NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, October 17, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

                            *** NOTICE ***

United States and DOI flags which have been lowered to half staff in memory
of the eight Bureau of Reclamation employees who were killed in the airplane
crash on October 8th are to be returned to full staff at sunset today (for
those areas that fly illuminated flags at night) or at sunrise tomorrow.

INCIDENTS

97-639 - Bering Land Bridge Npr (AK) - Storm Impacts

A series of recent winter storms have pummeled the 160 miles of coastline in
the park, causing the erosion of up to 50 feet of shoreline in places.  This
section of coast contains hundreds of archeological sites dating from the
late Western Thule (AD 1250-1400) to the early historic period.  Rangers
flying over the area observed water flooding into entrances to house pits in
partially excavated sites at Ublasaun and Kitluk.  It's expected that the sea
water will greatly accelerate the erosion by melting newly-exposed permafrost
and ice lenses, but a full evaluation of impacts will not be possible until
next summer.  The village of Shishmaref, an Inupiat Eskimo village of 600
which is completely surrounded by park lands, has been particularly hard hit. 
High tides and wave action have caused the collapse of houses and other
structures, including the community's meat caches, which were located along
the beach.  Several homes are currently teetering on the edge, and a fuel
tank farm is vulnerable to any future storms.  The community has been
sandbagging and erecting barriers on the beach.  Representatives from the
Army Corps of Engineers are on scene to further evaluate the situation. 
[Greg Dudgeon, CR, BELA, 10/16]

97-640 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Rescue

Rangers received a report of a man stranded on the coastal cliffs below the
Cliff House just north of Ocean Beach on the morning of October 11th.  A
ranger was lowered 60 feet to his location and discovered that he'd become
wedged into a 25-foot high by one-foot wide crevice.  A heavy equipment team
from the city fire department responded with jack hammers, lubricating
grease, crowbars and other equipment.  Rangers established two climbing
stations and a Z-rig to lower and raise rescuers and equipment.  All initial
attempts to free the man were unsuccessful.  Finally, after six hours, he was
extricated and removed from the cliff - just as the incoming tide was
entering the crevice.  Although he suffered only minor injuries during his
ordeal, he could easily have drowned during high tide.  Media coverage was
extensive due to the length of the effort and its highly technical nature. 
Ranger Raquel Lopez was IC; participating in the effort were rangers Bob
Airey, Steve Prokop, Ron Heeren and Sam Eddy, two USPP officers, members of
the city fire department, the city medical director, Red Cross
representatives, and personnel from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. 
[Richard Danielsen, Operations Supervisor, GOGA, 10/15]

97-641 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - EMS Rescue

On the afternoon of October 10th, the park received a call that a visitor had
fallen 30 feet in the Beaver Falls area of Havasu Canyon and was suffering
from a fractured pelvis, a fractured femur and a head injury.  The park's
contract helicopter was dispatched to the location and dropped of advanced
life support medics Andrea Lankford and Brian Wisher.  The patient was
treated and flown out via an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter,
which was equipped for night flying.  [Stephen Willis, IC, GRCA, 10/16]

97-642 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Demonstration with Arrests

On Sunday, October 12th, Religious Witness with Homeless People, a homeless
advocacy group, conducted a permitted demonstration in the Presidio. 
Although their First Amendment permit prohibited demonstrating within 50 feet
of any building, the group ignored this when they diverted from their march
route and attempted to occupy the Golden Gate Club.  In anticipation of this
move, USPP sergeant Ray Rapp and a squad of five officers blocked the doors
of the facility.  The group then attempted to occupy the visitor center,
which includes park managers' offices.  Based on the group's history of civil
disobedience and arrests for trespassing, the decision was made to close the
visitor center before the marchers could get inside.  The group pitched a
large cabin tent on the lawn of the Golden Gate Club and set up blankets,
sleeping bags and carpets on the porch of the building, stating that they
were claiming the area for the homeless.  After nightfall, they were advised
that they were going to be cited for camping in an undesignated area.  When
officers began to take down the tent, the 26 remaining demonstrators rushed
over and sat on it.  After ignoring orders to leave the area, all 26 were
arrested on the camping charge and for interfering with agency functions.  On
the same day, the park's law enforcement staff also had to contend with the
Dudley Perkins motorcycle rally, the 30th anniversary of the "Summer of
Love," and the Fleet Week air show with the Blue Angels.  [Lt. Kevin Hay,
USPP, GOGA, 10/16]

97-643 - Padre Island NS (TX) - Burglary with Four Arrests

On the afternoon of Saturday, October 11th, the park's contracted alarm
company advised rangers that the concession store's alarm had been tripped
and reset four times over a period of about 10 minutes.  Two rangers
immediately responded from about two miles away.  Heavy rains and high tides
had caused the beaches and most of the park to be closed, including
concession operations.  The rangers found one of the store's front doors ajar
with the window broken out, and discovered a large pile of store merchandise
stacked outside of the store.  They entered and arrested Jason Tidwell and
Rusty Aldridge.  Aldridge was armed with a Marksman air pistol which looked
like a large black semi-automatic pistol.  A search of the area and further
investigation led to the arrest of two more suspects, Sean Carlson and Chad
Burnett.  Store merchandise was found in the group's vehicle and in the
possession of all four suspects.  An inventory of the items removed from the
store indicated that the total value of property stolen came to $5,600.  The
suspects had their initial appearance in court on October 14th and are
awaiting a detention hearing later this week.  Ranger Randy Reader is the
case agent.  [Mark Foust, ACR, PAIS, 10/15]

97-644 - Chattahoochee River NRA (GA) - Auto Theft; Gang Activity

On October 6th, ranger Todd Roeder came upon a vehicle in the Medlock Bridge
parking lot which showed no indication that the operator had paid the park's
new parking fee.  While writing the citation, he learned that the vehicle had
been stolen from a nearby jurisdiction.  At the same time, Roeder was
approached by eight 15-year-olds.  As he was questioning them, one of the
juveniles quickly placed something in his mouth, later determined to have
been a small bag of marijuana.  After Gwinnett County officers arrived as
backup, Roeder searched the group and found the vehicle's registration papers
in the pocket of one of the juveniles.  As he was being put into position for
handcuffing, he broke free and ran off, which caused another member of the
group to run off with him into the woods.  The county dispatched over ten
patrol units and two dog teams to search the woods for the two boys.  Neither
was found that night, but investigation led officers to them and they were
subsequently arrested.  Citations were issued to the other youth and they
were released to their parents.  Several of the boys displayed gang tattoos
and gang patches.  [Connie Vogel-Brown, Acting CR, CHAT, 10/14]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Theodore Roosevelt NP (ND) - Wild Horse and Bison Roundups

On October 6th, park staff began a wild (feral) horse roundup in the park's
South Unit.  Volunteer riders and two helicopters were employed to roundup 90
horses.  Thirty-six animals were culled by volunteers and park staff from
Theodore Roosevelt, Fort Union and Wind Cave.  The excess horses were sold at
public auction on Dickinson on October 9th.  Genetic testing was conducted on
all horses due to the controversy associated with the claim that they were
descendants of Sitting Bull's ponies.  The horses remaining in the park were
micro-chipped for identification purposes.  On October 7th, park staff
switched areas and animals and captured 190 bison in the park's North Unit.
Processing, which entailed micro-chipping, genetics and disease testing, was
completed the following day.  Fifty bison went to the Three Affiliated
Tribes, 50 went to other tribes, five went to the National Buffalo Museum,
and one went to Sullys Hill National Game Preserve.  One bison was injured
during the roundup and was put down and donated to the local fire department. 
This was the park's 21st bison roundup.  All processed bison were brucellosis
free.  [Jay Liggett, THRO, 10/16]   

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Reservation System Suspended - Due to the termination of the Service's
contract with Destinet, the national reservation system for NPS campgrounds
and for tours at Frederick Douglass Home NHS and Mammoth Cave NP has been
temporarily suspended.  See the memo below from the deputy director for
details.  [Tim Stone, RAD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

"Termination of the National Reservation System," signed yesterday by deputy
director Denis Galvin and sent to the WASO directorate, regional directors
and park superintendents.  The full text follows:

"On October 14, 1997, the National Park Service (NPS) terminated the National
Reservation System contract with the provider, Destinet Service Corporation,
for default.  The contract extension was to run through December 31, 1997.

"This termination will cause a temporary disruption for campground and tour
reservations at the 18 sites currently on the reservation contract.  It is
the intent of the NPS to immediately release a new Request for Proposal for
the next National Reservation System contract and to have it operational by
March of 1998.  During the period of time until a new provider is in place,
the campgrounds and tours on the system will be administered on a first come-
first served basis.  I ask that all park superintendents who had facilities
on the current reservation system to make the necessary arrangements to
immediately begin collecting the recreational fees and depositing the
revenues into the proper accounts with all current guidelines in place to
ensure the integrity of the operation and safeguarding of public monies.

"In order to provide continued service to the public with a minimum of
disruption at the park level, the following procedures are in place:

o All outstanding reservations made with the Destinet Corporation will be
honored.  Hard copies of computer printouts of the reservations have
been secured and expressed mailed to the appropriate parks.  Parks must
make sure that campground sites or tour times will be guaranteed for
those persons holding reservations.

o Cancellations will be made either at the park level or through a phone
number provided to callers to the 1-800 reservation number.  This
number will be answered by WASO Ranger Activities.  Refunds will be
made at the WASO level.  All cancellation policies that were in place
with the reservation system will remain in effect.  Verification of
cancellations will be coordinated with the parks and WASO Ranger
Activities.

o For those parks that had reservation contract employees on site, the
NPS will invoke an emergency hiring authority to allow parks to
continue to provide adequate levels of service.  I encourage parks to
consider using this emergency hiring authority with former Destinet
field personnel if merited.

o Funding for the additional staff  and collection equipment at the
reservation facilities will be covered by the cost of collection monies
available to the Service.  Please determine the park's anticipated
additional costs and forward to WASO Ranger Activities National Fee
Program as soon as possible via CC:Mail at WASO RAD FEES.

o Any recreation fees that were collected by onsite Destinet staff will
be counted in the presence of NPS personnel and turned over to the NPS
immediately.

o Arrangements are being made for the NPS to secure the current 1-800
numbers in use by the Destinet reservation system to be utilized to
inform callers of the current situation and how to proceed.

o Arrangements are being made by the Destinet Corporation to remove
equipment owned by the company from park facilities.  Further
instructions will be forthcoming.

o Please notify the WASO Ranger Activities National Fee Program as to the
park's primary contact person for communication related during this
transition period.
 
"Further questions regarding any of these issues or more detailed
explanations of how to proceed should be directed to Tim Stone, National Fee
Program Manager at 202-208-4205."

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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