NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, August 30, 2007

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INCIDENTS

Denali NP

Hiker Stuck On Ledge Rescued With Military Assistance

On Wednesday, August 22nd, Z.M., 20, of Berkeley, California, was rescued from a small rock ledge on a steep slope on the north side of the Alaska Range with assistance of military personnel from Anchorage. The crew of an Air Force HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter was able to hoist Z.M. into the helicopter around 8 a.m. and fly him to the park airstrip, where he was evaluated by park medics and found to be in relatively good condition. Z.M. had become stranded the previous morning when he and his hiking partner, Chris Scruggs, attempted to cross a steep and extremely rugged ridge dividing the headwaters of the East Fork and Teklinika Rivers on the third day of a planned five-day backpacking trip. Z.M. fell a short distance, and, though uninjured, was unable to move from his position approximately a thousand feet above the glacier in the valley below. It took Scruggs eight hours to hike the 15 miles to the park road, where he flagged down a park shuttle bus. The initial report was received in the park around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. Personnel in the park's fire program helicopter and fixed-wing Husky aircraft were able to locate Z.M. relatively quickly. The helicopter landed on a small saddle above Z.M.'s location and ranger Michael O'Connor was able to make his way down to within 150 feet of Z.M., determining that he was suffering from only mild hypothermia. Due to deteriorating weather and impending darkness, both aircraft had to depart the area, but O'Connor stayed at the scene overnight to monitor Z.M.. Because of concerns about forecasted precipitation and below-freezing temperatures, the park contacted the Rescue Coordination Center and requested military assistance. Personnel from the 210th, 211th and 212th Air Force Rescue Squadrons responded in an HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter and an HC-130 rescue tanker, both with night vision capability, arriving at the park between 11 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday. In spite of multiple attempts, they were unable to overcome weather conditions. After being on station for over three hours, they were forced to return to their base. The second combined rescue attempt was launched at daybreak on Wednesday. [Kris Fister, Public Affairs Officer]

Cape Hatteras NS

Visitor Drowns While Body Boarding Near Rodanthe

K.H., 53, of Lake Villa, Illinois, and his twin brother, Ke.H., were body-boarding in the surf in front of their rental cottage in Rodanthe on the afternoon of August 23rd when Ke.H. became tired and decided the take a break. K.H. said that he was having fun and was going to stay out a little longer. When Ke.H. left, K.H., an experienced surfer, was assisting a less experienced surfer get up on his board. Ke.H. watched from the beach for a little while, then went into their beach house. A short while later, Ke.H. walked out on to the deck to check on K.H. and saw that he was about 40 to 50 feet from shore at the outer edge of the surf break zone and not swimming, just floating with his head up. He then thought that he heard K.H. yell for help. Ke.H. ran back out with his body board and attempted to paddle out to K.H., who he was now sure was calling for help. Before he could reach K.H., though, he lost sight of him. Ke.H. then returned to the house and called for assistance. Units from Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, Dare County EMS and the park all responded. H. was found offshore, about 20 minutes after last being seen and 100 yards from the place last seen. He was pulled from the water, but found to have no detectable vital signs. Although advanced life support measures were begun by Dare County paramedics, he could not be revived. There were no indications of any rip currents in the area at the time. [Jon Anglin, Bodie Island District Ranger]

New River Gorge NR

Two Arrested For Conspiracy To Distribute Drugs

On August 16th, rangers received a visitor complaint describing two individuals “reeking of marijuana” at the main overlook area at Grandview. Ranger Jamie Potratz and law enforcement specialist Chuck Noll investigated. Two people matching the physical description given by the complainant were soon contacted. Potratz and Noll found 19 grams of cocaine, two grams of crack cocaine, 11 grams of marijuana and an assortment of prescription narcotics in their vehicle, as well as a digital scale, packaging materials, and drug paraphernalia. They were arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Both are on supervised release pending trial. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]

Olympic NP

Car Stop Leads To Significant Drug Arrest

Rangers, assisted by Forest Service law enforcement officers, conducted a traffic enforcement operation on US Highway 101 around Lake Crescent on Friday, August 24th. Rangers contacted a driver for a speeding violation and a Forest Service officer with a dog assisted. The dog detected drugs inside the vehicle, at which point the driver immediately fled up a steep slope. He was soon caught and taken into custody. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of more than a half pound of marijuana, a half pound of methamphetamine, a quarter pound of cocaine, a cutting agent, and $15,800 in cash. The 2007 Lincoln Navigator was also seized. The driver has a long history of violent criminal activity and has been a subject of interest in an ongoing Olympic Peninsula multi-agency drug investigation. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]

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/).

* Coronado - The park has finally reopened the trail to the Coronado Cave, one of the last public trails to be reopened following the flood of July 2006.

* Great Smokies - Engineering equipment operator Chris Bradley was recently honored with the Department of the Interior's Exemplary Act Award for his role in the rescue of two visitors.

* Jobs - Deputy chief of interpretation at Dinosaur, protection ranger at Point Reyes, and a protection ranger at Lake Meredith.

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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 ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828).

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