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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Monday, July 10, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Yosemite NP Update On Impacts Of Ferguson Rockslide The park and its partners continue to deal with the impacts of the Ferguson rockslide, which fell on and closed a portion of Highway 140 through the Sierra National Forest back on April 29th. Highway 140 is one of four routes that serve the park. Managers at the park and at DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. have altered schedules and setup employee car pools to facilitate the needs of approximately 500 employees who commute from the Midpines and Mariposa areas. The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) has also modified its schedule and bus routes to assist in transporting commuting employees to work. Temporary housing units and RV campsites have been arranged in and around the park to accommodate those who do not wish to commute the roughly two-and-a-half hours each way to and from work. May visitor use statistics showed an 18% increase, however, indicating that the rockslide is not affecting visitor numbers. This has partially been attributed to the melt from this year's snow pack, nearly twice its normal depth, which has made for tremendous waterfalls and lush vegetation. An information center has been set up in Mariposa to provide a centralized location for visitors, residents and business owners to obtain information about the rock slide. The information center is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 209-966-6174 for additional information. The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) is currently working on an emergency temporary solution. Two bridges are being constructed around the slide, utilizing the historic roadbed on the opposite side of the river. The date for completion of the emergency temporary solution is unknown, but is expected to be before Labor Day. [Sheree Peshlakai, Park Ranger] Denali NP&P Rescue of Seriously Injured Visitor On Thursday, June 15th, the park's communication center received a report that a visitor had fallen approximately 15 to 20 feet from a feature known as Savage Rock and was having difficulty breathing. The site is located approximately 15 miles out the park road and about 12 miles from park headquarters. A ranger hiked up to the site, assessed her injuries, stabilized her, and prepared her for evacuation. While that was taking place, trail crew members, wildlife technicians, kennels staff and other rangers responded with an ambulance and technical gear. Some of these employees were designated members of the SAR and EMS teams, but others were drafted for the incident. Assistance from the East District road crew staff was also offered but was not needed. The patient was loaded into a litter, belayed approximately 75 feet to the trail, then carried approximately 400 yards to the parking lot, where she was further assessed and provided with advanced life support treatment. Due to concern about the severity of the injuries, a helicopter from the 68th Medical Company at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks was requested. The ship landed on the nearby park road, picked up the patient, and transported her to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. She was admitted for treatment of multiple external and internal injuries. The ranger division continues to appreciate the support it receives from supervisors of other divisions who allow their employees to participate as members of the SAR team and for ambulance work. This cooperative effort significantly enhances the level of care and service the park is able to provide to its visitors. [Kris Fister, Public Affairs Officer] St. Croix NSR Man Drowns, Two Companions Rescued On the Fourth of July, L.R., 31, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, went swimming with friends and family members in the St. Croix River. L.R. and two friends attempted to swim across the river from Minnesota to the Wisconsin shore, a distance of about 150 yards, but became fatigued when they encountered the swift current near the Wisconsin side of the river and began to yell for assistance. Two passing kayakers managed to rescue L.R.'s companions, but he disappeared. The park's dive team, rangers and personnel from seven state and local agencies searched the river for seven hours before finding his body in 11 feet of water. Search efforts were hampered by the swift current and by numerous underwater obstructions. A section of the river near the point last seen and the highly used landing were closed during the search. Other agencies involved included the Chisago County Sheriffs Office, the Polk County Sheriffs Department, the Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of Natural Resources, the Osceola Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, the Taylors Falls Volunteer Fire Department, and the Harris Volunteer Fire Department. [Brian Adams, Chief Ranger] Curecanti NRA Man Drowns In Blue Mesa Reservoir A Grand Junction man drowned in Blue Mesa Reservoir on Tuesday, July 4th. G.S., 77, had stayed overnight in his cabin cruiser on the West Elk arm of the reservoir. Around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, G.S. was attempting to retrieve driftwood from the water when he fell overboard. A passenger on the boat failed in an attempt to throw a floatable cushion to him, then called for help on the boat's marine band radio. The park was notified and rangers responded within the hour. G.S.'s body was recovered by a park diver in about six feet of water. [Phil Zichterman] Blue Ridge Parkway Attempted Suicide From Park Bridge A 43-year-old woman from Asheville, North Carolina, jumped from the French Broad River Bridge on July 2nd and fell 80 feet into the river. Visitors below the bridge saw her sitting on the railing with her legs dangling over the side just before she jumped. The woman survived the fall, but sustained numerous injuries, as the water was only two feet deep at the point where she landed. Canoeists took her to the riverside, where she was picked up and taken to a hospital. Relatives told rangers that the woman was depressed and had made several prior suicide attempts. [Tim Francis, Pisgah District Ranger] OTHER NEWS Other news of interest from today's edition of InsideNPS, which can be found at this address if your inside the NPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) and at this address if you're outside the NPS ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/). Note that not all articles that appear in the former make it into the latter: Olympic NP - Big survey of non-native goats begins, soon to be extended to MORA and NOCA: HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=4604" http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=4604 Harpers Ferry Center - New NPS sign program website launched: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4602" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4602 WASO Incident Management Program - Reminder that applications for review of past experience for the NPS all-risk qualifications system are due by July 15th: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4605" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4605 FLETC - JR Tomasovic retires: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=1282" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=1282 North Cascades NP - Tim Mann retires: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=1281" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=1281 DOI - Announcement posted for two positions in DOI LE & Security (GS-14 critical assets program coordinator positions): HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewjobdetails&type=Jobs&id=2443" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewjobdetails&type=Jobs&id=2443 * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |