NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, June 2, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-106 - Santa Monica Mountains NRA (CA) - Follow-up: Employee Death

A memorial ceremony for deputy superintendent Scott Erickson, who died on May
19th, will be held at the Peter Strauss Ranch in the park on Friday, June
11th, at 2:30 p.m.  Guests are invited to a gathering at Calamigos Ranch
following the memorial. Anyone wishing to attend should call 805-370-2344 or
send a note with your name, telephone number and the number in your party via
cc:Mail to Kim Benz at NP-SAMO.  A map with directions to Calamigos Ranch
will be provided at the memorial.  Donations in lieu of flowers may be made
to the Scott Erickson Estate and mailed to Scott Erickson Memorial
Education Fund, c/o Bryce Erickson. Please note the account number on the
check.  [Jean Bray, SAMO, 6/1]

99-226 - Guilford Courthouse NMP (NC) - Death of Employee

Maintenance worker Richard Palmer, Jr., 54, died at a hospital in Greensboro
on the afternoon of May 29th.  He had been dealing with multi-myeloma cancer
since it was first diagnosed on July 30, 1997.   Richard began his NPS career
at the park in June, 1991.  He is survived by his wife, Joan.  The wake will
be held on Friday evening at the Interdenominal Church of God on West Diamond
Avenue in Gaithersburg, Maryland; the funeral will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday
at the same church.  Flowers and sympathy cards can be sent to the funeral
home until Saturday.  The address is Robert Snowden Funeral Home, 246 North
Washington Street, Rockville, MD 20850 (301-762-2500).  After Saturday, cards
can be sent to J.P. and family.  [Steve Ware, CVS, GUCO, 6/1]

99-227 - Everglades NP (FL) - Homicide

The partially burned remains of a woman were found on park lands about two-
and-a-half miles south of the Chekika entrance station on the morning of May
25th.  The victim, identified by Miami-Dade police as M.A., 37, of
Miami, had been listed as missing on May 22nd and last seen by friends two
days previously.  She was murdered at the location where she was found, but
the exact cause of death has not yet been determined.  M.A. had a lengthy
police record which included violent crimes; she was last arrested by Miami-
Dade officers on a fugitive warrant on May 11th.  Miami-Dade homicide is
pursuing the investigation.  [Jim Sanborn, DR, East Everglades District,
EVER, 6/1]

99-228 - Lake Mead NRA (AZ/NV) - Special Event

The park and the Desert Valley Water Safety Council hosted the first annual
Water Safety Fair at the special events beach in the Boulder Basin District
on the weekend of May 22nd-23rd.  The council is chartered under the National
Water Safety Congress; members include the NPS, Coast Guard Auxiliary, United
States Power Squadron, Nevada Division of Wildlife, Lake Mead Boat Owners
Association, marine retailers, marine operators, and several boating and
diving clubs.  The two-day event included instruction, demonstrations, and
dissemination of information on water safety.  Activities included kayaking,
cardboard boat building, rescue relays, PWC education, rides, and boat
demonstrations.  The park staged a mock water rescue at the end of each day. 
The president of the council is retired park ranger Bob McKeever.  [Bud
Inman, LAME, 5/24]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                      Sun     Mon    %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT      5/30    5/31  Con  Con

CA    Joshua Tree NP         Juniper Cx       T2    13,100  13,900  100  CND

FL    Osceola NF             Friendly         T1    50,000  53,000   20  6/15

NV    Ely District           Rainbow Ranch    --     4,500   1,900   70  6/1 
                             Blue Garden      T2    12,000  10,000   20  6/3
      Winnemucca District    Burns            --       150     150  100  CND 

AZ    State                  Jump Cx          T2    11,000  11,000   80  6/2
      Yuma-Havasu District   Harcuvar         T2    14,800  14,600  100  CND

MN    Superior NF            Little Trout     --       177     177    0  6/3

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

FIRE NARRATIVES

Joshua Tree NP - The Juniper Complex fires have been fully contained and were
declared out at 6 a.m. on May 31st.  The incident was turned back over to the
park at 6 p.m. yesterday evening.  Four crews, three helicopters and two air
tankers remain on the incident.

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Friday, 5/28        10      9        19       0       47     32       117
Saturday, 5/29       0      1        10       0       35     19        65
Sunday, 5/30         1      4        16       0       56     29       106
Monday, 5/31         4      4         6       0       63     22        99

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Friday, 5/28        47         87          25             5           362
Saturday, 5/29      51         97          22             2           364
Sunday, 5/30       108        132          38             2           700
Monday, 5/31       114        106          40             0           720

CURRENT SITUATION

Moderate initial attack was reported on Monday in the Southwest and southern
California.  There was little activity elsewhere.  No very high or extreme
fire indices were reported on Monday anywhere in the country.  [NICC Incident
Management Situation Report, 6/1]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

Padre Island NS (TX) - Sea Turtle Update

The number of sea turtle nests found and eggs recovered in the south Texas
area so far this year have already outstripped the total numbers for any
previous year.  Fourteen Kemp's ridley nests have been found with a total of
1,473 eggs; two loggerhead turtle nests with 241 eggs; and a possible
hawksbill turtle nest with 95 eggs.  All the eggs are being incubated in the
park.  The peak season for Kemp's ridley turtles is just beginning, so
several more nests will likely appear before the summer ends.  All hatchlings
are released into the sea at the park.  The first release was scheduled for
this past weekend.  [Phil Slattery, PAIS]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Supreme Court Decision - On May 24th, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled
that it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment when police allow the media to
accompany them during the execution of an arrest warrant in a home.  The
court also ruled, however, that police involved in a 1992 search were
entitled to the defense of qualified immunity because the law was "not
clearly established" until this decision (Wilson v. Layne, No. 98-83, 1999
U.S.LEXIS 3633 (U.S. May 24, 1999)).  In a related case, the court then held
that Fish and Wildlife special agents and a Federal prosecutor who had
allowed the media to accompany them during a 1993 execution of a search
warrant of a ranch and outbuildings were entitled to qualified immunity
insofar as the law was not clearly established. (Hanlon v. Berger, No. 97-
1927, 1999 U.S.LEXIS 3634 (U.S. May 24, 1999)(per curium)).   With these two
decisions, the law is now clearly established that it is a violation of
homeowners' Fourth Amendment rights if police allow the media to accompany
them during the execution of a warrant.  Indeed, it is a violation if police
executing a warrant bring any third parties onto a homeowner's property who
are not aiding in the execution of the warrant.  As such, officers who
henceforth engage in such conduct will not be entitled to qualified immunity
and will be subject to personal liability.  In coordination with the
Solicitor's Office, the NPS will be reexamining its policies and practices to
ensure compliance with the Supreme Court's decisions.  [Randy Myers,
Solicitor's Office, DOI]

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

Thursday, June 10

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on:

o     H.R. 940 (Sherwood, PA), a bill to establish the Lackawanna Heritage
      Valley American Heritage Area.
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. 

The hearing will be at 10 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.  

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.  

Tuesday, June 22

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Oversight hearing on franchise fee calculations for Fort Sumter Tours
(rescheduled from May 18).  The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in 1324
Longworth.

Thursday, June 24

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

Thursday, July 1

House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on:

o     H.R. 20 (Gilman, NY), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior
      to construct and operate a visitor center for the Upper Delaware Scenic
      and Recreational River on land owned by the State of New York.
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.

The hearing will be held at 10 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
26th):

o     H.Res. 189 (Sessions, TX), a resolution providing for consideration of
      the bill (H.R. 150) to amend the Act popularly known as the Recreation
      and Public Purposes Act to authorize disposal of certain public lands
      or national forest lands to local education agencies for use for
      elementary or secondary schools, including public charter schools, and
      for other purposes.
o     H.R. 1925 (Green, WI), a bill to amend Title 18, United States Code, to
      prohibit sex offenders from entering national parks. 
o     S. 1117 (Lott, MI), a bill to establish the Corinth Unit of Shiloh
      National Military Park, in the vicinity of the city of Corinth,
      Mississippi, and in the State of Tennessee, and for other purposes.
o     H.R. 1958 (English, PA), a bill to establish the Fort Presque Isle
      National Historic Site in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 
o     H.R. 1961 (Hoeffel, PA), a bill to designate certain lands in the
      Valley Forge National Historical Park as the Valley Forge National
      Cemetery.   
o     H.R. 1970 (Udall, NM), a bill to designate 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. 1129 (Domenici, NM), a bill to facilitate the acquisition of
      inholdings in Federal land management units and the disposal of surplus
      public land, and for other purposes.
o     H.R. 1757 (Gibbons, NV), a bill to provide for the orderly disposal of
      certain Federal lands in Clark County, Nevada, and to provide for the
      acquisition by the Secretary of the Interior of environmentally
      sensitive lands in the State of Nevada.

NEW LAWS

The following bills have passed Congress and been signed into law:

o     H.R. 1142, supplemental emergency appropriations and rescissions for
      FY99, was signed into law (P.L. 106-31) on May 21st.  The only part of
      the law affecting the NPS concerns Glacier Bay NP.  P.L. 106-31
      authorizes $26 million for compensation to offset economic impacts from
      fisheries closures and restrictions in Glacier Bay.  The state of
      Alaska will cooperate with the NPS in distribution of these funds.  The
      $26 million is intended to compensate U.S. fish processors, fishing
      vessel crew members, communities, and others negatively affected by
      restrictions on fishing in the park.  The law also included a number of
      administrative requirements and clarifications. [Marcia Blaszak, Paul
      Anderson, ARO]

o     H.R. 193, the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Wild and Scenic River Act,
      was signed into law on April 9th.  The act adds 29 miles of the three
      Massachusetts rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to
      be administered by the NPS in cooperation with an advisory body, the
      SuAsCo River Stewardship Council.  The Congressionally-authorized study
      was begun in 1992 and concluded in 1996 with an NPS recommendation for
      inclusion in the system.  [Cassie Thomas, NER Rivers Program]

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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