NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT
  
  
  To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices
  
  From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
  
  Day/Date:   Monday, February 28, 2000
  
  ALMANAC
  
  On this day in 1863, architect and builder James J. Gifford laid the 
  cornerstone for John T. Ford's new theater in Washington, DC.  Little 
  more than two years later, on April 14, 1865, it would become the 
  scene of one of the great tragedies in American history: the 
  assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.  It is now part of Ford's 
  Theatre National Historic Site.
  
  INCIDENTS
  
  00-067 - Organ Pipe Cactus NM (AZ) - Drugs; Illegal Immigrants
  
  A special anti-narcotics operation conducted in the park between 
  February 18th and 21st resulted in record seizures and apprehensions. 
  During a night operation employing an Arizona National Guard (ANG) 
  helicopter with infrared sensing equipment, a ranger spotted 
  individuals loading backpacks of marijuana into a truck along Highway 
  85. Three arrests were made (including two people in an associated 
  scout vehicle) and 563 pounds of marijuana were seized. The next 
  night, an Arizona ANG team with night vision scopes discovered seven 
  backpackers near the park's main campground. An NPS team pursued them. 
  Although they were able to flee back into Mexico, they abandoned their 
  load of 373 pounds of marijuana. Two-way radios were also seized. The 
  load was evidently being delivered to an RV in the campground. During 
  the final day of the operation, two rangers working with Customs 
  officers tracked backpackers for 15 miles through the park and seized 
  415 pounds of marijuana. Forty-two illegal immigrants were also 
  apprehended during the operation; another 115 were spotted and 
  referred to the Border Patrol. [Karl Pearson, Acting CR, ORPI, 2/25]
  
  00-068 - Badlands NP (SD) - Assist; Fire and EMS Response
  
  On February 24th, a tractor-trailer that had just delivered 5,000 
  gallons of liquid fertilizer to a local ranch ran out of fuel on 
  Highway 240 about half-way up Cedar Pass. A pickup truck with a 
  20-gallon external fuel tank soon arrived, and the operator began 
  refueling the tractor-trailer. A large explosion occurred, engulfing 
  the operator in a ball of fire that issued from the tractor-trailer's 
  gas tank. He suffered second and third degree burns to his right hand, 
  and much of his facial hair was burned off. The park's structural fire 
  brigade and EMS units responded. The park's main road was temporarily 
  closed between the northeast entrance station and the town of 
  Interior. The operator was treated at the scene, but refused ambulance 
  transport. He was taken by a friend to Rapid City Regional Hospital, 
  where he was treated and released. [Mark Gorman, ACR, BADL, 2/25]
  
  CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
  
  No submissions.
  
  OPERATIONAL NOTES
  
  No submissions.
  
  MEMORANDA
  
  No submissions.
  
  PARKS AND PEOPLE
  
  C&O Canal - The park is currently recruiting for three protection 
  rangers. Two are being announced as open to all sources through OPM; 
  they are GS-5/7/9 slots and the vacancy announcement closes on March 
  13th. The third is for a GS-9 area ranger, who will be stationed in 
  Cumberland, Maryland. That announcement closes on March 6th. 
  Incumbents perform the full spectrum of ranger duties, including LE, 
  SAR, EMS, wildland fire, land protection and community relations. The 
  ability to speak Spanish would be very helpful. Contact personnel 
  officer Helen Winn at 301-714-2208 or Tom Nash at 301-714-2236 for 
  further information.
  
                             *  *  *  *  *
  
  Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed 
  by park, office and/or regional cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please 
  address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your 
  servicing hub coordinator.  The Morning Report is also available on 
  the web at http://www.nps.gov/morningreport
  
  Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the 
  cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
  
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