NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, January 29, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-707 - Yosemite NP (California) - Follow-up on Winter Storm Impacts

Congressman John Doolittle, members of his staff and several media
representatives visited the park on Monday.  Good weather has permitted crews
to resume work on the temporary sewer line and the temporary road connection
between El Portal and Yosemite Valley.  Significant progress was made on both
projects yesterday.  The mud slide which occurred in the El Portal area on
Sunday has been cleaned up.  A Job Corps crew from Mariposa County, comprised
of people left unemployed by the flooding, began working in the park on
Tuesday.  A recovery planning group, consisting of engineers, resource
specialists, and other professionals, is completing work on the preliminary
recovery needs analysis, which includes a damage assessment.  A total of 649
people (563 NPS, 36 Forest Service, 11 CDF, 36 Mariposa County, two BLM and
one USGS) are currently committed to the incident.  [Greg Stiles, Plans
Chief, "Highwater '97A Incident", YOSE, 1/28 and 1/29]

97-18 - Cape Hatteras NS (North Carolina) - Follow-up on Shooting

Jackie Harrison, 42, of Hatteras has died from an apparent self-inflicted
gunshot wound to the head.  Rangers and representatives from the county
sheriff's office are conducting a joint investigation of the January 14th
shooting.  [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 1/26]

97-29 - National Capital Parks East (D.C.) - Rescue

On Sunday, January 26th, 79-year-old M.C. of Charlottesville,
Virginia, was rescued by Park Police officer Jeffrey Muller after a vehicle
in which she'd been riding rolled into the Anacostia River.  Muller had
stopped to assist M.C. and her 86-year-old husband.  Shortly after Mr.
C. left the vehicle to talk with the officer, it began to roll toward the
river.  Muller attempted to stop it and pull Mrs. C free, but was unable
to do so before the car plunged into the river.  Muller then entered the
river and tried unsuccessfully to open the car door.  He employed his service
revolver to break a window, but was still unable to reach her.  Once the
vehicle sank, however, he was able to get the door open, extricate M.C. and
pull her to shore.  M.C. was admitted to a local hospital for treatment of
a heart problem and hypothermia.  Muller was also treated for hypothermia. 
[Bill Lynch, LES, NCFA, 1/27]

97-30 - New River Gorge NR (West Virginia) - Attempted Suicide

On the afternoon of January 19th, a local man, age 40, threatened to commit
suicide by jumping from the New River Gorge Bridge or by shooting himself. 
After being involved in a minor accident with another vehicle in the Ames
Heights area, he fled the scene of the accident, drove to the middle of the
bridge, got out of the vehicle with a handgun, and sat on the bridge rail
(the distance from the top of the bridge to the river below is 876 feet). 
Rangers and state and county officers responded to the call and blocked
traffic at both ends of the bridge.  The man threatened to jump from the
bridge and periodically held the gun to his head, threatening to shoot
himself.  After a three-hour stand-off and intense negotiations, the man
finally agreed to put down the gun and talk to the  negotiators.  He
eventually agreed to drive off the bridge and to meet and talk with law
enforcement officers, who had promised not to arrest him.  The man was found
to be despondent over a recent breakup with his wife; he was given immediate
counseling by a minister and was offered follow-up counseling with a
professional service.  The bridge was closed to all traffic during the long
stand-off.  Traffic was backed up for several miles in each direction on
Route 19, a major, four-lane, north-south highway.  [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon
District, NERI, 1/19].

97-31 - Shenandoah NP (Virginia) - Execution of Poaching Warrants

Rangers and criminal investigators from Shenandoah and Blue Ridge Parkway,
together with city, county, state and Forest Service officers, executed
search warrants on January 25th at the residences of four male juveniles in
the Waynesboro, Virginia, area, and seized weapons, ammunition, deer meat,
deer parts, a motor vehicle, and other crucial evidence of numerous flagrant
poaching cases which occurred in the park and on surrounding county lands
between December, 1996, and January, 1997.  The four are suspected of
illegally taking a dozen or more deer from the park and an undetermined
number of deer from surrounding counties.  Two were arrested by Waynesboro
police on January 21st for attempting to cash a forged $18,000 check, and may
have previously stolen an undetermined amount of money from the owner of the
checks.  At present, none of the juveniles in the park cases has been
charged, but charges against all four will be initiated in the near future.
These cases could not have been successfully investigated without the
cooperation of confidential informants, the Albemarle County Police
Department, the Augusta County Sheriff's Department, the Waynesboro Police
Department, the Forest Service, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland
Fisheries, and the Virginia State Police Forensic Science Crime Laboratory.
Criminal investigator Skip Wissinger was the incident commander in the
execution of these warrants and is also the case agent in charge.  [Rick
Childs, Protection Supervisor, South District, SHEN, 1/26]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Canyonlands NP (Utah) - Bighorn Sheep Capture

On January 21st and 22nd, employees from Canyonlands and Capitol Reef and the
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources participated in the capture and
translocation of 20 desert bighorn sheep from the Island in the Sky District
at Canyonlands to the Capitol Gorge area of Capitol Reef.  Assisting was WASO
wildlife biologist Mike Coffey.  The captures were done with a net gun from a
contract Bell 206 Jet Ranger.  There were no mortalities and the animals were
doing well at the release site two days later.  The cost of the capture per
animal worked out to $283.  Veterinary work was provided by Rex Sohn of Salt
Lake City.  Blood, ear mite, fece and throat culture samples were taken. 
This translocation was the second phase of a three-part effort to restore
sheep to the historic habitat at Capitol Reef.  [Craig Hauke, RMS, CANY,
1/26]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Campground Information - The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds
has a new Web site which contains their "Go Camping America" national
campground directory.  This may be of use to parks that receive inquiries
about private campgrounds in their area or down the road.  The address is:
http:\\www.gocampingamerica.com.  [Rich Littlefield, INDU]

MEMORANDA

The following is a letter rather than a memoranda.  It is printed here as
part of an agreement between NCFA deputy field area director Terry Carlstrom
and president Peter Ward of the Police Association of the District of
Columbia, which represents the US Park Police.  

The letter is to Ward from Roland Bowers, who was acting director of the NPS
at the time:

"At my request, a meeting was held on October 8, 1996, with representatives
of management to brief the Police Association of the District of Columbia
(PADC) on the current status of various proposals relating to strengthening
relationships between the United States Park Police (USPP) and the park
ranger law enforcement functions.  This meeting was the result of your 
letter of September 16, 1996, to me.  

"At the conclusion of the meeting, you asked that National Capital Area
Deputy Field Director Terry Carlstrom provide specific answers to each of the
items in the '5-point plan.'  You further requested that the answers to these
questions also be put in writing to you.  This information follows:

1. DEVELOP A SINGLE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE AND THE FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTER.

You asked if there was anything being done to make two separate 
Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) into a single MOU relating to
training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). 
This is now a moot point.  The USPP has recently extended its MOU
with FLETC, and this office will be entering into a separate MOU
relating to law enforcement ranger training.  x

2. CONSOLIDATE NPS/USPP LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING COURSES AND CURRICULUM AT
FLETC.

You asked if there were any USPP officers or trainers on a work
group to consider consolidation of training.  You also asked
whether the actions taken were a 'back door' to letting FLETC
decide to combine the training of rangers and USPP.   At one
point in the early stages of this plan, Captain Bruce Clements
was involved in a work group.  We do not believe that FLETC has
the authority to decide to combine training, in as much as the
agency has involvement in how the training is to be accomplished.x

3. CONDUCT A WORKLOAD NEEDS ANALYSIS AND STAFFING LEVELS FOR LAW
ENFORCEMENT FUNCTIONS BEING PERFORMED IN CENTRAL OFFICES. 

You were informed that this item related to the USPP Law
Enforcement Specialists assigned to System Support Offices
(SSOs).  These individuals are not members of the bargaining
unit.

4. CONDUCT A PUBLIC SAFETY NEEDS AND STAFFING ANALYSIS AT GOLDEN
GATE/PRESIDIO, GATEWAY AND STATUE OF LIBERTY/ELLIS ISLAND.

You asked about the status of any public safety needs and
staffing analyses at these locations.  You were informed that a
recent analysis was performed under contract at Golden Gate at
the request of the Superintendent, but that no studies are being
done elsewhere.x

5. ANALYZE LAW ENFORCEMENT BUDGET NEEDS AND REQUESTS STRATEGIES AND
DEVELOP A CONSOLIDATION USPP/WASO RAD APPROACH. 

You asked about the status of analyzing law enforcement budget
needs and a possible consolidation of such requests.  You were
informed that nothing has been done.x

"We are in agreement with you that both law enforcement rangers and USPP
officers are struggling with inadequate staffing, training, and equipment. 
There are several other functional entities which are in need of additional
funding also and it is our challenge to identify the priority needs and work
to obtain the necessary support for our requests.  Hopefully, the National
Park Service will be able to work toward obtaining additional funds through
the appropriations process.   

"Mr. Carlstrom informed you that Joe Lawler, Superintendent, NCA SSO, has a
work group which is reviewing the perceptions concerning the NPS Ranger/USPP
relationship.  However, at this time nothing has been finalized.  Mr.
Carlstrom assured you that, when the report from Mr. Lawler's group was
completed, this would be shared with PADC for review and comment.  

"Your thoughts regarding a better understanding of the manner in which
rangers and the police accomplish their mission were also of interest to me. 
I would ask that management on both sides explore the possibility of
interaction such as details, ride-alongs, etc. 
 
"I want to reiterate Mr. Carlstrom's declaration that we all need to work
together to accomplish the mission of the National Park Service.   While
there may be a perception of competing interests, I can assure you that the
law enforcement responsibilities of both rangers and the USPP are vital to
the overall functioning of the agency."

EXCHANGE

Supplemental Feeding of Deer and Elk - Curecanti is interested in hearing
from anyone with experience in supplemental feeding of deer and elk in NPS
areas.  The park could be used by the state's division of wildlife to feed
wintering herds of mule deer and elk if winter conditions continue to
contribute to the increasing mortality of these herds.  The park has several
concerns pertaining to supplemental feeding.  Please contact Rick Harris at
NP-CURE.

OBSERVATIONS

This section, which will now appear intermittently in the Morning Report,
contains observations regarding the National Park Service, the System and the
several professions of park employees.  

"You may guess that I have become 'sold' on the national park idea.  I have -
and in a big way.  Whether one seeks beauty, amusement or education, one is
sure to find it, efficiently organized, but with the iron hand of regulation
craftily concealed beneath the velvet of a real desire to serve."

                                  Howard Vincent O'Brien, from
                                  "Quotable Quotes: Relating to
                                  Conservation in General and the
                                  National Parks in Particular,"
                                  Department of Interior, 1951

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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