NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, May 26, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-210 - Grand Teton NP (WY) - Rescue

On May 23rd, a 26 year-old Jackson, Wyoming, woman was swept 2,000 feet down
the east face of Mt. Teewinot by an avalanche.  I.M. and her
climbing partner had reached the summit of the 12,325-foot peak at about 9:15
a.m. and began their descent an hour later.  They were several hundred feet
below the summit when rapidly warming mid-day temperatures caused a
significant wet snow avalanche.  I.M. was struck by the avalanche from
above and was partially buried in the debris pile near the toe of the slide. 
Her climbing partner descended to her position, extricated her from the
debris, and moved her out of the main slide path.  She was placed on a large
boulder which afforded a degree of protection from additional slides. 
Rangers received word of the accident at 1:00 p.m.  A team of six rescuers
was transported to I.M.'s location via short-haul by the park's contract
helicopter.  She was stabilized, extracted by short-haul, and flown to a
waiting ambulance at the Lupine Meadows helibase.  She remains hospitalized
in Jackson with multiple injuries, including head trauma, possible liver
laceration and fractures of the back, ribs, clavicle, and jaw.  I.M.
described her 2,000 foot descent as "extremely violent."  [Colin Campbell,
CR, GRTE, 5/25]

99-211 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Special Event

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the park on May 19th to launch the
Grand Canyon Greenway as a Millennium Trails event.  Clinton, as honorary
chair of the committee, kicked off her "Save America's Treasures" tour of the
southwest by joining the park in its celebration of the greenway, a proposed
series of 73 miles of trails for hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders
along both of the canyon's rims.  The trails will also be accessible to those
in wheelchairs.  The greenway, in conjunction with a light rail transit
system to the South Rim and an alternative fuel shuttle system, is part of
the park's overall 1995 GMP plan, which aims to decrease noise, air pollution
and traffic congestion, and provide visitors with alternative methods for
enjoying the park.  The event was held on the north lawn of the El Tovar. 
About 1200 people attended.  There were no incidents.  Dan Oltrogge was IC. 
[Sandra Perl, IO, GRCA, 5/24]

99-212 - Mesa Verde NP (CO) - Special Event

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Mesa Verde NP on May 21st and 22nd. 
During her stay, she toured the park, hosted a luncheon for park supporters,
and stayed overnight in the park's lodge.  She was the keynote speaker for
the White House Millennium Council's "Save America's Treasures" tour, during
which the White House announced $3 million in donations and federal grants to
stabilize and protect the park's backcountry cliff dwellings.  Director
Stanton was also present.  The event was managed by an all-risk team
(Divine/Collins) and supported by Intermountain Region staff and a special
events team.  NPS staff worked closely with White House and Secret Service
teams.  The event went smoothly and was attended by 2,000 visitors.  Regional
media interest was high.  There were no significant incidents during the
visit.  [Charlie Peterson, CR, MEVE, 5/25]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                      Sun     Mon    %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT      5/24    5/25  Con  Con

FL   Osceola NF              Friendly         T1       820  10,000   10  6/5
     Apalachicola NF         Bay Creek        --       300     400    0  5/25
     Florida NF            * Snelling         --         -     231  100  CND
     State                 * NW Command       --         -  12,000  UNK  NEC

CA   Modoc NF                Bell West        T2       125     391   95  NEC

                                  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; UNK = unknown
Est Con     Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
            containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Friday, 5/21         5      3         2       5       66     43       124
Saturday, 5/22       1      5         4       0       27     17        54
Sunday, 5/23         2      3         4       0       18     44        71
Monday, 5/24         0     10         3       0      225     61       299

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Friday, 5/21        19         31           6             0           174
Saturday, 5/22      30         29           9             0           196
Sunday, 5/23        49         35          14             0           285
Monday, 5/24        64         69          18             1           302

CURRENT SITUATION

Initial attack increased Monday in California, the Northwest and the northern
Rockies.

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Georgia, Arizona, Texas
and New Mexico on Sunday.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/25]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

NPS/FLETC - On Thursday, May 20th, FLETC held its annual Peace Officers
Memorial Day ceremony, which is conducted in concert with National Police
Week in Washington, D.C.  The FLETC ceremony honors those graduates who have
lost their lives in the line of duty.  Sixteen new names were added this
year, bringing the total number of FLETC graduates killed in the line of duty
to 111.  Great Smoky Mountains NP ranger Joe Kolodski was one of the names
engraved on the granite plaque this year.  His widow, Florie Takaki, attended
the ceremony.  There were also representatives from Great Smoky Mountains NP,
Blue Ridge Parkway, Canaveral NS, Grand Canyon NP, and the Washington Office. 
Fourteen agencies at FLETC lost officers this past year.  Eric Holder Jr.,
deputy attorney general of the United States, was the keynote speaker for the
event.  Representing the Washington Office was Dennis Burnett from Ranger
Activities; representing the training community was Ed Carlin, chief of
Training and Development.  Park ranger trainee Jennifer Sarah Flynn of
Natchez Trace Parkway and a U.S. Capitol Police Officer were given the honor
of carrying and placing the official wreath at the memorial wall.  An honor
guard fired a 21-gun salute; as a Marine played taps, a piper played "Amazing
Grace" in remembrance of the men and women slain in the line of duty.  [Paul
Henry, Superintendent]

Yosemite NP - A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the
University of California, Merced, and the National Park Service on May 13th. 
UC Merced, the tenth University of California campus and the first to be
built since 1965, is developing an extensive program to study and educate
students about the Sierra Nevada.  To that end, the UC system has worked with
three national parks in the Sierra Nevada - Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, Kings
Canyon NP - to create the Sierra Nevada Research Institute.  The campus is
expected to open in 2005, with the hub of the institute at the new campus and
field stations in the three parks.  All of the parties involved will work
together on research and share all of the data collected.  The MOU also
includes a mobile interpretive center, K-12 outreach programs, natural
resource summer programs, transportation studies, and several other programs. 
The NPS is extensively involved in curriculum development and all planning
aspects of the program.  This is significant because this is the first time
the NPS is involved with a university during its inception.  [Scott Gediman,
YOSE]

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

Wednesday, May 26

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Murkowski): Hearing on S. 510
(Campbell, CO), a bill to preserve the sovereignty of the United States over
public lands and acquired lands owned by the United States, and to preserve
State sovereignty and private property rights in non-Federal lands
surrounding those public lands and acquired lands.  The hearing will be at
9:30 a.m. in 366 Dirksen.

Saturday, June 12

House Resources Committee (Young): Field hearing on:

o     H.R. 701 (Young, AK), a bill to provide outer continental shelf impact
      assistance to state and local government, to amend the Land and Water
      Conservation Fund Act of 1965, the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery
      Act of 1978, 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     H.R. 798 (Miller, CA), a bill to provide for the permanent protection
      of the resources of the United States in the year 2000 and beyond.

The hearing will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Thursday, June 17

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Public Lands 
(Craig): Oversight hearing on fire readiness.  

Thursday, June 24

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Oversight hearing on noxious weeds.

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
18th):

o     H.R. 1804 (LaTourette, OH), a bill to authorize the Pyramid of
      Remembrance Foundation to establish a memorial in the District of
      Columbia or its environs to soldiers who have lost their lives during
      peacekeeping operations, humanitarian efforts, training, terrorist
      attacks, or covert operations.
o     H.R. 1815 (Young, AK), a bill to rename Mount McKinley in Alaska as
      Denali.
o     S. 1072 (DeWine, OH), a bill to make certain technical and other
      corrections relating to the Centennial of Flight Commemoration Act (36
      U.S.C. 143 note; 112 Stat. 3486 et seq.).
o     H.Res. 180 (Hastings, WA), a resolution providing for consideration of
      the bill (H.R. 883) to preserve the sovereignty of the United States
      over public lands and acquired lands owned by the United States, and to
      preserve State sovereignty and private property rights in non-Federal
      lands surrounding those public lands and acquired lands. 
o     H.Res. 182 (Hansen, UT), a resolution expressing the sense of the House
      of Representatives that the National Park Service should take full
      advantage of support services offered by the Department of Defense. 
o     H.R. 1864 (Hansen, UT), a bill to standardize the process for
      conducting public hearings for Federal agencies within the Department
      of the Interior. 
o     H.R. 1866 (Hansen, UT), a bill to provide a process for the public to
      appeal certain decisions made by the National Park Service and by the
      United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 
o     S. 1093 (Bingaman, NM), a bill to establish the Galisteo Basin
      Archaeological Protection Sites, to provide for the protection of
      archaeological sites in the Galisteo Basin of New Mexico, and for other
      purposes. 
o     S. 1096 (Hutchinson, 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     S. 986 (Reid, NV), a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to
      convey the Griffith Project to the Southern Nevada Water Authority

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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