RANGERS GROUP LISTS MOST DANGEROUS PARKS

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, which borders Mexico 120 miles
southwest of Tucson, is the nation's most dangerous national park, and
Yosemite National Park is the second most dangerous, according to a survey
of park rangers.

Illegal immigrants and drug smugglers are mainly to blame for the problems,
according to the survey, conducted by the Fraternal Order of Police chapter
for park rangers.

The report named Yosemite as the second-most dangerous in the country
because staffing has been cut as tourists continue to flood the park.
During a fire at the Ahwahnee Hotel, for example, the report said, rangers
didn't have basic firefighting equipment.

Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said one of the problems is that rangers
are increasingly saddled with increasing demands on their duties to fight
crime, fight fires and save lives.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the Arizona-Nevada line ranked
seventh, and Grand Canyon National Park was eighth.