NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, December 1, 2011

INCIDENTS

Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Interagency Enforcement Operation Conducted In Park

On November 22nd, rangers were involved in an interagency operation designed to disrupt criminal activity near the park's visitor center and employee housing area. Other agencies participating in the operation were the Arizona Army National Guard (air support), the border Patrol (seven agents from the Ajo Station, including two on horseback), and the Pima County Sheriff's Department (two deputies and a dog). The objective of this mission was to displace drug smuggling/alien trafficking organization scouts from the top of Twin Peaks, a mountain that provides a commanding view of a large portion of the south half of the park, including the employee housing area. Another objective was to remove infrastructure and garbage from the area. Rangers found solar panels, over 100 pounds of trash, and 52 pounds of abandoned marijuana on the mountain. This mission was a follow-up to a similar mission in March of this year which resulted in the apprehension of eight undocumented aliens and the removal of approximately 1,000 pounds of trash, including items such as car batteries, radio chargers, a large radio antenna, binocular parts, food packs, and sleeping equipment. This operation was accomplished under the umbrella of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area/Border Anti Narcotics Network (HIDTA/BANN). [Matthew D. Vandzura, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Ellis Island NM - “Navigating Difference,” an interactive installation on the questions surrounding immigration and emigration, opened at Ellis Island in November along with two other “sites of conscience,” one in Belgium and the other in Italy.

Land Resources Division - A celebration was recently held to mark the addition of 1,840 acres to Congaree National Park.

Office of the Comptroller - Naly Ngan has been selected as the Accounting Operations Center's new deputy manager of financial operations.

Workforce Management - Thomas J. Ferranti, deputy associate director for workforce management in WASO, is retiring from the National Park Service on December 3rd.

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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced with the support of the Office of the Assistant Director for Information Resources and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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