NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, May 4, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-156 - Glacier Bay NP&P (AK) - Search; Missing Plane with Park Employee

Long-time seasonal employee Scott Croll, 34, departed from Haines, Alaska, on
the morning of Sunday, May 2nd, as the sole passenger in a small, private
plane which was flying to Juneau, then on to the park.  Croll was to report
to work on Monday.  The pilot, David McKenzie, reported turning back due to
poor weather about an hour into the flight, but was not heard from again.  A
search for the plane began in mid-afternoon.  The area the plane was passing
over when it was last heard from is very rugged, with few landing spots. 
Scott is the son of retired NPS employee S.C.  [Jay Liggett, AKSO, 5/3]

99-157 - Wrangell-St. Elias NP&P (AK) - Climber Killed by Avalanche

J.H., of Whistler, British Columbia, was pushed over a cliff by a
slab avalanche and suffered fatal injuries from a fall of between 1,500 to
2,000 feet.  His body was recovered by two climbing companions and flown to
the Gulkana Airport.  J.H., K.R. and G.A.T., all of
British Columbia, had been flown into the University Range on April 25th by
Ultima Thule Outfitters.  Four days later, the climbers left their camp in
the early morning hours to attempt an unnamed peak.  Winds were calm and the
temperature was five degrees Fahrenheit.  They were climbing a slope of
between 20 and 30 degrees and were not roped.  J.H. was about ten yards in
front of K.R. and G.A.T. when a snow slab slid away just beneath him.  K.R.
and G.A.T. were able to cling to the ridge and stay out of the slow moving
release.  The slab, which was about 100 feet wide and three feet deep,
gathered speed and carried J.H. over the edge and out of sight.  K.R. and
G.A.T. climbed down the mountain for about two hours until they came upon
gloves, a hat, and an area of discolored snow.  They probed the area and
uncovered J.H., who was under three feet of snow.  J.H. sustained very
extensive head injuries.  K.R. and G.A.T. contacted the Rescue Coordination
Center through an ELT signal; rangers and state troopers responded.  [Hunter
Sharp, CR, WRST, 5/3]

99-158 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Rescue

While hiking up the steep Hole-in-the-Rock trail on April 16th, 58-year-old
S.H. of Denver, Colorado, lost her footing and fell backwards about
four feet, sustaining a fracture to her left lower leg in the process.
Hole-in-the-Rock is a historic site where Mormon pioneers blasted and
chiseled a steep and narrow route through a cleft in the cliffs high above
the Colorado River in order to cross Glen Canyon and continue their journey
to southeastern Utah.  The road has eroded away and boulders have fallen,
leaving the trail a boulder-filled gully which climbs about 600 feet in
elevation over a distance of a quarter mile from the present Lake Powell. 
S.H. was about 150 yards from the top when she fell.  Escalante subdistrict
ranger Jim Bowman and maintenance mechanic Phil Engleman arrived in the area
a short time after the incident and were notified of the accident by S.H.'s
companions.  It took over four hours to complete a steep-angle, technical
raising operation due to the logistics entailed in making two helicopter
trips to ferry in climbing and medical gear and personnel to assist.  Because
members of the park's climbing team were at Canyonlands NP instructing a
technical rescue class, the Page fire department team was utilized to conduct
the rescue.  Rangers Nate Card and Tim Thompson also assisted.  S.H. was a
client of High Desert Adventures, a park concession, and was on a backcountry
trip in the Escalante Canyons area at the time of the accident.  She landed
backwards on her day pack, which almost certainly prevented head and neck
injuries. [CRO, GLCA, 4/29]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                      Sat      Sun   %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT      5/1      5/2  Con  Con

VA   Shenandoah NP           Shop Run         T1      550    1,000   60  5/5

MN   Huron-Manistee NF       ATV              --      720      620   75  5/2
                             Unhappy Camper   --      200      250   NR  5/2

NM   Cibola NF             * Roberts          --        -      300   NR  NR

WA   Colville Agency       * Sand Flats       --        -      187  100  CND

                                  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; LSS =
            limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
            strategy
IMT         T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con       Percent of fire contained
Est Con     Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
            containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report; LPS = limited
            protection status

FIRE NARRATIVES

Shenandoah NP - A Type I incident management team has been assigned to the
Shop Run Fire, which is burning in the park 20 miles northwest of
Charlottesville.  High winds and snags are causing control problems.  The
fire jumped containment lines along the north and south perimeters on Sunday. 
Current threats are to private lands to the east and to recreation areas and
watersheds.

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Thursday, 4/29       0     41         1       0      273     21       336
Friday, 4/30         0     33         0       0       52      9        94
Saturday, 5/1        2      0         0       0       33     16        51
Sunday, 5/2          1      2         0       0       59      9        71

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Thursday, 4/29      11         55          11             0           158
Friday, 4/30         3         39           3             0           114
Saturday, 5/1        7         33           3             1           137
Sunday, 5/2         15         30          11             3           165

CURRENT SITUATION

Initial and large fire attack continues in the South and East.  Very high and
extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Florida,
Georgia, Minnesota, Michigan, Maine, New Jersey and Wisconsin.  [NICC
Incident Management Situation Report, 5/3]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

National Park System - Air Quality Protection Program

Over 20 years ago, Congress established a national goal of restoring natural
visibility conditions to national parks and wilderness areas.  Since that
time, visibility monitoring conducted in many parks around the country has
documented widespread visibility impairment, but regulatory programs only
required remedial action if the pollution could be linked to a specific
facility.  The NPS has successfully established such a link in a few cases,
and some large power plants have agreed to install pollution controls.  A
more efficient and comprehensive approach for reducing regional haze that
veils scenic vistas in parks was announced on Earth Day by vice president Al
Gore at Shenandoah NP.  Long-term monitoring conducted in national parks
around the country has documented the need for the new rules.  The Service's
Air Resources Division was actively involved in negotiations with various
stakeholders and worked closely with EPA in crafting the final rule.  The
rule builds upon existing air pollution control programs which are designed
primarily to protect public health, and the first plans are due at the same
time states submit plans for meeting new health-based air quality standards
adopted by EPA last summer (2005-2008).  But the rule requires steady and
continuing emission reductions even after health goals are met and sets a
target date of 2064 for achieving "natural" visibility conditions in national
parks and wilderness areas.  States will be required to submit 10-year plans,
with measures needed to stay on track toward that target (at least a 10%
improvement in visibility each decade).  Irrespective of what other measures
states may choose to adopt, the rule requires that the "best available
retrofit technology" (BART) be installed at hundreds of power plants and
industrial facilities that were built without pollution controls and have
otherwise avoided installing modern technology.  States will have the option
of achieving BART-or-better emission reductions through economic incentives
or market-based programs.  The rule also translates the recommendations made
by the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission in 1996 into enforceable
requirements.  Western states will have the option of implementing the
commission's plan in lieu of the federal rule.  [Chris Shaver, Air Quality
Division]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Follow-up on Shooting of Oregon Rangers - Oregon state park ranger Danny
Blumenthal was killed and ranger Jack Kerwin was seriously injured when both
were shot by an assailant at Oswald West State Park on April 27th.  Kerwin is
in fair condition in Portland's Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center. He
will soon undergo surgery to remove at least one of the two slugs lodged in
his head.  The service for Blumenthal will be at that park on Wednesday, May
5th, at 2 p.m.  People attending in uniform are asked to arrive approximately
an hour early to allow for appropriate staging.  Oregon State Parks has asked
that all attending rangers be in dress uniform without sidearms.  All
National Park Service rangers who are attending should contact Ricardo Perez
at Fort Clatsop at 503-861-2471, extension 212.  Condolences may be sent to
the families of both rangers at the following address: Parks & Recreation
Department, 1115 Commercial Street NE, Salem, Oregon 97310-1001, ATTN: Sara
Peterson.  [Gregg Fauth, FOVA; Ricardo Perez, FOCL]

Photos Needed - Federally Employed Women (FEW), an internationally recognized
program that offers opportunities to gain valuable knowledge, skills and
training through workshops, will hold its 30th annual national training
conference in Phoenix in July.  Each agency in the Department of Interior
will be putting together an interactive program mission exhibit. Photos are
needed of career employees of the NPS.  If you can help, please contact Rosa
Wilson, manager of the NPS photo library, by May 6th.  She can be reached via
the Internet at Rosa_Wilson@nps.gov or via cc:Mail at Rosa Wilson at NP-WASO-
MIB.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Death Valley NP - A team comprised of NPS rangers, a BLM ranger and city of
Barstow police officers competed in the 15th annual Baker to Las Vegas run. 
The race began just outside of Baker, California, and covered 120 miles to
Las Vegas, Nevada.  Several mountain passes were crossed, most notably the
5,000-foot Spring Mountain Pass.  The event is believed to be the largest law
enforcement sporting event in the world, attracting 200 teams of 20 members
from several countries.  The NPS rangers came from Death Valley NP, Grand
Canyon NP, Yosemite NP and Mojave NP.  The team started the race at noon on
April 10th and finished at 5:18 a.m. on April 11th.  Each team member ran
between 4.6 and 7.1 miles, with the team averaging 8:40 miles over the course
of the race.  The team finished 113th overall and 12th out of the 35 teams in
their division.  This was the fifth year that the team competed in this race,
turning in its best time ever.  [Jodi Rods, DEVA]

Department of Interior - John Gannon, chief of DOI's Office of Managing Risk
and Public Safety, is leaving the Deparment to take a position with the
inspector general's office for the Postal Service.  A farewell will be held
in DOI today.

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

Tuesday, May 4

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Murkowski): Hearing on: 

o     S. 25 (Landrieu, LA), a bill to provide Coastal Impact Assistance to
      State and local governments, to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands
      Act Amendments of 1978, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of
      1965, the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act, and the Federal Aid
      in Wildlife Restoration Act (commonly referred to as the Pittman-
      Robertson Act) to establish a fund to meet the outdoor conservation and
      recreation needs of the American people, and for other purposes.
o     S. 446 (Boxer, CA), a bill to provide for the permanent protection of
      the resources of the United States in the year 2000 and beyond (see
      H.R. 798).
o     S. 532 (Feinstein, CA), a bill to provide increased funding for the
      Land and Water Conservation Fund and Urban Parks and Recreation
      Recovery Programs, to resume the funding to the State grants program of
      the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and to provide for the
      acquisition and development of conservation and recreation facilities
      and programs in urban areas (see H.R. 1118).

The hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. in 366 Dirksen.

Thursday, May 6

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 1165 (McInnis, 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 (see S. 323).  The hearing will be held at
10:00 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.

Tuesday, May 11

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on 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."  The hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.

Thursday, May 13

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Murkowski): Hearing on:

o     S. 698 (Murkowski, AK), a bill to review the suitability and
      feasibility of recovering costs of high altitude rescues at Denali
      National Park and Preserve in the state of Alaska, and for other
      purposes.
o     S. 711, a bill regarding investment of joint federal and state funds
      from the civil settlement of damages from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
o     S. 748, a bill concerning native hiring and contracting.

The hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. in 366 Dirksen.

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 1487 (Hansen, UT), a bill to provide for public participation
in the declaration of national monuments under the act popularly known as the
Antiquities Act of 1906.  The hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. in 1324
Longworth.

Tuesday, May 18

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Oversight hearing on franchise fee calculation for Fort sumter tours.  The
hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.

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
(April 27th):

o     H.R. 1521 (Berry, AR), a bill to preserve and protect archaeological
      sites and historical resources of the central Mississippi Valley
      through the establishment of the Mississippi Valley National Historical
      Park as a unit of the National Park System on former Eaker Air Force
      Base in Blytheville, Arkansas. 
o     H.R. 1615 (Sununu, NH), a bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
      to extend the designation of a portion of the Lamprey River in New
      Hampshire as a recreational river to include an additional river
      segment.
o     H.R. 1619 (Gejdenson, CT), a bill to amend the Quinebaug and Shetucket
      Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 to expand the
      boundaries of the corridor. 
o     S. 905 (Santorum, PA), a bill to establish the Lackawanna Valley
      American Heritage Area. 
o     S. 919 (Dodd, CT), a bill to amend the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers
      Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 to expand the boundaries
      of the Corridor.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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.

                                 --- ### ---