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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Tuesday, July 25, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Grand Canyon NP Search Continues For Missing Hiker The search for I.S., 19, a Grand Canyon resident and Ukrainian citizen, continues. I.S. was last seen around 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 16th, near Hermit Creek. She and companion hiked down to the river that day and had planned on spending the night in the canyon before hiking back out on Monday. Her companion reported her missing after she failed to return from a hike downriver. Search efforts have focused on the Hermit, Boucher and Tonto trails and adjacent backcountry areas and along the 25 miles of the Colorado River from Hermit Creek to Blacktail Canyon. A shoe matching one that was thought to be worn by I.S. was recovered last Friday by rangers nine miles downstream from the point where she was last seen. A second matching shoe was found later the same day about a mile further downriver. Rangers continue to search the river and shoreline downstream from Hermit Creek, but so far have found nothing further. Approximately 30 people from the National Park Service are involved in the search. Missing person flyers have been distributed throughout the South Rim developed area and in backcountry locations and park rangers have been advising backpackers and boaters on commercial and private river trips to watch for any signs of I.S. [Maureen Oltrogge, Public Affairs Officer] Fort Davis NHS Two Plead Guilty In Weapons Theft On July 19th, K.A., 35, of Robbins, North Carolina, formerly of Terlingua, Texas, and J.P., 45, of Carthage, North Carolina, pled guilty to an indictment charging them with stealing United States property, transporting ammunition by prohibited persons, and transportation of stolen goods (for details on the original incident, click on “More Information” below). The guilty pleas stem from a rash of burglaries from the park, the Hallie Stillwell Museum and the Lajitas International Airport between April 11th and April 17th. Sentencing is expected to occur on the week of October 17th. The men face potential sentences of ten years in jail, three years' supervised release, and a maximum $250,000 fine per count. [U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas) HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=2656" http://classicinside.nps.gov/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=2656 Blue Ridge Parkway Ten Injured In Church Bus Accident A church bus from Hickory, North Carolina, went off the parkway near milepost 297 on the afternoon of July 22nd and rolled about 35 feet down an embankment, ending up on its side. The ten people in the van sustained various injuries. Rangers, deputies and fire and rescue units from throughout the immediate area responded. One of the occupants was in critical condition and two more were seriously injured; the remainder sustained only minor injuries. Some were taken to Watauga Medical Center, others to Blowing Rock Hospital. The driver of the van had reportedly reached down to get a cookie and momentarily taken his eyes off the road. Ranger Hope Powers is the investigator for the park. [David Bauer, Supervisory Park Ranger, Highlands District] Great Smoky Mountains NP Two Serious Accidents On Same Morning Two separate motor vehicle accidents on the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Spur on July 21st required medevac flights to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and caused extended traffic delays. Just after 7 a.m., P.O., 54, of Sevierville was traveling south on the Spur when she lost control of her Ford Taurus. The car struck a rock embankment on the right side of the road, then flipped onto its top and land in a ditch. When rangers arrived at the scene, Gatlinburg EMS had already extricated P.O. from the car. Five hours later, Sevierville resident J.C., 59, was traveling north on the Spur in the right lane. His 1994 Toyota Corolla hit a retaining wall on the right side of the road just before the tunnel. A Brinks armored truck, driven by B.L., 54, of Knoxville, also was involved in the accident. B.L. was charged with an improper lane change. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation. Both P.O. and J.C. were transported by a Gatlinburg ambulance to Pigeon Forge, where a Lifestar helicopter was waiting to fly them to the hospital. Their exact injuries were unknown at the time of the report. [Nancy Gray, Public Affairs Officer] Gulf Islands NS Suicide In Fort Pickens Area Park visitors found a man's body lying at the surf's edge in the Fort Pickens area on the afternoon of July 20th and called 911. Escambia County deputies and rangers responded. The 30-year-old victim appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A large caliber semi-automatic handgun was found next to his body. The Florida Division of Law Enforcement is assisting in the investigation. [John Bandurski, Acting Chief 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: Yosemite - News article on new report just released on what it would take to remove the dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley. WASO Concessions - July concessions newsletter posted. DOI - Article on Kim Thorsen becoming head of Office of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Management. Sequoia-Kings Canyon - Job announcement for chief of interpretation. * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |