NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, May 7, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-184 - Virgin Islands NP (Virgin Islands) - Theft and Fraud Arrest

On May 1st, ranger Troy Williams investigated a report of the theft of a
credit card from a visitor at the Cinnamon Bay campground.  Information
obtained from the credit card company showed about $1,100 worth of purchases
at three different stores in Cruz Bay on April 30th.  The sales clerks at
each location accepted the credit card purchases even though the card's
possessor could not provide any identification.  One of the businesses was a
jewelry store, however, and their surveillance camera had taped the suspect
making two separate credit card purchases at the store.  Williams was given
the videotape; he ran it for the assistant manager at the campground, who
identified the woman as one L.S., a seasonal employee for the
campground who works there as a cashier.  L.S. was arrested for theft
(18 USC 661) and credit card fraud (18 USC 1029).  She was placed on $10,000
bond and released to her father, who is a corporal in the Virgin Islands
police department.  [CRO, VIIS, 5/3]

97-185 - Fort McHenry NM&HS (Maryland) - Special Event

President Clinton and vice president Gore flew in and departed from the park
en route to meetings in Baltimore on the afternoon of May 2nd.  They were
greeted at the park by the state's two senators, local congressional
representatives, and the mayor of Baltimore.  The park's staff coordinated
the visit with numerous law enforcement agencies.  The park was closed to the
public for eight hours during the event.  The arrivals and departures took
place without incident.  [Rick Nolan, CR, FOMC, 5/6]

97-186 - Fort McHenry NM&HS (Maryland) - Special Event

Nineteen United States senators, their families and some staff members
visited the park on May 3rd.  During their ninety-minute visit, the senators
toured the fort in small groups escorted by park staff and participated in a
ceremony changing a replica star spangled banner flag.  Park staff
coordinated the event with U.S. capitol police.  There were no incidents. 
[Rick Nolan, CR, FOMC, 5/6]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level I

No large fire activity nationally.  Most geographic areas have low to
moderate fire danger.  Little or no commitment of national resources.

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Tue      Wed   %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT     5/6      5/7  Con  Con

FL   State                 * Cinco de Mayo     -       -    1,500   50  5/6

Heading Notes

     Unit --    Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
                or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
                district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
     Fire --    * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
                limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
                strategy
     IMT --     T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
     % Con --   Percent of fire contained
     Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
                containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report; LPS = limited
                protection status

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FIVE DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Wednesday, 5/7       0      0         1       0      116     16       133

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Wednesday, 5/7       1         32           4             0             0

CURRENT SITUATION

Large fire activity was reported in Florida yesterday.  Minor initial
activity was reported elsewhere.  Very high to extreme fire indices are being
reported in southern California, Arizona, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

NATIONAL OUTLOOK

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH for low humidities has been posted in northern Florida.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/7]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Narrowbanding Update - The recent request for bids on the planned DOI
narrowband radio contract for digital technology radio equipment meeting
Project 25 standards, the standard adopted by DOI, has been canceled.  Bids
were to have been opened on April 29th.  In announcing the delay, the DOI
acquisition team reported learning that only three offerors have Project 25
radios ready, one of which is a foreign company that does not have favored
nation status.  The team is confidant, however, that three additional vendors
will be ready with products by January, 1998.  The proposed contract was to
have been a multiple-year, multiple-award contract open to all federal
agencies, with participation in future year options limited to the successful
bidders on this contract.  The team decided to cancel the solicitation so
that the department can have better price competition in the solicitation and
have a larger source of vendors ready to bid on the contract.  Delaying the
acquisition will also allow the team to develop an equipment testing strategy
with the Forest Service to help facilitate their shared use of the DOI radio
contract.  It is anticipated that the invitation for bids will be reissued in
about six months.  In a related matter, the department has required that all
wireless transmitter equipment purchases be approved by the bureau radio
liaison.  For the National Park Service, that person is Frank Weed.  For
further information on this matter, contact him via cc:Mail or by telephone
at 303-969-2084.  [Frank Weed]

New Award Announced and Conferred - The NPS has announced the creation of a
new award which will be issued in conjunction with the Student Conservation
Association (SCA) and has been established in part to honor former NPS
employee Trish Patterson.  The Trish Patterson-SCA award seeks to reward
achievements in natural resource management in small parks.  Resource
management personnel who work at large parks - for example those working to
preserve the air quality at Grand Canyon and the hydrothermal resources at
Yellowstone - frequently receive national attention and national awards for
their efforts.  Those who work with limited budgets and staff to understand
and manage resources at smaller parks do so with little recognition and often
with less ability to compete for fiscal resources and outside assistance. 
Trish Patterson was a Southeast Regional Office employee who made special
efforts to assist the numerous small parks in her region.  She died
tragically in a 1995 automobile accident.  Several resource managers, former
NPS researchers, and superintendents in southeastern parks, appreciative of
her efforts on their behalf and on behalf of park resources, suggested this
award.  The award benefits both the recipient and the park in which the
recipient works.  In conjunction with the award, SCA will cover the expenses
of  a seasonal resource assistant in the award recipient's park.  This
partnership with SCA will provide extra assistance to the park to complete
vital resource management projects and will give the SCA volunteer experience
and encouragement to consider a resource career that would benefit small
parks.  The recipient of the first Trish Patterson-SCA award is Zandy-Marie
Hillis-Star, a biological technician at Buck Island Reef NM.  Her
contributions include the establishment of a sea turtle monitoring program
that has received national and international recognition and participation in
monitoring coral reefs.  She instituted a program with volunteers and
visiting scientists to document the effects of Hurricane Hugo (1989),
document baseline conditions, and monitor subsequent reef recovery. 
Information derived from her sea turtle program has been used to support
continued listing and protection of the hawksbill sea turtle under the
Endangered Species Act.  [Debby Peck, WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

Plant Collection Query - Lava Beds has just received a request from William
Hess, the curator for the Morton Herbarium, for a collecting permit for plant
material to study their anti-cancer potential.  He is collecting such plants
from across the United States.  The park would like to hear from other areas
that have received similar requests from Hess and would also like to know if
the permits have been granted.  Contact Chuck Barat, chief of resource
management at LABE.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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.

                                  --- ### ---