NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, March 16, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-84 - Great Smoky Mountains NP (TN/NC) - Arrests for Robbery, Carjacking

J.H. and T.W. were parked at an overlook on the Foothills
Parkway around 11:20 p.m. on March 12th when two men approached on the
driver's side and shined a flashlight into the car.  J.H., thinking they
were police officers, lowered the window.  A man dressed in black and wearing
a black mask over his face pointed a gun at the couple and ordered them from
the car.  J.H. and T.W. were directed to give up their money, then to
walk around in front of the car and go over the nearby embankment.  They did
as ordered, and heard the vehicle being driven away - with another behind
it - shortly thereafter.  They flagged down a car about five minutes later
and reported the robbery.  A county deputy spotted the stolen car at a
convenience store about a dozen miles away at 12:30 a.m.  A high-speed chase
ensued, with two sheriff's cruisers following the stolen car for nearly 20
minutes.  The driver drove into a cornfield and attempted to flee on foot,
but was captured by the deputies.  The suspect, identified as B.F.,
19, had a Ruger .357 magnum revolver loaded with six 9 mm cartridges in his
possession.  Ranger Al Voner interviewed B.F. just after 2 a.m. and
obtained information about his companion.  On March 13th, Voner interviewed
J.B., 18, at a Maryville restaurant.  J.B. admitted to participating
in the incident, explaining that B.F. borrowed his .357 because he didn't
want to use his 9 mm pistol, which would eject spent cartridges if fired. 
B.F. and J.B. were arraigned in federal court on March 15th.  Their case
will be presented to a grand jury today.  The park obtained concurrent
jurisdiction on the parkway in 1997 and the case may be transferred to state
court.  Bill Acree is the investigator.  [Jason Houck, CR, GRSM, 3/16]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

Isle Royale NP (MI) - Wolf Comeback

The park's wolves have surprised scientists again by staging a dramatic
comeback.  Several times during the past two decades, biologists have felt
that canine parvovirus or a perceived genetic weakness resulting from
inbreeding was placing the wolves' survival in serious jeopardy.  When last
winter's survey turned up only 14 wolves in the park, those concerns
increased.  This winter, however, 25 wolves were counted - the most wolves in
the park since 1981 and the biggest annual increase ever.  The increase was
due primarily to high reproductive success by two of the island's three wolf
packs.  Two of the packs produced six pups apiece, one pack comprised of only
a male and female had no surviving pups, and there are three single wolves
without any pack affiliation.  There are two main reasons for the wolves'
reproductive success this year - moose have generally been in poor condition
and the number of calves and older moose have increased.  Both circumstances
have led to increased prey available to the wolves.  The park's moose
population numbers 750 this year, as compared to 700 a year ago, with most of
the animals concentrated in the east and middle portions of the island.  Dead
wolves found by the survey crew during the past few years have been disease-
free and showed no direct signs of any genetic problem that biologists
thought might have caused poor reproduction in past years.  Only one adult
wolf died on Isle Royale last year, and biologists determined that it had
been killed in a territorial dispute by other wolves.  [Jack Oelfke, ISRO,
via MWRO Public Affairs, 3/14]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

"Request for Detailers for the NIFC National Incident Information Center and
the Washington Office Incident Information Center," signed on March 4th by
the associate director for park operations and education and sent to all
regional directors, park superintendents and central office managers, marked
to the attention of public affairs and information officers.  Reply due by
March 31st.  The text follows.

"In response to national incident information needs for the 1999 season,
incident information centers will be operating out of the National
Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, and as needed, at Forest
Service headquarters in Washington, D.C.

"NIFC serves as the national center for wildland fire information, however,
during peak times of unusually high fire activity or political sensitivity,
specifically related to the Department of Agriculture or Department of the
Interior, the Washington Office Incident Information Center is activated.  

"This is a call letter requesting detailers to staff either of these
information centers during levels of activity that warrant their operation. 
We are seeking qualified incident information officers and public affairs
specialists with experience and background in fire information, legislative
affairs, crisis information management, and public affairs work.  

"Assignments to the NIFC and Washington Office National Incident Information
Centers will be 'on-call' fire assignments for a minimum 2-week commitment. 
Assignments will begin May 3, 1999, and extend through October 2, 1999, and
are dependent on national fire activity and preparedness levels.  Attached
[on the original memo, but not to the Morning Report] is a nomination form
for those interested in a detail to the NIFC or Washington Office National
Incident Information Centers.

"Please submit nomination forms no later than the specified due date, to the
NIFC External Affairs Office (see nomination form for instructions).  A
confirmation letter will follow for accepted candidates.   If you have any
questions, please contact Janelle Smith, NIFC External Affairs, by 
e-mail, at j80smith@nifc.blm.gov, or by phone, at 208/387-5473."

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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 or kindred agencies.  For
inquiries regarding legislation pertaining to the NPS, please contact the
main office at 202-208-5883/5656 and ask to be forwarded to the appropriate
legislative specialist.

HEARINGS/MARK-UPS

Thursday, March 18

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies (Regula):
Hearing on the National Park Service's FY00 budget request.  The hearing will
be at 10 a.m. in B-308 Rayburn.

House Resources Committee (Young): Hearing on:

o     H.R. 883 (Young, AK), a bill to preserve the sovereignty of the United
      States over public lands and acquired lands owned by the United States,
      and to preserve State sovereignty and private property rights in
      non-Federal lands surrounding those public lands and acquired lands
      (see S. 510). 

The hearing will be at 1:30 p.m. in 1324 Longworth.

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Mark-up of the following bills:

o     H.R. 66 (Wilson, NM), a bill to preserve the cultural resources of the
      Route 66 corridor and to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to
      provide assistance.
o     H.R. 592 (Fossella, NY), a bill to redesignate Great Kills Park in
      Gateway National Recreation Area as "World War II Veterans Park at
      Great Kills" (see S. 497).
o     H.R. 658 (Sweeney, NY), a bill to establish the Thomas Cole National
      Historic Site in the State of New York as an affiliated area of the
      National Park System (see also S. 140).
o     H.R. 659 (Weldon, PA), a bill to authorize appropriations for the
      protection of Paoli and Brandywine Battlefields in Pennsylvania, to
      direct the National Park Service to conduct a special resource study of
      Paoli and Brandywine Battlefields, to authorize the Valley Forge Museum
      of the American Revolution at Valley Forge National Historical Park,
      and for other purposes.

The meeting will be at 10 a.m. in 1334 Longworth.

Wednesday, March 24

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Thomas): Hearing on the following bills:

o     S. 323 (Campbell, CO), a bill to redesignate the Black Canyon of the
      Gunnison National Monument as a national park and establish the
      Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, and for other purposes.
o     S. 338 (Campbell, CO), a bill to provide for the collection of fees for
      the making of motion pictures, television productions, and sound tracks
      in units of the Department of the Interior.
o     S. 568 (Thomas, WY), a bill to allow the Department of the Interior and
      the Department of Agriculture to establish a fee system for commercial
      filming activities in a site or resource under their jurisdictions.

Thursday, April 22

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior (Gorton): Hearing on the
Department of Interior's FY00 budget request.  The hearing will be at 9:30
a.m. in 124 Dirksen.

FLOOR ACTION

No votes scheduled.  

LEGISLATION INTRODUCED

The following bills either directly or indirectly pertaining to the NPS have
been introduced since the last Morning Report listing of new legislation
(March 9th):

o     H.R. 1033 (Bereuter, NE), a bill to require the Secretary of the
      Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the Lewis and Clark
      Expedition.
o     H.R. 1100 (Pombo, CA), a bill to correct an oversight in earlier
      legislation by directing the National Park Service to grant to three
      individuals a right of use and occupancy of a certain property on Santa
      Cruz Island.
o     H.R. 1104 (Sweeney, NY), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the
      Interior to transfer jurisdiction over land within the boundaries of
      the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site to the
      Archivist of the United States for the construction of a visitor
      center.
o     S. 548 (DeWine, OH), a bill to establish the Fallen Timbers Battlefield
      and Fort Miami National Historic Site in the state of Ohio (see H.R.
      868).
o     S. 568 (Thomas, WY), a bill to allow the Department of the Interior and
      the Department of Agriculture to establish a fee system for commercial
      filming activities in a site or resource under their jurisdictions.
o     S. 581 (Specter, PA), a bill to protect the Paoli and Brandywine
      Battlefields in Pennsylvania and to authorize the Valley Forge Museum
      of the American Revolution at Valley Forge National Historical Park
      (see H.R. 659).
o     S. 582 (Specter, PA), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
      to enter into an agreement for the construction and operation of the
      Gateway Visitor Center at Independence National Historical Park.
o     S. 589 (Harkin, IA), a bill to require the National Park Service to
      undertake a study of the Loess Hills area in western Iowa to review
      options for the protection and interpretation of the area's natural,
      cultural and historical resources.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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