Desert Messenger

28 www.DesertMessenger.com December 20, 2023 FREE OBITUARY NOTICES Desert Messenger offers free In Memoriam notices. You can include a photo of your loved one at no charge. Please email a short biog- raphy of the deceased and photo to editor@DesertMessenger.com. or call Rain at 928-916-4235. AZ SOS holds statewide elections security tabletop training exercises Quartzsite Senior Center Craft Fair/ is the third Saturday of the month. Dates: January 20th February 17th March 16th April 20th Quartzsite Senior Center Member- ships are $10. Tables are $5 cash only! Call to secure your table for the season 725-203-8447. Set up starts at 7am on the day of the craft fair. Indoor and Outdoor tables available. This will be our best sea- son EVER! Senior Center is located at 40 S. Moon Mt., Quartzsite. Senior Center Craft shows LOCAL EMERGENCY & NON-EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY DIAL 911 Quartzsite Police Department Administration: (928) 927-4644 La Paz County Sheriff's Offi ce Administration: 928-669-6141 (Fax: 928-669-2008) Dispatch: 928-669-2281 (Fax: 928-669-5823) Civil: 928-669-6141 Records/Reports: 928-669-6141 x4011 Detention: 928-669-5816 (Fax: 928-669-5630) Boating Safety: 928-667-4310 MESA, ARIZ. - Deep fake and oth- er artifi cial intelligence (AI) dis- ruptions took center stage at the Arizona Secretary of State's (SOS) two-day election security tabletop training exercise (TTX) in Mesa. The training, offered to stakehold- ers and representatives from all 15 counties, is the fi rst in a series to help election offi cials prepare for the upcoming election cycle. "Mis, dis and mal-information – or MDM – remain a primary threat to the security of our elections," Secre- tary of State Adrian Fontes said. "Ad- vances in AI and deepfake technology heighten the potential for chaos. We are going to make sure we are pre- pared for what is coming our way." The event on Dec. 15 and 16 was designed to increase readiness and resilience in protecting Arizona's election infrastructure by exposing election administrators to realistic scenarios and challenges that may occur during an election. The vari- ous threats and situations included cyberattacks, disinformation cam- paigns, natural disasters, and more. "AI is going to increase the qual- ity, quantity and urgency of MDM. Training events like this are one of the best ways we can ensure we are ready for what's coming," Michael Moore, SOS chief information se- curity offi cer, said. Training participants worked with stakeholders from various levels of government, law enforcement agencies, and IT and cybersecurity experts to fi nd best practices and areas for improvement in securing Arizona's elections. It was also an opportunity for county election offi - cials from around the state to share ideas and build relationships. "The fact that we are able to come together, build comradery and col- laborate as stakeholders made this event so worthwhile," Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis said. "We are preparing for the future, and this was an eye-opening experience." For this fi rst-of-its-kind training event, the SOS and Arizona county election administrators and other government offi cials were joined by state and national organizations working on or interested in how elec- tion administrators are preparing to address election security issues. Par- ticipants and observers also includ- ed representatives from congressio- nal offi ces, Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC), the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the U.S. De- partment of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Local law enforcement partners from the Arizona Counter Terrorism Infor- mation Center (ACTIC), the state's fusion center, as well as the Arizona Department of Homeland Security (AZDHS) also joined the training. Representatives from prominent technology fi rms working on AI is- sues including Open AI, Institute for the Future, and Microsoft also attended the event to share infor- mation fi rsthand about how this emerging technology could impact election security. The Brennan Cen- ter for Justice at NYU Law and the The Election Group helped develop some portions of the training, pull- ing from their national election ex- perience and policy expertise. "It's an honor to help state and lo- cal election offi cials prepare for safe and secure elections in 2024 in the face of evolving threats," Liz How- ard, deputy director of the Brennan Center's Elections and Government Program said. Two additional TTX training events focused on election security are planned for 2024. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado River District - Yuma Field Offi ce, is planning to conduct prescribed burning in the following areas, as conditions al- low: • Mittry Lake Wildlife Area and near Walter's Camp -- located about 12 miles north of Yuma, as well as near Walter's Camp, which is about 26 miles south of Blythe, Califor- nia, along the California side of the lower Colorado River in Imperial County; planned between November 2023 and March 2024, as weather and fuel conditions allow. • Senator Wash North Shore Rec- reation Area -- 17 miles north of Yuma, between December 2023 and April 2024, as weather and fuel conditions allow. BLM fi re personnel will burn piles of veg- etation cleared from the shoreline and roads reducing the threat and spread of wildfi res and improving access for outdoor recreationists in the area. Prescribed burning may occur multiple times to eliminate piles of vegetation accumulated during thinning treatments To ensure the safety of visitors, BLM fi re management personnel will ig- nite the piles when weather con- ditions are conducive to burning. Visitors and outdoor recreationists should expect some light smoke in the area. Access to the burn area may be temporarily restricted to provide for public safety. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 provided funding for this prescribed burn. The legislation funds fuel treatments to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfi re and benefi t neighboring communities. To learn more visit: https://www.blm.gov/offi ce/yuma- fi eld-offi ce BLM prescribed burns planned

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