9.3   Fire Management - Sue Vap

      The Federal Fire and Aviation Leadership Council (FFLAC) formed an
      interagency fire program management qualifications task group in 1997. 
      Their objective was to complete staff work on minimum qualification
      standards for key fire management positions which would be acceptable to
      all federal agencies with wildland fire management responsibilities and
      to OPM.  A draft interagency fire program management qualifications
      guide is currently out for review, with a reply due date of June 1st.  
      
      In early March, Fire Management Program Center (FMPC) staff met with the
      regional fire management officers (RFMOs).  We agreed to establish a
      fire management leadership board, which will be composed of the RFMOs
      and the FMPC program leads.  The board intends to primarily focus on
      long-term strategic issues.  Their purpose will be to frame issues,
      establish broad objectives, and develop a strategic approach to meeting
      those objectives.  The board will likely be involved in some tactical
      decisions on some issues, such as critical fire resource allocations.  

9.4   Other Actions - Bob Marriott, Sue Vap

      Other divisional actions include the following:

      o     DO-9, the new directors order on law enforcement, is moving
            forward.  The draft DO and resource manual are currently in the
            Solicitor's Office and the Department's Office of Managing Risk
            and Public Safety for final reviews.  The DO should be out this
            summer.
      o     DO-57, the directors order on health and fitness, has been
            completed.  The resource manual is being released in sections -
            part one on medical qualifications was disseminated in mid-April,
            part two, which will cover the occupational health and fitness
            program, will be out in May.  Information appendices will follow.
      o     DO-41, a new DOr on wilderness management, is currently in the
            Policy Office for review and is due out this summer.
      o     DO-22, the directors order on fee management, is on hold, awaiting
            final fee legislation.
      o     DO-51, which deals with emergency medical services, is being
            revised by Sherry Collins at the Grand Canyon.
      o     The five-year NPS uniform contract expires this fiscal year.  The
            contracting officer at Harpers Ferry Center is overseeing
            development of a request for proposals for a new contract.
      o     Gary Johnson has been selected as the aviation operations and
            safety specialist at the Fire Management Program Center in Boise.
            He comes to the NPS from BLM.  Tim Sexton, formerly the wildland
            fire specialist at IMRO, was selected for the fire ecologist
            position here at the center.  Both came on duty in April.

10.0  APPALACHIAN TRAIL PARK OFFICE - Pamela Underhill 

      On July 12th and 13th, the Appalachian Trail Park Office will sponsor a
      meeting of federal Appalachian Trail land managers at Radford College in
      Radford, Virginia, in conjunction with the 32nd biennial meeting of the
      Appalachian Trail Conference.  Meeting participants will include the
      park superintendents and forest supervisors of the six national parks
      and eight national forests crossed by the trail. The discussion will be
      based on the premise that the A.T. derives benefit from diversity, but
      that visitor satisfaction also requires that there be some consistency
      in management policy across jurisdictions.  Topics for discussion
      include appropriateness of commercial use on the A.T., management of the
      A.T. in designated wilderness areas, the trailwide visitor survey,
      education/ interpretation initiatives, and integration of planning
      efforts. 

11.0  INTER-DIVISIONAL/INTER-DIRECTORATE PROJECTS

      This section reports on significant projects that are underway either
      partly or wholly within Park Operations and Education and affect more
      than one division and/or directorate (i.e., operations, natural
      resources, cultural resources, admin, etc.).

11.1  Environmental Leadership Initiative - Shawn Norton

      The National Park Service is in the process of beginning a significant
      new environmental leadership effort.  Current representatives for the
      AD/Operations and Education are Shawn Norton (FMD), Dee Highnote
      (Concessions), and Bob Huggins (Interpretation).  The objectives of this
      effort are to improve NPS environmental performance, to strive to attain
      sustainable practices in the construction, management and operation of
      the parks, and to build working relationships with others to meet these
      ends.  
     
      The specific goals for the NPS are:
     
      o     to meet or exceed all applicable environmental laws and
            regulations in a cost effective manner, and to provide leadership
            in working with suppliers, vendors and contractors to comply with
            these same regs;
      o     to incorporate sustainable environmental considerations into the
            agency's planning process and to work with others to address
            mutual environmental concerns;
      o     to foster the sustainable use of natural resources;
      o     to measure agency progress in protecting the environment by
            establishing internal control systems, with all employees
            responsible for meeting these goals;
      o     to endeavor to use or reuse historic structures to conserve
            materials and reduce waste, and
      o     to ensure that the public will learn that the NPS is an
            environmental leadership organization when coming to parks.
     
      A number of specific actions are underway or planned:
     
      o     A Servicewide coordinator will be hired who will be responsible
            for implementation of the effort and for coordinating existing
            programs to assure their success. The target date is the summer of
            1999. 
      o     A servicewide environmental audit program will be officially
            "rolled out" in May.  The program will evaluate NPS environmental
            performance, including compliance with regulations and the use of
            pollution prevention practices.  Audits will also look at water
            and energy conservation issues, among others. 
      o     NPS concessions policy, concessions evaluation criteria, and
            contract language are being updated.  These will mandate that
            concessioners operate and maintain their facilities in an
            environmentally friendly manner.  The target date is the fall of
            1999. 
      o     Development of hands-on information on specific environmental
            problems, such as waste oil, waste pesticides, and waste
            batteries, and on generic concessions operations, such as food
            services and gas stations.  These environmental fact sheets will
            be available in May.
      o     Development of environmental leadership training for employees in
            all career fields (probably a 40-hour course) which will be taught
            by team instructors at various points around the country.  The
            target date for pilot training is October. 
      o     Development of a new directors order on environmental leadership
            and the integration of environmental leadership language in the
            NPS management policies.  The target date is June. 
      o     Development of a Servicewide educational plan which will include
            tools to reach visitors and employees.
     
      An environmental leadership summit meeting was held in January and
      attended by Director Stanton and by most members of the National
      Leadership Council.  Also attending was Assistant Secretary for Fish,
      Wildlife and Parks Don Barry, who is a strong proponent and supporter of
      this effort.  The group endorsed the above and also came up with some
      actions that need to be taken to make the NPS an environmental leader. 
      These included development of a three-year implementation plan and
      setting GPRA-based goals.  Participants also developed lists of
      short-term and long-term actions that the agency will undertake. 
      Specifics will be distributed to the field through an all-employees
      memorandum in May. 
  
11.2  Leasing Regulations - Lars Hanslin

      The National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 provided the National
      Park Service with broad new authority to lease agency-owned properties
      to the public.  A work group will be meeting on May 11th to begin
      drafting regulations implementing this authority.  The new regs will
      also incorporate and revise existing historic leasing regulations.  The
      work group will be comprised of representatives from the parks, regions
      and Washington Office.  The first meeting will likely take place in May,
      and draft regulations may be ready within two months.  They will then go
      out in the Federal Register for comment for 60 days, and may be
      completed and issued in final by late fall or early winter.  The work
      group will also prepare guidelines, model leases, and other directional
      information.