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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, November 8, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Mount Rainier NP Storm Rains Hammer Park, Forcing Closures Rain continues to pound Mount Rainier National Park, causing flooding along the Nisqually River that has washed away the Sunshine Point Campground and a quarter-mile stretch of the Nisqually Road. "The news is not good. There has been significant damage in several areas," said park spokeswoman Lee Taylor. "The Sunshine Point Campground no longer exists. The Nisqually Road, at Sunshine Point, the road is washed out for about 1/4 of a mile, the full width of the road. There is no way to get from the Nisqually entrance to Longmire. That could remain true for weeks or months to come." The 18-site campground is less than a mile from the southwest entrance to the park. It sits on the bank of the Nisqually River. The road from the Nisqually entrance is the most heavily traveled in the park, leading up to the Paradise area. A long closure would prevent park visitors from using that area for snow activities, such as sledding, snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding. Closure also will likely impact work being done on the Paradise Inn and the new visitor center at Paradise. There also is damage in the Longmire area. The river bank has been eaten away to the corner of a building on the west side of the bank. On the other side, the road from the suspension bridge to Community Building has been washed away. The river is about 17 steps from the building itself. In the southeast corner of the park, the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center has about an inch of water in the back offices. Water is three to four feet deep over the roads in the area. The Carbon River Road in the northwest corner of the park has washed out in three areas. Park employees who work in Longmire remain on administrative leave. [Jeffrey Mayor, The Tacoma News Tribune] HYPERLINK "ftp://63.220.43.40/MORA/Nov.%2006%20Flooding/" ftp://63.220.43.40/MORA/Nov.%2006%20Flooding/ Glacier NP Storm Causes Road Closures And Flooding Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road) has been closed at Lake McDonald Lodge due to high water and flooding from recent rains and melting snow. As of 10 a.m. yesterday, the horse bridge over upper McDonald Creek was underwater and over two feet of water was reported on the Sun Road one mile above Avalanche Creek. Due to these conditions and a forecast for additional rain and snow at higher elevations, it was uncertain when that segment of Sun Road would be reopened. On the east side of the park, Sun Road is currently open to Rising Sun. Additional road closures may occur at any time as conditions warrant. Current road conditions are available on the park's web site (click on “More Information” below) or by calling 1-800-226-7623. [Matt Graves, Public Affairs Officer] HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm" http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm Rocky Mountain NP Successful Search For Missing Hiker On Sunday, November 5th, the park received a call reporting that B.J., 25, of Carrollton, Texas, was missing and had last been seen late that afternoon by his aunt and uncle near an overlook west of Nymph Lake. B.J. was believed to be on the trail that runs up toward Dream Lake and Emerald Lake, so a ranger headed up the two-mile-long trail to look for him. There was no sign of B.J. at Emerald Lake or along the trail, though. Thirteen rangers were then committed to a search of the area, which was covered by nearly two feet of snow. Light snow began to fall, the wind came up, and overnight temperatures dropped into the 30s. The search continued through the night under a full moon. Rangers looked for tracks and shouted and used sirens in an effort to contact B.J., but winds kept sound from traveling far. B.J. was found around 4:30 a.m. just below Lake Haiyaha at about 10,220 feet and approximately two miles from the trailhead. Instead of traveling west toward Emerald Lake from Dream Lake, as was initially discussed, he'd headed south to Lake Haiyaha. He was in good condition and good spirits and was extremely thankful to see park rangers. B.J. was very wet from “post-holing” through deep snow. He was wearing blue jeans under other cotton pants, a waterproof jacket with a hood, and nylon boots - but did not have a hat, gloves or snowshoes. He walked out with the rangers and reached the trailhead about an hour later. Estes Park Medical Center paramedics cleared and released him at the trailhead. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer] Hot Springs NP Taser Used In Confrontation Culminating In Arrest Ranger David Dunaj came upon a Dodge pickup parked on NPS property near Blacksnake Road on the evening of November 3rd. Dunaj investigated, since the area is frequented by people attempting to retrieve artifacts from within the park. About 100 yards into the woods, Dunaj contacted a man who had apparently been digging for artifacts and had collected several bottles. The man raised a wooden shingle with a nail jutting out of it and advanced toward Dunaj, refusing to comply with commands to drop the weapon and lie on the ground. Dunaj used his taser to incapacitate the man and took him into custody without further incident. He was subsequently charged with disturbing natural features, resisting arrest, possession of prescription narcotics without a prescription, and possession of drug paraphernalia. [Dennis Stock, Chief Ranger] Bryce Canyon NP Assailant Disabled With Taser Rangers were notified of a disturbance at the park lodge just after 2 a.m. on Thursday, November 2nd. Ranger Scott Engelhardt arrived to find a visibly intoxicated man threatening others in the area. When Engelhardt attempted to intervene, the six-foot, three-inch man swing at him, forcing the ranger to use an arm bar to control him. When he continued to resist. Engelhardt used a touch stun to put him on the ground and make an arrest. The case has been closed with guilty pleas entered by the defendant and a review by Ranger Activities in Intermountain Region. Engelhardt was in a similar situation last year prior to taser training and ended up on the ground with the man he was attempting to arrest. After this instance, he noted that a taser “can be a great tool to increase officer safety.” [Brent McGinn] OTHER NEWS Other news from today's edition of InsideNPS, the National Park Service's home page: An update on development of the new Incident Management Analysis and Reporting System (IMARS), which is being created to provide a Department-wide information collection, analysis and reporting system for incident information. Betty J. Boyko, assistant superintendent at Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, has been selected as the new superintendent at Fort Scott National Historic Site. To link to InsideNPS, click on HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |