NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, March 28, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

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

The road linking Yosemite Valley with El Portal and Mariposa will reopen to
limited visitor travel tomorrow.  Damage caused by January's flooding closed
the road for nearly three months.  Visitors will be able to drive between
Yosemite Valley and El Portal in ranger-led convoys on evenings and
Saturdays.  Convoys will run from 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sunday through
Friday evenings and from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturdays.  Visitors will
be able to join the convoy at the park's western boundary in El Portal to
enter the park, or at the junction of Highways 120 and 140 to exit Yosemite
Valley.  The emergency vehicle reservation system proposed for the park for
this summer will not be implemented, as it proved impossible to develop such
a system in the time available.  This became evident as the park worked with
interested parties, particularly those in gateway communities.  Due to
increasing congestion and construction activity related to flood recovery
efforts in and around Yosemite Valley, a restricted access plan will be
implemented this summer.  It's anticipated that this plan will have to be
utilized more often this summer than in previous years.   Visitation to the
park continues to increase.  [PIO, YOSE, 3/27]

97-117 - Death Valley NP (California) - Follow-up on Search

The search for J.L., 30, who walked away from his camp at Eureka Dunes
on March 23rd, was suspended at 5 p.m. on March 26th.  No trace of J.L. had
been found.  J.L. had been traveling with his mother when he left her for a
short walk.  The search was managed by members of the county sheriff's SAR
squad with support from the park and the state.  [Eric Inman, Acting CR,
DEVA, 3/27]

97-118 - Glen Canyon NRA (Utah/Arizona) - Possible Suicide

On the evening of March 29th, visitors saw a man park his sports utility
vehicle about 120 feet from the edge of Muley Point, elevation 6,400 feet. 
They then heard the vehicle start and saw it accelerate rapidly and go
straight over the rim.  It came to rest about 400 feet below.  The incident
was reported to a nearby BLM office at 11 a.m. the following morning.  NPS
rangers responded with a local EMS helicopter and personnel from three other
agencies.  They found the body of W.S., a German national in his
early 50s, in the vehicle.  It appears that he was the only victim.  The
cause of the accident is still under investigation.  Ranger Cindy Ott-Jones
was IC.  [David Sandbakken, LES, GLCA, 3/27]

97-119 - Coronado NM (Arizona) - Drug Seizure

Rangers seized 190 pounds of marijuana from "mules" who were backpacking it
into the U.S. on the evening of March 19th.  One person was apprehended;
seven eluded arrest.  The seizure and arrest came as part of a multi-agency
drug trafficking operation.  So far this year, a total of 2,124 pounds of
marijuana has been seized in the park.  [Bill Smith, CR, CORO, 3/27]

97-120 - Joshua Tree NP (California) - Presumed Explosive; Evacuation

On the afternoon of March 24th, the park received a report that a military-
style grenade had been found by a visitor near the park's west entrance gate
facility.  Rangers and a member of the park's SAR team secured the area and
evacuated park personnel and visitors from the building and surrounding
grounds until the grenade was located and identified.  It was found about 50
yards away from facility structures in the open desert.  An emergency
ordnance disposal team from the nearby Twentynine Palms Marine base removed
the grenade.  It was found to be an inoperable World War II style
fragmentation practice grenade. [Judy Bartzatt, CR, JOTR, 3/24] 

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Report pending.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

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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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