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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, April 3, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Grand Canyon NP Employee Struck And Injured By RV On the afternoon of Thursday, March 29th, North Rim fire crew supervisor Aaron Fritzer was driving east on Desert View Drive when he came upon two vehicles that appeared to be disabled on the roadside. Fritzer stopped his NPS fire vehicle to render aid. He contacted the visitors and was in the process of walking back to his truck to call for a tow truck when both he and his vehicle were struck by an eastbound motor home. Fritzer was pinned under the RV, but was able to extricate himself and call for assistance. His truck was totaled. Fritzer was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, treated, and later released. He is currently recovering from an injury to his back. The accident occurred during a late afternoon snowstorm that had caused slick road conditions throughout the region. Desert View Drive was closed following the accident and remained closed until about 10 p.m. [Maureen Oltrogge, Public Affairs Officer] Channel Islands NP Kayakers Rescued From Santa Cruz Island Park and Coast Guard personnel rescued five kayakers stranded on a beach at Valley Anchorage on the south side of Santa Cruz Island on the morning of Friday, March 30th. The five kayakers were first reported overdue and missing after 8:30 p.m. on Thursday by other members of their camping party. Park staff on the island conducted a hasty search of the shoreline on the east end of the island prior to calling the Coast Guard at about 9:25 p.m. The Coast Guard dispatched 41-foot and 25-foot vessels from their station at Channel Island and a rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles. Each arrived within the hour and searched the land, shoreline, and waters surrounding Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands throughout the night with no results. Search efforts continued Friday morning with an NPS patrol vessel, a 41-foot Coast Guard vessel and a helicopter. The Coast Guard helicopter located the kayakers at approximately 7:10 a.m. on a narrow beach at Valley Anchorage on the south side of the island. Channel Islands rangers worked with a Coast Guard rescue swimmer to rescue the kayakers from the beach. The five kayakers had signs of mild hypothermia but suffered no injuries and required no medical treatment. They were transported by vessel to Scorpion Anchorage, where they rejoined the rest of the party. The five kayakers were part of a group of nine students from the University of California at Berkeley who were camping over the spring break at Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island. They were novice kayakers and were ill equipped and unprepared for their kayak outing. They were apparently trying to circumnavigate the island without realizing that Santa Cruz Island has over 77 miles of coastline. After dark on Thursday, they landed at Valley Anchorage, a beach located about 11 miles from their departure point, and set up a shelter with their kayaks for the night. They were aware that a search was being conducted because they saw searchlights from the Coast Guard vessel and helicopter but they were not provisioned to signal their rescuers. The weather on the island was mild at the time of this incident with calm winds and seas and air and water temperatures in the low 50s. [Yvonne Menard, Public Affairs Specialist] Glen Canyon NRA Canadian Woman Dies In Kayaking Accident A Canadian woman died on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 27th, when her kayak overturned in Padre Bay on Lake Powell. M.M., 41, of Edmonton, Alberta, was kayaking with a friend about 100 yards off shore when heavy winds and four-foot swells caused her boat to capsize. M.M.'s friend's boat also capsized, but he was able to swim safely to shore. He could not rescue M.M. because of the dangerous water conditions and lost track of her in the weather and confusion. M.M.'s 15-year-old son was nearby in camp when the incident occurred. The two men spent Tuesday night along the shore of the lake near Dominguez Butte, then flagged down a passing concession-operated boat the following morning. The captain of the boat contacted rangers, who immediately responded and began a boat search for M.M. The park's aircraft also began an aerial search. M.M.'s body was spotted from the aircraft around 12:30 p.m. The cause of death is under investigation. M.M. was wearing a lifejacket, but winds were blowing strong on Tuesday as storms passed over the area. Gusts at Wahweap Marina exceeded 45 mph at times. [Lindy Mihata, Law Enforcement Specialist] Grand Canyon NP Man Dies In Boating Accident On Colorado River A 62-year-old Salt Lake City man died on the afternoon of March 31st while rafting on the Colorado River within the park. M.A. and another man were running Crystal Rapid when their cataraft flipped, ejecting both men from the boat. M.A.'s companion was able to swim to shore; M.A. was picked up by another boat in the party. Once on board, M.A. became unconscious and unresponsive. The people on the boat began CPR and contacted the National Park Service by satellite phone. Rangers responded and continued CPR efforts, but they proved fruitless. M.A.'s body was flown by helicopter to the South Rim, then transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office in Flagstaff. M.A.'s wife, who was also on the trip, was flown to the South Rim. A total of four boats and 12 people were on the 25-day-long private trip, which launched from Lees Ferry on March 20th. The remaining trip participants continued down river. An investigation is underway. [Maureen Oltrogge, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS The following stories can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: Ellis Island NM - News story: The Ferry Building, shuttered for decades, has been reopened. It is the first step in a broad plan to reopen all of the buildings on Ellis Island. Concessions Program - The National Park Service is now accepting nominations for the 2007 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards. Harpers Ferry NHP - Ranger David Tucker has retired following 27 years with the National Park Service. Jobs - Two listings today - one for a GS-9/11 archeologist at Katmai, the other for three WG-5 maintenance workers at Congaree. To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |