NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT
     
To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices
     
From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
     
Day/Date:   Tuesday, June 29, 1999
     
INCIDENTS
     
99-306 - Mount Rainier NP (WA) - Follow-up: Death of Employee
     
Craig Strong's parents have asked that anyone wishing to make a memorial 
donation in Craig's name should contribute to Washington's National Park Fund, 
2112 Third Avenue, Suite 501, Seattle, WA 98101.  [Maria Gillett, PIO, MORA, 
6/28]
     
99-310 - Grand Teton NP (WY) - Rescue
     
A skier fell approximately 2,500 vertical feet down the Skillet Glacier on 
Mount Moran around 7 a.m. on June 20th.  J.A., 28, and two companions 
had climbed the glacier the previous night in order to avoid the avalanches 
that frequently occur in the mid-day heat.  They descended from the 12,605- 
foot summit and skied down the 50 degree slope that forms the 'handle' of the 
'skillet.'  J.A. lost control on slush approximately 500 feet below the 
summit.  He tried to stop himself from sliding with an ice axe, but ended up 
tumbling "like a rag doll" down the length of the glacier.  J.A. suffered a 
dislocated hip and other minor injuries.  His partners provided medical care 
and moved him out of the path of possible avalanches before descending to 
inform park dispatch.  Four rangers were flown to the glacier in the park 
contract helicopter and were able to land near J.A..  A technical snow 
raising of about 200 feet was necessary to move J.A. to a helispot.  He was 
then flown to a waiting ambulance and transported to St. John's Hospital in 
Jackson.  J.A. attributes his survival to the helmet that he was wearing. 
[Colin Campbell, CR, GRTE, 6/28]
     
99-311 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Rescue
     
B.S., 22, of Clarkston, Michigan, fell approximately 60 feet from 
the Endless Wall while conducting a lead climb on the morning of June 27th. 
B.S. was leading a 5.11 rated crack route at the time.  As he fell, three of 
his protection pieces pulled free; he bounced once off the wall, then landed 
face first on the rocky floor below the cliff.  A climbing companion ran for 
help, reaching a phone about an hour later.  Rangers, two volunteer fire 
departments, and an ambulance company responded and conducted a 110-foot 
vertical raise.  B.S. was taken to a level one trauma center in Charleston, 
where doctors determined that he'd suffered a fractured skull, fractured 
ribs, an open dislocation of the elbow, a dislocated shoulder, a punctured 
lung, and possibly other internal injuries.  Despite his severe injuries, 
B.S. remained conscious and alert during the entire rescue and evacuation. 
He is presently listed in serious condition.  [Rick Brown, Protection Unit 
Leader, NERI, 6/27]
     
99-312 - Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Search; Arrest
     
R.L., 28, was reported overdue by his family at 6:30 p.m. on June 
27th.  R.L. was on the lake in an inner tube; he had no life jacket and was 
reported to be drinking.  Six agencies and about 25 people were involved in 
the search, which lasted three hours.  R.L. was found four miles down-lake 
on land near his parents' house.  He was walking and appeared to be 
disoriented when spotted by park employee Lonnie Pingree.  R.L. was arrested 
on an outstanding warrant and transported to Amarillo.  Ranger Curtis Oman 
was IC.  The park has now gone 926 days without a drowning.  [Dale Thompson, 
CR, LAMR, 6/28]
     
99-313 - Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Visitor Fatality
     
On the afternoon of June 24th, Ch.H., a 47-year-old Methodist 
minister from Wichita, Kansas, was reported overdue with his son C. from a 
hike on the Ute Trail off Trail Ridge Road.  C.H. was found in good 
condition the following morning; Ch.H. was found dead in the Windy 
Gulch Cascades just before 9 p.m.  Due to the hazardous terrain and 
approaching darkness, his body was not recovered until the morning of the 
26th.  [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 6/28]
     
99-314 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - BASE Jumping Arrest
     
Three parachutists jumped from the New River Gorge Bridge and landed on park 
land in two separate incidents on June 19th and 21st.  On the 19th, rangers 
found a van parked on the dirt road below the bridge and set up surveillance. 
Several minutes later, they saw two men - J.M. of Hamilton, Ohio, 
and E.T. of Maineville, Ohio - hike up a trail carrying parachutes 
with them.  J.M. claimed that this was his first jump from the bridge 
and that he was new to BASE jumping and didn't log his jumps.  E.T. said 
that he has approximately 265 base jumps, is involved with a BASE jumping 
team, and would be helping organize Bridge Day in 1999.  E.T. has been 
jumping legally on Bridge Day for six years, but has twice been arrested by 
rangers for illegal jumps from the bridge.  On the evening of the 21st, 
another ranger saw a parachutist jump from the catwalk of the bridge and land 
in the area below.  A jeep was parked not far away.  The driver was contacted 
and told the ranger that it belonged to her boyfriend, S.P., 25, of 
Keystone, Colorado.  Moments later, the ranger heard the sounds of rustling 
nylon just below the road, then saw S.P. emerge from the bushes.  S.P.'s
parachute was found about 20 feet away.  Both eventually admitted to their 
part in the evening's entertainment.  S.P. also said that he'd been caught 
by Fayette County deputies while standing on the bridge with a parachute in 
his possession in 1997.  All four persons were cited for aerial delivery 
violations and the three parachutes were seized as evidence.  [Rick Brown, 
Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 6/25]
     
99-315 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - MVA with Fatality
     
G.B., 79, of Ackerman, Mississippi, was killed on June 27th when she 
pulled out onto the parkway in front of a northbound vehicle.  The driver of 
the other vehicle sustained minor injuries, as did the three passengers in 
G.B.'s vehicle.  The cause of the accident appears to be failure to yield. 
[Tim Francis, ACR, NATR, 6/28]
     
FIRE ACTIVITY
     
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
     
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 
     
                                                      Sat     Sun    %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT      6/26    6/27  Con  Con
     
AZ    Saguaro NM             Box Canyon      FUM     6,204   6,476   75  7/20
     
UT    Uinta NF               West Mountain    T2     2,000   2,000  100  CND
     
ID    Upper Snake River 
       District              Kings Crown      --     1,700   1,700   NR  NR  
     
CA    San Diego RU         * Cottonwood       --         -   1,500   60  UNK
     
                                  Heading Notes
     
Unit        Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
            or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; FO = BLM field 
            office; 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; FUM = Fire Use
            Management 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
     
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
     
                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total
     
Thursday, 6/24       1      8        21       1       62     19       112 
Friday, 6/25         0      4        18       0       40     24        86 
Saturday, 6/26       1      4         5       0       45     23        78 
Sunday, 6/27         2      6        13       2       56     16        95
     
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 
     
                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead
     
Thursday, 6/24      99        218          39            12           321 
Friday, 6/25       100        318          32             2           417 
Saturday, 6/26      68        125          25             2           242 
Sunday, 6/27        56        161          23             3           184
     
CURRENT SITUATION
     
Initial attack increased on Sunday in the Rockies, eastern Great Basin and 
California, and new large fires were reported in southern California.  
     
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in California, Nevada, 
Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.
     
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 6/28]
     
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION
     
No entries.
     
OPERATIONAL NOTES
     
Concession Regulations - The new concession regulations have cleared the 
Department and OMB and will be published in the Federal Register on 
Wednesday.  There will be a 60-day period after they are published for both 
internal and external comments.  The regulations can not be released 
internally until they are published in the Register, and it's not yet clear 
how they will be disseminated within the NPS once they're out.  Your best
bet, then, is to obtain them tomorrow or thereafter from the GPO web site.  Be 
forewarned - the regulations ran to 103 pages when sent to the Federal 
Register, so probably will be at least half that long in the FR.  You can 
reach GPO's web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov.  Once there, scroll down to 
"quick links" and select the Federal Register.  On the Federal Register page, 
specify that you want the issue for June 30, 1999, then enter the following 
exactly as it appears (caps and quotes) as the search term:
     
            "National Park Service" AND "concession" 
     
This should get you there.  [Wendy Mann, Concessions, WASO] 
     
MEMORANDA
     
No entries.
     
INTERCHANGE
     
No entries.
     
PARKS AND PEOPLE
     
Washington Office - Ada Shepherd of the Budget Office has sent along the 
following: "During my recent illness, I was extremely blessed and fortunate 
to be a member of the Park Service family.  I send my most benevolent 
gratitude to those family members who so graciously shared their leave with 
me...contributed to raising my spirits with their telephone calls...along 
with all those happy get well cards, prayers and family visits. Thank you.  I 
have completed my chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and am now back at 
my desk full time."
     
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, June 29
     
House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen): 
Oversight hearing on the occurrence of the hantavirus disease and the 
associated health risks to park visitors on the Channel Islands National 
Park, California.  The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.
     
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Public Lands 
(Craig): Oversight hearing on fire preparedness on federal lands.  The 
hearing will be held at 2:30 p.m. in 324 Dirksen.
     
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 
(June 15th):
     
o     H.R. 2202 (Woolsey, CA), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the
      Interior to make grants to promote the voluntary protection of certain 
      lands in portions of Marin and Sonoma Counties, California, and for 
      other purposes. 
o     H.R. 2249 (Wicker, MS), a bill to establish the Corinth Unit of Shiloh
      National Military Park in the vicinity of Corinth, Mississippi, and in 
      the State of Tennessee, and for other purposes. 
o     H.R. 2267 (McInnis, CO), a bill to amend the National Trails System Act
      to clarify Federal authority relating to land acquisition from willing 
      sellers for the majority of the trails, and for other purposes.  
o     H.R. 2271 (Reyes, TX), a bill to amend the National Trails System Act
      to designate El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as a National Historic 
      Trail.
o     H.R. 2278 (Farr, CA), a bill to require the National Park Service to
      conduct a feasibility study regarding options for the protection and 
      expanded visitor enjoyment of nationally significant natural and 
      cultural resources at Fort Hunter Liggett, California. 
o     H.R. 2279 (Farr, CA), a bill to expand the boundaries of Pinnacles
      National Monument, and for other purposes. 
o     H.R. 2280 (Stump, AZ), a bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to
      provide a cost-of-living adjustment in rates of compensation paid for 
      service-connected disabilities, to enhance the compensation, memorial 
      affairs, and housing programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to 
      improve retirement authorities applicable to judges of the United 
      States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and for other purposes. 
o     H.R. 2317 (Greenwood, PA), a bill to designate a portion of the
      Delaware River and associated tributaries as a component of the 
      National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
o     H.R. 2329 (Visclosky, IN), a bill to amend the Act entitled "An Act to
      provide for the establishment of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, 
      and for other purposes" to clarify the authority of the Secretary of 
      the Interior to accept donations of lands that are contiguous to the 
      Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes. 
o     H.R. 2339 (Bereuter, NE), a bill to amend the National Trails System
      Act to authorize an additional category of national trail known as a 
      national discovery trail, to provide special requirements for the 
      establishment and administration of national discovery trails, and to 
      designate the cross country American Discovery Trail as the first 
      national discovery trail. 
     
NEW LAWS
     
The following bills have passed Congress and been signed into law: 
     
No new laws.
     
                                *  *  *  *  *
     
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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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