NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, January 12, 1999

INCIDENTS

97-775 - Dinosaur NM (CO) - Follow-up: Wildlife Violation Indictments
     
"Operation Dinosaur," a major inter-agency investigation into unlawful big
game hunts for elk and deer on private and federal lands in Colorado,
including Dinosaur NM, is moving toward conclusion with the December
sentencing of yet another principal.  The operation, consisting of a series
of undercover operations conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Service in
coordination with the NPS and Colorado Division of Wildlife, began in 1995
and lead to a dozen indictments against several men for violations of
conspiracy, Lacy Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act and various NPS statutes.  On
December 18th, M.M., 45, an outfitter/guide and the principal
defendant, was sentenced in federal court to 12 months and a day in prison,
three years of supervised release, and a fine of $10,000.  Six of M.M.'s
clients or associates had previously been convicted and sentenced:

o     Dr. R.C., a prominent plastic surgeon from Wichita, Kansas,
      pled guilty last March to three misdemeanor Lacey Act violations while
      on hunts guided by M.M.  He was subsequently sentenced to four
      months' home detention and a $10,000 fine and ordered to make a $10,000
      contribution to a state anti-poaching fund.  He also lost his right to
      hunt in Colorado and eight other Western states - all Wildlife Violator
      Compact states - for the rest of his life.
o     C.T. of Dallas, Texas, pled guilty to one Lacey Act
      misdemeanor related to the unlawful killing of an elk in Dinosaur NM
      while being guided by M.M.  He was sentenced to six months'
      probation and a $5,000 fine, ordered to pay $17,500 in restitution to
      the state fund and $17,500 to the NPS, and lost his right to hunt in
      the Wildlife Violator Compact states for five years.
o     R.G. of Tomah, Wisconsin, also pled guilty to a single Lacey
      Act misdemeanor for killing an elk in the park.  He was sentenced to
      three years' probation and a $5,000 fine and ordered to make a $5,000
      contribution to the NPS.  Griffin, like Clark, lost his right to hunt
      in compact states for life.
o     W.T. of Statesville, North Carolina, pled guilty to a Lacey
      Act misdemeanor for killing two mule deer on private property while
      being outfitted by M.M.  He was sentenced to 12 months' probation
      and a $2,000 fine and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution to the state
      fund.  He lost his right to hunt in compact states for five years.
o     S.B. of Punta Gorda, Florida, paid a $750 fine for unlawful
      killing of an elk on public land while being guided by M.M.
o     R.C. of Statesville, North Carolina, paid a $479 fine for
      state hunting violations.

The defendants also forfeited wildlife parts, ATVs and rifles used in
commission of the offenses.  A Lacey Act charge against one defendant remains
to be adjudicated.  The strong plea agreements - including the rare lifetime
hunting revocations - were made possible by months of work by FWS and
Colorado agents, supported by state and local wardens in Colorado, Texas,
Kansas, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Florida.  Then district ranger Ed
Pontbriand (currently at North Cascades NP) was the lead investigator for the
park during this operation.  [Karen Miranda-Gleason, PIO, FWS, 1/6]

99-4 - Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP (CA) - Death of Employee

Long-term seasonal ranger Jack Brush, 61, passed away on January 5th from
complications stemming from an advanced case of cancer.  Jack was an officer
in the Los Angeles Police Department, retiring as a sergeant in 1985.  He
began his NPS career in 1979 as a seasonal commissioned ranger at Yellowstone
NP, where he worked for five summer seasons.  He resumed his work as a
seasonal at Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP in 1986.  Jack worked in the Grant Grove
Subdistrict, where he made significant contributions to the subdistrict horse
patrol operation and as a field training officer for a large number of new
seasonal rangers.  A service was held on January 8th at Our Lady of Perpetual
Help Catholic Church in Valcenia, California.  He will be interred in
Prescott, Arizona.  Condolences can be sent to his family through his
daughter, T.H. [Bob Wilson, Acting CR, SEKI, 1/8]

99-5 - Whiskeytown NRA (CA) - Structural Fire

Rangers and cooperating fire companies responded to a structural fire in a
concession-owned mobile home at Brandy Creek Marina at 4:40 a.m. on January
11th.  The fire was reported by a citizen who was driving down a highway
across the lake from the marina.  The structure was fully engulfed in flame
when firefighters arrived and was a total loss.  The cause of the fire is
currently under investigation.  The concession employee who resided in the
trailer reported a burglary there to rangers 12 hours prior to the fire. 
[Alan Foster, SA, WHIS, 1/11]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

Yellowstone NP (WY) - Wolf Radio-Collaring Project

Park biologists have begun capturing and radio-collaring approximately 25 to
30 free-ranging wolves from ten different wolf packs in the greater
Yellowstone area.  The capture and radio-collaring project is part of the
monitoring and recovery plan approved in 1995 and underway since then. 
During last year's wolf-collaring project, 27 wolves from seven packs were
captured and radio-collared, bringing the total to 35 radio-collared wolves
in the greater Yellowstone area.  Wolves were reintroduced to the park in
January 1995 (14 wolves) and 1996 (17 wolves) as a non-essential experimental
population under the Endangered Species Act.  The reintroduction program is
doing better than predicted, with approximately 130 pups born over the
reintroduction period and currently a total of 120 free-ranging wolves
residing mainly in the park.   Federal law requires that a recovered gray
wolf population be documented in each of three recovery areas (Yellowstone,
central Idaho, and northwestern Montana) before they can be removed from the
endangered species list.  (A recovered population is defined as a minimum of
ten pairs of wolves breeding for three successive years in each of the
recovery areas.)  The radio- collaring project will enable park biologists to
continue to track reintroduced wolves and their offspring and to determine if
and when a recovered wolf population has been achieved.  All capture attempts
will be accomplished by helicopter dart gunning; processing will include
radio- collaring, blood extraction, weighing, sex determination, and
condition evaluation.  Collared animals will be released at point of capture. 
The goal is to capture 30 to 50 percent of the pups in each pack and replace
or install collars on the two lead adults in each pack.  [PIO, YELL, 1/6]

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

Horses Needed - Several park horses at Petrified Forest NP are heading toward
retirement and the park is seeking replacements.  If you have surplus stock
that you'd like to transfer, please contact horse patrol supervisor Mike Cox
at 520-524-6822.  Mike adds the following: "In keeping with the current Park
Service philosophy, we are looking for a young, strong, vigorous work force."

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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