NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

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INCIDENTS

Great Smoky Mountains NP

Bear Destroyed After Attacking Child

On the evening of Monday, August 11th, eight-year-old E.P., of Boca Raton, Florida, was playing along LeConte Creek about 300 yards up Rainbow Falls Trail from the trailhead when he was reportedly attacked twice by an 86-pound bear. The boy suffered non-life-threatening cuts, scratches and puncture wounds. His father, J.P., was able to drive off the animal with sticks and rocks, but sustained some minor injuries himself. The P.s were treated at Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Facility in Sevierville and released later in the evening. Rangers arrived on scene within minutes of the incident and came upon a bear that matched the size given by J.P. The bear was shot and killed, then taken to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy which will help to determine if it was carrying rabies or if there were any other health abnormalities that may have prompted the attack. Rabies, however, is extremely rare in wild bears and has never been documented in a park bear. Park wildlife biologists advise that there's been no bear activity reported at this location recently, though bears are active throughout the park, as they typically are during this time of the year. While several backcountry campsites are currently closed and bear warning signs posted because of known bear activity, park wildlife personnel have had fewer human-bear conflicts than usual reported so far this year. The bear that was shot did not have an ear tag or tattoo, indicating that it had not been previously captured. This was the first serious bear-human incident since a 2000 attack which resulted in the tragic death of a local woman who was attacked by a 113-pound female bear and a yearling cub. Visitor injuries by bears are uncommon in the Smokies, and, when they have occurred, have typically been minor bites or scratches resulting from a bear trying to obtain human food. Park biologists have documented seven minor human injuries over the past ten years, mainly involving bears trying to get at human food and injuring a visitor in the process. The Rainbow Falls Trail remained closed overnight to allow rangers to investigate and document the incident in the daylight. [Nancy Gray, Public Affairs Officer]

Grand Teton NP

Climbing Fatality Near Gilkey Tower

A 55-year-old man from Helena, Montana, took a fatal fall while traversing the ridge between the South Teton and Cloudveil Dome with three companions on the afternoon of Saturday, August 9th. C.P. slipped on snow while crossing the south side of Gilkey Tower (elevation 12,320 feet) and tumbled about 800 feet over steep rock before landing on a ledge on the north side of Avalanche Canyon. He was carrying an ice axe at the time of the slide, but was unable to self arrest. Rangers were notified of the accident at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, when C.P.'s companions placed a cell phone call to the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center to report the accident. Rangers immediately organized a rescue operation and requested the assistance of an interagency contract helicopter for air support. The helicopter flew to Lupine Meadows, picked up several rangers, and undertook an aerial reconnaissance flight. C.P. was located from the air, and rangers were able to verify that he had died in the fall. A ranger who was on routine mountain patrol in Garnet Canyon was diverted from his backcountry route to the accident scene. He reached the three members of C.P.'s party just before 5:00 p.m. and assisted them with the descent to their camp in the South Fork of Garnet Canyon. They were able to hike out of Garnet Canyon on Sunday morning. Because of an incoming thunderstorm and the time of day, rangers decided to wait until Sunday to attempt to recover C.P.'s body. Rangers began their ground-based recovery operation on Sunday morning by flying six rangers to a landing zone near Lake Taminah in Avalanche Canyon. The rescue personnel had to ascend 200 feet of technical terrain to the ledge where C.P. came to rest. The recovery operation was completed by early Sunday evening. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]

Grand Teton NP

Injured Climber Rescued From Upper Saddle Of Grand Teton

An injured climber was evacuated by helicopter from the Grand Teton on the afternoon of Thursday, August 7th. M.C., 46, of Salt Lake City, Utah, sustained multiple broken bones after landing hard during a rappel from a cliff near the Upper Saddle of the Grand Teton. M.C. and her husband had successfully reached the summit and were on their way down when the accident occurred; neither climber was wearing a helmet at the time. The C.s climbed Exum Ridge on the Grand Teton on Thursday morning and reached the summit at 12:30 p.m. They were descending the standard rappel near the Upper Saddle when M.C. was unable to maintain friction on her climbing rope and ultimately slid about 50 feet before coming to an abrupt stop on the slope below the rappel route. She landed on her feet, but fell backward after the abrupt landing. M.C. received injuries to her leg, side and back, and was unable to continue climbing. The C.s used their cell phone to report their situation; however, because of their location on the Grand Teton, the call was received by the Driggs, Idaho, sheriff's office. The Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received notice of the accident at 1:30 p.m. and park rangers immediately summoned an interagency contract helicopter to assist with the rescue effort. Three park rangers were transported by the contract helicopter to the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton, and one of those rangers was then inserted into the accident site via short-haul. Two more rangers were flown by helicopter to the Lower Saddle along with necessary rescue equipment, and another ranger was also inserted by short-haul into the accident site. M.C. was given emergency medical care by the rangers and placed into a rescue litter for evacuation. She was then flown out at 4:45 p.m. - with a ranger accompanying her - directly to the Jenny Lake rescue cache located on the valley floor. A park ambulance transported her to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further treatment of her injuries. The remaining ranger accompanied her husband as he continued his descent from the Upper Saddle. Upon reaching the Lower Saddle, he too was flown by helicopter to the rescue cache to expedite a reunion with his wife at the hospital. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]

Valley Forge NHP

Five Indicted For Credit Card Theft

The U.S. Attorney's Office has announced the indictment of five alleged identity thieves who targeting visitors to the park. Charged were D.D., 28, D.W., 29, U.L., 28, and S.s., 32, all of Philadelphia, and K.B., 34, of Wyncote. The indictment, issued last Thursday, alleges that from July to November 2006, the defendants stole credit cards from park visitors by breaking into cars and stealing wallets. They then immediately used the cards at nearby stores. To maximize their take, they sometimes split up so different cards could be used in adjacent or nearby stores at the same time. The five are accused of fraudulently charging and attempting to charge a total of more than $28,000. "The assistance received from the police departments in Upper Merion, Tredyffrin Township, Abington, and Philadelphia was invaluable in bringing this case," said Mike Caldwell, the park's superintendent. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment for each count of credit card fraud, and a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. [Lewis Rogers, Chief Ranger]

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:

Servicewide - Former Senators Howard Baker and J. Bennett Johnston yesterday announced the formation of the National Parks Second Century Commission, a first-in-a-generation effort to examine the national parks today and chart a vision for their future.

In The Media - A weekly digest of news stories about or of consequence to the NPS, including links to the articles. Today's summary includes stories on a contest on the most reliable lighthouse in America, a multi-million dollar gift to Rocky Mountain NP, preserving silence in the parks, and impediments to land acquisition in the NPS.

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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).

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