|
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, August 28, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Glen Canyon NRA One Dead, Six Seriously Injured In Boating Accident On the afternoon of Saturday, August 25th, a group of seven friends were returning to Bullfrog Marina from the Hansen Creek area aboard a 23-foot powerboat. The operator was apparently distracted and not paying attention, causing the boat to slam head-on into a rock wall at 30 to 40 mph. The eight responding rangers found that all of the boat's seven occupants had suffered major injuries, and that one of them - Danielle Sorensen, of Delta, Utah - was not breathing. They began CPR on her while they treated the other six victims. A flight nurse from Classic Lifeguard Helicopters later pronounced Sorenson dead. The other six victims, ranging in age from 20 to 25, were flown from the scene of the accident to regional medical centers in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. All are expected to recover. The Kane County Sheriff's Office and the National Park Service are investigating the accident. [Kevin Schneider, Management Assistant] Glen Canyon NRA Man Dies In Wakeboarding Accident C.D., 20, of Emmett, Idaho, was wakeboarding in the remote San Juan arm of Lake Powell around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, August 24th. He had just completed a flip when the front part of the wakeboard went underwater, causing him to fall forward and strike his face on the water. C.D. soon began experiencing seizures. His friends got him to a nearby houseboat, which happened to have two nurses on board. They used a marine band radio to call for help and began resuscitation efforts on C.D.. Classic Lifeguard Helicopters flew to the scene and transported C.D. to the Flagstaff Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. [Kevin Schneider, Management Assistant] Devils Tower NM Lightning Strikes Lead To Temporary Climbing Closures The southeast face of Devils Tower was struck by lightning on the evening of August 19th, blowing apart a large boulder at the base of the tower and shifting a washing-machine-sized rock almost two feet down slope. This rock is located almost 700 feet up Devils Tower and on a rock climbing route. Directly below the rock in question is Tower Trail, the most popular hiking trail in the park. Park officials closed several climbing routes along the southeast and east faces of the tower until the stability of the rock could be determined. Working with staff from the Geologic Resource Division, it was determined that the rock is no more a significant hazard than any number of other rocks in the area. All climbing routes were reopened on August 24th. Lightning and other meteorological events are constantly altering the shape of the tower and are a natural part of its formation. [Taryn Flesjer, Acting Chief of Resource Management] Vicksburg NMP Remains Found Along Railroad Redoubt Identified On the afternoon of May 13th, park staff were working along the historic Railroad Redoubt, investigating a recent ARPA case, when they came upon the skeletal remains of an adult with an obvious head injury in what appeared to be a shallow grave. A joint investigation was conducted by the park, local law enforcement agencies and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. The remains have been confirmed as those of J.M. of Vicksburg. According to J.M.'s family, he had a tendency to wander off. Twelve years ago, he disappeared and never returned. J.M. was 90 at the time he vanished. Click on “More Information” below to see the original incident report. [Patricia Montague, Supervisory Park Ranger] HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=3224" http://classicinside.nps.gov/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=3224 Yosemite NP Mutual Aid Response To Serious Accident Park fire and EMS personnel responded to a mutual aid request from Mariposa County for an assist at a head-on collision on Highway 140 near El Portal just before 3 p.m. on August 24th. The high-speed collision caused major structural damage to both vehicles. Four people were injured. Two air ambulances landed on the roadway near the accident scene and transported the two most critically injured victims. One, a teenager, was flown to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto and taken directly to surgery. [Keith Lober, Emergency Services Coordinator] 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 are, respectively, HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ and ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). * Water Resources Division - Last December, Director Bomar announced an NPS ocean park stewardship action plan, aimed at “restoring and maintaining the rich legacy of ocean parks.” Two regions have completed regional action plans, and two others will be meeting shortly to begin work on theirs. * Historic American Building Survey - Catherine C. Lavoie has been named the chief of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Federal government's oldest preservation program. * US Park Police - Michael Watts, 51, passed away on August 16th at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center. * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828). --- ### --- |