NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, February 27, 2009

INCIDENTS

Zion NP

Searchers Find Body Of Probable Suicide Victim

On the morning of Wednesday, February 25th, ranger Luke Hodgson noted that a pickup truck that had been parked near the Canyon Overlook trailhead the previous evening was still at that location. Hodgson investigated and found that the owner - D.B., 48, a New Jersey resident - was believed to be despondent and that his family was concerned that he might be considering suicide. A hasty search was conducted that afternoon, but no clues were found to his whereabouts. Early yesterday morning, D.B.'s body was found at the base of Great Arch. It appears that he fell from the end of the Canyon Overlook trail into Pine Canyon. Rangers conducted an on-scene investigation, then employed a technical raising system to lift the body 400 feet to the canyon rim. It was then released to the Washington County Sherriff's Office for further investigation. Ranger Andrew Fitzgerald will continue the investigation with the county, and was also the operations chief for the technical raise. The IC was district ranger Ray O'Neil. [Bonnie Schwartz, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

Apostle Islands NL - Each winter, rangers closely monitor ice conditions on Lake Superior in order to determine when it's safe enough to cross to a set of spectacular ice-encrusted sea caves on the lake's mainland shoreline. Thousands of visitors then walk, ski or snowshoe to the caves.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7391" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7391

Southeast Regional Office - Southeast Regional Office, which has been closed since Wednesday because of a power failure that knocked out the HVAC, elevators, and fire and emergency systems in the Rich Building, will reopen on Monday.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7392" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7392

US Park Police - Martin Zweig has been selected for promotion to the position of major and will serve as liaison to the National Park Service's Washington Office.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2254" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2254

Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by the NPS and its partners across the nation. Added today are the following - three on-line training courses (alternative consultation agreements under ESA, cemetery and monument maintenance and iron fencing care), housing management training in August, and two FLETC instructor training courses. There's also been a change of date for the commercial services program monthly chat for March.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1681" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1681

Events Calendar - Today's listing of upcoming NPS and NPS-related events across the nation. Added today is an updated announcement, including an event schedule, for the reunion at Great Smokies at the end of April.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1682" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1682

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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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