NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, November 3, 2008

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INCIDENTS

Glacier NP

Hiker's Death Ruled Suicide; Earlier Missing Hiker Case Still Open

The man found dead late Wednesday afternoon in the Kintla Lake area has been identified as B.C., 53, of Reading, Pennsylvania. According to the Flathead County Coroner's Office, B.C.'s death is considered a suicide caused by a self-inflicted single gunshot wound to the chest. Park rangers searching the ground near the head of Kintla Lake found a pack matching the description of B.C.'s pack (grayish in color) at approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday. That information was relayed to personnel conducting an aerial search via Minuteman Helicopter and B.C.'s body was found within minutes on a slope above the trail from the location where the pack was found. It appears that B.C. left the Kintla Lake trail and scrambled upslope to a point approximately one quarter to one third of a mile above the lake. In a separate missing person incident last summer, Y.-J.H., a 27-year-old Malaysian man, was reported overdue by his family on the last day of his week-long park itinerary. He was never heard from again. Active searches were scaled back in early September after several weeks of concentrated effort. That investigation remains open; however, no new clues have surfaced. Park officials are still seeking information from anyone who may have interacted with Y.-J.H. last August. [Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]

Gauley River NRA

Busy Rafting Season Marked By Numerous Incidents, Fatality

The 2008 Gauley River rafting season came to a close on October 19th after six weeks of Congressionally-mandated releases from Summersville Lake. Visitation to the rugged and developing NRA was high during the season, with thousands of private and commercial boaters from all over the world coming to experience the Class 1 through Class 5 world- class whitewater. The Gauley season is believed to be the largest congregation of hard boaters in the world. Rangers were involved in, assisted with, and reported on numerous service, EMS, enforcement, and SAR incidents. Rangers assisted with and handled a number of injuries, including broken bones, dislocations, lacerations, and non-specific complaints resulting in evacuations and transport to local hospitals. River rangers performed daily assists, including freeing pinned boats, rescuing swimmers, collecting stray gear, and EMS. On October 3rd, rangers responded to and assisted with a fatality that claimed the life of a 62-year-old Florida woman on a commercial rafting trip. Rangers were involved in hundreds of enforcement contacts, including drug and alcohol offenses, interference with agency functions, firearms, disorderly conduct, auto accidents, pet violations, sanitation/refuse violations, vandalism, traffic and parking, camping, and other public use violations. The 2008 season saw an additional challenge for park staff, who had to manage two recently-purchased properties at Mason's Branch and Wood's Ferry. These acquisitions created public river access points, take-outs, and boat launches on the upper and middle Gauley River for the first time in its 20-year history as an NPS unit. [Randy Fisher, Park Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

Among the stories in today's edition are the following:

Vicksburg NHP - Hundreds of community members, dignitaries, and local students gathered on Thursday, October 30th, to celebrate the replacement of missing historical tablets at Vicksburg National Military Park.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7054" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7054

NRPC - Secretary Kempthorne last week announced an initiative whereby DOI will work with state, tribal and agricultural interests to strengthen bison conservation efforts to help this iconic species recover and thrive.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7051" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7051

Acadia NP - Michael E. Healy retires on November 3rd after more than 47 years of federal employment, 38 1/2 years of which were with the National Park Service.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2124" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2124

Intermountain Region - Tom Cawley, Yellowstone National Park's visual information specialist and web specialist, has been awarded the regional Freeman Tilden award for excellence in interpretation

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2123" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2123

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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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