NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Friday, January 16, 1998

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-782 - Lassen Volcanic NP (CA) - Special Event

On December 13th, the park held an open house to observe the long-awaited
reopening of the Loomis home.  The house, which was built in 1929 and used as
a ranger station and residence from 1953 to 1974, had been closed for 23
years.  The stone structure will again function as the North District ranger
station and will serve as the primary park visitor contact station during
winter months.  The event attracted local and regional interest and was well
attended by the public, employees and park supporters.  Refreshments were
served and tours conducted through the refurbished building.  The reopening
is part of an overall plan for adaptive use and preservation of all the
historic buildings within the Manzanita Lake area.  The reconstruction took
three years.  The building is now the focal point for winter recreational use
on the north side of the park. [Mark McCutcheon, DR, North District, LAVO,
1/10]

98-20 - Independence NHP (PA) - Armed Robbery

An armed robbery occurred in the multi-level parking garage located within
the park around 3 a.m. on January 10th.  The park owns this garage, but it is
managed by the Philadelphia Parking Authority under a 30-year lease. 
According to garage employees, two men confronted them with guns.  One of
them struck one of the employees in the face with his gun.  They then forced
the employees onto the office floor, demanded money and keys to the safe,
stole an undetermined amount of money from the safe, and fled from the area. 
The employee who was struck did not require medical attention.  Park criminal
investigator Levi Rivers and city detectives are conducting a joint
investigation.  [Willie Bowman, ACR, INDE, 1/13]

98-21 - Buffalo NR (AR) - Elk Poaching
     
On Wednesday, January 7th, a state wildlife officer received a tip from a
confidential informant that an elk had been recently killed in the Margaret
White area of the park.  The informant gave the exact location where the
incident occurred and said the meat could be found in a residence near Little
Rock.  Remains of the bull elk were found in the park, as the informant
indicated.  A state prosecutor, however, felt that there was not enough
probable cause for a search warrant for the residence where the meat was
reportedly located.  It took an undercover wildlife officer several days to
determine the exact location of the residence within a trailer park.  Rangers
were able to obtain a federal search warrant from the U.S. attorney's office. 
Rangers Dale MacMilan and Tracy Whitaker and several wildlife officers served
the warrant on the evening of January 12th as the family was in the middle of
eating a dinner of elk steak.  Fifty-three pounds of additional meat were
seized from the freezer at the residence.  The suspect, E.E.,
confessed to killing the elk.  E.E.'s girlfriend had driven the pickup truck
used in the incident; his 16-year-old daughter was a passenger.  A .22
caliber rifle was seized.  Rangers were able to identify both the truck and
the knife used to butcher the carcass.  Although the truck was left with
E.E. because he needed it for his occupation, it may be forfeited at a later
date.  State and federal charges are pending.  A second elk was poached the
same week in the Boxley area of the park.  Several leads are being pursued. 
Native elk are extinct in Arkansas.   Elk which are now found in the park
came from a restocking program which the state conducted 20 years ago.  [Bob
Howard, LES, BUFF, 1/14]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Pay Increase - Employees may notice an increase in their net pay on their
January 15th paychecks.  This increase is due to a change in the federal and
state tax calculations - in 1997 the calculations were based on 27 pay
periods, in 1998 the calculations are based on 26 pay periods.  Employees who
reached maximum deduction levels in 1997 for OASDI and TSP will also note
that these deductions have resumed.  Most other changes (e.g., federal and
state income tax withholding rates for 1998, health benefit open season rate
changes, 1998 pay adjustments, etc.) will be reflected in the January 29th
paycheck and the leave and earnings statement for that pay period.  [Maureen
Foster, WASO]

Lyme Disease Web Sites - A Lyme disease vaccine is currently being developed
by the Pasteur Merieux Connaught and Smithkline Beechaam companies. The
vaccine will protect 89% of the population.  For additional information,
contact "The LymeNet Newsletter" at http://listserv.lehigh.edu/lists/
lymnet-l/.  There is also a web site for Lyme disease lawsuits and legal
information.  Contents include descriptions of and pointers to other related
sites.  That site can be found at http://law.lymenet.org/.  [Carol DiSalvo,
IPM, WASO]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

EXCHANGE

No entries.
 
UPCOMING IN CONGRESS

The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming weeks
on matters pertaining to the National Park Service.  For inquiries regarding
legislation pertaining to the NPS, please visit the Office of Legislative and
Congressional Affairs Website at http://www.nps.gov/legal, or contact the
main office at 202-208-5883/5656 and ask to be forwarded to the appropriate
legislative specialist.

Congress is not in session, but has published the proposed recess schedule
for 1998:

                            Senate                   House
Reconvenes             January 27              January 27
President's Day        February 14 - 22        February 16 - 23
Spring Recess          April 4 - 19            April 2 - 20
Memorial Day           May 23 - 31             May 25 - 29
Independence Day       June 27 - July 5        June 26 - July 13
August Recess          August 1 - September 7  August 10 - September 8
Target Adjournment     October 9               October 9

                       *  *  *  *  *

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please address requests
pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your servicing hub
coordinator.

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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