA.  Contact:
619-232-3821 ext. 226 (phone); 619-232-0248 (fax);
libsdnhm@class.org (Internet).  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

2/10 -- Introduction to Records Management, National Archives, College
Park, MD.  Overview of records operations, including
understanding terminology, concepts and requirements of records
management, introductory electronic records management, and
disposition programs.  Prospective attendees must register at
least three weeks in advance.  Cost: $140.  Contact: George
Chalou, 301-713-7100 x 259.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

2/11-12 -- Disposition of Electronic Records, National Archives, College
Park, MD.  Cost: $140.  Contact: George Chalou, 301-713-7100 x
259.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

2/13 -- Electronics Records Issues, National Archives, College Park, MD. 
Overview of the major issues and problems faced in managing
federal electronic records.  Cost: $140.  Contact: George Chalou,
301-713-7100 x 259.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

2/19-21 -- Window Conference and Exposition for Historic Buildings II,
Washington, DC.  Over 60 experts will discuss appropriate repair
and replacement of same.  Tours, workshops, and exhibits by over
40 manufacturers and repair companies.  Registration: $295. 
Technical workshops will b offered after the conference; AIA
continuing education credits will be offered.  Contact: Either
Brooks Prueher, 202-343-1185 (phone) or at NP-WASO-HPS (cc:Mail). 
[Brooks Prueher, HPS/WASO]

2/20-23* -- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing: Basic and Advanced Courses,
Albuquerque, NM.  Courses will be taught by Jeffrey Mitchell and
will cover critical incident stress debriefing and other aspects
of stress management programs.  Contact: Institute for Advanced
Studies in Crisis and Disaster Management, 410-995-5124, or Deb
Boehme, New Mexico CISM, 505-827-1421.  [Mark Maciha, CACA]

2/24  -- Managing Audiovisual Records, National Archives, College Park,
MD.  Management of the special problems and requirements of
audiovisual records in a federal agency.  Contact: George Chalou,
301-713-7100 x 259.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

3/24-4/4* -- Special Operations Training, Tucson, AZ.  The course is designed
for personnel who are directly involved in special law
enforcement operations in NPS areas.  One-page nomination forms
must be received in FLETC by close of business on February 12th. 
Tuition and per diem during training will be paid by a special
account; travel costs are paid by benefitting park accounts. 
Contact: Aniceto Olais, ORPI, at NP-SOAR or 520-387-7661
extension 7201.  [Aniceto Olais, ORPI]

4/7-11 -- Basic Technical Rescue, Canyonlands NP, Moab, UT.  No tuition;
other costs funded by benefitting accounts.  Program code 5399. 
One-page nominations are to be sent to Ken Phillips at Grand
Canyon NP by February 15th.  [Charles Anibal, 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.

                                  --- ### ---