[pct-l] Interesting Topic

[Lonetrail at aol.com (Lonetrail@xxxxxxx)]

 June 28, the U.S. Park Rangers Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police 
released its third annual survey of the 10 Most Dangerous National Parks. The 
rangers cited increasing problems with illegal immigrants, drug smuggling, and 
potential terrorist threats. 

Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument topped the rangers' list for 
the third year in a row. Following is the list.

1. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (Arizona): After the August 2002 
murder of National Park Service Ranger Kris Eggle, the NPS bolstered its force at 
the monument with tactical teams, since removed, and has failed to restore 
staff levels to previous levels.

2. Amistad National Recreation Area (Texas): Amistad shares the same problems 
of drug and alien smuggling as Organ Pipe. Seven rangers attempt to hold the 
line on 85 miles of an international border. With days off, it means that only 
one or two are on duty at any given hour of the day, and at night, the park 
is turned over to the smugglers.

3. Big Bend National Park (Texas): This park, which has the largest boundary 
with Mexico, struggles with an overwhelming flow of illegal aliens. According 
to the rangers, the park has violated NPS orders to hire law enforcement staff 
before hiring other personnel, leaving the few remaining rangers 
understaffed. 

4. Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Nevada/Arizona): Although Congress has 
approved funding for 24-hour patrol coverage, this park operates without law 
enforcement at night due to staff shortages. Lake Mead has at least 17 fewer 
rangers than in 2002. 

5. Coronado National Memorial (Arizona): Although a small park, Coronado is 
grappling with ever-more-sophisticated drug smuggling networks. 

6. Biscayne National Park (Florida): Drug smuggling and illegal fishing are 
major problems at this park. A potentially devastating vulnerability is its 
proximity to the Turkey Point nuclear power plant. The plant is located just a 
mile and a half from park headquarters, and the plant's security zone is almost 
exclusively on park waters. 

7. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia): The understaffed ranger work force is 
coping with a large number of armed poachers and encroaching suburban crime. 
The ranger staff has been cut in violation of NPS policy. 

8. Delaware Water Gap (New Jersey/Pennsylvania): Once one of the best law 
enforcement programs in the NPS, Delaware Water Gap now has half the rangers in 
the field it did in the mid-1990s. At night, only one or two rangers are on 
patrol. 

9. Edison National Historic Site (New Jersey): Growing urban crime is having 
an impact on this park, leaving rangers outmanned and outgunned. Rangers are 
denied pepper spray, shotguns and rifles, and access to a dispatch. Edison's 
irreplaceable treasures are guarded and inaccessible to the public. 

10. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming): At the beginning of the 2003 season 
Yellowstone eliminated its entire seasonal law enforcement staff. This forced 
rangers into solo patrols on the roads, few patrols in the backcountry, and a 
dangerous lack of backup in a park with a growing list of incidents to respond 
to. 

For the rangers' full report, which includes a secondary list of 
"Dishonorable Mentions," visit this Web address: <A HREF="http://www.rangerfop.com/danger03.htm";>http://www.rangerfop.com/danger03.htm</A>.