NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, April 8, 1999

INCIDENTS

No incidents reported.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

National Capital Parks (DC) - Beaver Management

The park is attempting to corral a beaver that has dropped four cherry trees
and five white cedars and gnawed another four large cherry trees - probably
killing them - around the Tidal Basin over the past week.  The following was
excerpted from a story in this morning's Washington Post by staff writer
Linda Wheeler: "The beaver, believed to be a male and working alone, has been
alternately hitting several trees a night or doing no noticeable damage at
all.  Although beavers frequent the Potomac River basin, no one can remember
one living in the Tidal Basin until last year, when the first trees were
damaged, (NPS spokesman Earle) Kittleman said. The beaver-vs.-tree issue has
the Park Service in a difficult position. The internationally recognized
cherry tree grove is now at its annual peak, and the Park Service spends a
great deal of money to protect the more than 3,000 flowering trees. However,
it also is required to protect the animals of the park as well...The Park
Service plan, under discussion since Friday, is to obtain a humane trap,
catch the beaver alive and then turn it loose in a new home, a long way from
the cherry trees. As of last night, a suitable trap had not been found.
Kittleman said the Park Service has been overwhelmed with media attention
about the beaver. Biology technician Julia Long, who is responsible for
securing a trap, had a full slate of interviews yesterday, delaying her
efforts to determine which trap is the most humane...Experts on beavers said
this one is probably a 2-year-old that recently left the home nest and is
checking out the Tidal Basin as a place to start a new colony. Beavers
usually live in burrows built below the waterline and construct dams as a way
to maintain the water level above the opening of the den...So far, the Tidal
Basin beaver has not been able to begin a dam because the Park Service crews
swoop in as soon as a downed tree is found and take it away. They also chop
the tree stump to the ground so visitors won't trip over it. Kittleman said
there would be no special precautions taken last night to protect the trees,
because the beaver has about 300 acres to roam looking for an appealing tree
and there is no way to patrol such a large area."

OPERATIONAL NOTES

National Police Week 1999 Activities - The National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial Fund will be sponsoring various activities in Washington during the
week of May 9th to honor law enforcement officers nationwide, particularly
those who have given their lives in the line of duty.  The names of 318
officers killed in the line of duty in 1998 will be added to the memorial
this year.  Included are rangers T.K. Brown, LAME, James Fleetwood, LAME, and
Joseph Kolodski, GRSM (Brown and Fleetwood died in line-of-duty accidents at
Lake Mead in the 1970s).  Full details on the week's activities are available
at www.nleomf.com, or via e-mail at nleomcwf@erols.com.  Representatives from
NCR Ranger Services will be attending three events and invite other NPS
personnel to join them.  The first is the annual candlelight vigil at the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at 8 p.m. on May 13th; the second
is a memorial service on the west side of the Capitol at noon on the 15th;
the third is a 15-mile-long bike ride to the memorial service which will
begin at 9:30 a.m. the same day.  All mountain bike trained rangers and
officers are invited to participate in the latter.  The Park Police will
attempt to get bikes for out-of-town visitors.  For details on the bike ride,
contact regional law enforcement specialist Valerie Fernandes at NCR Ranger
Services.  If you plan on attending any of these events, please have someone
from your park contact Einar Olsen at NP-NCRO-FIN by April 23rd with the
number of persons who will attend.  NCR will maintain a list and provide
additional information on meeting places, uniforms, etc.  Other contacts for
the event: Hotel clearinghouse, 800-554-2220; Concerns of Police Survivors,
573-346-4911; Fraternal Order of Police, 202-547-1651. 

MEMORANDA

"Activation: Public Law 105-354," signed by the director on December 18th and
sent to all regional directors and the associate director, park operations
and education.  Some parks evidently have not seen the memo yet, so it is
being reproduced here for your information.  Note that it applies to all
areas that administer national cemeteries:

"On November 3, 1998, President Clinton signed into law S.2524, a bill to
codify without substantive change laws related to Patriotic and National
Observances, Ceremonies, and Organizations, and to improve the United States
Code, as Public Law 105-354.  Section 1 of this act requires the POW/MIA flag
to be displayed in certain units of the National Park System on certain days
of the year.

"S.2524 was introduced by Senator Hatch of Utah on September 28, 1998. The
Senate passed this bill on October 8, 1998. The House passed this bill on
October 12, 1998.

"Specifically, locations administered by the National Park Service that must
display this flag are the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial, and each national cemetery. The days on which the flag must be
displayed are Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day,
National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and Veterans Day."

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

No entries.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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