NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, October 23, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-444 - Glen Canyon (Utah/Arizona) - Follow-up on Search

Two park visitors who were hiking in Moki Canyon about three miles east of
Halls Crossing on October 12th reported finding a human skull.  Rangers Steve
Luckesen and Andrew Perry searched the area and found scattered bones and a
pile of clothing nearby.  Investigation revealed that they are the remains of
J.H., 37, who was reported missing at the Halls Crossing marina on
August 6, 1996.  J.H.'s family had arranged to meet him at the marina. 
J.H. arrived late, however, and was unable to locate them.  Observers at
the marina told rangers that he was last seen demonstrating bizarre and
irrational behavior on the marina breakwater.  Family members reported that
J.H. had a history of manic depression, drug use and previous suicide
attempts.  A search was begun which employed the park's dive team and
underwater ROV (remote operated vehicle), Civil Air Patrol planes, and search
dog teams.  Temperatures at the time were around 100 degrees.  It's believed
that J.H. may have died of exposure.  [David Sandbakken, LES, GLCA, 10/22]

97-660 - Chattahoochee River NRA (GA) - Drug Seizure

On October 4th, visitors reported finding what appeared to be drugs in a
plastic bag off a trail along the river.  Park maintenance worker Donald Sapp
contacted ranger Todd Roeder, who searched and found the bag on the bank of
the river.  The contents of the large plastic bag were wrapped in four or
five layers of plastic wrap.  Field testing showed that the bag contained 573
grams of cocaine, ten grams of marijuana, and a small amount of heroin mixed
with coffee grounds.  Large amounts of controlled substances bundles in this
manner are unusual in the park.  No suspects have been identified.  [Connie
Vogel-Brown, Acting CR, CHAT, 10/10]

97-661 - Golden Gate NRA (CA) - Car Clouting Arrest

On October 11th, a vehicle was broken into in the Marin Headlands area of the
park.  Eyewitnesses said that the thief had driven a silver Dodge Stratus,
and that information was relayed by USPP officer Dave Booth to other
officers.  Later that day, officer Mike Martinez stopped a green Dodge
Stratus for running a stop sign in the Presidio.  He found that the driver,
J.R., had a suspended license and began the process of impounding
the rental car.  When detective sergeant Ray Rapp heard Martinez run
J.R.'s name over the radio, he recalled that J.R. was a suspect in auto
burglaries which had occurred in 1995-96.  Rapp drove to the scene and noted
that an Olympus Infinity 200 camera and clothing in the car matched the
descriptions of items taken in the Headlands car clout.  J.R. was
arrested.  Investigator Greg Martin had previously tracked J.R. and
identified his modus operandi of employing rental cars of different makes and
colors while engaged in car clouts and had also determined the rental car
agency that J.R. had employed in San Jose.  Surveillance efforts, however,
had been unsuccessful.  Charges against J.R. are pending in federal court
and the INS has been notified of J.R.'s status as an illegal alien.  [Lt.
Kevin Hay, USPP, GOGA, 10/17]

97-662 - Chattahoochee River NRA (GA) - Assist; Arrest of Fleeing Felon

While heading home to his residence from the park on September 20th, ranger
Stuart Delugach saw two Fulton County officers running down a road shoulder
just outside the park's boundary.  They asked him to help apprehend a man
who'd just been stopped and was found to be armed with a .38 caliber
revolver.  When the man was questioned, he grabbed one of the officers and
dragged her by the side of his vehicle for several yards as he sped away
towards the river.  He was last seen wearing camouflage clothing and combat
boots and running into a townhouse just outside the park.  He attempted to
elude his pursuers by climbing through adjoining attics in the townhouse
complex, but was apprehended without further incident.  Marijuana, rock
cocaine and paraphernalia were found in his vehicle.  A criminal history
check revealed that he had a prior conviction for felony burglary.  [Connie
Vogel-Brown, Acting CR, CHAT, 10/10]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Biological Controls

Biological control - the introduction of non-native organisms to control
pests -  can be an effective and clean substitute for the use of pesticides
and herbicides.  But caution needs to be used in deploying those non-native
organisms.  Unexpected discoveries were recently made in Rocky Mountain NP,
Mesa Verde NP, Wind Cave NP and in the Nebraska Sandhills by botanist Svata
Louda, University of Nebraska (Lincoln), natural resources specialist Jeff
Connor Natural, ROMO, and botanist Debra Kendall, Fort Lewis College
(Durango, CO).  The non-native flowerhead weevil (Rhinocyllus conicus)
introduced to control exotic thistles has exhibited an increase in host range
as well as continuing geographic expansion.  Data collected from three
national parks and two nature conservancy preserves show weevil damage to
native thistles consistently increased between 1992 to 1996, reaching 16 to
77 percent of damage to flowerheads per plant.  Weevils significantly reduced
the seed production of native thistle flowerheads.  The density of native
tephritid flies was also significantly lower at high weevil density.   The
weevil is a Eurasian species and was the first insect released in North
America for the biological control of Eurasian thistles in the genus (Carduus
spp.) which includes musk thistle C. nutans.  Following extensive pre-release
screenings, the insect was released in North America in Ontario and
Saskatchewan in 1968, then redistributed to Manitoba, Quebec, and British
Columbia from 1974 to 1979.  It was also released in Montana in 1969,
California in 1971, Nebraska in 1972, and in other states thereafter.  The
insect was never released in Rocky Mountain NP or Mesa Verde NP, but moved in
on its own after being released elsewhere in the state of Colorado.  National
Park Service management policies clearly state that an exotic species can
only be released in an NPS unit if it does not become a pest and such
introductions will not disrupt desirable adjacent natural plant and animal
communities and associations.  However, there's nothing to stop a species
from expanding its range once it is established, even if it was not
introduced in a NPS unit.  The invasion of the weevil has been devastating to
the Platte thistle in Nebraska and to native wavy-leaf and elk thistles in
Rocky Mountain NP.  These native thistles have existed naturally in small
numbers in the park and there is a concern that the weevil could cause
drastic reductions in the population.  The insect clearly should not have
been released in North America.  It was hoped that biological control using
exotic insects would be an environmentally sound alternative to chemicals in
the control of weeds.  Advocates are seeing these insects as the panacea to
controlling exotic plants.  Unfortunately, we have not been as careful about
the selection of exotic insects as we should be.  Louda, Kendall, Connor, and
co-author Dan Simberloff of the University of Tennessee published their
findings recently in an article entitled "Ecological Effects of an Insect
Introduced for the Biological Control of Weeds," which appeared in the August
22nd issue of Science (volume 277), the magazine for the American Association
for the Advancement of Science.  [Jeff Connor, NRS, ROMO, 10/20]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Continuing Resolution, Continued - The Senate will pass an extension of the
current continuing resolution through November 7th today.  The bill already
passed the House and will be signed by the president later today.  Meanwhile,
conference managers finally finished the FY 1998 appropriations conference
bill late last night and filed it for votes in both the Senate and House. 
[Jim Giammo, Budget, WASO]

Regs/Jurisdiction Update - The following actions have recently taken place: 

o 36 CFR Part 2: Minor corrections have been made to the package based on
comments received from the solicitor's office and it has gone back to
the solicitor for surnaming.

o 36 CFR Part 3: Any comments concerning Part 3 should be sent to Bob
McKeever at Lake Mead via cc:Mail or by calling him at 702-293-8939.

o 36 CFR 3.6 - Personal Watercraft (PWC): The issue of PWCs was being
addressed by the Part 3 work group.  At the request of the NLC, this
regulation has been pulled from Part 3 and will move forward on its own
as an interim rule.  The rule will prohibit PWCs except where
designated by the Superintendent.  This rule is NOT A GENERAL
PROHIBITION ON PWCs.  Rather, it establishes a procedure for
superintendents to make an administrative determination that the
activity is appropriate and meets certain criteria before allowing PWC
use in designated use areas.  The rule has cleared RAD/WASO and is
being reviewed by the solicitor's office.  RAD/WASO has met on this
matter on more than one occasion with conservation organizations, the
PWC industry, and congressional delegations. 

o 36 CFR Part 14 - Rights-of-Way: This proposed rule was signed by the
assistant secretary on November 13, 1996, and was approved by OMB. 
However, OMB has asked NPS to hold publication until the 1998 Interior
appropriations bill has been approved and signed.  

o 36 CFR 4.15 - Seatbelts: The final rule has been drafted and is being
reviewed in WASO-RAD.

o 36 CFR Part 62 - National Natural Landmarks (NNL): The final rule
concerning NNL has been reviewed by the assistant secretary and is now
being reviewed by OMB.

o 36 CFR Part 7 Rules: Three are currently in the works:

* Cape Cod NS ORV use - This final rule is being reviewed by the
Assistant Secretary.
* Delaware Water Gap NRA bicycle routes and climbing registration -
This proposed rule was signed by the assistant secretary on
August 26th and cleared the department's Office of Regulatory
Affairs on September 12th.  It is currently awaiting a DI-1 for
publication in the Federal Register.
* Kaloko-Honokohau NHP public nudity prohibition - The NPS is
proposing to prohibit public nudity within the boundaries of the
park, as the existing practice of public nudity is in conflict
with the park's enabling legislation (16 USC 396d) and the
traditional values of native Hawaiian culture which the park was
created to perpetuate and preserve and is creating visitor use
conflicts.  The proposed rule is being reviewed by the
solicitor's office.

o 36 CFR Part 13 Rules: Only one is in the works at present:

* Denali NP - The NPS is proposing to revise 36 CFR 13.63 by
changing out-of-date references to "Mount McKinley National Park"
to "Denali National Park", as appropriate, a name change which
occurred on December 2, 1980.  It is further proposed to
consolidate in the special regulations existing designations,
closures, permit requirements and other restrictions regarding
vehicle traffic, vehicle use, snow machines, and public health,
safety and resource protection postings and closures.   The rule
is being reviewed by RAD/WASO.

[Dennis Burnett, RAD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

"Zero Tolerance of Discrimination," signed by the director on October 17th
and transmitted electronically to all NPS employees.  The text follows:
     
"Consistent with the Secretary's policy on zero tolerance of discrimination,
I have expressed my personal commitment to improving the diversity of the
National Park Service and elimination any discriminatory barriers to this
objective including sexual harassment.  I am equally committed to a policy of
ensuring that any type of harassment based upon race, color, sex, religion,
disability, age or sexual orientation will not be tolerated by the National
Park Service.
     
"It is very important that we maintain a work environment that is free from
threatening, harassing or demeaning behavior and all employees are treated
with professionalism and respect.  Discriminatory behavior or language is
unacceptable as it not only can be personally offensive or harmful but it
also can inhibit an employee's ability to reach her/his full potential. 
Anyone engaging in such behavior or language will be subject to appropriate
disciplinary or administrative action.  

"Further, I expect all managers and supervisors to respond to complaints
swiftly and appropriately because they will be held accountable for taking
steps to eliminate such behavior and to ensure a work environment where
employees are treated fairly and respectfully.
     
"Discrimination has no place in the National Park Service and I expect all
managers, supervisors and employees to comply with this policy."

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

OBSERVATIONS

This section, which appears intermittently in the Morning Report, contains
observations regarding the National Park Service, the System and the several
professions of park employees.  

Today's submission was sent along by John Quinley from the Alaska Regional
Office.  It was written about Wrangell-St. Elias NP, but applies to parks in
general.

"I see this park as a place set aside and protected from human depredation,
where we can experience solitude and silence and beauty, where instead of our
overwhelming nature, we can be overwhelmed...A century and more from now, the
park will still be here as a protected land.  Such wild space will be needed
even more desperately than now, given the pace of man's assaults on nature. 
The creation of parks such as this one is a far-sighted venture, an
investment that can only become increasingly precious."

                              George Herben, "Picture Journeys in
                              Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias," 1997

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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