NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Monday, April 19, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-126 - Western Arctic National Parklands (AK) - Aircraft Crash; Fatality

Rangers were notified of a possible downed aircraft in the vicinity of
Kotzebue on the morning of April 14th.  Pilot/ranger Shad Dusseau dispatched
a park contract Bell 206 helicopter to assist local Civil Air Patrol and
Alaska state troopers in the search.  Weather conditions were marginal at the
time, with limited visibility due to snow and fog.  An emergency locator
transmitter signal was picked up within a half hour and the wreckage of the
plane was spotted on a frozen lake nine miles east of town.  The park
helicopter transported a paramedic to the scene, where the body of pilot Leon
Foster, the sole occupant of the aircraft, was found and recovered.  Wreckage
was scattered over a substantial area.  It appears that Foster, a resident of
Kotzebue, died on impact.  Park staff guided troopers and FAA and NTSB
personnel to the crash site the following day.  The area is accessible only
by snowmobile or aircraft.  The plane, a Cessna 207 Skywagon owned and
operated by Village Aviation, was on a routine freight flight when the pilot
declared an in-flight emergency.  No reason for the declaration was given. 
An NTSB investigation of the cause of the accident is now underway.  This is
the second fatal air crash involving a Kotzebue-based, Village Aviation plane
and pilot within the past seven months.  [Greg Dudgeon, CR, WEAR, 4/18]

99-127 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - MVA with Fatality
     
On April 14th, R.M., 30, of Laurel, Mississippi, was killed in a motor
vehicle accident while traveling south along the parkway.  R.M. lost control
of his vehicle, crossed the center line, and collided with another vehicle.
The driver of the other vehicle and another passing motorist attempted to
remove R.M. from his car, which was on fire.  They were unable to release
his seatbelt, however, and were driven back by the intensity of the fire. 
Weather was a contributing factor.  [Tim Francis, ACR, NATR, 4/16]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Firefighter Gloves - The NPS Fire Program Center has recently learned that
wildland firefighter gloves, produced by the Federal Prison Industries (FPI)
under a GSA contract, do not meet the new National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) 1977 standards for protective clothing and equipment for
wildland firefighters.  The 1998 edition of NFPA 1977 contains a fitness test
which the wildland firefighter gloves have not been able to meet.  The gloves
therefore can not be NFPA 1977-certified or labeled.  These gloves, however,
DO MEET all the other current NFPA 1977 requirements, and are the same
contract specifications that were used to meet the standards found in the
previous, 1993 edition.  The national fire equipment system (NFES) numbers
involved are 1293 (extra small), 1294 (small), 1295 (medium), 1296 (large),
and 1297 (extra large).  While these gloves are not in strict compliance with
NFPA 1977 and therefore do not meet the new RM-18 wildland fire management
standards for personal protective equipment, they ARE acceptable for field
use on wildland fires by National Park Service employees.  These gloves
provide full protection to employees, and in no way compromise safety.  The
gloves will be accepted into the NFES cache system.  The Forest Service's
Missoula Technology and Development Center is currently working with NFPA to
revise the fitness test so that these gloves will be NFPA-compliant.  If you
have any questions, please contact Paul Broyles, Fire Operations at the Fire
Management Program Center, 208-387-5226.

Albright Training Center Exhibit Project - The center sends its thanks to all
who responded to the recent request for images for its new exhibits.  The
center received many color slides, negatives, prints and transparencies from
80 areas.  Most parks sent a number of images; of these, 200 have been
selected for final review.  At least 50 of these will be chosen for use in
the new exhibits about NPS resources and employees, VIPs, and cooperating
association staff.  Those images not selected will be returned in May to the
parks, central offices, and people who sent them.  Ed Carlin extends his
thanks to all who contributed.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Glen Canyon NRA - The park has an opening for a GS-025-12 supervisory park
ranger - the Uplake District Ranger, duty stationed in Bullfrog, Utah.  The
announcement, which opens today and closes on April 30th, can be found on
USAJobs.  For more information, contact chief ranger Cindy Ott-Jones at
520-608-6262.

Lake Mead NRA - Public affairs officer Karen Whitney retired on March 31st
after 32 years of federal service.  Except for her first year with the Agency
for International Development, she spent her entire career with the NPS,
beginning in the Washington Office.  From there, she went to the Denver Field
Information Office under Rocky Mountain NP, the Colorado State Office, the
Denver Service Center, Rocky Mountain Regional Office, Mesa Verde NP, Glacier
NP, Glen Canyon NRA, and Lake Mead.  During her assignment at Lake Mead, she
played a key leadership role in developing an outstanding public affairs
program where none previously existed.  She plans to move back to Colorado in
mid-June; until then she can be reached at 774 Christina Drive, Boulder City,
NV 89005.

Yellowstone NP - Park roads are scheduled to open to the public for the
spring season (subject to road and weather conditions) as follows:

o     April 16th:  Mammoth to Norris Junction to Madison Junction to Old 
      Faithful; Norris Junction to Canyon; and Madison Junction to West  
      Entrance.
o     May 7th: Canyon to Fishing Bridge Junction to Lake to West Thumb to
      South Entrance; East Entrance to Fishing Bridge intersection; and Tower
      Junction to Tower Fall.
o     As soon after May 7th as possible: Old Faithful via Craig Pass to West
      Thumb; Cooke City via Coulter Pass to the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway
      intersection; and Chief Joseph Scenic Highway intersection to the Long
      Lake gate
o     May 28th: Long Lake gate via the Beartooth Pass to the East Summit,
      Montana Stateline.
o     June 18th: Tower Fall to Canyon over Dunraven Pass.
     
Limited facilities and services are available at this time of the year.  Most
facilities and campgrounds remain closed until their scheduled opening dates
throughout May and June.

TRAINING AND WORKSHOP CALENDAR

Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains training courses and workshops, and a second, which contains
meetings, conferences and events.  If you know of a conference, meeting,
workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and implications,
please send the information along.  

Entries are listed no earlier than FOUR months before the event, EXCEPT in
instances in which registration dates close much earlier.  Asterisks ( )
indicate new entries; pound signs (#) indicate revisions to entries that have
appeared previously.  Brevity in entries is appreciated.

Dates:      May 10 - 14 
Course:     Interagency River Managers Workshop
Location:   BLM National Training Center, Phoenix, AZ
Details:    Agenda topics will be organized in three tracks - river
            protection, river use and river characteristics.  Agenda items
            may be submitted to the organizers.  The workshop will include
            plenary sessions, concurrent discussion groups, and field trips.
Closes:     ---
Contact:    Linda Jalbert or Liz Close
Phone/fax:  --- ; ---
E-mail:     Linda Jalbert at NP-GRCA; Liz Close via lclose/wo@fs.fed.us
Submitter:  Same

Dates:      May 18 - 19  
Course:     Slavery and Antislavery Seminar
Location:   Mather Training Center, Harpers Ferry, WV
Details:    Origins and development of the movements to end slavery in the
            U.S. from the colonial era to the end of the Civil War.
Closes:     April 26th
Contact:    Marie Tyler-McGraw
Phone/fax:  202-343-5380; 202-343-1244
E-mail:     Marie Tyler McGraw at NP-WASO-NRHE
Submitter:  Joyce Howe, STMA

Dates:      May 21 - 23  
Course:     Health/Fitness and Wellness Class
Location:   Albright Training Center, Grand Canyon, AZ
Details:    Development of fitness plans for participants.  Limited to 15
            students. Cost: $150.
Closes:     ---
Contact:    Marty McCaslin
Phone/fax:  520-638-2175; ---
E-mail:     Marty McCaslin at NP-GRCA
Submitter:  Same

Dates:      May 25 - 27 
Course:     Natural Resource Protection Law and Policy for Superintendents
Location:   Salt Lake City, UT
Details:    Emphasis will be on comprehending the responsibilities,
            liabilities and opportunities for protection of natural
            resources; on the laws, regulations and NPS management policies
            that drive decision-making; on use of scientifically sound data
            for decision-making; and on natural resource-related information
            systems and services.  Open to GS-11 through GS-13
            superintendents.
Closes:     May 7th
Contact:    Bob Karatko
Phone/fax:  520-638-7988; ---
E-mail:     Bob Karatko at NP-HOAL
Submitter:  Same

Dates:      May 25 - 27  
Course:     Principles of Access
Location:   Houston, TX
Details:    National Center on Accessibility introductory course on
            fundamentals of accessibility for park and recreation
            professionals.
Closes:     April 23rd
Contact:    Jodie Laroque, Director of Education, NCA
Phone/fax:  765-349-9240; 765-342-6658
E-mail:     jlaroqu@indiana.edu
Submitter:  Joyce Howe, STMA

Dates:      May 26 - 27  
Course:     Reconsidering the West
Location:   Santa Fe, NM
Details:    Seminar on aspects of western history.  Sponsored by Gilder
            Lehrman Institute of American History.
Closes:     May 3rd
Contact:    Marie Tyler-McGraw
Phone/fax:  202-343-5380; 202-343-1244
E-mail:     Marie Tyler McGraw at NP-WASO-NRHE
Submitter:  Joyce Howe, STMA

Dates:      June 7 - 8  
Course:     Defensive Tactics Instructor Training (DTITP-903)
Location:   FLETC, Glynco, GA
Details:    Training for Level I protection rangers.
Closes:     May 5th
Contact:    Regional employee development officers or Learning Place BB for
            applications; FLETC for further info.
Phone/fax:  912-267-2245; 912-267-3188
E-mail:     WASO FLETC-NPS at NP-WASO
Submitter:  Wiley Golden, FLETC

Dates:      June 7 - 11  
Course:     Fire Readiness Review Workshop
Location:   Lake Mead NRA, NV
Details:    Instruction on use of the Interagency Fire Readiness Review guide
            for FMO's and staffs.
Closes:     May 10th
Contact:    Paul Broyles
Phone/fax:  --- ; ---
E-mail:     Paul Broyles at NP-FIRE
Submitter:  Same

Dates:      June 14 - 16  
Course:     Interpretive Training Institute
Location:   Appalachian Mountain Club, Gorham, NH
Details:    Cooperative program which combines the resources and expertise of
            eight agencies on interpretive practices.  Incorporates modules
            101 and 103 of the new interpretive development program.  Limited
            to 30 spaces; reservations on first-come, first-served basis.
Closes:     May 14th
Contact:    Donna Richardson, LOWE
Phone/fax:  978-970-5020; 978-970-5030
E-mail:     Donna Richardson at NP-NAR
Submitter:  Same

Dates:      June 28 - July 2  
Course:     Fire Readiness Review Workshop
Location:   Yosemite NP, CA
Details:    Instruction on use of the Interagency Fire Readiness Review guide
            for FMO's and staffs.
Closes:     May 10th
Contact:    Paul Broyles
Phone/fax:  --- ; ---
E-mail:     Paul Broyles at NP-FIRE
Submitter:  Same

Dates:      July 7 - 15  
Course:     Interpretive Planning for Managers
Location:   Mather Training Center, Harpers Ferry, WV
Details:    Workshop for employees who manage or oversee parkwide
            interpretive programs and are responsible for comprehensive
            interpretive planning.
Closes:     May 5th
Contact:    Andy Kardos
Phone/fax:  304-535-6056; 304-535-6295
E-mail:     Andy Kardos at NP-HFC1
Submitter:  Joyce Howe, STMA

Dates:      July 26 - 30 *
Course:     Administration For First-Line Supervisors
Location:   NCTC, Shepherdstown, WV
Details:    The course will teach first-line supervisors competencies for
            supervision, management and leadership in administrative
            functions.  Preference will be given to non-administrative
            personnel.
Closes:     May 24th
Contact:    Tom Ferranti
Phone/fax:  907-257-2550; ---
E-mail:     ---
Submitter:  Joyce Howe, STMA

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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