NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Friday, June 27, 2008
===============================================================================================================
INCIDENTS
Canyonlands NP
Dozens Rescued From Cataract Canyon During High Flow Episode
Over a three-week period beginning in late May, more than two dozen rangers from three parks monitored river rafters passing through Cataract Canyon during a period of very high flow, rescuing dozens of them. The Green and Colorado Rivers meet within the park, amplifying the flow of the latter, particularly as it passes through the constriction of Cataract Canyon, a lengthy stretch of river with 28 rapids. During high water, this canyon is considered one of the most difficult whitewater trips in the Untied States. This year, a near-record snowpack created very high water levels. When the flow rate increases beyond 50,000 cubic feet per second, as happened this spring, the park puts into effect an incident action plan which stages staff in Cataract Canyon to conduct rescue operations as needed. This was the fifth year since 1990 that the flow levels necessitated implementation of this plan. This year, the period of high water began on May 21st and continued for 21 non-consecutive days. During that time, personnel aboard specially-designed jet boats pulled 46 swimmers from the river, recovered three disabled and abandoned boats, and dealt with four emergency medical incidents, three of which required helicopter evacuations. Response time from the base camp is almost instantaneous compared to eight hours or more from park headquarters in Moab. Twenty-eight rangers from Canyonlands, Arches and Glen Canyon participated in the operation. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]
Statue of Liberty NM
Contractor Medevaced Following Fall Into Cement Pit
A contractor performing maintenance on a cooling system near the base of the Statue of Liberty was injured on June 20th when he fell 13 feet into a cement pit. A helicopter was summoned and he was medevaced to a level 1 trauma center in Newark. Park EMT's and First Responders, dispatchers, interpreters, maintenance staff and Park Police officers were all involved in the response. The worker's injuries were not life threatening and he has since been discharged from the hospital. [Eugene Kuziw, Supervisory Park Ranger]
Grand Teton NP
Injured Climber Rescued From Teewinot Mountain
A 16-year-old New Mexico girl who was visiting Jackson Hole with her family slipped on snow and tumbled about 300 feet while descending the east fact of Teewinot Mountain with two other climbers on June 22nd. She suffered injuries to her hip, elbow and ankle and lacerations of her forehead and hands. The fall and injuries occurred even though she was wearing crampons and a helmet and carrying an ice axe. An Exum guide who was taking a client up the mountain reached the girl around 10 a.m. and both provided medical assistance and contacted rangers. Due to the nature of the injuries, the location of the accident, the difficult terrain, and the prolonged time an evacuation by foot would take, rangers made the decision to evacuate her by helicopter. Two rangers were flown from Lupine Meadows and inserted by the short-haul method at her location; a third ranger with medical equipment and a rescue litter was then brought in. She was flown out in tandem with an attending ranger to the Lupine Meadows rescue cache on the valley floor, where a waiting park ambulance transported her to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further medical care. This was the park's first major search and rescue operation this summer. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]
Rocky Mountain NP
Injured Hiker Rescued From Eagle Cliff Mountain
On Tuesday, June 17th, rangers responded to a report of an injured hiker on Eagle Cliff Mountain. A 22-year-old employee from the nearby YMCA of the Rockies camp was scrambling on rock when he slipped and took a tumbling fall of approximately 20 feet, sustaining multiple traumatic injuries. He also suffered from an underlying medical condition which complicated his overall status. A park medic provided advanced life support and an evacuation team carried him out via litter, a process that required numerous low-angle lowerings and a wheeled litter carryout to a waiting ambulance. He was then taken to Estes Park Medical Center and treated by a trauma team. [Kyle Patterson, PAO]
OTHER NEWS
Other stories can be read on InsideNPS at one or the other of these two sites:
NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index
Non-NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/
Please note that both publications carry a combined NIFC/NPS fire report. That is generally posted around 8 a.m. Eastern.
Among the stories in today's edition are the following:
Facility Management - Nominations are being solicited for the 2008 National Park Service accessibility achievement awards. A link is provided to the nomination form.
Fire and Aviation Management - NPS Fire has released the latest Flash presentation highlighting fire and fire management activities.The presentation features the tallgrass prairie ecosystem found at Homestead National Monument of America.
WASO - Six NPS employees have been selected as recipients of Director's Awards for Natural Resource Stewardship for 2007.
Sleeping Bear Dunes - Navy Petty Officer Ross Toles III, son of park roads and trails supervisor Ross Toles, was recently killed in action in Afghanistan. A funeral was held yesterday. All U.S. flags in the state of Michigan were lowered to half-staff yesterday in his honor.
Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by both the National Park Service and its partners across the nation. Today's additions include a TelNPS session on heritage education in July and a course on courtroom testimony in drug cases at Blue Ridge Parkway in November.
* * * * *
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363
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).
--- ### ---