NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Tuesday, April 8, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-707 - Redwood N&SP (California) - Follow-up on Storm Impacts

Extremely heavy rains in December and January resulted in major damage to
resources in the four units which form the Redwood National and State Park
complex.  Damage assessments conducted by NPS geologists, maintenance staff
and Federal Highway Administration engineers identified 79 affected sites on
42 roads where numerous washouts, slipouts, slumps, and landslides had
occurred.  Many of the roads are part of the 445 miles of logging roads
acquired in Redwood Creek in the 1978 park expansion.  An estimated 400,000
cubic yards of soil will eventually reach Redwood Creek and its tributaries,
prime habitat for a variety of anadromous fish, including the coho salmon. 
The cost to remove and repair the most seriously damaged roads has been
placed at $8.6 million.  The norther portion of the Coastal trail was closed
due to slides, but was reopened by park maintenance last week.  Mill Creek
campground will be closed until late spring or early summer due to slumping
of the access road and flood damage to the campground.  A large portion of
Coastal Drive has been closed indefinitely.  The Tall Trees access road will
remain closed until mid-summer due to a major slide of the roadway.  Portions
of the Tall Trees trail have slumped but are passable; portions of the Fern
Canyon trail have been washed out.  The park has hired several additional
trail crews and is busily clearing the remaining 200 miles of trails within
the park's four units.  Restrictions on the use of heavy equipment and
motorized hand tools in and adjacent to old growth forests will delay repair
efforts, as these areas are prime nesting habitat for two threatened and
endangered species, the marbled murrelet and the spotted owl.  Many of the
construction and repair efforts will be delayed until the T&E closure is
lifted on September 15th.  [Bob Martin, CR, and Joe Lusa, CM (now retired),
REDW, 4/3]

97-131 - Grand Canyon NP (Arizona) - Follow-up on Aircraft Crash

A portion of the wreckage of the Cessna 210 that went down in the park on
Wednesday, April 2nd, was spotted from the air on Sunday.  It was within the
primary search ara and about two-thirds of a mile from the plane's last known
point over the North Rim.  Ground teams reached the plane by snowshoe and
began excavation of the snow and ice-covered fuselage.  They were partially
successful and able to retrieve the body of one of the two victims.  The
passenger compartment was heavily damaged, though, and the body of the second
occupant has not yet been located.  Extrication efforts were to continue
yesterday, and NTSB investigators were expected to arrive on scene. 
Inclement weather precluded search efforts last Thursday and both search
efforts and air operations on Friday.  Just over 100 people were involved in
the search by Sunday, including dog teams, ground teams, helicopters and
members of the Civil Air Patrol.  [Mallory Smith, IO, GRCA, 4/7]

97-135 - New River Gorge NR (West Virginia) - Felony Theft Arrest

On April 4th, park rangers and the park's criminal investigator followed-up
on a recent theft of government property with the issuance of a search
warrant at the farm of F.W. and his wife, who are local park
neighbors.  They recovered a John Deer combination backhoe and front-end
loader valued at $45,000 which had been stolen from the park.  Also seized
were 20 pounds of processed marijuana (valued at $60,000), 192 marijuana
plants (valued at $387,000), over 500 marijuana seeds, over 30 weapons (many
assault-type weapons), two stolen vehicles, an operating still with seven
gallons of moonshine, dog and cock fight apparatus and animals, four stolen
chainsaws, numerous pieces of stolen lawn maintenance equipment, and 20 VIN
(vehicle identification number) plates.  Investigators suspect that the
latter are associated with the site's use in a large vehicle theft operation. 
Two armed individuals with felony arrest records were also arrested.  The
search warrant was served by a task force that included the rangers and
criminal investigator, state police officers, and county deputies.  Air
surveillance and support was provided by the West Virginia Air National
Guard.  Intelligence reports had indicated that the task force members might
encounter weapons and illegal drugs during the warrant service, and that the
suspects had criminal histories for attempted murder of a police officer,
assault, and armed robbery.  The incident was managed under ICS, with the
park providing the incident commander.  The NPS has been designated as the
lead follow-up agency.  Additional arrests are pending.  [Bill Blake, CR,
NERI, 4/6]

97-136 - New River Gorge NR (West Virginia) - Arson

The park was struck by a series of arson fires this weekend.  The first two
occurred on the afternoon of Friday, April 4th, and burned four acres before
controlled by park crews.  Two more occurred on the 5th; by the 6th, the park
had committed 35 firefighters and four engines to suppressing the blazes.  An
engine and crew from Shenandoah NP provided additional assistance.  At the
time of the report late on Sunday, the fires had burned a total of 50 acres,
and firefighters were responding to a new start in the Meadow Creek drainage. 
Arson investigators also discovered two additional starts.  All but the last
fire were started in the Garden Ground section of the park.  [Bill Blake, CR,
NERI, 4/6]

97-137 - Saguaro NP (Arizona) - Resource Violations

Rangers in the Tucson Mountain District successfully investigated and/or
prosecuted three significant resource violation cases over the past month:

o Investigation of a local resident's report of illegal dumping in the
park led to the discovery of eight dead ostriches wrapped in plastic
bags.  Ranger Brian Rutledge focused on a single piece of evidence - a
feed bag with a company name - and developed leads that lead to the one
buyer in the Tucson area who used this type of feed.  Rangers elicited
an admission of responsibility from that buyer, S.G., who
was cited for illegal disposal of refuse.

o Ranger Dave Fox investigated a report of suspicious activity from
another park neighbor who had observed R.M. carrying a large
saguaro skeleton towards his vehicle.  When R.M. discovered that he
was being observed, he hid the skeleton and tried to act
inconspicuously; when contacted by Fox, however, he confessed to
cutting down two saguaro skeletons with a chainsaw.  R.M. was cited
for theft of natural resources.  The skeletons - each over eight feet
tall - are valued at more than $600 each on the black market.

o Rangers served an arrest warrant on A.T. for a hit-and-run
motor vehicle accident last September which resulted in significant
natural resource damages.  A.T. fled the scene and could not be found
until recently.  A.T. served an unprecedented 32 days in federal
prison on these charges.

[Robert Stinson, DR, SAGU, 4/7]

97-138 - Theodore Roosevelt NP (North Dakota) - Winter Storm Impacts

The park was largely shut down through the weekend due to a severe spring
blizzard.  About 18 inches of snow fell throughout the park; steady winds of
over 30 mph caused serious drifting.  Most major roads in the area and all
park roads were still closed yesterday, but should reopen today.  Although
the South Unit visitor center was staffed over the weekend, many park
employees were still unable to report to work yesterday.  [THRO, 4/7]


97-139 - Yosemite NP (California) - Fatal Accident

N.H., 74, of Escondido, California, was killed in an accident in
Upper Pines campground on April 7th.  N.H. was working on a friend's motor
home when the jacks supporting the vehicle slipped, pinning him underneath. 
Bystanders had removed him from under the vehicle by the time rangers
arrived.  N.H. was unconscious and had massive injuries to his chest and
abdomen.  He was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Modesto, where he was
declared dead.  [PIO, YOSE, 4/7]

             [Eight additional incident reports pending...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No submissions.

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

UPCOMING IN CONGRESS

The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming weeks
on matters pertaining to the National Park Service.  For inquiries regarding
legislation pertaining to the NPS, please visit the Office of Legislative and
Congressional Affairs Website at http://www.nps.gov/legal, or contact the
main office at 202-208-5883/5656 and ask to be forwarded to the appropriate
legislative specialist.

Thursday, April 10

House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee: Oversight hearing on the National
Park Service's FY 1998 budget request.

House National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee: Hearing on the following
bills: H.R. 765, wild horses at Cape Lookout NS; H.R. 136, names wilderness
and visitor center at Everglades NP.

Tuesday, April 15

House National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee: Oversight hearing on
implementation of the 1964 Wilderness Act, focusing on BLM and USFS
wilderness.

Thursday, April 24

House National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee: Oversight hearing on
National Park Service budget issues and to receive a GAO report on budget
formulation with the National Park Service.

Thursday, May 1

Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee: Hearing on Department of
Interior FY 98 budget request.  Witness: Secretary Babbitt.

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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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