NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Monday, December 1, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-717 - Mojave NP (CA) - Train Robberies

Over the past month, between $250,000 and $350,000 worth of merchandise has
been looted from containers on Union Pacific trains passing through the park. 
The trains are loaded with goods from Pacific Rim nations in Los Angeles and
Long Beach, then shipped east on "double stack" freight trains.  Just east of
the historic railroad town of Kelso, the trains must climb a steep grade up
Cima Hill.  This slows their speed to as low as eight miles per hour,
permitting thieves who have already boarded the trains to toss merchandise to
waiting confederates, who in turn either load the merchandise into trucks or
stash it in the desert for later pickup.  Stolen items include Nike shoes,
fax machines, CD/stereo systems, clothing and VCRs.  The gangs are comprised
of Mexican nationals and work for criminal elements in Los Angeles.  Rangers
and special agents from the railroad have worked together to recover a
substantial portion of the stolen items and have arrested three Mexican
nationals for felony burglary.  All three have extensive criminal histories
and are awaiting trial and deportation.  Joint operations will continue in an
effort to eliminate this type of criminal activity from the park.  [Tim
Duncan, DR, Kelso District, MOJA, 11/30]

97-718 - Crater Lake NP (OR) - Search and Rescue

Just before midnight on November 22nd, the park received a report that three
teenage snowboarders were overdue from a trip to the park.  A hasty search
was begun which led to the location of their vehicle.  Shortly thereafter, a
call was received from the mother of one of the three boys.  Her son had
managed to walk out and had called her, asking for help.  A six-person SAR
team was assembled.  They followed the track of the boy who'd walked out and
located the remaining two around 1:30 a.m.  All three were evacuated.  They
were exhausted, cold, wet, and in the initial stages of hypothermia.  The
three had decided to take a "short cut" back to their car from Rim Village
and had gone down the wrong side of the ridge, putting them in the park's
backcountry.  They had waded through knee-deep snow for approximately five
miles and were only able to find a trail head because they stumbled across
ski trail markings.  Prevailing conditions included 17 inches of snow on the
ground, temperatures around freezing, and falling snow.  They were poorly
dressed for conditions, and had no survival gear of any kind with them.  It
is probable that they would not have long survived if they hadn't been found
by the SAR team.  [George Buckingham, CR, CRLA, 11/26]

97-719 - Noatak NP (AK) - Aircraft Emergency

While flying a moose census along the Noatak River in the park's wheel and
ski-equipped Cessna 185, four park employees were caught by a fast-moving
Arctic storm which had not been forecast.  They were unable to reach Kotzebue
because visibility there had dropped to three-quarters of a mile, so headed
for the nearby village of Noatak, only to find that it was cut off by
quarter-mile visibility, blowing snow and fog.  Lack of good snow cover made
a landing on the frozen tundra risky, so park pilot Richard Kemp headed for
the Red Dog mine, 45 miles to the west.  Before they could get there, the
radio operator at the mine informed them that the visibility there had
suddenly dropped to a half mile, with cross winds of 25 knots.  Kemp then
attempted to land on the icy mine road - the only road within 100 miles - but
found it impossible due to 30 knot cross winds.  With park biologist Brad
Shults pumping down the skis and visibility dropping to a quarter mile, Kemp
lined up into the wind for a landing on the tundra.  A small frozen lake
appeared as they dropped to about 50 feet off the ground, and Kemp landed
without incident.  They spent the night in the mine dormitory, then returned
to dig out the airplane the next morning with help from mine personnel and
equipment.  They flew back to Kotzebue through clear skies.  [Richard Kemp,
NWAK, 11/26]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Canyonlands NP (UT) - Bighorn Sheep Census

On November 12th and 13th, park staff joined with personnel from BLM and the
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to conduct the annual desert bighorn
sheep census for the Island in the Sky District.  A Bell 206 Jet Ranger was
employed over the two-day period to overfly the district's 350,000 acres. 
Aerial observers coordinated their count with a dozen observers on the
ground.  Since a sighting model for the population is still being refined,
data points from ground observers were critical to the success of the
operation.  The number of sheep seen from the air - 31 rams, 31 ewes and 14
lambs - was down from past years, but the lamb-ewe ration was an outstanding
45%.  There are several possible reasons for the lower count, including
abundant surface water, ample forage, and an earlier count date, with the rut
not as far along as in previous years.  All of this may have led to the sheep
being less concentrated than normal.  Since the typical group size was small,
sheep may have also tended to hide rather than run, making them harder to
find and count.  One particularly aggressive ram chose to stand and challenge
the helicopter by rearing up on his hind legs.  [Craig Hauke, Wildlife
Biologist, CANY, 11/30]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

EXCHANGE

Headlight Problem - Richmond NBP is seeking information from other parks on
problems regarding headlight assemblies melting headlight bulbs to housings
on the 1993 Ford Taurus.  The park has replaced headlight assembles on three
occasions and would like to hear from other parks that have had similar
problems.  Ford Motor Corporation may assist with the cost of replacement if
there are other instances of similar failings.  Please contact ranger Barry
Krieg at RICH Ranger Activities.

TRAINING AND WORKSHOP CALENDAR

Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains training courses and workshops, and a second, which contains
meetings, conferences and events.  If you know of a conference, meeting,
workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and implications,
please send the information along.  Entries are listed no earlier than FOUR
months before the event, EXCEPT in instances in which registration dates
close much earlier.  Asterisks indicate new entries; brackets at end of entry
indicate source of information.  Brevity is appreciated.

1/x-3/x -- Cultural Resource Management Program, University of Victoria, BC:
     1/21-30, Exhibit Design and Installation.
     2/23-28, Museum Revenue Development and Management
     3/4-13, Fabric of Heritage Buildings
     -- contact: Joy Davis, University of Victoria, 604-721-8462,
joydavis@uvcs.uvic.ca, www.uvcs.uvic.ca/crmp.  [Diane Vogt
O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

1/7 -- Assessing the Archeological Significance of Historical Sites,
Atlanta, GA.  $165.  Graduate credit is available.  Contact:
University of Nevada, 1-800-233-8928 or 702-784-4046, or
www.dce.unr.edu/hrm.  [Diane Vogt O'Connor, DCA/WASO]

1/14-4/14 -- Basic Land Management Training Program (LMTP-803), FLETC, Glynco,
GA.  Contact your park training officer or regional employee
development officer for a copy of the announcement, which closes
on November 10th.  [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC]

1/21-3/25 -- Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP-802), FLETC, Glynco,
GA.  Subjects include human behavior, modern investigative
technology, cultural sensitivity, law, skills training in
firearms, physical techniques and driving.  Contact your park
training officer or regional employee development officer for a
copy of the announcement. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC]

1/25-30 -- Managerial Grid: Phase I and Instructor Preparation Seminars,
Tucson, AZ.  Phase I is a prerequisite for attending the IP
seminar.  Sponsored by ANPR.  Cost: $600 for members, $700 for
non-members.  Deadline for applications (purchase order, SF-181,
personal check or money order, etc.) is December 19th; they
should be sent to ANPR, c/o Bill Wade, 5625 N. Wilmot Road,
Tucson, AZ, 520-615-9417, 520-615-9474 (fax).  [Bill Wade]

2/9-13 -- DOI Radio Workshop, Denver Sheraton West Hotel, Lakewood, CO. 
The workshop will focus on training radio personnel on narrowband
radio technologies - specifically P-25 narrowband digital radio
systems - and federal radio frequency spectrum management
processes.  An executive session is planned to provide managers
an overview of the narrowband initiative.  Two special sessions
will be held concurrently, one for law enforcement and the other
for fire suppression and disaster response.  All technicians and
field personnel with responsibility for radio systems and/or
equipment should attend.  An agenda will be distributed in
December.  Contact: Please RSVP as soon as possible with Frank
Weed at NP-DEN3 (provide your name, duty station and phone
number; reservations can be made by calling 1-800-987-2000
directly and specifying that your reservation is to be made in
the block of rooms held for the DOI radio conference (don't call
through ITT Sheraton's central reservation line).  [Frank Weed,
FOTSC]

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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