|
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, January 22, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Yosemite NP Visitors Rescued From Vehicle In River On January, 11th, a winter storm passed over the park, producing little snow but creating very icy road conditions. Although crews treated park roads and rangers put four-wheel-drive or snow chain restrictions into effect, a Nissan Pathfinder slid off Highway 140 near Pohono Bridge shortly after passing a chain control area. According to the initial report, everyone was out of the vehicle and there were no injuries. Park telecommunication supervisor David Thorpe was in the area, though, and provided additional information. Thorpe, who is also a Mariposa County swiftwater rescuer, told rangers that the Pathfinder began rocking when the occupants were attempting to get out, suggesting that it was unstable; the evacuation was accordingly stopped until the vehicle could be stabilized. Still inside in the front passenger seat was a 62-year-old man with an artificial hip and restricted mobility. That part of the vehicle, including the tire and bumper, were touching a deep pool of swiftly moving water. Rangers, Yosemite SAR personnel and members of two fire battalions responded. The Pathfinder was secured and the man was carefully extricated and raised up a slick, rough scree slope in a litter. Meanwhile, traffic management personnel, road crews and tow trucks from the Valley worked at sanding the road, managing the closure, and moving other vehicles involved in collisions back onto the roadway. The icy conditions were caused by frozen rain falling on the roadway. Although there wasn't much of an accumulation, the compressed particles created a very slick surface. [Jason Gayeski, Valley Patrol] Saguaro NP Cactus Poaching On January 12th, the park received a report that several saguaros had been removed from an area adjacent to the park's boundary. Initial investigation at the scene revealed that numerous saguaros had been dug up and that several had been cached near a road for later removal. At least two saguaros had been poached from park lands. Rangers conducted surveillance of the area that night and contacted two people who were transporting four saguaros in the back of their pick-up truck. A criminal investigation is currently underway for a variety of offenses, including Lacey Act violations. The saguaros involved are between five and seven feet tall and estimated to be 40 to 60 years old. An active commercial market exists for saguaros, both in Arizona and southern California. The FBI, Arizona Department of Agriculture and Pima County Sheriff's Department are providing investigative assistance. This incident, along with another recent cactus theft case in the Tucson area, has generated significant local media interest. [Bob Love, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS Other news from today's edition of InsideNPS, the National Park Service's home page: Yellowstone - This year's winter count of 6,738 elk was similar to the count of 6,588 elk in March 2006, but significantly lower than the 9,545 elk counted in January 2005. Jean Lafitte - Nearly 3,500 visitors, including over 2,000 local students on field trips, attended the 192nd anniversary commemoration of the Battle of New Orleans at Chalmette Battlefield on Friday and Saturday, January 12th and 13th. Death Valley - Six environmental groups filed legal papers Thursday to join Death Valley National Park in fighting a federal court lawsuit that, if successful, could open miles of desert canyons and valleys to motorized vehicles. Mesa Verde - The park has an opening for a GS-0401-11/12 fire management officer. This is a required occupancy position and closes on Friday, February 9th. Mount Rainier - The park is seeking qualified candidates for a lateral reassignment to a position as GS-408-12 plant ecologist. The position is permanent subject-to-furlough, with a minimum of nine months and a maximum eleven and a half months of work annually. 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. --- ### --- |