NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Monday, April 7, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-130 - Boston NHP (Massachusetts) - Follow-up on Winter Storm Impacts

Over 26 inches of snow fell throughout the Boston area between 11 a.m. on
March 31st and 2 p.m. on April 1st - the third highest snowfall in Boston's
history.  The snow was accompanied by wind gusts exceeding 70 mph.  The heavy
wet snow and high winds caused the gangway to the USS Constitution to work
free of its chains and ropes, stranding six Navy crew members on the ship for
about two hours.  The wind and heavy snow also caused the top 20 feet of the
ship's forward mast to break in half.  No injuries were reported.  The park's
maintenance division was able to keep roads open for emergency vehicles.  The
park was closed on April 1st, but resumed normal operations the following
day.  Cleanup continued for several days thereafter.  [Marc Vagos, CR, BOST,
4/2]

97-134 - Big Thicket NP (Texas) - Gas Pipeline Rupture

On Thursday, March 13th, a natural gas liquids pipeline operated by the
Panola Pipeline Company, a Union Pacific Resources (UPR) company, ruptured
adjacent to the park's Menard Creek Corridor unit.  The accident occurred
when a drilling company installing a new pipeline inadvertently drilled into
the existing line, which was buried 40 feet underground.  A gas cloud formed
which contained benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, and about two
barrels of liquid product combined with soil, drilling mud and road materials
to form a foam that slowly flowed into park waters.  Miraculously, there were
no fires or explosions.  UPR crews flared (burned) the remaining product in
the line at a location two miles upwind of the rupture.  Concentrations of
the gas near the point of rupture were strong enough to stall two vehicles
for lack of oxygen.  The rupture caused the evacuation of 250 residents from
a nearby subdivision.  Heavy rains and flooding complicated the evacuation
and control efforts.  Booms were deployed in the park late in the day. 
Oxygen concentrations near the rupture were near 19 percent on Friday.  UPR
crews employed squeegees and pressure washers in the park to move the product
into the stream channel for removal by vacuum trucks.  Cleanup operations
continued for four days.  Waters samples were taken upstream and downstream
of the rupture to assess the effectiveness of the cleanup; water sample
results are forthcoming.  The ruptured line transports 40,000 barrels of
natural gas liquids daily from Mt. Belview to Carthage, Texas.  [Chuck
Boettcher, ACR, BITH, 4/4]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

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.

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]

4/18-20 -- "Restoration '97," Conference, Atlanta, GA.  The conference will
focus on historic buildings and monuments and will include
speakers from the National Trust and ICOMOS.  Contact: 508-664-
6455.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

4/19-20 -- Civil War Weekend, Fort Scott NHS, Fort Scott, Kansas.  the theme
will be Fort Scott in 1864.  Featured will be Union Army
infantry, cavalry, and artillery in garrison along with members
of the Ladies Union Aid Society.  Contact: FOSC, 316-223-0310. 
[Superintendent, FOSC]

4/21-27* -- National Park Week.  Parks across the country will celebrate
National Park Week with activities ranging from special
presentations by historians or naturalists to guest articles in
local newspapers.  Saturday, April 26th, is National Park
Volunteer Day.  Past Volunteer Day projects have included
invasive plant removal and beach or road clean-ups.  As part of
the National Park Week celebration, the National Park Partnership
Leadership Awards and the Harry Yount National Park Ranger Award
will be presented at a reception and dinner in Washington, D.C.
on April 23rd.  Contact: Sue Waldron via cc:Mail at NP-WASO-MIB. 
[Nat Wood, Director's Office, WASO]

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]

5/1-4* -- "Public History and Public Memory," annual conference, National
Council on Public History, Omni Albany Hotel, Albany, NY. 
Contact: 615-255-2971, or ncph@iupui.edu.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor,
DCA/WASO]

5/7-10 -- POSTPONED: "Gateway Communities and National Parks: Working
Together to Protect America's Cultural and Natural Landscape,"
sponsored by National Parks and Conservation Association.  The
new dates have not yet been set.  [Andy Schultheiss, NPCA]

5/7-11* -- 31st Military History Conference, Buffalo, NY.  Sponsored by the
Council on America's Past (CAMP).  The public is invited;
membership in CAMP is not required.  The program will include
site visits and papers dealing with a wide range of American and
Canadian military and naval history, with emphasis on the War of
1812.  There will be tours of a dozen forts and several other
military sites.  The conference will also include presentation of
40 papers and talks on military subjects.  Contact: Council on
America's Military Past, PO Box 1151, Fort Myer, VA 22211.  [Roy
Ashley, Greenbelt Park]

5/18-21* -- "Making History with Your Community," AASLH, Bethel, ME. 
Contact: AASLH, 615-255-2971.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

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]

5/29-31* -- Annual Meeting, Society of Southwest Archivists, Hotel Galvez,
Galveston, TX.  Contact: 409-763-8854, ask for the archives. 
[Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

6/9-15* -- Meeting, American Institute for Conservation of Historic and
Artistic Works, San Diego, CA.  Contact: 202-452-9545.  [Diane
Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

6/13-14* -- 25th Anniversary Celebration, Buffalo National River, Harrison,
AR.  The park is trying to reach as many former employees as
possible.  For information on events, send a cc:Mail message to
BUFF Administration with the words "Reply to Sender" (no quotes)
on the title line; no message text is needed.  A reply will
automatically be sent.  [John Linahan, Superintendent, BUFF]

6/25-27 -- "Interpreting Edison," conference, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
and Edison NHS, West Orange, NJ.  The interpretation of Thomas A.
Edison's life and work will be examined by academic scholars, at
museums and historic sites, and in the classroom.  Contact: 
Leonard DeGraaf, EDIS, 201-736-0550, ext 22.  [Leonard DeGraaf]

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,
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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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