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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Friday, July 21, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Fort Pulaski NM Oil Spill Washes Up On Park Lands An oil spill shut down a 12-mile stretch of the Savannah River and part of the Intracoastal Waterway on Monday, July 17th, with oil visible from the Savannah area to the Atlantic beaches of Tybee Island. Some of the approximately 5,000 gallons in the spill washed up in the park, which is located along the river and just a few miles upstream from the Atlantic Ocean. With the exception of about 250 acres on Cockspur Island and another 200 acres on McQueens Island, the 5,400-acre park consists of tidal marshes and mud flats that are subject to daily inundation from a six- to ten-foot tide. Park staff inspected the shoreline on Tuesday. Patches of dark, shiny black oil covered portions of the rocks and grass along the high tide line at the eastern tip of Cockspur Island - as thick and extensive as any seen along the length of the Savannah River. Oil was found to have spread inland on the island from ten to fifty feet. Patches of oily grass and rock extended along the Savannah River from Cockspur to just beyond Elba Island. The impact of the spill was much greater on the southern shore of the river's north channel than on the north shore. Little oil contamination was found along the south channel. The Coast Guard deployed large booms to try and corral the oil and began an investigation to determine the spill's source. The river was reopened to ship traffic late on Monday. Cleanup efforts are underway. [Mike T. Ryan, Acting Chief Ranger] Badlands NP Visitor Dies From Heat Exhaustion Several park visitors at the Saddle Pass Trail parking lot saw what they suspected was a body lying in a shallow ravine several feet from the trail on the afternoon of Sunday, July 16th. EMS personnel responded and an ambulance was summoned. The body of J.K., 51, of Canfield, Ohio, was found near the base of the trail at the point where it climbs the badland wall to intersect with the Castle/Medicine Root trail. No signs of life were detected, so the county coroner was called in. The trail and surrounding area were closed to the public. When the coroner arrived, the body was removed from the ravine and taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital. Investigators at first thought that J.K. might have fallen, as a small rock outcropping overlooking the trail showed clear indications of failure, with debris sliding down a 25-foot slope to the trial below. Chief ranger Mark Gorman was able to follow clear signs of her attempted self rescue from the spot where her body was found to a point within five feet of the rock fall. Near the base of the fall, rangers found hand and body imprints in the trail's fine soils and powder. It appears that J.K. pushed and pulled herself down the trail for about 100 to 150 yards before being overcome by heat. Temperatures at the time exceeded 115 degrees and the relative humidity was around 12 percent. J.K. was not wearing hiking shoes, and had only a very small water supply with her, all of which she'd consumed. Due to the sudden and unexpected nature of the death, a thorough investigation was begun and an autopsy was requested. The chief forensic pathologist for western South Dakota was not available, so J.K.'s body was transported to the Clinic Lab of the Midwest in Sioux Falls. The chief forensic pathologist there conducted the examination and determined that heat exhaustion (hyperphermia) was the cause of death. No evidence was found to suggest that J.K. was injured in a fall or stuck by an object. J.K. had come to South Dakota for a short vacation to take in Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. Weather conditions have not improved since her death, with temperatures above 100 degrees expected for the next week. [Mark Gorman, Chief Ranger] Grand Canyon NP Search In Progress For Missing Hiker Rangers are conducting a search for 19-year-old I.S., who has been missing since Sunday, July 16th. I.S., a Ukrainian citizen and current Grand Canyon resident, was last seen near Hermit Rapid along the Colorado River around 6 p.m. Sunday evening. She and a partner were on an overnight hike when she disappeared. I.S.'s companion reported that she'd gone down to the river to go to the bathroom and failed to return. He reported her missing on Monday morning, adding that he'd searched for her through most of the night. Aerial and river searches were made yesterday. Rangers are concentrating their efforts in areas of high probability along the Colorado River from Hermit Creek down stream for a dozen miles to Bass Rapids. About 30 park staff are currently involved in the search. I.S. is Caucasian with black hair and brown eyes. She's 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. When last seen, she was wearing blue jean denim cut-off shorts, a blue, green and white flowered bikini-style top, and white tennis shoes. Anyone with information on her should contact the NPS at 928-638-7805. [Maureen Oltrogge, Public Affairs Officer] Mount Rainier NP Rangers Respond To Two Serious Accidents On the afternoon of July 9th, a visitor reported that a pickup truck with a 29-foot travel trailer had gone off Highway 410. Rangers responded and extricated the driver and his daughter from the vehicle. They determined that the pickup had swerved, then collided with a car parked at a nearby overlook. The driver of the car was sleeping inside at the time. The pickup knocked the car into the westbound lane, then careened off the road, took out five rock and concrete pylons and a timber rail, and landed in the outlet stream from Upper Tipsoo Lake. The occupants of both vehicles were treated for minor injuries and taken to an emergency room. Rangers noticed an oily sheen developing on Lower Tipsoo Lake and stopped the leakage from the truck. The truck, trailer and car were all totaled. A heavy duty tow truck was called in to hoist the vehicles from the drainage, and EPA responded to the spill on the lake. Contract cleanup crews worked through the next day to remove oil and contaminants from the lake. Terrestrial and aquatic damage assessments are underway. While the response to this incident was underway, rangers were dispatched to a car fire a couple of miles down the highway. A westbound pickup with a cargo trailer caught fire. The driver was returning from a gun show when a fire started in the engine compartment (he'd just installed a new carburetor the week before). The trailer was loaded with thousands of dollars worth of weapons and ammunition. Rangers and a Forest Service officer were able to separate the trailer from the truck and save the contents. The truck was a total loss. A local VFD knocked down the fire. [Uwe Nehring] 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: FLETC - The seasonal LE training program has issued a questionnaire to the field on the effectiveness of their training courses. WASO Risk Management Division - Dick Powell receives DOI safety award. Grand Teton NP - The park has issued an announcement for a GS-14 deputy superintendent. Training - The Friday training calendar has been posted. * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |