NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, October 30, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET (DELAYED)

INCIDENTS

97-647 - Indiana Dunes NL (IN) - Follow-up on Double Homicide

The bodies of C.G., 19, and E.J., 24, were found on park
property on October 16th.  Both had been shot to death.  A joint
investigation was conducted by the park, Portage city police, and the FBI.  A
reward for $9,000 was offered.  On October 22nd, information was received
that a vehicle had been seen in the area of the murders on the day the
victims were believed to have been in the park.  A description of the driver
was also given.  Investigation determined the person who reported finding the
bodies, D.S., 20, had a vehicle which matched the suspect vehicle and
that D.S. resembled the driver.  Investigators already had doubts about
several aspects of D.S.'s account of the discovery of bodies and his
activities.  D.S. agreed to a polygraph exam, which he took and failed on
October 24th.  D.S. was interviewed at length; he denied any involvement,
but could not explain the inconsistencies in his story.  A subpoena had
already been obtained to photograph, fingerprint and collect hair and blood
samples from him.  While D.S. was being interviewed, FBI agents served a
search warrant at his home and took several items of clothing and ammunition
of the type used in the murders.  D.S.'s vehicle was also seized.  Because
probable cause had not been established to arrest him, he was released about
9:30 p.m. on October 24th after he said he wanted to leave the interview. 
D.S. said he might want to call investigators later.  Two hours later, he
called a Portage detective, admitted to the murders, and revealed that the
murder weapon was in his car.  D.S. then said he had a gun to his head.  The
detective tried to talk D.S. into putting the gun down or allowing him to
come to his location.  D.S. then got his girl friend on the phone; during
the subsequent three-way conversation, the detective and girl friend tried to
reason with D.S.  About four minutes into the call, D.S. shot himself.  
Local police and investigators responded.  D.S. was taken to a local
hospital, but never regained consciousness and died about 12 hours later.  A
pistol was recovered from D.S.'s vehicle which is believed to be the murder
weapon.  D.S. had no criminal record, but had been arrested during the
summer in connection with a shooting in which a gun he owned was used by
another person.  He was never charged in that crime and cooperated with
investigators.  No motive for the murders has been established and there 
appears to be no connection between D.S. and the two victims.  There are
also many unanswered questions as to how the crime was committed.  Media
interest has been high.  The two witnesses who supplied the information 
about D.S.'s vehicle will likely split the $9,000 reward.  The park
investigator was fully involved in the case, including two interviews with
D.S. prior to the October 24th interview.  [Richard Littlefield, CR, INDU,
10/27]

97-666 - Shenandoah NP (VA) - Follow-up on Fatal Aircraft Accident 

The victim of the aircraft crash which occurred just east of Skyline Drive on
October 26th has been identified as S.L., 69, of Boca Raton,
Florida.  He was the only person on board at the time.  The aircraft was
lowered to the ground by maintenance crews the following day, then removed
from the park by a contractor.  Personnel safety was the paramount concern in
removing the plane.  The operation occurred without any problems.  The NTSB
is investigating.  Ranger Clay Jordan was IC.  [Greg Stiles, SHEN, 10/28]

97-671 - Yosemite NP (CA) - BASE Jumping Arrests

Rangers and criminal investigators arrested three BASE jumpers as they landed
in El Capitan Meadow at first light on October 14th.  Investigators had
determined that the trio would be jumping from El Cap that morning and had
staked out the area.  All three were charged with illegal jumping; one was
also charged with interfering with an agency function, and a second with
possession of marijuana.  All three pled guilty.  The magistrate fined each
of them $500 and ordered them to perform 200 hours of community service on
the illegal jumping charge; their parachutes, worth $2,000 each, were
permanently forfeited to the government.  [Dan Horner, CI, YOSE, 10/28]

97-672 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Suicide

On October 24th, a visitor reported witnessing someone jump from a canyon
overlook at Cape Royal on the North Rim.  The visitor returned to the
location with a ranger.  A body was seen about 600 feet below the overlook. 
The victim was identified as M.G., 20, of Orland Park, Illinois. 
The visitor said that he'd seen M.G. at the overlook, and that M.G. has
asked the visitor to take a picture of him and to mail a letter located on
the floor of his vehicle.  When the visitor asked M.G. why he couldn't mail
it himself, M.G. turned and jumped.  A recovery team retrieved his body the
next day.  The letter was a note from M.G. to his family explaining the
reasons for his suicide.  [Allan Picard, North Rim Unit, GRCA, 10/27]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Report pending.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Interior Appropriations Bill Highlights - The following provisions are among
those which will likely appear in the final FY98 DOI appropriations bill,
which is now in conference:

o Fees - The fee demonstration language has been changed to allow demo
parks to be allocated 80% of ALL fee revenue that they collect in FY98
and FY99, except for Golden Eagle revenue, which will be accounted for
and allocated based on the process designed for it as a "demo project"
unto itself.  There is no longer any base target that needs to be
exceeded first, as was the case in FY97.  It is estimated that this
change will allow the NPS to retain an additional $50+ million for
funding both its 80% and 20% project accounts.  Since the NPS will now
keep all the revenue from demonstration park fee operations, the
legislation requires that demo parks pay for their cost of collection
out of their 80% allocation.  Despite this requirement, most demo parks
will benefit greatly from the rule change, some more than doubling
their project income.  This new rule should reduce projected income to
be used for projects only at those demo parks that initiated
collections in FY97 through the beneficial provision of the fee demo
authority, or for demo parks whose cost of collection will remain very
high in relation to its revenue.    

o Construction Costs - A long section has been included in the report
accompanying the bill expressing concern over "the lack of effective
constraints on the scope and cost of housing as well as other
[construction] projects," and that there are "no incentives at the
Denver Service Center or at the individual park level to reduce
[construction] costs".  The conference also expresses concern over the
management of the housing program from the perspective that the
"housing inventory has increased [since 1993]" and that it will take
five years to complete a park by park assessment of housing needs.  The
Secretary is to appoint a committee to review the construction
practices of the NPS, with an emphasis on the role of DSC.  The
Secretary's review and recommendations are due to the Hill by April 15,
1998.  The NPS is directed to do the following, with the proviso that
no requests for additional housing will be considered until these
directives are fully implemented:

 (1) work with independent consultants and issue guidelines by April 1,
     1998 aimed at reducing the design and construction costs of all
     facilities and increasing the oversight of what is being built,
     including oversight by the park unit, and reviewing DSC methods and
     operations;
 (2) assure that all future construction requests conform to guidelines;
 (3) develop a two-year plan for reducing its housing inventory by April
     1, 1998.

o Environmental Improvement and Restoration Fund - New funding authority
is created based on the interest accruing from an Alaskan oil case
court settlement. This is a modification of an authority that the
Senate had included in its bill.  Based on estimates of the settlement
and the expected interest rates, it appears that the fund will annually
yield (once it had been established) about $60 million, which then
would need to be appropriated based on Administration requests as part
of its annual budget submission.  The request would be split into five
segments -  20% each for NPS, FWS, BLM and USFS for "high priority
deferred maintenance and modernization of facilities that directly
enhance the experience of visitors, including natural, cultural,
recreational and historic resources protection projects..,"  and 20%
for marine research through the Department of Commerce.   There are,
however, some caveats on the use of this fund.

Additional details will appear after the legislation has passed and been
signed into law.  [Jim Giammo, Budget, WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

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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