|
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, June 21, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Mount Rainier NP Body Of Missing Hiker Found By Searchers A three-day search for a missing hiker concluded Tuesday when aerial searchers found his body on Eagle Peak in the southwest corner of the park. J.G., 47, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was reported missing on Saturday evening when he failed to return from a day hike. J.G. is the son of R.G., now in her third summer as a volunteer interpreter at Mount Rainier. At its peak on Tuesday, the search involved 60 people, including 20 ground teams and a helicopter. Dog teams assisted with the search on Sunday and Monday. The helicopter was grounded by poor visibility until late Monday morning. Based on interviews from searchers, it appears that J.G. left the trail on his descent from Eagle Peak in a steep, heavily forested area, then lost his footing and fell about 200 feet. He came to rest at the base of a 75 degree slope, hidden by the trees, about an eighth of a mile from the trail at an elevation of 4,000 feet. The weather at the time was cool, wet, and foggy. The Eagle Peak trail is a strenuous day hike that climbs 3,000 feet over three-and-a-half miles. The area around the trail is rugged, heavily forested, and intersected by numerous cliffs and ravines. Media interest in the search has been high, both locally and in Minneapolis. [Kevin Bacher, Public Information Officer] Olympic NP Follow-up On Storm Recovery The park's popular Heart O' the Hills campground will reopen this Friday after a six-month closure. The windstorm of last December 15th felled hundreds of trees in the campground, damaging signs, picnic tables and other campground amenities. “Reopening the Heart O'the Hills Campground marks an important step in our storm damage recovery,” said superintendent Bill Laitner. “Our crews have worked hard all winter and spring to restore public access to the park - their work, and the contributions of volunteers, have enabled us to welcome visitors back for the summer season.” While vehicle access has been restored to all park areas damaged by the storms of 2006, trails and trail bridges may still be damaged. Those planning to hike in the park are advised to check with the Wilderness Information Center for up-to-date condition reports. Current trail conditions are also available at the park's website, HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/olym" www.nps.gov/olym. In other park facility news, the Deer Park Road and campground are now opened for the summer season, along with the Hurricane Hill Road. The Obstruction Point Road is open as far as Waterhole; snow and weather conditions will determine an opening date for the full road. The Queets Road remains closed at the Matheny Creek bridge due to a landslide. Restored access to the upper Queets Valley is anticipated later this year via an alternative route. The Dosewallips Road is closed outside the park boundary due to a washout on Olympic National Forest land; the U.S. Forest Service and Federal Highways Administration plan to release an environmental impact statement later this year to examine options for the future of the Dosewallips Road. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer] Lake Meredith NRA Drowning In Spring Canyon On the afternoon of Sunday, June 10th, Borger Dispatch received a 911 call reporting that a 19-year-old man had been swimming in Spring Canyon and had evidently drowned. Ranger Stephen Williams was first on scene and was soon joined by two members of the Lake Meredith interagency dive team, supervisory ranger Paul Jones and a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden. The divers soon found the man's body. Fritch EMS was on scene and attempted to revive him, but without success. [Dane Tantay, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) 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: Hawaii Volcanoes NP - Although the lava flow reported yesterday has abated, steam and gas still issue from three fissures and the earthquake swarm continues. In The Press - Story in yesterday's Federal Times: A Senate Appropriations subcommittee (yesterday) approved increased funding for Forest Service firefighter preparedness and 3,000 more National Park Service rangers as part of a $27.2 billion spending bill for the Interior Department and related agencies. 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). --- ### --- |