NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, October 8, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-618 - Washington Monument (DC) - Shots Fired

L.T., 60, of Bedford, Indiana, fired at least two rounds from a 12-
gauge shotgun toward the Washington Monument late yesterday morning.  No one
was injured, but one of the blasts struck and damaged a sign on monument
grounds.  L.T. was taken into custody without incident by Park Police
officers and charged with weapons violations and destruction of government
property.  A rifle was also discovered in his vehicle.  L.T. was taken to
St. Elizabeth's Hospital for mental evaluation and later released to police
custody.  [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCRO, 10/8]

97-619 - Denali NP (AK) - Rescue

On the morning of October 6th, the winter keeper at the Kantishna Roadhouse,
located 90 miles west of park headquarters, advised park dispatch that three
mining claimants - W.P., 60, M.P., 56, and Ma.P., 24,
all of Homer, Alaska - had departed from Kantishna the previous evening in a
snowstorm in an attempt to drive the unplowed park road to headquarters. 
Park headquarters had received 18 inches of snow on the 5th and there were no
signs of a vehicle exiting the unplowed section of road.  District ranger Tom
Habecker flew the area in a contract helicopter and located the P.'s
flatbed truck, which was mired in drifted snow at mile 65.  He also noted
that significant drifting had occurred in the higher passes.  Flying weather
was marginal, with intermittent snow showers and low visibility.  The
P.s, along with their two dogs, had spent the night in the cab of their
truck.  Two flights were required to evacuate the three family members and
the dogs.  The fully-loaded truck will remain where it is until snowplows
reach it next May.  [Ken Kehrer, CR, DENA, 10/7]

97-620 - Cuyahoga Valley NRA (OH) - Marijuana Seizure and Arrest

On September 16th, rangers saw R.S. remove marijuana plants from
a patch on park property and hang them out to dry on a laundry line in his
back yard.  The building was kept under surveillance while two rangers went
to the federal magistrate for a search warrant for the premises.  As they
were leaving the federal building with the warrant, the rangers on
surveillance saw R.S. leave his home.  The vehicle was stopped and
searched, then the house was searched.  A dozen plants, over a half pound of
processed marijuana, valium capsules, scales and paraphernalia were seized. 
R.S. was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.  [Mosie
Maxey, DR, CUVA, 9/23]

97-621 - Fort McHenry NM&HS (MD) - Special Event

Vice president Gore and his wife and two children flew into the park on
October 5th to attend a sporting event in Baltimore.  The park was closed to
the public for over two hours during his arrival.  Park staff coordinated the
visit with the Secret Service and with numerous law enforcement agencies. 
The event took place without incident.  [Rick Nolan, CR, FOMC, 10/7]

97-622 - Colorado NM (CO) - Suicide

Just before 9 a.m. on October 5th, ranger Bill Rodgers came upon a car at
Cold Shivers Point overlook that did not appear to belong to any of the
visitors then at the point.  The vehicle's dark, tinted windows made it hard
to see its interior, but Rodgers was able to determine that there was a
person slumped over with a gun on her lap.  Rodgers cleared the area of
visitors and requested assistance from the county sheriff's department. 
Rodgers and the deputies subsequently determined that the victim was
S.L.W., 31, of Highland Ranch, Colorado, and that she had
died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  [Ron Young, CR, COLM, 10/6]

97-623 - National Capital Parks Central (DC) - Suicide

A 76-year-old woman jumped into the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial
on October 6th and drowned.  She was identified as L.M. of
Cheverly, Maryland.  Witnesses told Park Police investigators that L.M.
entered the Tidal Basin after discarding her purse and other personal items
in the water.  She was pulled from the basin and transported to a local
hospital, where she was pronounced dead.  [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCRO, 10/7]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Special Event Crowd Estimate - The crowd estimate contained in the report on
the Promise Keepers rally on the National Mall last Saturday (97-608) was
derived from media reports.  Because of past controversies associated with
crowd estimates at large events in Washington, the Park Police and the public
affairs office in National Capital Region have permanently discontinued their
prior practice of preparing and issuing such estimates.  [Bill Lynch, RLES,
NCRO]

Archeological Inventory Projects - Parks and centers are reminded that annual
accomplishment reports should be prepared for all archeological inventory
projects conducted in park units during FY 97.  Reports should be completed
for all projects, regardless of funding source, including CRPP, Section 106
compliance, FIREPRO, and cultural cyclic.  The individual archeological
inventory project summary form (NASI Form 2, October 1992) should be used to
report accomplishments.  An electronic WP 5.1 version of the form is
available by sending a cc:Mail message to Michele Aubry at NP-WASO-DCA, or by
contacting your cluster archeological inventory coordinator.  Completed forms
should be submitted to Michele Aubry by October 31st.  [Michele Aubry,
AEP/NC-CRSP]

Awards - Notification has been received of several significant awards issued
to NPS employees:

o Grand Teton NP seasonal law enforcement ranger Bill Miller received the
Wyoming "Peace Officer of the Year" award from the Wyoming Peace
Officers' Association on September 11th - the first park ranger to
receive the award.  Miller received a similar award from Teton County
last year, which was entered into and won the statewide competition. 
Both awards were based on Miller's "hard work, integrity, knowledge and
professionalism throughout his 30-year career in law enforcement." 
Miller, 63, has been a seasonal LE ranger at the park since 1966 and is
now a criminal investigator.  He is a retired junior high school
principal from El Cajon, California, where he worked in education for
28 years.

o The Department of Energy has presented awards in the field of energy
conservation to Doug DeNio (now retired), Ben Hawkins (Intermountain
Region), and Kent Bullard (CHIS) for their work, respectively, on
photovoltaic (solar) power systems, the IMRO energy management program,
and park use of renewable energy projects, alternative fuel vehicles,
water conservation and energy education.  The awards will be presented
at the National Press Club on the 23rd.  For more info on these topics,
contact Terry Brennan at NP-WASO-FMD.

o The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a citation for
outstanding group performance to the team that put together DOI's
occupational medicine handbook.  Bob Garbe, WASO Office of Managing
Risk and Public Safety, and Ed Clark, Valley Forge NHP, were the NPS
members of the team.  The final review draft of the document was
recently completed.

[Linda Olson, PAO, GRTE; Terry Brennan, FMD/WASO; Mike Kaas, OMRPS/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

OBSERVATIONS

The following citation concludes (for now) the run of quotes by John Muir,
forefather of the National Park Service.  It's as good a summary of his
perspectives on wilderness as any of his other observations.  If you're
interested in the complete collection, check your local bookstore for "John
Muir: In His Own Words," compiled and edited by Peter Browning (Great West
Books, 1988).  

"Perhaps the profession of doing good may be full, but everybody should be
kind at least to himself.  Take a course in good water and air, and in the
eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own.  Go quietly, alone; no harm
will befall you."

                                    John Muir, 188, "Mt. Shasta," from
                                    "Picturesque California"

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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