NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, July 31, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-419 - Biscayne NP (FL) - Follow-up on Vessel Grounding

Investigation continues at the site of the July 20th grounding of a 350-foot
barge which was being pulled by the 110-foot tugboat "Allie B."  Rangers and
biologists have located a crater approximately 10 feet deep and 42 feet
across, apparently created by the tug.  The site of the barge grounding was
also located.  The area shows severe damage to both hard and soft corals. 
NPS divers began "reef triage" this past Tuesday, taking the steps
immediately necessary to mitigate the damage and ensure recovery of the reef. 
Evidence of a heretofore unknown cultural site was also found - the wreckage
of a ship that is consistent with early 20th century shipwrecks found
elsewhere in the park.  A private engineering and environmental firm has been
contracted to assess the damage.  An area surrounding the ground has been
closed to all activity in order to assure the safety of those working in the
area, to minimize further injury to the site, and to permit adequate
assessment of damages.  Enforcement of this closure was expected to be
somewhat difficult, since Wednesday and Thursday constituted the official
spiny lobster sport season in Florida, during which time tens of thousands of
lobster seekers descend on the Florida keys.  A total of 27 people have been
committed to or are assisting in the incident since July 24th, including
biologists, patrol rangers, private contractors, and overhead.  A correction
to last Friday's Morning Report entry: The barge contained 12,000 tons of
sugar, not 12 tons as was originally reported.  [Gary Bremen, IO, BISC, 7/29]

98-451 - Great Smoky Mountains NP (NC/TN) - Resource Violation, Arrest

On July 25th, ranger Joel Ellis was conducting follow-up investigative work
on a case involving the illegal reopening of the Chimney Manway trail, an
unofficial trail closed in 1994 because of a significant number of hiker
injuries and associated rescues, when he heard a chainsaw being operated. 
Ellis followed the trail to its source and found T.G. actively
cutting trees and other vegetation on the closed trail with the intent of
reopening it.  Ellis arrested him on several charges.  T.G. is believed
to also have been responsible for removing a number of closure signs and
installing a homemade ladder for climbers to use at a difficult location on
the trail.  Rangers have been investigating this case since last November. 
T.G. is known to park staff.  He has presented himself to the local
media as someone who is providing a safe hiking trail for hikers because the
park refused to do so.  T.G. has been prohibited from entering the park
until his trial in late August.  [Keny Slay, ACR, GRSM, 7/29]

98-452 - National Capital Parks (DC) - Drug Arrest

Members of the Park Police narcotics and vice unit approached a man in
southeast Washington for a drug violation on July 28th.  The man discarded
several baggies of suspected crack cocaine, fled into an apartment, and
refused to let officers enter.  While securing the apartment, officers saw
two loaded pistols being thrown from a window.  Additional USPP and city
units were summoned, including Park Police SWAT and negotiation teams.  The
occupants of the apartment surrendered after a short period of time. 
Officers arrested 28-year-old J.R. and charged him with several
firearms violations and with possession with intent to distribute crack
cocaine.  The area in which J.R. was contacted is a known source area for
drugs supplied to the A.M., which are on park land.  [Henry
Berberich, RLES, NCSO, 7/29]

98-453 - Grand Canyon (AZ) - Structural Fires

Park dispatch received a report of a fire in a historic shed in the South Rim
residential area shortly before 6 p.m. on July 18th.  NPS and concession
firefighters found that the blaze was threatening two nearby residences, a
large propane tank, and power lines.  The fire was confined to the shed and
extinguished within six minutes.  Investigation revealed that the fire was
suspicious in origin and that it probably had been started by local
juveniles.  Shortly after midnight, firefighters responded to another
structural fire, this one in a residential dormitory in Tusayan, just south
of the park.  Although there was smoke inside the building, no fire was
found.  The smoke was traced to an overheated motor in a utility room.  [Dave
Brennan, GRCA, 7/30]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Wed      Thu    %   Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    7/29     7/30  Con  Con

WA   Colville Agency        Omak Lake Cx      T2    2,000    2,000   80  8/1 
     State                  Cleveland         --   15,700   17,000   75  7/31
     Department of Energy   Elk Meadows       --    5,000    6,000   50  7/30
     Gifford Pinchot NF   * White Pass Cx     T2        -      250  UNK  8/3

OR   Umpqua NF              Steamboat Cx      --      100      130   90  7/31
     Malheur NF             Stockaid          --      700    1,500   50  NEC

UT   Cedar City District    Buckskin          --    1,110    1,110  100  CND 

ID   Payette NF             Raft Creek        --      800      600   60  7/31

NV   Winnemucca District    Airport           --    1,200    2,754  100  CND 

OK   State                  Bear Mtn. Cx      T2    6,000    4,928  100  CND

FL   Merritt Island NWR     SRB #1            --      300      300   40  7/29

TX   State                  Humbolt           --      250      250  UNK  7/30
                            Sugarloaf         --    3,500    5,600  UNK  7/31
                            Hackberry         --    1,000    2,000  UNK  NR
                          * Quantique Peak    --        -    3,000   80  NR
                          * White Bluff       --        -      100   NR  NR

                                  Heading Notes

Unit        Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
            or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
            district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire        * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex
IMT         T1 = Type I; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con       Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
Est Con     Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
            containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Monday, 7/27         3      5        10       6      137     70       231
Tuesday, 7/28        0      7        11       0      345     96       459
Wednesday, 7/29      1      5        39       3       74    204       326
Thursday, 7/30       1     75        21       1      141    147       386

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Monday, 7/27        56        299          90            21           306
Tuesday, 7/28       65        325          80            12           303
Wednesday, 7/29     86        427          89            14           628
Thursday, 7/30     137        414         103            15         1,277

CURRENT SITUATION

Large fires and initial attack operations were reported in the Northwest
again yesterday.  Fires in Texas and Oklahoma remained active.  

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma,
Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, California, and Washington.

NICC has not posted any fire weather watches or warnings for today.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/31]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

WEB DIRECTORY

The Morning Report periodically runs a listing of Worldwide Web sites of use
to NPS employees in the course of their work.  Please send along entries -
and corrections, in case of address errors - to the editor.  

Thanks to the following for providing this month's additions:  

o     Joel Wright for the USGS digital and map data and mapping work in
      progress sites;
o     Kathy Clark for the new NPS CIRS/law enforcement site;
o     Kim Sikoryak for the Facts on File web site;
o     Sue Hawkins for revisions to the NPS GPRA and DSC sites;
o     Ellen Porter for the address correction (a typo) in the Arthur Carhart
      Center address;
o     Al Sergeant for the correction to the NPS "Courier" magazine address;
      and
o     Dan Moses for the 6c retirement home page.

All new entries are marked with asterisks (*); all revised/corrected entries
are marked with pound signs (#).

NPS SITES

Congressional Affairs office        http://www.nps.gov/legal
Training and Development office     http://www.nps.gov/training
NPS Web page development info       http://www.nps.gov/helpdesk (user name:
                                    NPS, password: Mather)
Current VIP opportunities           http://www.nps.gov/volunteer
Press releases, park news, more     http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/pressrm.htm
Q&A with volunteer NPS historians   http://www.nps.gov/crweb1/history/askhist
                                    .htm
Geologists-in-Parks program         http://www.aqd.nps.gov/natnet/grd/geojob/
                                    geojob.htm
Harpers Ferry wayside exhibits      http://www.nps.gov/waysite 
NPS safety info                     http://www.nps.gov/riskmgmt
NCR Museum Resource Center          http://www.nps.gov/mrc
National Center for Preservation
 Technology and Training            http://www.ncptt.nps.gov
NPS training opportunities          http://www.nps.gov/training
NPS strategic plan                  http://www.nps.gov - InfoZone, Park
                                    Planning
NPS "Courier" magazine #            http://www.nps.gov/htdocs1/pub_aff/
                                    courier/index.htm
NPS intake training program         http://www.nps.gov/intake
U.S. Park Police                    http://www.doi.gov/u.s.park.police/
NPS organization charts             http://www.nps.gov/refdesk/Refdesk.htm
Fire Management Program Center      http://www.nps.gov/fire/
Public Health Service office        http://www.nps.gov/public_health/
Nat. Reg. for Historic Places       http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/nrhome.htm
Employee safety/lost time stats     http://www.nps.gov/htdocs1/riskmgmt/
                                    GPRAIVa6no.htm
Visitor safety stats                http://www.nps.gov/htdocs1/riskmgmt/
                                    Gpvistrdays.htm
GPRA #                              http://amoeba.nps.gov/amoeba/nps.pmds.nsf
Denver Service Center info #        http://amoeba.nps.gov/amoeba.nsf
Harpers Ferry Center info           http://www.hfc.nps.gov
                                    http://www.nps.gov/hfc
Submerged Cultural Resource Unit    http://www.nps.gov/scru/home.htm
NPS Morning Report *                http://www.nps.gov/morningreport
CIRS/NPS LE program *               http://www.cirs.nps.gov

DOI SITES

DOI address directory               http://www.doi.gov/cgi-bin/mailsrch
DOI jobs listings                   http://www.usgs.gov/doi/avads/index.html
DOI IG reports                      http://www.gpo.ucop.edu/search/ig.html
DOI payroll, Denver                 http://www.dasc.doi.gov
DOI safety                          http://safety.doi.gov
DOI recreation lakes commission     http://www.doi.gov/nrls
DOI Y2K microchip hazards           http://www.mrps.doi.gov/y2kchips.htm
DOI Office of Aircraft Services     http://www.oas.gov

OTHER AGENCY SITES

Comptroller General decisions       http://www.gpo.ucop.edu/search/gaocd.html
GAO reports                         http://www.gpo.ucop.edu/search/gao.html
OPM jobs listings                   http://www.usajobs.opm.gov
USDA graduate school                http://www.grad.usda.gov
Thrift Savings Plan                 http://www.tsp.gov
New legislation (NECTEA) re: 
 funding for park roads             http://www.fhwa.dot.gov
OPM locality pay rates              http://www.opm.gov/pay/index.htm
CFR and Federal Register info       http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr
FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection   http://www.ftc.gov
IG networks                         http://www.ignet.gov/ignet
Fed Employees News Digest           http://www.fedforce.com/fedforce/
                                    fedforce.html
National registry for EMTs          http://www.nremt.org
Center for Disease Control          http://www.cdc.gov
Standard government forms           http://web1.whs.osd.mil/icdhome/SFEFORMS.
                                    HTM
Excess military equipment           http://www.drms.dla.mil
Federal recreation areas            http://www.recreation.gov
DOJ land appraisal standards        http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/land-ack
USGS digital and map data *         http://cdcwww.cr.usgs.gov/glis/glis.html
USGS maps in progress *             http://mcmcweb.cr.usgs.gov/status/index. 
                                    html

CONGRESSIONAL SITES

All Senate offices, committees      http://www.senate.gov
All House offices, committees       http://www.house.gov
Bills, reports, related info        http://thomas.loc.gov

WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT SITES

Wildland fire information           http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/fire
National Interagency Fire Center    http://www.nifc.gov
NIFC fire situation reports         http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.html
National Wildfire Coord. Group      http:/www.nwcg.gov
NPS fire situation reports          http://nifc.nps.gov/sacs (under INFO RES)

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SITES

Exotic invasive species             http://www.aqd.nps.gov/npci
Malformed amphibians reports        http://www.npwrc.org/narcam
Mineral developments near parks     http://www.aqd.nps.gov/facts/fadjacen.htm
Vegetation/soils planting info      http://plants.usda.gov
"Park Science" magazine             http://www.aqd.nps.gov/nrid/parksci/
"Natural Resource Year in Review"   http://www.aqd.nps.gov/pubs/yr_rvw96/
Natural resource pubs list          http://www.aqd.nps.gov/pubs/
NRM fact sheets                     http://www.aqd.nps.gov/facts/findex.htm
National GIS/data clearinghouse     http://www.cgc.ncsu.edu/npsgis/index.html

WILDERNESS/BACKCOUNTRY MANAGEMENT SITES

Arthur Carhart training center #    http://www.wilderness.net/carhart
Aldo Leopold institute              http://www.wilderness.net/leopold
Leave No Trace program              http://www.lnt.org
Wilderness-related links            http://www.forestry.umt.edu/people/
                                    borrie/wilderness/
Wilderness Information Network      http://wilderness.net

LEGAL SITES

United States Code                  http://law.house.gov/usc.htm
                                    http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/
Code of Federal Regulations         http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr
Federal Register                    http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/#fr
                                    http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/
                                    aces140.html
Federal Acquisition Regulations     http://www.gsa.gov/far/current/html/toc.
                                    html
Executive Orders                    http://www.arnet.gov/References/
                                    References.html
OMB Circulars                       http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OMB/
Supreme Court cases                 http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct
Federal Circuit cases               http://www.law.emory.edu/fedcircuit/
                                    http://www.gao.gov/decisions/decision.htm
                                    http://www.law.vill.edu/Fed-Ct/fedcourt.
                                    html
FLRA cases                          http://www.flra.gov/inex.html
MSPB cases                          http://www.access.gpo.gov/mspb
FLETC legal updates                 http://www.ustreas.gov/fletc/legal.htm
Environmental law                   http://www.law.indiana.edu/law/v-
                                    lib/envlaw.html
Ethics issues                       http://www.usoge.gov/
Federal laws in general             http://www.fedworld.gov
                                    http://fedlaw.gsa.gov
ARPA/NAGPRA laws                    http://www.nmia.com/~quasho/
Info on legal issues                http://www.Lawcheck.com/main.html
Laws, court rulings, related info   http://www.findlaw.com
Court cases, codes, regs, etc.      http://www.are.uscourts.gov/sites.htm
Glossary of legal terms             http://www.courttv.com/legalterms/  
                                    glossary.html
Environmental law                   http://www.cnie.org

ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION SITES

Environmental contract fraud info   http://www.echotech.com
                                    http://www.afce.org
                                    http://www.fraud.org
Info on militia groups, etc.        http://www.splcenter.org
Law enforcement newsletter          http://www.2calibrepress.com

OTHER RELEVANT SITES

NPS cooperating associations        http://www.nps.gov/coophome.htm
National Park Foundation            http://www.nationalparks.org
Student Conservation Association    http://www.sca-inc.org
George Wright Society               http://www.portup.com/~gws/home.html
GWS park-related links              http://www.portup.com/~gws/gwsnet.html
Links to NP's worldwide             http://149.170.210.2/~keith/links.htm
National Center for Accessibility   http://www.indiana.edu/~nca
Recycled content procurement        http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-
                                    hw/procure.html
                                    http://www.metrokc.gov/oppis/recyclea.
                                    html
                                    http://www.pnl.gov/esp/greenguide
                                    fcn.state.fl.us/bpsr/drc_notice.html
Telephone directory searches        http://www.pc411.com
Computer virus myths                http://kumite.com/myths/
Zip codes                           http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/
US Park Ranger FOP site             http://home.earthlink.net/~bikeranger/
Travel maps                         http://www.mapsonus.com
Travel planning                     http://www.bts.gov/virtualib
Federal travel regs                 http://policyworks.gov/ftr
State tax exempt rules              http://policyworks.gov/travel
National park weather forecasts     http://www.intellicast.com/weather/
                                    natparks
Facts on File information *         http://www.factsonfile.com
LE/firefighter retirement *         http://fire.blm.gov/retire

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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