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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Thursday, June 8, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Glen Canyon NRA Two Injured in Kite Tubing Accidents Two people were injured in separate, unrelated “kite tubing” accidents in the park last weekend. In both cases, the victims were riding kite tubes towed by boats when they lost control of the device. Each then fell into Lake Powell from heights of between 10 and 40 feet. Kite tubes are large, round inflated tubes that are towed by boats at 20 to 40 mph. The user holds onto the kite tube as it rises into the air from 15 to 60 feet. Controlling a kite tube is extremely challenging and the slightest upset in its balance causes it to fall into the water. The first incident occurred on Friday, June 2nd, at approximately 2:30 p.m. near the Bullfrog area. A 29-year-old man from St. George, Utah, was riding a kite tube when he lost control and fell from a height of 35 to 40 feet while moving at approximately 35 to 40 mph. He suffered a broken neck and was flown by helicopter from the Bullfrog Medical Clinic to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. He was the third person in his party that day to be injured while kite tubing, but the other two sustained only minor injuries and were not treated. On the afternoon of Saturday, June 3rd, a 14-year-old girl from Houston, Texas, fell from 10 to 15 feet from her kite tube while being towed at 20 to 25 mph. She lost consciousness when she struck the water. Park rangers immediately responded to the incident and she was flown by helicopter from Iceberg Canyon to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. After further examination at the hospital, she was released without serious injuries. These were the third and fourth accidents this year involving kite tubes. The first accident occurred on April 7th and resulted in a punctured lung caused by broken ribs; the second was on May 22nd, when another person sustained injuries to the chest and back while using a kite tube. Both of these incidents involved kite tube riders losing control of the device and falling into the water while moving at a high rate of speed. The individuals involved in these accidents were also transported by helicopter to the hospital. This is the first season that park rangers at Glen Canyon have seen kite tubes on the lake. Please see the related safety alert on kite tubing in this issue for additional information and for links to two TV news videos on kite tubing accidents. [Kevin Schneider, Management Assistant] Glacier Bay NP&P Search for Lost Hiker On the evening of Saturday, May 27th, rangers conducted a successful search for a 60-year-old woman who had notified a friend by cell phone that she was lost in the park. The woman, a fit and strong hiker, had planned a day hike cross-country from the town of Gustavus to Cooper's Notch in the park. There are no maintained trails in this area, which enters a narrowing strip of open muskeg bounded by thick spruce forest. While attempting to avoid a bear, the woman left the open country, which would eventually lead to Cooper's Notch, and instead entered the dense forested area. She became disoriented, and finally realized she had totally lost her sense of direction. NPS search managers were able to speak directly to her by telephone, and through subsequent telephone conversations ascertained that she was rapidly losing her composure and becoming increasingly apprehensive about her situation. As nightfall approached, accompanied by a steady rainfall that had been forecast for that night, rangers flew over the area in an attempt to locate the woman. Utilizing her visual observations of the search aircraft as she relayed them through cell phone conversations, the searchers were able to use the position of the plane to guide her out of the forest into a clearing where they obtained a visual on her. A message was dropped to her to advise her to stay put. In the meantime, a ground search team was guided to her location to walk her to safety. Resource management rangers with GIS and GPS expertise and high resolution aerial photographs of the area were used to help direct the ground team to the woman's location and to help walk them out of the area which had by then become engulfed in nearly complete darkness and heavy rainfall. The woman was able to walk out in relatively good condition with no injuries. [Chuck Young, Chief Ranger] Bryce Canyon NP Rock Fall Closes Navajo Loop Trail On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 23rd, a significant rock fall occurred on the Wall Street section of the Navajo Loop trail. Rock debris weighing an estimated 400 to 500 tons covers an area roughly 60 feet long, 15 feet deep, and 15 feet wide. The rocks range in size, with the largest about the dimensions of a midsized car. The trail will remain closed at this point to ensure visitor safety as the park develops a plan to reopen the trail, complete environmental compliance, and obtain funding. It is projected that work to clear the rock fall debris will start in the spring of 2007. If deemed safe, the park plans to open both sides of the trail up to the rock fall so that visitors will be able to view the rock fall and the large spruce tree in Wall Street. [Colleen Bathe] Buffalo NR Felony Drug Arrests Rangers received a call for assistance from a sheriff's detective with a wanted suspect at the Gilbert store about 100 yards north of the park boundary just after 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 22nd. The suspect had attempted to pass a hot check to one of the park's concessionaires for a rental cabin. The proprietor of the business called the county after he contacted the man's bank to verify funds. Park dispatch ran a check on him and found that he was a wanted fugitive and had a history of drug possession, drug manufacture, battery, and resisting arrest. A ranger and the detective contacted the man, who resisted and fought with the officers but was eventually taken into custody on warrants. Further investigation revealed that three other persons were in the rental cabin, one of whom was a wanted fugitive. In securing the residence, a methamphetamine lab was discovered along with finished product and evidence of distribution. Other evidence collected suggested that they had defrauded three park concession operations in the Middle and Lower Districts. All four were arrested by county officers and charged with drug manufacturing/possession and fraud related charges. The investigation is continuing. [Bob Maguire, Chief Ranger] Chickasaw NRA Drowning in Lake of the Arbuckles On the morning of Saturday, May 27th, a group swimming in a cove at the Point area of the Lake of the Arbuckles noticed that one of their number was missing. Water conditions were choppy, with a 15 to 20 mph westerly wind blowing. An Oklahoma game warden on patrol in the nearby picnic area was the first to be notified, but park rangers were on scene within two minutes. Two park boats were utilized to search for the 22-year-old man. He was found just over an hour later under the lake's surface. A ranger checked for vital signs but found none. The body was later turned over to the Oklahoma State Chief Medical Examiner's Office and the victim's family in Mexico was notified. It is believed that rough water, windy conditions and inexperience contributed to the drowning. [Michael Manning, Supervisory Park Ranger] OTHER NEWS Other news of interest from today's edition of InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/): A safety alert from GLCA on kite tubing, related to the incident above: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4523" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4523 News story on YOSE getting $13 million to repair/rehab 100 miles of trails: HYPERLINK "http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/02/YOSEMITE.TMP" http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/02/YOSEMITE.TMP Openings for GS-9 protection rangers at GUIS: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewjobdetails&type=Jobs&id=2413" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewjobdetails&type=Jobs&id=2413 * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |