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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, January 11, 2011 INCIDENTS Grand Teton NP Rangers Rescue Snowboarder, Snowshoers In Same-Day Incidents Rangers and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrollers conducted a search and rescue operation for a stranded snowboarder in the backcountry of Granite Canyon early last Friday evening. S.S., 20, of Rapid City, South Dakota, took a wrong turn and inadvertently entered Grand Teton's backcountry after exiting an out-of-bounds gate at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort that afternoon. S.S.'s partners, realizing that they were off course, attempted to alert S.S. by shouting at him to stop, but S.S. was unable to hear his companions' cries because he was listening to his iPod through earphones. Shortly thereafter, S.S.'s companions alerted patrol staff from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort of the situation and a search and rescue operation was begun. Rangers used snowmobiles from Death Canyon trailhead on Moose-Wilson Road, and then mounted skis to access Granite Canyon. Meanwhile, patrol staff from the resort skied into Granite Canyon from the summit of Rendezvous Mountain. Patrol staff were first to reach the stranded snowboarder at approximately 6:20 p.m. as rangers continued their ascent into the canyon. S.S. was in good physical condition, but was not prepared to spend the night in the backcountry, as he did not have extra clothing, food, basic emergency gear or shelter. S.S. and the ski patrollers were transported back to the trailhead by rangers via snowmobiles, arriving around 10:30 p.m. While this operation was underway, dispatch received a call from two visitors who had become disoriented while snowshoeing the Taggart/Bradley Lakes trail. R.T., 26, from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and G.M., 25, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, became lost in the fading daylight and were unprepared to return to the trailhead in the dark. Park personnel were able to identify their location based on the men's description and provide directions by cell phone, guiding R.T. and G.M. to the nearby AAC Climbers' Ranch to await assistance. Park personnel arrived on scene just before 7 p.m. and both men were safely escorted out of the backcountry, reaching the trailhead a half hour later. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer] Glen Canyon NRA Rock Art Vandal Pleads Guilty To ARPA Violation An NPS concession employee came upon recent damage to a rock art panel below Glen Canyon Dam last June and reported it to a park interpretive ranger. The damage consisted of the name “TRENT” scratched into the panel. The interpretive ranger had visited and photographed the rock art, known as the Descending Sheep panel, less than an hour prior to the report, and had also observed a guided fishing trip on the beach near the panel. This information was passed on to a law enforcement ranger working at Lee's Ferry, who found the fishing guide at the boat ramp and asked if he had anyone on his trip by the name of “Trent.” After the guide pointed out his passengers, the ranger asked for Trent. T.G. of North Carolina responded and admitted to scratching his name into the rock. T.G. told the ranger he did it because he thought it would be “cool.” On December 9th, T.G. pled guilty to one felony violation of the Archaeological Resource Protection Act in federal magistrate's court and agreed to pay $10,000 in restitution to repair the damage he caused to the panel. He is scheduled for sentencing in the district court in Phoenix on March 14th. The investigation was conducted by NPS rangers, Glen Canyon cultural resources staff, and Investigative Service Branch investigators. [Kevin Cochary, Acting Chief Ranger] Grand Canyon NP Kayaker Dies During River Trip Park dispatch received a report of CPR in progress from a private river trip on the Colorado River on Monday morning. Rangers flew by helicopter to the location, just below President Harding Rapid. They took over efforts to revived the man, but were unsuccessful. Members of the party reported looking back after they'd successfully navigated the rapid and seeing the man's kayak upside down in the water. They found and retrieved him as quickly as possible, then began CPR and summoned assistance. The body was flown by helicopter to the South Rim and turned over to the county medical examiner. An investigation into the cause of death is underway. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/): Intermountain Region - Tumacácori National Historical Park hosted its 40th fiesta on the first weekend of December. Held annually, the event celebrates and recognizes the many cultures associated with the Santa Cruz Valley. Grand Canyon NP - Phase II of the South Rim Visitor transportation plan is now substantially complete, and Mather Point and the visitor center plaza areas have reopened for public use. Photo. Redwood N&SP - Terry Hofstra retired on December 31st following more than 39 years of exceptional federal service. Photo. Northeast Region - Tom Davies, park ranger responsible for emerging media in Northeast Regional Office, retired on December 31st after 30 years of federal service. * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). --- ### --- |