Operation Something Bruin (NPS)
| Tracking # |
NPS-2014-00598 |
| Submitted | June 24, 2014 |
MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests like this one. Learn more.
Communications
From: Donald Triplett III
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
Any and all copies of the following related to the multi-agency initiative entitled "Operation Something Bruin":
Written correspondence, contracts, agreements between agencies, budgets, investigative reports, press releases, digital media (photos, videos, etc), and internal investigative documents.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Donald Triplett III
From: Wilson, Charis
Hi Marianne,
According to this FWS briefing from February 2013 (
http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2013/007.html) this operation took place
in North Carolina and Georgia, so I'm routing this request to you for
processing. Let me know if it turns out another office needs to search for
responsive records.
As usual, I've cc'd the requester so they know who will be handling their
request.
Thanks,
C.
____________________
Ms. Charis Wilson, MLS, CRM
NPS FOIA Officer
12795 W. Alameda Parkway
PO Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287
303-969-2959
Fax: 303-969-2557
1-855-NPS-FOIA
"What we find changes who we become." - Peter Morville
"The historian works with records...there is no substitute for records: no
records, no history." - Paraphrasing Langlois & Seignobos (1903)
"Let us be guardians, not gardeners" - Unknown, From 1963 Living Wilderness
editorial - Attributed to Adolph Murie
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Donald Triplett III <requests@muckrock.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 24, 2014 at 7:31 PM
Subject: Freedom of Information Request: Operation Something Bruin (NPS)
To: Charis_Wilson@nps.gov
June 24, 2014
National Park Service
Charis Wilson
12795 W. Alameda Parkway
P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request
the following records:
Any and all copies of the following related to the multi-agency initiative
entitled "Operation Something Bruin":
Written correspondence, contracts, agreements between agencies, budgets,
investigative reports, press releases, digital media (photos, videos, etc),
and internal investigative documents.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this
request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made
available to the general public free of charge as part of the public
information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the
news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for
commercial usage.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would
inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would
prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available
or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I
look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business
days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Donald Triplett III
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
For mailed responses, please address (see note):
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 12279
PO Box 55819
Boston, MA 02205-5819
PLEASE NOTE the new address as well as the fact that improperly addressed
(i.e., with the requester's name rather than MuckRock News) requests might
be returned by the USPS as undeliverable.
From: Mills, Marianne
Mr. Triplett:
This acknowledges receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request, submitted to the Washington Office via Muckrock.com. Your request
has been assigned Tracking Number NPS-2014-00598. It is important that you
refer to the tracking number on all correspondence regarding your request
since you have multiple requests. Your request is for the following
records:
*Any and all copies of the following related to the multi-agency initiative
entitled "Operation Something Bruin": Written correspondence, contracts,
agreements between agencies, budgets, investigative reports, press
releases, digital media (photos, video, etc.) and internal investigative
documents.*
You have requested a fee waiver; however, you have not provided sufficient
justification to grant such a request. Submitting your request through
Muckrock.com does not qualify you as a member of the media. I require
additional information to justify how you could be considered a member of
the media, such as where you work regularly appears or is published, the
circulation/readership of your materials, and similar information.
Please provide me with this justification within 10 workdays of the date of
this email. If not, I will consider you fall into the "other" category for
fee purposes, which will provide you with two hours of search time and up
to 100 pages of records at no cost. We will provide a fee estimate for the
full scope.
It is the policy of the National Park Service (NPS) to: (1) make records of
the NPS available to the public to the greatest extent possible in keeping
with the spirit of FOIA; (2) make available documents requested under the
FOIA at the earliest possible date while, at the same time, protecting the
rights of the individuals involved and the administrative processes
surrounding such rights; (3) withhold documents falling within one of the
FOIA exemptions only if disclosure is prohibited by statute or Executive
Order, or in those cases where the agency reasonably foresees that
disclosure would be harmful to an interest protected by exemption or other
sound grounds exist for invoking an exemption.
Your request is being processed under the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act (5 United States Code 552 as amended by Public Law 104-231,
11 Stat. 3048); United States Department of the interior implementing
regulations found at 43 Code of Federal Regulations, PUBLIC LANDS: INTERIOR
beginning part 2, Subparts A through E (see Federal Register of October 21,
2002, Volume 6-7, NO. 203, page 64527), and the Privacy Act of 1974 (Public
Law 93-579). Additional FOIA and Privacy Act guidance may also be found
through the Department of the Interior’s website, http://www.doi/gov or the
U.S. Department of Justice site, http:/www/usdoj.gov.
Marianne M. Mills
Public Affairs Specialist
Southeast Region, NPS
100 Alabama Street SW
1924 Building
(404) 507-5613
(404) 562-3263 FAX
marianne_mills@nps.gov
*http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx
<http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx> *Sharepoint
From: Mills, Marianne
In working with the staff at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, they
believe that it will take them less than two hours to complete the search
for records for this FOIA request as follows:
*Any and all copies of the following related to the multi-agency initiative
entitled "Operation Something Bruin": Written correspondence, contracts,
agreements between agencies, budgets, investigative reports, press
releases, digital media (photos, video, etc.) and internal investigative
documents.*
Although you have requested a fee waiver as a member of the media, if I
classify you as an "other" requester (used for the general public and other
non-favored requesters), you will receive the request at no cost to you so
I am processing your request in the "other" fee category.
I have asked the park to conduct their search and turn over copies of any
responsive records to me by July 14, 2014. At that point, I must review
each record and determine if there is information contained that is
protected under any of the FOIA Exemptions. Any records that do not
contained privileged information will be released to you as quickly as
possible in interim releases. Any records containing privileged information
must be reviewed by an attorney advisor in our Solicitor's Office.
Marianne M. Mills
Public Affairs Specialist
Southeast Region, NPS
100 Alabama Street SW
1924 Building
(404) 507-5613
(404) 562-3263 FAX
marianne_mills@nps.gov
*http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx
<http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx> *Sharepoint
From: Donald Triplett III
Dear Ms. Mills,
As long as you believe that the request will come at no cost to me, I'm fine with being classed in "other" for the purpose of this single request. This will save me time from having to submit the justification for this request, you having to review it, and I'll be able to get the documents from my request faster overall.
Thank you for your assistance, professionalism, and your speedy replies regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Donald Triplett
From: Mills, Marianne
I have received the records responsive to your request and am starting my
review of the records now. Any records that can be released in full will be
released as soon as possible. Any containing protected, privileged
information must be reviewed by an attorney-advisor in our Solicitor's
Office prior to review by our Regional Director before the final response
is issued.
Marianne M. Mills
Public Affairs Specialist
Southeast Region, NPS
100 Alabama Street SW
1924 Building
(404) 507-5613
(404) 562-3263 FAX
marianne_mills@nps.gov
*http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx
<http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx> *Sharepoint
From: Mills, Marianne
This is an interim release of records under FOIA NPS-2014-00598, in which
you requested:
Any and all copies of the following related to the multi-agency initiative
entitled "Operation Something Bruin": Written correspondence, contracts,
agreements between agencies, budgets, investigative reports, press
releases, digital media (photos, videos, etc.) and internal investigative
documents.
We are releasing ten records to you in their entirety with this interim
release. Two documents we are releasing as discretionary releases under
Exemption 5 of the FOIA, which protects from release records that are
considered deliberative and pre-decisional. Two records we are releasing
are draft documents, which are protected under the Exemption 5 as
"deliberative and pre-decisional." However, we are permitted to perform
discretionary releases of protected information where there is no
foreseeable harm to the release of the information.
I continue to review additional records.
Marianne M. Mills
Public Affairs Specialist
Southeast Region, NPS
100 Alabama Street SW
1924 Building
(404) 507-5613
(404) 562-3263 FAX
marianne_mills@nps.gov
*http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx
<http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx> *Sharepoint
From: Mills, Marianne
This is an interim release of records under FOIA NPS-2014-00598, in which
you requested:
Any and all copies of the following related to the multi-agency initiative
entitled "Operation Something Bruin": Written correspondence, contracts,
agreements between agencies, budgets, investigative reports, press
releases, digital media (photos, videos, etc.) and internal investigative
documents.
We are releasing ten records to you in their entirety with this interim
release. Two documents we are releasing as discretionary releases under
Exemption 5 of the FOIA, which protects from release records that are
considered deliberative and pre-decisional. Two records we are releasing
are draft documents, which are protected under the Exemption 5 as
"deliberative and pre-decisional." However, we are permitted to perform
discretionary releases of protected information where there is no
foreseeable harm to the release of the information.
I continue to review additional records.
Marianne M. Mills
Public Affairs Specialist
Southeast Region, NPS
100 Alabama Street SW
1924 Building
(404) 507-5613
(404) 562-3263 FAX
marianne_mills@nps.gov
*http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx
<http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/SER/COMM/default.aspx> *Sharepoint
From: Donald Triplett III
Dear Ms. Mills,
I'm writing to check on the status of this request for Operation Something Bruin documents, which you assigned tracking number NPS-2014-00598. Are you still reviewing additional records?
Thanks,
Donald Triplett, III
From: Mills, Marianne
My final response is at our Solicitor's Office for review. When I hear back
from them, I can finalize this request.
Marianne M. Mills
Public Affairs Specialist
Southeast Region, NPS
100 Alabama Street SW
1924 Building
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 507-5613
(404) 562-3263 FAX
marianne_mills@nps.gov
From: Mills, Marianne
This completes our response to this FOIA request.
Marianne M. Mills
Interpretive Specialist
Volunteers, NextGen Engagement
Regional FOIA and Privacy Act Officer
Southeast Region, NPS
100 Alabama Street SW
1924 Building
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 507-5613
(404) 562-3263 FAX
marianne_mills@nps.gov
******************************************************
*I found my park in 1984. (It's Isle Royale) Have you found yours yet*?
There are too many files to display on this communication. See all files
Files
pages
