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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, November 15, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Yosemite NP Climber Caught In Storm Dies Following Descent On the morning of November 11th, Tuolumne ranger Jason Ramsdell encountered a man at the Cathedral trailhead who had just walked out of the backcountry during a snowstorm and was shivering uncontrollably. The man told Ramsdell that a friend was unconscious along the trail to Cathedral Peak and was probably dead from hypothermia. Ramsdell warmed the man, then launched a rescue operation. Rangers found the body of 43-year-old P.N. near the Budd Creek trail about a mile and a half above the Tioga Road just after 10 a.m. Although the investigation is still underway, it appears that P.N. succumbed to the cold after climbing Cathedral Peak. The two men had become severely hypothermic while rappelling down after climbing the southeast buttress as blowing sleet and snow moved into the area in the early morning hours. Intending to be out of the backcountry by just after dark, the men did not have warm clothing with them and had not taken along much food. Equipment, including warm hats, matches and waterproof jackets, had been left behind near the base of the climbing route. [Charles Cuvelier, Deputy Chief Ranger] Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP Bike Theft Leads To Significant Conviction On July 22nd, E.G. entered the park's Wright Dunbar Visitor Center and stole a dual-purpose bicycle used by interpretive staff. The bike was located in an area typically closed to the public. Surveillance cameras caught E.G. walking through the building and entering the basement, then riding off on the bicycle. Prior to doing so, E.G. dropped off a backpack at the visitor center desk which had information in it leading to his positive identification. This information included a citation from the Dayton Police Department and prescription medication. He apparently forgot that he left the backpack at the desk before stealing the bicycle. On November 8th, E.G. was sentenced to 180 days in jail with no time suspended for the theft. The fact that E.G. has been arrested at least 18 times this year alone for separate violations may have been a factor in the judge's ordering the maximum possible sentence. The six-foot-long replica of the Wright Brothers airplane hanging from the courtroom ceiling may also be an indicator of the court's perspective on the gravity of the crime. [Rick Perkins, Supervisory Park Ranger] Yosemite NP Visitor's Life Saved Through Rangers Prompt Action On November 10th, rangers Jason Ramsdell and Aaron Smith received a report of a 61-year-old male with chest pains approximately two miles down the Saddlebag Lake trail just outside the park. The Mono County Sheriff's Department requested assistance from the park. Ramsdell and Smith responded on foot, found that the man was experiencing severe chest pain radiating down his left arm and was pale and sweaty, and accordingly began implementing advanced life support measures. The man had a history of heart disease and told a friend on scene that he thought he was dying. Ramsdell and Smith treated him according to chest pain protocol and set up a landing zone for a life flight helicopter. Their quick action saved the man's life, as he was later diagnosed with a near 100% blockage of a coronary artery and underwent angioplasty that same evening. [Charles Cuvelier, Deputy Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on InsideNPS (internal) or NPS Digest (external): Big South Fork NR&RA - While NPS areas in Texas and the Midwest have experienced a year of record setting rainfall, parks in Southeast Region have been forced to deal with the opposite extreme, a year of record setting drought. Park staffs at Big South Fork and Obed are working to evaluate its impacts on their aquatic resources. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=5979" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=5979 Lake Mead NRA - Divers from 15 NPS units from the Virgin Islands to Olympic took part in two national dive workshops at the park between October 30th and November 8th. Those attending the training represented nearly a third of the divers in the Service's diving program. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=5982" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=5982 Fort McHenry NM&HS - A posthumous Bronze Star was awarded to a sailor mortally wounded in an ambush in Vietnam's Mekong Delta in 1969 during a ceremony that was the centerpiece of the park's Veterans Day activities. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=5981" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=5981 * * * * * 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). --- ### --- |