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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, November 29, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS San Francisco Bay Area Parks Oil Spill Cleanup Continues On Park Beaches On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 20th, management of the Cosco Busan oil spill incident reverted back to the three involved parks - Golden Gate, Point Reyes and San Francisco Maritime. Six beach and/or water access areas in Golden Gate still remain closed due to the need for additional cleanup. Municipal Pier in San Francisco Maritime is the most recently reopened site (November 26th). Over the holiday weekend, Golden Gate hosted three volunteer cleanup days, co-sponsored by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management at Ocean Beach (Thanksgiving Day) and by the Marin County Fire Department at Stinson Beach (Saturday and Sunday, November 24th and 25th). Additional oil is expected on area beaches over the next few weeks so some closures may have to be reinstated. Fishing in all park areas affected by the spill is prohibited until December 1st, by order of the governor of California. [Rich Weideman, Public Affairs Officer] Rocky Mountain NP Hiker Killed By Falling Tree Two 68-year-old men hiking on the Sandbeach Lake trail in Wild Basin on Tuesday afternoon were hit by a falling tree during a period of high winds. One was stunned by the hit, the other was killed. Winds that afternoon were in the 20 to 30 mph range, with gusts as high as 50 mph. A dead Douglas fir tree about 30 feet off the trail broke off 15 feet above the ground and fell on the two men. The hiker who was stunned found that his companion was unresponsive, so hiked two miles to the trailhead and reported the accident with assistance from the staff at Wild Basin Lodge. Park dispatch was notified around 3:30 p.m. and rangers hiked from Estes Park to the location of the accident. Upon arrival, the rangers, who were joined by a nurse/paramedic who is a member of the Allenspark Fire Department, determined that the second hiker had suffered fatal injuries. Eleven rangers and members of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group hiked in to recover the body and carry it to a waiting coroner's vehicle. The first hiker was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Hospital for observation. Jim Sanborn was incident commander; Patty Shafer is the investigating ranger. [Larry Frederick, Chief of Interpretation and Education] Blue Ridge Parkway Pickup Driver Killed In Parkway Accident On the morning of Saturday, November 24th, rangers were dispatched to a fatal motor vehicle accident at milepost 268 on the parkway. Local fire and rescue units were on scene when they arrived and confirmed that the driver - D.B., 45, of Purlear, North Carolina - had been killed in the accident. Evidence indicated that the vehicle had drifted off the road and gone over an embankment, then traveled almost 300 feet before striking a 14-inch diameter tree with enough energy to break the trunk more than 11 feet up from its base. Christmas presents and decorations and windshield glass were scattered for a distance of over 60 feet in front of the spot where the pickup came to rest. The entire cab was completely crushed. Based on interviews with D.B.'s wife and evidence at the scene, investigators determined that the accident had actually occurred sometime during the previous night. It was discovered on Saturday morning by two nearby residents who were out taking a morning walk. Speed and alcohol appear to have been contributing factors. Ranger Eddy Cartaya is the lead investigator, assisted by field trainee Michael Garner and assistant chief ranger Steve Stinnett. [Brent Pennington, Highlands District Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on InsideNPS (internal) or NPS Digest (external): Great Smoky Mountains NP - On November 20th, the park celebrated the grand opening of the newly-completed Twin Creeks Science and Education Center. The facility will provide office and work space for about 25 park resource management and science staff members, room for the park's extensive natural history collection, and an area for presentation of educational program. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6021" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6021 Grand Canyon NP - A federal judge has ruled in favor of the NPS in a suit filed by four wilderness advocacy groups challenging the park's 2006 river management plan. HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6024" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6024 * * * * * 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). --- ### --- |