NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Monday, February 24, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-64 - Cape Hatteras NS (North Carolina) - Aircraft Accident

A Beech King Air B200 landed short of the runway at the Frisco airstrip on
Hatteras Island just after 5 p.m. on February 20th.  Rangers were notified
and responded.  Neither the pilot nor any of his seven passengers was
injured, and no fuel was spilled.  There was major damage to the plane's main
landing gear, which collapsed, and to its propellers, which struck the
ground.  The park notified the FAA and closed the strip.  FAA gave permission
to remove the plane after initial investigation and to store it on-site
pending arrival of FAA personnel today.  The plane remained on the south end
of the runway until 3 a.m., when it was lifted onto a flatbed truck and
removed.  The incident required close coordination by personnel from the
park, Dare County sheriff's office, the airport, and rescue and fire units
from the local villages of Buxton and Frisco.  Ranger Paul Stevens was IC. 
[Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 2/21].

97-65 - Padre Island NS (Texas) - Pursuit; Suspect Shot

Nueces County deputy constables and Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens
chased a fleeing vehicle into the park around 9:30 p.m. on the night of
February 18th.  The driver of the vehicle, subsequently identified as M.C.,
24, was reportedly involved in a "shots fired" incident in Corpus
Christi.  As rangers were responding, M.C. drove his vehicle across the
dunes and stopped about 200 yards off the main park road a mile south of the
park's north boundary.  Witnesses report that M.C. got out of the vehicle
and fired at the game wardens.  The wardens and one of the deputy constables
returned fire.  When the park investigator arrived on scene shortly
thereafter, he found M.C. handcuffed near the vehicle and suffering from
a bullet wound to his upper chest.  He was flown by helicopter to an area
hospital, where he underwent extensive surgery.  M.C. regained
consciousness two days later, but at last report was still in critical
condition and unable to speak to investigators.  The FBI has been asked to
take the lead in the investigation and is working with the park investigator
and a Texas ranger.  The U.S. attorney's office is considering the case for
federal prosecution.  [Mark Foust, ACR, PAIS, 2/21]

97-66 - George Washington Memorial Parkway (Virginia) - MVA with Fatalities

B.B., 53, of Great Falls, Virginia, and A.S., 24, of
Arlington, Virginia, were killed in a three-vehicle accident on the parkway
on Saturday, February 22nd.  B.B. was traveling northbound on the parkway
near Route 123 when her vehicle crossed the median strip and collided head-on
with A.S.'s southbound vehicle.  A third vehicle heading south on the
parkway was also involved in the accident.  There were no injuries to the
operator or passengers in the latter.  The accident is under investigation by
the Park Police.  This is the fifth fatal accident in less than a year on
this section of the parkway, and it has sparked an outcry from the media and
public for the placement of media barriers between the north and southbound
lanes.  [Bill Lynch, LES, NCR, 2/24]

97-67 - Chatahoochee River NRA (Georgia) - Suicide

On February 20th, P.C. shot himself in the head while sitting in his
vehicle at the Vickery Creek Unit parking area.  P.C. had been dead for
several hours by the time he was found.  His family had reported him as
missing and suicidal.  P.C. had been despondent over his failing business.
[CRO, CHAT, 2/21]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submission.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submission.

MEMORANDA

No submission.

EXCHANGE

Surveyed Equipment - Point Reyes NS has three items available to any
interested park - two light bars in good condition and a lane change training
signal system.  The latter is the three-light system used in driver training
at law enforcement training centers.  All components are in working order and
in good to excellent condition.  The park asks only that the receiving area
pick up shipping costs.  For further information, contact Cliff Spencer via
cc:Mail at NP--WR.

MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS CALENDAR

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

Current* -- Call for papers and posters for Sixth World Wilderness Congress,
Bangalore, India, which will be held from October 18th to the
25th.  Among the topics being discussed are international
wilderness designation, management and research; wilderness
inventories; and use of wilderness for personal growth, therapy
and education.  Contact: Linda Hock at 303-969-2622 or via
cc:Mail at NP-RMRO.  [Linda Hock, RMRO]

3/6-8 -- "Museums and the Enlightened Tourist," American Association of
Museums, Charleston, SC.  Contact: 202-289-1818 (phone); 202-289-
6578 (fax).  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

3/6-9 -- "Folk Art: Is It All Over?", Symposium, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 
Contact: Catherine Gray, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 902-424-7542
(phone), 902-424-7359 (fax).  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

3/10-12 -- Western States Zebra Mussel Task Force Meeting, Portland State
University, Portland, OR.  Sessions will be held on zebra mussel
biology, ecology, risk assessment, monitoring, planning and
prevention; there will be workshops on identification and
monitoring.  Contact: Linda Drees, USFWS, 913-539-3474 ext. 20,
or at Linda_Drees@fws.gov.  [Sue Jennings, RMS, SACN]

3/10-13 -- "Improving Wetland Assessment: Applying Science Through the
Hydrogeomorphic Assessment Approach and Other Methods,"
Symposium, Association of State Wetland Managers, Annapolis, MD. 
contact: ASWM at 518-872-1804 or http://members.aol.
com/ASWMI/wetlands97.html.  [Leslie Krueger, AQD/WASO]

3/13-15 -- Second National Women in Historic Preservation Conference, Mesa,
AZ.  The pre-registration deadline is February 176th.  The
conference is made possible in part by special funding from the
Service's cultural resource training initiative and has been
approved as official training for NPS employees.  Contact: Eve
Carr or Claudine Barnes, Arizona State University, Women's
Studies Program, P.O. Box 871801, Tempe, AZ 85287-1801, or via
Internet at either of the following two addresses: ecarr@asu-edu,
cbarnes@asu.edu.  [Vivien Rose, WORI]

3/14-18 -- 62nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference,
Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC.  Contact: Richard McCabe,
Wildlife Management Institute, 202-371-1808.  [Frank Panek,
WRD/WASO]

3/17-21 -- "Making Protection Work: Parks and Reserves in a Crowded,
Changing World," Ninth Conference on Research and Resource
Management in Parks and on Public Lands, Albuquerque Marriott,
Albuquerque, NM.  Sponsored by the George Wright Society. The
conference has been approved as official training for NPS
employees.  Registration fees vary; the return registration form
may be found at the GWS Web site at http://www.portup. com/~gws/
gws97.html.  Contact: GWS, 906-487-9722.  [Dave Harmon, George
Wright Society]

3/24-28* -- Recreation Fee Demonstration Program Conference, Denver, CO. 
Meeting of representatives from selected fee demonstration sites
in the Midwest, Intermountain, Pacific West and Alaska regions. 
The agenda is targeted towards those fee manages on the front
line who are responsible for program implementation. 
Administrative accounting and operational staff are encouraged to
attend to ensure program accountability and efficiency.  Contact:
Terry Penttila, Colorado Plateau Support Office, at 303-969-2662
or via cc:Mail at NP-DENVER.  [Terry Penttila, CPSO]

3/25-27 -- Meeting, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
Review Committee, Oklahoma Center for Continuing Education,
University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK.  The agenda will include
discussion of the disposition of culturally unidentifiable
remains, compliance by federal agencies, and implementation of
the statute in the state of Oklahoma.  The meeting is open to the
public.  Contact: Frank McManamon, Archeology and Ethnography,
WASO, at NP-WASO-DCA.  [Federal Register, Vol. 61, No. 241, p.
65596]

4/1  -- Deadline for submission of abstracts for 14th International
Estuarine Research Federation Conference, to be held October 12-
16 in Providence, RI.  The theme of this conference is the state
of our estuaries.  Topics will include the consequence of human
development in the coastal zone, the recovery of bays and
estuaries, the effects of sea level rise on estuaries, and
phytoremediation.  [Susan Joffre, SEFO]

4/3-6* -- Coast Defense Study Group, Staten Island Hotel, New York, NY. 
The group, which is dedicated to the study of seacoast
fortifications, will be visiting coast defense sites during the
day (including Forts Hancock, Wadsworth, Totten and Schuyler) and
holding paper presentations in the evening.  Contact: Leo
Polaski, 516-754-6479.  [Leo Polaski, Greenbelt Park]

4/12-16 -- Fifth National Conference on National Historic and National
Scenic Long-Distance Trails, Orlando, FL.  Contact: Florida Trail
Association, 1-800-343-1882.  [Sheila Lee, NCRC]

4/16-17* -- Annual Federal Long-Distance Trails Administrators' Meeting,
Oviedo, FL.  Contact: Steve Elkinton, 202-565-1177.  [Sheila Lee,
NCRC]

4/26-30 -- Annual Meeting, American Association of Museums, Atlanta, GA. 
Contact: 202-289-1818 (phone); 202-289-6578 (fax).  [Diane Vogt
O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

4/27-30 -- "Future Natural Resource Management: Science vs. Politics," 53rd
Annual Northeast Fish and Wildlife Conference, Sheraton Tara,
Framingham, MA.  Papers in fisheries, wildlife, law enforcement,
information and education, and conservation engineering are being
solicited.  Contact: Rob Deblinger, program chair, 508-792-7270
ext 128.  [Frank Panek, WRD/WASO]

5/7-10* -- "Gateway Communities and National Parks: Working Together to
Protect America's Cultural and Natural Landscape," no location
given.  Contact: National Parks and Conservation Association,
202-659-0650.  [Sheila Lee, NCRC]

5/28-30 -- "The Monument to Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-fourth
Massachusetts Regiment: History and Meaning," public symposium,
Boston, MA.  The symposium is part of the centennial celebration
of the monument, and will also include a public ceremony at the
site of the monument and an encampment and parade of African-
American Civil War reenactors.  No charge.  Contact: Erin Beatty
at NP-BOST or 617-242-5668.  [Erin Beatty, BOST]

6/1-6* -- 18th Annual Meeting, Society of Wetland Scientists, Bozeman, MT. 
Will include special symposia on peatlands of western North
America and semi-arid riparian ecosystems.  Field trips to
Yellowstone and surrounding areas.  Contact: Leslie Krueger via
cc:Mail at NP-WASO-AQ or via the homepage at http:// www.sws.org. 
[Leslie Krueger, AQD/WASO]

9/25-29 -- Second World Congress, International Ranger Federation, San Jose,
Costa Rica.  This notice is being posted earlier than usual
because early registration is important in order to provide
ascertain the number of delegates for purposes of congress
planning and reservation of hotel rooms.  The theme of the
congress will be the role of rangers and park managers in
sustainable development and ecotourism.  Participants are
expected from 40 to 50 countries, and a program is being planned
which will be of broad interest to rangers and park managers in
all countries.  Registration is $600 per person for double
occupancy and $850 for single occupancy in a four-star hotel; the
fee includes six nights' lodging, all meals and tips,
transportation to and from the airport, and transportation for
the field trips to several nearby Costa Rican national parks. 
Congress organizers are asking that those planning to attend
register in advance - even with a partial payment.  Payment can
be made by VISA or Master Card.  Contact: Lyn Rothgeb, Congress
registrar, 730 East main Street, Luray, VA 22835; 540-743-1775
(fax and phone).  [Bill Wade, SHEN]

                                *  *  *  *  *

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.

                                  --- ### ---