NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, April 6, 2009

INCIDENTS

Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs

Short-Haul Operation Employed In Marijuana Site Cleanup

A three-day-long short-haul operation was conducted last month to rehabilitate a marijuana plantation that was discovered and eradicated several years ago. Though short-haul is a method often used by the NPS during search and rescue operations, this was the first time it was used for a law enforcement operation. Park protection rangers were short-hauled to an area near the remote site so that they could safely approach it. When they determined that it was unoccupied, they removed infrastructure and cleaned up the area. About a mile of hose, 637 pounds of trash, and several pounds of hazardous materials were removed. This is one of the more remote sites found in the park. In the past, rangers who hiked into the site were limited by travel time and physical fatigue in conducting efficient cleanup missions. Without the use of short-haul to insert the team, this operation could have taken more than twice as long to complete, exposing employees to a variety of hazards. “Bronco,” the parks' K-9 patrol dog, and his handler were among the first to be lifted to the site in order to assure ranger safety. The park has been authorized to use short-haul for marijuana eradication operations since 2007. To use short-haul for a marijuana mission, the park has to weigh all the risk factors to see if it justified. This was the first mission to meet those criteria. The park worked closely with regional and national aviation managers to ensure that the mission was properly conducted. The process worked extremely well. The lessons learned from this mission will be considered in the planning of future missions to improve safety, efficiency and effectiveness. The hope is that when a site is rehabilitated, growers will choose to not reoccupy the area. [Alexandra Picavet, Public Affairs Specialist]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

Glacier NP - The park's Apgar Transit Center has received the U.S. Green Building Counsel's gold certificate for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for its "pioneering example of sustainable design."

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7517" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7517

Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7521" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7521

Intermountain Region - John Morlock, a 29-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named superintendent of Fort Davis National Historic Site in Texas. Morlock will assume his new position on April 26th.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2290" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2290

* * * * *

Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363

Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

--- ### ---