NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, February 7, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-36 - Denali NP&P (Alaska) - Follow-up on Airplane Crash, Search

The search for the missing Piper Pacer with the family of three on board
ended on Tuesday morning with the discovery of the crash site and the bodies
of B.J., 27, his wife, C.J., 21, and their 21-month-old daughter. 
A National Guard Pavehawk helicopter was finally able to reach the plane,
which had crashed at the 2,900-foot level on the Dall glacier almost two
miles from the closest location plotted from ELT signals.  Extreme weather
had hampered efforts to reach the site for three days.  All three died
instantly upon impact.  The bodies were extricated from the wreckage and
flown out.  The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.  Over
60 people were assigned to the incident at its peak.  [Ken Kehrer, CR, DENA;
Betty Knight, PIO, ARO; 2/5]

97-45 - Mammoth Cave NP (Kentucky) - Search

On January 24th, rangers were notified by Kentucky state police that a local
fisherman had retrieved strands of human hair from a snag while fishing in
the Green River within the park.  A lab test confirmed that the hair was
compatible with that of A.B., 61, of Edmonson County, who has been
missing since April 12, 1996.  A joint body recovery operation was initiated
under the management of the park, the state police and the FBI.  Initial
efforts were hampered by weather conditions.  The Corps of Engineers
suspended water discharges from two area dams in order to lower water levels
at the search site.  Searches were conducted by a county dive rescue team
earlier this week, but had to be suspended due to heavy rains, which caused
hazardous river conditions.  The search will resume when weather conditions
ameliorate and the river level stabilizes.  [Phil Veluzat, CR, MACA, 2/6]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

San Juan NHS (Puerto Rico) - Pest Survey

A pest survey of the park's structures and grounds was conducted in late
January as part of an IPM update.  Active infestations of the subterranean
termite (Coptotermes havilandi) were identified in two areas.  This species
had not been previously recorded in Puerto Rico and represents a significant
threat to cultural resources.  Coptotermes havilandi is a very destructive
species found primarily in tropical regions, including Southeast Asia,
Central and South America, and the West Indies islands of Antigua, Barbados,
Jamaica, Cuba, Turks and Caicos, and Little Cayman.  This insect is
considered the most destructive termite species wherever it occurs.  Besides
its prolific nature and colony size (a single colony may contain 1,000,000 to
10,000,000 foragers), C. havilandi tends to forage over a greater area and
branch its tubes more than other species.  At San Cristobal, extensive
foraging tubes were found on the walls and shelves in the men's room at Plaza
de Armas.  Wooden shelves in the storage chamber were heavily damaged.  An
acoustic emission device (AED) reading taken from 11 spots on the shelves
ranged from six to 255 counts per minute, indicating that up to 255 feeding
incidents per minute (i.e. tearing of wooden fiber by termites) were
occurring in the shelves.  At El Moro, foraging tubes containing live C.
havilandi were found on the floor and walls of Casemate 19.  Although this
room was cleaned two weeks prior to the survey, the termites had rebuilt the
tubing.  An AED reading from the wooden casing ranged from 0 to 22 counts per
minute.  Maintenance and resource management employees are implementing
monitoring plans to locate these and any other colonies.  A management plan
utilizing baiting technology is being devised.  [Chris Furqueron, SAJU, 2/5]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Geoscience Bulletin Board - A bulletin board has been established for
geology-related messages.  Geoscience BB is open to all divisions for
exchange of research and technical information and for resolving geological
questions raised by visitors.  If you want to have access to the bulletin
board and don't have it on your cc:Mail directory, contact your cc:Mail
administrator.  The Geologic Resources Division will be active in posting
items on the bulletin board and encourages participation.  [Bob Higgins,
GRD/WASO]

Native Freshwater Mussel Survey - A Servicewide survey is being conducted of
all parks with native freshwater mussel populations - the most rapidly
declining faunal group in the United States, almost half of which are
extinct, threatened, endangered or potentially warranting federal protection. 
Please contact SACN Resource Management with the following information:

o Scientific names, status (federal and/or state), and streambed
location.
o The number of RMP project statements directly relating to freshwater
mussel management.
o If applicable, lack of baseline surveys on mussel populations.

A national committee composed of representatives from federal, state and
private organizations recently met in St. Louis to develop and implement a
strategy to conserve these species.  The information compiled through the
survey will be used for this purposes.  [Sue Jennings, RMS, SACN]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

OBSERVATIONS

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

Today's observation is another in a series on historical sites excerpted from
the Department's 1951 collection of quotes on the parks.  As with other
selections that have appeared in prior Morning Reports, the author is not
well known, at least to readers in the 90's.  Information on these authors
would be appreciated; if you can help, send a note to the editor...

"Scenic and historic places and objects teach patriotism and nourish moral
sentiments, while they care also in some measure for the aesthetic nature. 
[Once] established, these famous places become unsalaried teachers.  They
never die, never ask to be retired on pensions, and their voices grow
stronger and more convincing with increased age."

                                      Rev. Henry MacCracken, 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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