NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, March 8, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-081 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Felony Arrest

Rangers and sheriff's deputies arrested A.C. at a motel in 
Page, Arizona, on the afternoon of February 16th. A.C. was wanted on an 
NPS warrant for disorderly conduct/lewd and obscene behavior. At the 
time of the arrest, A.C. was in bed. Underneath the blanket was a 
loaded M-16 rifle with a laser sight; also found in the room were an 
Uzi submachine gun with a suppressor, an AR-15 rifle, and a Ruger .22 
caliber pistol with a suppressor attached. Rangers notified the U.S. 
Attorney's Office and ATF subsequent to the arrest. They were 
instructed to seize any other Class III firearms in A.C.'s possession 
or storage. On February 22nd rangers and deputies seized a .50 caliber 
machine gun, two .30 caliber Browning machine guns, two Thompson .45 
caliber submachine guns, an H&K MP5, an AK-47, a Mark II Sten gun, and 
over 13,000 rounds of ammunition, including armor piercing rounds. 
Felony charges are now pending with ATF. [Mike Mayer, Acting CR, GLCA, 
2/28)

01-082 - Organ Pipe Cactus NM (AZ) - Drug/Illegal Immigrant Incidents

The park continues to deal with drug smuggling across its roads and 
lands. The following occurred over the course of last month or so:

o       January 21st - Border Patrol officers reported that a truck 
        was traveling into the desert off Highway 85. Rangers followed 
        vehicle tracks for about 500 feet and found the vehicle 
        abandoned. It contained 492 pounds of marijuana, which was 
        turned over to the Border Patrol.
o       February 9th - A ranger encountered a vehicle being loaded 
        with marijuana on Highway 85. He followed it for four miles 
        north, at which point the driver abandoned the vehicle in the 
        desert and fled on foot. It contained about 330 pounds of 
        marijuana. The contraband was turned over to Customs.
o       February 20th - An abandoned vehicle was found just south of 
        North Puerto Blanco Drive, about 100 yards into the desert. It 
        contained 368 pounds of marijuana. It's believed that the 
        vehicle was one of three that drove on the Red Tanks trail 
        during the previous night that were using a scout vehicle 
        carrying illegal aliens. When the aliens were apprehended 
        driving in the wrong direction on a one-way road, the driver 
        of the vehicle with the marijuana tried to return to Mexico 
        but missed the trailhead in the dark. The marijuana was turned 
        over to Customs.
o       February 20th - An Arizona DPS officer asked rangers for 
        assistance with a "spiked" vehicle that was entering the Bates 
        Well area of the park. Rangers blocked the Pozo Nueve Road. 
        The driver left the park and headed into Cabeza Prieta NWR, 
        driving on rough dirt roads with one flat tire at speeds up to 
        60 mph. A Customs Blackhawk helicopter spotted the vehicle 
        about three miles north of the international border. The 
        abandoned vehicle was loaded with over 400 pounds of 
        marijuana. Five agencies were involved in the pursuit.
o       February 21st - When a remote sensor went off near the park's 
        visitor center, a ranger went to a nearby hill and checked the 
        area with binoculars. He spotted two backpackers attempting to 
        "load out" on Highway 85. Rangers seized 226 pounds of 
        marijuana. The backpacker fled into the desert. The contraband 
        was turned over to Customs.
o       February 22nd - A park VIP hiking in the area near Dripping 
        Springs came upon a group of drug backpackers resting in a 
        wash. Because of the location and travel time, rangers didn't 
        receive the report for three-and-a-half hours. Efforts to find 
        the backpackers proved fruitless.
o       February 23rd - Customs agents at Lukeville asked rangers to 
        help in a search incident to the arrest of a woman crossing 
        the border. Rangers helped with the removal of 91 pounds of 
        marijuana from the gas tank of a Ford F-150 pickup.
o       February 23rd - Rangers tracked a group of suspected 
        backpackers through the park's backcountry and discovered 
        marijuana bundles stashed in the brush. They tracked the group 
        to a camp 500 years west of the bundles. Backup and a 
        helicopter were requested. Nine Mexican nationals were 
        arrested; rangers and officers seized a cell phone, two-way 
        radio, binoculars, and eight bundles of marijuana weighing 478 
        pounds. Customs handled the case. The assistant U.S. attorney 
        turned down the case because none of the individuals 
        confessed. They were released back to Mexico.
o       February 23rd - A vehicle came through the visitor center 
        parking lot at a high rate of speed at 6:30 p.m. A Border 
        Patrol vehicle followed, but not in pursuit. The vehicle 
        turned on North Puerto Blanco Drive and was found about 15 
        miles west in the desert. Tire tracks matching those on the 
        vehicle were found at the exit of the Red Tanks trailhead. 
        Rangers seized 433 pounds of marijuana and turned it over to 
        the Border Patrol.
o       February 24th - A camper stopped at the visitor center to pay 
        a fee at 8:30 a.m. A ranger saw that their old RV was heavily 
        loaded and stopped it four miles north on Highway 85. It 
        contained 42 undocumented aliens.

[Dale Thompson, CR, ORPI, 2/28]

01-083 - Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Possible Suicide

A body was found in the upper camping area of Plum Creek on the 
morning of March 7th. A missing person report had been filed with 
Amarillo PD for a resident of that city the previous day. One of the 
man's relatives asked the Moore County Sheriff's Office to check for 
him in the Plum Creek area. He was found inside his pickup truck with 
a single gunshot wound to the head. Suicide is suspected. The 
investigation has been turned over to the Potter County Sheriff's 
Office. [Rhonda Terry, PIO, LAMR, 3/7]

                  [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Plan

Tim Hartzell, director of Interior's Office of Wildland Fire 
Coordination, and Lyle Laverty, the Forest Service's National Fire 
Plan coordinator, will testify before the House Subcommittee on 
Forests and Forest Health today regarding implementation of the 
National Fire Plan.

Park Fires

No fires reported.

[Debee Schwarz, NPS Fire Information, WASO, 3/8]

CULTURAL/NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Law Enforcement Task Force Update - During the week of February 26th, 
the task force was occupied with refining ideas that surfaced in the 
previously reported Washington meeting and editing draft material for 
the implementation strategy. To save time, the work was done by phone 
and email. The group plans to submit a draft strategy to the associate 
director for park operations within three weeks. Greg Jackson is in 
Washington this week to assist with writing and compiling the report; 
Bill Sanders and Tom Cherry are providing assistance. The full task 
force will continue to work together from park bases. Task force 
members appreciate the communications received through regional 
representatives, particularly notification of projects in progress 
occurring in parks or regions that dove-tail with recommendations 
found in the reports.  Using existing projects where appropriate will 
expedite implementation. Task force members include: Martha Bogle, Kim 
Coast, Greg Jackson, Dianne Spriggs, Bill Sanders, Linda Alick, Jay 
Liggett, John Neal, Ron DeAngelo, Dennis Burnett, Pat Buccello, and 
Steve Shackelton. [LE Task Force, 3/5]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

INTERCHANGE

No submissions.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Lake Roosevelt NRA (WA) - The park is advertising on USA Jobs for a 
GS-201-7/9 personnel management specialist. There are four small 
communities with a population of about 6,000 in the Grand Coulee Dam 
area. All services are available, albeit with a somewhat limited 
selection; additional services are available in communities from 50 to 
90 miles away. Private housing is available in the local area, though 
rentals are limited. If you have any questions, please contact Marlene 
Igo at 509-633-9441 ext 119. [Teresa Wright, CCSO]

C&0 Canal NHP (MD/DC) - The park is recruiting for a GS-025-5/7/9 
ranger with primary law enforcement duties. Duty stations could be at 
Sharpsburg and Hancock, Maryland. An announcement will be out shortly 
on USA Jobs. If you have status and might consider a lateral transfer, 
please forward a current application to DR Dwight Dixon (C&O Canal 
NHP, PO Box 4, Sharpsburg, MD 21782) or contact him at 301-714-2236. 
[Dwight Dixon, CHOH]

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address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your 
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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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