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Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Park Rocked By Hurricane Force Winds
Gusts of up to 100 mph buffeted Rocky Mountain National Park on
Sunday, blowing some sports utility vehicles off the roads and leading
to the closure of the eastern side of the park. Winds were steady
between 30 and 50 mph, said park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson, causing
blowing and drifting snow, reducing visibility to zero and creating
slick road conditions. The park shut down Saturday afternoon because of
white-out conditions, Patterson said, and the park urged visitors not to
visit on Monday, as gusts of up to 90 mph were expected, decreasing to
60 mph by afternoon. "With that forecast of 90 mph winds, it becomes a
pretty futile effort for snowplows," she said. "Roads get drifted as
soon as they plow. It's a good time to stay inside right now." Wind and
ice caused a few large SUVs to go off the side of the road, but no one
was injured. Patterson said Sunday afternoon that the park was not aware
of anyone camping in the backcountry. There were no reports of people
stranded in the park, she said. Park rangers were keeping their eyes on
some cars in parking lots, but Patterson said they could belong to
people sledding or snowshoeing. Rangers were planning to check them
again on Monday to determine if anyone might be stranded. The National
Weather Service is predicting that another storm will move through the
area later in the week, possibly bringing more snow and frigid
temperatures. The snow could start falling Thursday and last through
Saturday, with "significant accumulation" possible late Thursday into
Friday. The storm also could bring freezing temperatures with
highs not expected to climb out of the single digits by Friday and
Saturday.
[Submitted by Sara Reed, The Coloradoan]
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Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Man Rescued Following Leap From Rim
Rangers conducting a DUI enforcement operation in South Rim Village in the early morning hours of January 1st attempted to stop a Toyota sport utility vehicle for traffic violations, but the driver refused to pull over and accelerated away when the patrol vehicle's siren was activated. The license plate on the Toyota came back to a 2003 Saab. The rangers pursued him for about eight miles on Highway 64 (Desert View Drive) until the driver came to a sudden stop at the Thor's Hammer overlook, jumped out, ran toward the rim of the canyon, and disappeared from view. The rangers followed his tracks to the rim and discovered that he had gone over the edge. A technical rescue was begun. The 23-year-old man, who had sustained only a minor injury, was found about three hours later approximately 600 feet below the rim in thick vegetation covered by ice and snow. Rangers reached him via two separate technical lowerings, then short-hauled him from below the rim to Highway 64. He was taken by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Center, where he was treated for an ankle sprain and released. He was then taken to the Coconino County detention facility, where he remains detained following an initial appearance on multiple charges. Nineteen park employees and a pilot were committed to the rescue, which took more than 10 hours to complete. Rangers determined that the man had stolen the vehicle from a dealership where he'd been employed in Florida but that the theft had not yet been reported. He'd come to the Grand Canyon to commit suicide. [Submitted by Michael Nash, Incident Commander]
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Badlands National Park (SD)
Body Of Missing Man Found After Intensive Search
On Monday, December 18th, rangers came upon a vehicle with an Illinois registration parked at a popular backcountry access point called Sage Creek Basin overlook. Although nothing appeared amiss, they became concerned because they couldn't see any evidence of camping or backpacking gear inside it and because there were no recent entries in the backcountry permit station register. To complicate matters, the National Weather Service was forecasting a severe winter storm with heavy snow accumulation for the area within several days. An investigative inquiry was begun to assure that the vehicle's occupants were well-prepared for winter camping in wilderness areas. Family members were finally located and interviewed. They were extremely concerned when they heard the news and advised that the missing person, a 54-year-old man from LaGrange, had little camping or backpacking experience and would not be prepared for camping in winter conditions. They also reported that he was depressed because he'd learned that his father had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. They searched the man's home and found an empty box with a foam inset which contained the shape of a shotgun. An intensive search was begun the following morning that included 28 ground searchers from Badlands, Minuteman Missile NHS and Pennington County SAR, a South Dakota Highway Patrol helicopter, and two Rapid City PD dog teams. Several potential leads were found but proved inconclusive. Search efforts were halted at nightfall for safety reasons, then resumed the next morning with additional personnel from Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave. Despite below freezing temperatures and wind gust up to 20 mph, about 40 searchers began working their way into the interior of the Sage Creek Wilderness Area. Within hours, they found the body of a man matching the description of the missing person. It was located about a mile-and-a-half southwest of the access point and was well-hidden in a deep ravine with an overhang. The county coroner reported that the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No camping or backpacking gear were found with him. Investigators learned that he'd told family members that he would drive until he ran out of gas, then walk off and "take care of things." He also told them that nobody would find his body. Although the man had a wallet with him, all identification had been removed from it and from the vehicle. It's believed that he may have buried them somewhere in the park to prevent his identification should he be discovered. [Submitted by Mark Gorman, Chief Ranger]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
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Editor's Desk
Digital Photos Solicited
The Public Affairs Office in Washington and the editor of InsideNPS are both seeking digital photos of annual park events and activities for their files. These pictures will be used to illustrate regular annual events in InsideNPS and in both press releases and web postings by WASO Public Affairs.
We are looking for photos in the following categories:
- Images of Christmas holiday events and/or decorations in parks
- Images of Fourth of July celebrations
- Images from sites celebrating African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities for use during months recognizing them
- Images of Memorial Day and/or Veteran's Day events in military or military-related parks
- Images of children and/or families in parks viewing sites or participating in programs
- Seasonal images (fall colors, winter scenes, etc.) with people in them
- Images of rangers interacting with visitors or engaged in other aspects of their work
- Images from any other regular events that we've not thought of...
If you have digital pix in these categories, please send them — along with captions and credits — to Bill Halainen, editor of InsideNPS (Bill Halainen), and to Rick Lewis in WASO Public Affairs (Rick_Lewis@nps.gov). Photos should have a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch in case they are used in print.
Thanks in advance for your assistance. Email any questions to either Bill or Rick.
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Eastern National
Stories Solicited For New Edition Of Oh, Ranger!
Eastern National, in partnership with American Park Network, is soliciting your story ideas for an updated version of Oh, Ranger!, the classic book about the national parks by Horace Albright and Frank Taylor first published in 1928. The book, due to be published early this summer, will feature stories by park employees and alumni in the following categories:
- Animal encounters
- Search and rescue
- Culture and history
- Scientific discovery
- Exploration and adventure
- Firefighting
- Forces of nature
- Life changing experiences
The proceeds from this book will support NPS interpretive programs and the Employees and Alumni Association of the NPS.
If you're interested, please see the criteria below:
- Stories are being accepted in any of the above areas.
- We will contact you if your story fits our needs.
- Authors whose stories are selected for publication will be asked to submit the complete manuscript of about 1,500 words within two weeks of notification.
- Each story must be told in the first person by a ranger or other NPS employee/alumni.
- The stories should serve an educational purpose; however they must be entertaining and engaging.
- Stories should be positive with happy endings if possible. No sensationalism. Stories about NPS employees who engage in inappropriate behavior will not be used, regardless of the outcome, as these stories are meant to serve as an example for the reader/park visitor.
- The ideal author will also be someone who can tell the story verbally, as we will be picking select locations to sponsor readings in order to stimulate greater interest in the book and awareness of the subject matter.
- Authors agree to provide their picture for use in the publication.
Story ideas should be submitted to the following three people. Please be sure that your park is included. Submissions by email are preferred. Include your contact information, story idea, and appropriate chapter.
- Chesley Moroz, President/CEO, Eastern National, 470 Maryland Drive #1, Fort Washington, PA 19034 (215-283-6900 x 126, Chesleym@easternnational.org)
- Jason Scarpello, Publications Manager, Eastern National, 470 Maryland Drive #1, Fort Washington, PA 19034 (215-283-6900 x 159, Jasons@easternnational.org)
- Mark Saferstein, Publisher, American Park Network, 1775 Broadway, Suite 622, New York, NY 10019 (212-581-3380, Mark@americanparknetwork.com)
Respond today and share your favorite story with us!
To see a copy of the original Oh, Ranger!, click on "More Information" below.
[Submitted by Chesley Moroz]
More Information...
PARKS AND PEOPLE
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Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
GS-0401-12/13 Fire Management Officer
The park has an opening for a GS-12/13 fire management officer. The announcement, YL127988, opened on January 8th and closes on January 29th. For a copy of the announcement, click on "More Information" below.
[Submitted by Carrie Lang]
More Information...
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Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park (GA)
Shawn Benge Appointed Superintendent
Southeast Region has announced that Shawn T. Benge has been selected as the new superintendent of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, effective February 4th.
Benge is moving from his position as chief of professional services, planning and facility management at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where he served for 13 years.
"We are very excited to have Shawn coming on board as the superintendent at Chickamauga & Chattanooga," said Patricia A. Hooks, regional director for Southeast Region. "His 20-year career with the National Park Service has given him outstanding leadership skills and an impressive record of management experience. He will be a great asset to this wonderful park and will help ensure the protection of its historic battlefield resources. He will also play a vital role in the planning and development of the newly-designated Moccasin Bend district."
A native of Seymour, Texas, Benge graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture and began his career with the NPS at Big Bend National Park in Texas as a landscape architect. In 1991 he became a project supervisor at Denver Service Center.
Benge later became a park planner/landscape architect for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and, in 2000, was promoted to deputy chief of facility management. In 2002, he was promoted to facility manager for the park.
While at Great Smokies, Benge managed a workforce of more than a hundred people who maintain the park's roads, trails, historic properties, and visitor facilities. He also managed planning and decision-making processes that addressed and resolved a variety of complex issues affecting the future of park resources and visitor use.
"It's both a great honor and tremendous responsibility to be the superintendent of a park with such outstanding scenery, history and diverse natural, cultural, and archaeological resources." Benge said. "I'm looking forward to working with the Park's dedicated staff, our many supporters, park neighbors and partner organizations to further public appreciation and long-term preservation of this special place."
[Submitted by William F. Reynolds, Assistant Regional Director for Communications, SERO]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.