NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, January 30, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

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

Crews continued worked yesterday on installation of a temporary sewer line,
construction of a temporary road connection between El Portal and Yosemite
Valley, repair of eroded road shoulders, removal of damaged property, and
opening of the road to Badger Pass (the latter will be open to cross-country
skiing on Saturday).  Demobilization of some engineers and resource
specialists involved in long-term recovery planning is about to begin.  Not
much more assessment work can be completed until snow melts, particularly in
the backcountry.  The preliminary recovery needs assessment, which includes
the damage assessment, is being edited and will be released to the public
tomorrow.  The release will be followed by a media tour of the damaged areas
of the park.  On Tuesday, California Representatives John Doolittle and
George Radonovich announced that they will be proposing legislation in
Congress next week (entitled "The Yosemite Restoration Act of 1997") to
provide funds for infrastructure repair, road repair, relocation and
replacement of employee and concessioner housing, and anything else needed
for the expeditious and complete restoration and reopening of the park. 
Several representatives from the field area, WASO and the Department are in
the park inspecting damage this week, and a tour and meeting will be held
tomorrow for members of the surrounding communities and counties, including
Merced, Mariposa, Madera, Mono and Tuolumne Counties.  A total of 642 people
(567 NPS, 36 Forest Service, 36 Mariposa County, two BLM and one USGS) are
currently committed to the incident.  [Scott Gediman, IO, and Greg Stiles,
Plans Chief, "Highwater '97A Incident", YOSE, 1/30]

97-32 - Shenandoah NP (Virginia) - Body Found

On January 27th, a hiker reported finding a body while bushwhacking off-trail
in the North District.  Rangers and investigators found clothed, skeletal
remains about 150 yards from the Appalachian Trail.  The remains are at least
several months old.  The crime scene was processed with the assistance of a
state police crime scene unit, and the remains have been transferred to a
medical examiner for an autopsy.  The cause of death and the person's
identity are unknown.  The area is being searched by ground and air for
clues.  There is a great deal of local media interest in the incident.  [Clay
Jordan, Acting LEO, SHEN, 1/28]

97-33 - Biscayne NP (Florida) - Special Event

On January 24th, the park reopened Boca Chita Key - four-and-a-half years
after Hurricane Andrew devastated the area.  Keynote speaker Dante Fascell,
the former member of the House of Representatives responsible for the
creation of the park in 1968, challenged those gathered at the ceremony at
the island's historic lighthouse to rededicate themselves to the protection
of the park and national parks in general.  Among the members of the audience
were farmers, business people and representatives from property rights groups
who last May firmly opposed some of the park's proposals to protect the water
quality of Biscayne Bay.  During the summer, the parties participated in a
working group established by the county commission which achieved a historic
compromise that ensures the minimization of impacts to the park.  Also
present were members of the newly-established Biscayne Bay Foundation, the
park's "friends" group.  Much good will was engendered by the event.  Susan
Paishon was incident commander.  [Gary Bremen, IO, BISC, 1/27]

97-34 - Lowell NHP (Massachusetts) - Special Event

Former Senator Paul Tsongas, who was instrumental in creating the park and
was a strong supporter of the NPS until his death, was buried in Lowell on
January 16th.  Law enforcement rangers joined other enforcement agencies in
providing traffic control and security throughout the four-hour event, which
was attended by the governor, the entire Massachusetts House, many United
States senators, and Secretary Babbitt.  [CRO, LOWE, 1/29]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Mesa Verde NP (Colorado) - Burned Area Recovery

On August 17th, the Chapin Fire #5 was ignited by lightening and burned
nearly 5,000 acres within the park.  The fire was controlled by August 24th. 
The Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) team, a multi-disciplinary
group composed of employees from different agencies within the Department of
the Interior, was asked to assist the park with fire damage assessments.  The
team developed a plan to address short and long term rehabilitation needs;
the report and associated cost specifications for assessment and
rehabilitation were approved by the National Interagency Fire Center in
September.  A project leader was selected in September to implement the BAER
plan and manage the rehabilitation activities and the resource damage
assessments of the burned areas.  The plan identified funding for assessing
damage to the 295 previously recorded archeological sites located within the
perimeter of the burn, as well as the 75 new sites located during
construction of the fireline around the perimeter of the fire.  Upon approval
of the plan, emergency money for assessment of damage to these cultural sites
immediately became available to the park.  A team of 21 archaeologists began
the cultural resource damage assessment of the previously recorded sites in
October.  As of November 25th, 80 sites had been surveyed within the burn,
and another 92 new sites were found which will also need to be surveyed. 
These sites include a tower and kiva complex surrounded by several room
blocks.  Alcove or cliff dwelling sites were also found that had never been
recorded.  It is estimated that there may be as many as 300 undocumented
sites in the burned area.  These assessments are being done for the purpose
of providing treatment to prevent erosion which could damage or destroy
sites.  Lisa Floyd-Hannah, a biology professor at Prescott College, assessed
the burn for damage to threatened and endangered species of plants and
animals.  A survey was also done to evaluate the viability of plants to
regenerate, together with an assessment of invasion by exotic plants.  In
October, approximately 200 acres of severely burned area was reseeded with
native grasses.  Hydrologists will be assessing the area for potential damage
from erosion caused by the runoff of soils in the burned area.  It is
important that all of the burned area be surveyed as soon as possible so that
the maximum amount of new site information may be acquired.  This will avoid
potential loss of site data from erosion or burial, and new vegetation
obscuring small sites or artifact scatters.  Archaeologists have been
concentrating their efforts in the high burn intensity area of the fire
(1,104 acres or 23% of the burn).  The vegetation in this area was completely
burned and the soil there has the highest potential for erosion.  Any newly
uncovered sites are at high risk from further damage or burial by eroding
materials.  Due to winter snows the project has been halted until next spring
or summer.  Funding is only available at present for the assessment and
rehabilitation of previously recorded sites.  A donation account has been set
up so that funds can be designated to assess new sites found.  Donations may
be sent to National Park Service, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado 81330;
they should be labeled "Chapin #5 Fire Rehabilitation Fund."  The BAER team,
which conducted the assessments to determine the effects of fire suppression
activities and fire effects on the park's cultural and natural resources, is
made up of members from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land
Management, Forest Service, and National Park Service.  The disciplines
represented on the team include archeologist, soil scientist, hydrologist,
vegetation specialist, wildlife biologist, environmental protection
specialist, geo-technical engineer, facilities specialist, GIS specialist,
and computer/documentation specialist.  Recruitment is currently underway for
all positions on the team.  A copy of the vacancy announcement can be found
on the cultural and natural resource bulletin boards.  The deadline for
applications is February 7th.  Contact Erv Gasser at 206-220-4263 if you have
any questions.  [Erv Gasser, PNRO]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

HazMat Contracts - The Service's hazardous waste management and pollution
prevention team, in conjunction with the Denver Service Center's contracting
division, has established six regionalized, indefinite quantity contracts
with architectural and engineering firms to assist parks in implementing
projects pertaining to environmental compliance and planning.  These
contracts are for solid and hazardous materials inspection, monitoring,
management, planning and design for abatement and/or removal of hazardous and
non-hazardous materials and waste management at NPS sites.  For further
information, contact your regional hazmat program coordinator.  [John
Gingles, FMD/WASO]

Award - Pat Boucher of the Chesapeake SSO has received the 1996 inter-agency
Al Bell award for excellence in dispatching, given annually to the dispatcher
or coordinator who best exemplifies the highest professional standards.  The
award is named after Al Bell, the Forest Service coordinator in the Southwest
from 1958 until 1989, who was widely recognized as a leader in the fire
operations coordination community.  Pat was nominated for the award by the
Texas State Forest Service, where she was detailed last spring.  She is the
first NPS employee to receive the award.  [Doug Erskine, Branch of Fire and
Aviation Management, Boise]

Return of the Regions - "Field Areas" are no more - they are once again
"Regions".  The National Leadership Council approved the name change at its
meeting last week.  The titles of the appropriate directors, deputy directors
and other regional staff will also change.  For nationwide consistency, all
regional office titles will mirror those in use in the Washington Office. 
[SERO Public Affairs Office]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

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.  

"The places of scenic beauty [in a country] do not increase, but, on the
contrary, are in danger of being reduced in number and diminished in quality,
and the danger is always increasing with the accumulation of wealth, owing to
the desire of private persons to appropriate these places.  There is no
better service we can render to the masses of the people than to set about
and preserve for them wide spaces of fine scenery for their delight...we are
heirs of those who have gone before, and charged with the duty we owe to
those who come after, and there is no duty which seems clearer than that of
handing on to them undiminished facilities for the enjoyment of some of the
best gifts that the Creator has bestowed upon his children."

                                       James Bryce, British Ambassador to
                                       the United States in the early
                                       1900s, from "Quotable Quotes:
                                       Relating to Conservation in General
                                       and the National Parks in
                                       Particular," Department of
                                       Interior, 1951

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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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