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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, October 1, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Lake Mead NRA Tour Helicopter Hits Eagle, Makes Forced Landing A tour helicopter en route to the Grand Canyon made an emergency landing at the Pearce Ferry airstrip on the afternoon of September 27th after being struck by a golden eagle with an eight-foot wing span. The eagle hit and went through the windshield on the passenger side, striking the middle rear passenger, a 64-year-old woman. She sustained some trauma to her face and head and was flown via Mercy Air Ambulance to the UMC trauma center. The pilot and two other passengers were also reportedly injured, but refused medical treatment. The Grapevine Mesa Fire Department coordinated emergency care. Rangers from the Mohave District are investigating. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger] Yellowstone NP Woman Dies In Fall To Canyon Floor A California woman died in a fall off a cliff along the Yellowstone River in the Calcite Springs area on Friday evening. Rangers responding to the scene spotted the woman lying immobile on the canyon floor near the Yellowstone River. A ranger who rappelled down the steep 500-foot embankment to reach her confirmed that she was dead. Rangers remained at the scene overnight and a helicopter flew the body out the next morning. The 32-year-old woman was from the Los Angeles, California, area. Her name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The park has asked that anyone who has information on the incident call dispatch at 307-344-7381, extension zero. [Public Affairs] Amistad NRA Body Of Probable Illegal Immigrant Found In Creek Fishermen found a man's body floating in the water of Cow Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande River, on September 28th. He was clothed in two pairs of jeans, two shirts and tennis shoes. Two small bags were found nearby containing underwear, socks, empty Gatorade bottles, and toiletries with Mexican labels. These and other indicators point to the strong possibility that the man was attempting to illegally enter the United States from Mexico. Rangers Erich Robb and Regina Klein Dissler assisted the Val Verde County Sheriffs Office and justice of the peace in recovering the body. The investigation continues in an effort to identify the man, who was not identifiable and carried no identification. The sheriff's office is the lead agency in the investigation. [Regina Klein Dissler, Supervisory 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 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/). * Olympic NP - In one of the longest snorkel surveys ever completed in North America, fisheries biologists recently swam the 42-mile length of the Elwha River - from its headwaters to its mouth - with the goal of establishing a baseline of the river's fish population before dam removal begins. * Andersonville NHS - The park recently sponsored a series of events to commemorate National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day. The theme of the program this year was “Race and the American POW.” * Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service. * US Park Police - On September 22nd and 23rd, officers from the United States Park Police Horse Mounted Unit competed at the North American Police Equestrian Championships held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg, Maryland. * * * * * 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). --- ### --- |