NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
BLACKBERRY EDITION
Monday, August 15, 2005
INCIDENTS
Blue Ridge Parkway
Update On Ranger Injured In Accident
Ranger Brian Stackowicz, who suffered serious leg and arm injuries in a collision with another vehicle on August 8th, remains in the ICU at Mission Memorial Hospital. He has undergone one of three scheduled orthopedic surgical procedures, with two remaining. His prognosis remains very good. Because he remains in the ICU, he cannot receive cards, flowers, calls or visitors. If you would like to send him get well wishes, however, the park is gathering cards and messages and will forward them to him when that becomes possible. Send them to him c/o Blue Ridge Parkway, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803, Attention: Teresa Lovelace. [John Garrison, Chief Ranger]
Denali NP&P
Search Continues For Missing Backpacker
The ground search for Anchorage resident R.H., 34, who hasn't been seen since disembarking a camper bus for a backpacking trip near Wonder Lake on July 10th, continued into its sixth day on Saturday. The assignments given to the 25 searchers included checking portions of the highest priority sections that hadn't been cleared, investigating clues detected in a previous search and beginning work on a new section to the east. A new objective added on Saturday was to search Moose Creek more closely. Four people were to kayak approximately six miles from the creek's junction with Glen Creek to the bridge at the park road, checking along the banks and in the deep pools. New clues and pieces of information were called into the command center during the course of the day from the ground searchers. They were logged in, noted on a map and thoroughly investigated. Nothing found to date can be definitively linked to R.H. Very smoky conditions present early on Saturday morning grounded the fixed-wing aircraft that are being used to move people and supplies between the park headquarters and the temporary camp that has been established at Friday Creek to support the field crews. The two helicopters were able to safely navigate in the hazy conditions, but some crews were delayed in getting to their search assignments by the lack of fixed-wing aircraft. The safety of the field crews and other search personnel is the highest priority in this and any incident. Crews are briefed each morning on specific safety concerns and things to be aware of, which include the use of proper protective equipment (PPE), especially around aircraft; dehydration due to the hot weather conditions; and old, abandoned explosives at old mining sites and mine shafts. Despite the difficult terrain, there have been no searcher injuries to date. There are over 50 people assigned to the search. Many agencies, organizations, and businesses are contributing to the search effort, including the private lodges in Kantishna (Camp Denali, Denali Backcountry Lodge, and the Kantishna Roadhouse), Alaska Fire Service, Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, Alaska State Troopers, Denali Outdoor Center, park concessioner Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture , Evergreen Helicopters, Food Services of America and numerous other businesses in the communities outside the park. [Kris Fister, Public Affairs Officer]
Glacier NP
Pursuit And Capture Of Fleeing Felon
On August 11th, the park received a request from the Flathead County Sheriff's Office for assistance in stopping a vehicle involved in a high speed pursuit on U.S. Highway 2 that was headed toward the park. The suspect vehicle was reported to be traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph and against traffic. Rangers Gary Moses and Ron Goldhirsch immediately set up a roadblock in the eastbound lane of Highway 2 just west of the junction with the Going to the Sun Road, utilizing parked patrol vehicles to constrict the road width. The driver, subsequently identified as J.H., an escaped convict from Nebraska, attempted to breech the roadblock and in the process struck Moses' vehicle at a high rate of speed. After striking the patrol vehicle, J.H. lost control of his car, which skidded across the oncoming traffic lane, flipped, and came to rest just west of the railroad bypass tunnel leading into the community of West Glacier. J.H. fled on foot into that community. Rangers immediately established containment of park access routes and pursued J.H. on foot, following him into a densely wooded area by the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, directly across the river from the park housing area. Ranger Stephen Willis found J.H. hiding in the dense brush and placed him in custody without further incident. The vehicle that J.H. was driving was reportedly stolen in Columbia Falls, Montana, earlier that day. The Montana Highway Patrol estimates that J.H. was traveling in excess of 96 mph when his car hit the ranger vehicle. [Patrick Suddath, West Lakes District Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC remains at PL 3. Eighteen national and state teams and 325 crews are committed. A fire weather watch has been issued for parts of Nevada for today.
Individual fire entries for today for the National Park Service can be obtained at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/fire/news" http://www.nps.gov/fire/news . The full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report for today can be obtained at HYPERLINK "http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf" http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Nothing today.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Nothing today.
JOBS
Nothing today.
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Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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