NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, May 12, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-169 - Death Valley NP (CA) - Aircraft Crash; Rescue

A visitor reported seeing an aircraft crash about a mile and a half northeast
of Stovepipe Wells on the afternoon of May 11th.  Rangers confirmed the
accident, and a multi-divisional rescue operation was put into effect.  The
injured pilot was trapped in the plane, which had flipped over.  He was
extricated and advanced life support measures were begun.  A medevac
helicopter subsequently flew him to an area hospital for treatment.  [Bill
Blake, CR, DEVA, 5/12]

99-170 - Delaware Water Gap NRA (PA/NJ) - Falling Fatality

A teenager from Newton, New Jersey, slipped and fell to his death in the
Raymondskill Creek area near Raymondskill Falls on the afternoon of May 11th. 
Witnesses reported that he had been swimming and jumping off of the nearby
rocks with three friends.  His friends and a passerby looked for him in the
water after he fell but were unable to find him.  Park dispatch received the
report around 5:25 p.m.  Rescue personnel from the park, Milford Fire
Department, Pennsylvania Forest Service, Pennsylvania State Police and New
Jersey Forest Fire Service responded.  Divers found the boy's body under a
rock shelf at the base of one of the upper waterfalls - not part of the main
Raymondskill Falls.  The area is popular with area youths.  Jumping from
ledges or cliffs higher than six feet at any of the waterfalls is prohibited
by regulation.  [Karl Merchant, North Zone Supervisor, Pennsylvania District,
DEWA, 5/11]

99-171 - Delaware Water Gap NRA (PA/NJ) - Motorcycle MVA with Fatality

Just before 7 p.m. on the evening of May 11th, a motorcyclist heading south
on Route 209 in Bushkill at a high rate of speed crossed over into the
oncoming lane in front of a Ford van, failed to make the curve, and was
thrown into a guide rail.  Although he was wearing a helmet, the force of the
impact caused massive and fatal head and chest injuries.  Rangers responded
and assisted state police with the investigation and traffic control. 
[Jennifer Kavanaugh, PR, DEWA, 5/11]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                      Mon     Tue    %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT      5/10    5/11  Con  Con

FL   Everglades NP         * Brown            --         -     400   10  5/13
     Florida NFs           * Mother's Day     --         -     165  100  CND
     State                 * Bonita Springs   --         -     400   50  NEC
                           * Puff             --         -     115  100  CND

MI   State                   Troll            --       875     875   95  5/11

                                  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

FIRE NARRATIVES

Everglades NP - The Brown Fire started on May 8th. It was initially attacked
with bucket drops and hand crews the following day, but air operations had to
be terminated and personnel pulled off the line because of lightning. The
fire grew to 30 acres after thunderstorms passed through the area that
evening.  Strategy and tactics were adjusted yesterday to indirect attack,
with burnout along areas of lighter fuels and fuel breaks.  The large acreage
is due mostly to burnout operations.  A total of 37 people have been
committed to the fire.  [Mike Warren, NPS FPMC]

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Friday, 5/7          0      0         0       0       21      2        23
Saturday, 5/8        0      1         0       0       31      5        37
Sunday, 5/9          4      0         0       1       55     14        74
Monday, 5/10         0      1         1       0      148     12       162

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Friday, 5/7         43         53          14             3           388
Saturday, 5/8       25         56          12             2           392
Sunday, 5/9         13         34          12             0           214
Monday, 5/10        19         39          12             2           245

CURRENT SITUATION

Moderate fire activity was reported in the South, Southwest and southern
California on Monday; there were few fires elsewhere.

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Quebec, Michigan,
Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas.  [NICC Incident Management
Situation Report, 5/11]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

NPS Web Site - ParkNet (www.nps.gov), which was taken off line on Monday, is
now back up and running.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

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

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.

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).
o     S. 819 (Graham, FL), a bill to provide funding for the National Park
      System from outer Continental Shelf revenues. 

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

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.

Wednesday, May 19

Senate Energy Subcommittee on Parks, Historic Preservation and Recreation
(Thomas): Oversight hearing on youth programs.  The hearing will be held at
2:00 p.m. in 366 Dirksen.

Tuesday, May 25

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Oversight hearing on issues regarding the new NPS methodology used to
evaluate the achievement of natural quiet restoration standards in Grand
Canyon National Park.  The hearing will be at 10:00 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.

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 (May
3rd):

o     S. 938 (Akaka, HI), a bill to eliminate restrictions on the acquisition
      of certain land contiguous to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and for
      other purposes.
o     S. 939 (Akaka, HI), a bill to correct spelling errors in the statutory
      designations of Hawaiian National Parks.
o     S. 946 (Moynihan, NY), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the
      Interior to transfer administrative 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. 955 (Warner, VA), a bill to allow the National Park Service to
      acquire certain land for addition to the Wilderness Battlefield in
      Virginia, as previously authorized by law, by purchase or exchange as
      well as by donation.
o     S. 972 (Gregg, NH), a bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to
      improve the administration of the Lamprey River in the State of New
      Hampshire. 
o     H.R. 1663 (Calvert, CA), a bill to designate as a national memorial the
      memorial being built at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside,
      California to honor recipients of the Medal of Honor.
o     H.R. 1665 (Bateman, VA), a bill to allow the National Park Service to
      acquire certain land for addition to the Wilderness Battlefield in
      Virginia, as previously authorized by law, by purchase or exchange as
      well as by donation. 
o     H.R. 1668 (Ganske, IA), a bill to authorize the National Park Service
      to conduct a feasibility study for the preservation of the Loess Hills
      in western Iowa. 
o     H.R. 1692 (Capps, CA), a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior
      to study the suitability and feasibility of including the Gaviota Coast
      of California in the National Park System. 
o     H.R. 1695 (Gibbons, NV), a bill to provide for the conveyance of
      certain Federal public lands in the Ivanpah Valley, Nevada, to Clark
      County, Nevada, for the development of an airport facility, and for
      other purposes. 
o     H.R. 1732 (Hinchey, NY), a bill to designate certain Federal land in
      the State of Utah as wilderness, and for other purposes. 
o     H.J. Res. 50 (Bryant, TN), a joint resolution granting the consent of
      Congress to the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Compact. 

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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