NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

INCIDENTS

Grand Teton NP

Search Underway For Two Missing Skiers

A full-scale search for two overdue backcountry skiers enters its third day this morning. The two skiers - W.K. 30, and G.S., 31 - set out on their trip on Saturday morning, intending to camp overnight in the Teton Range, explore Teepe Pillar and Teepe Glacier, and return before the weekend ended. When W.K. failed to report for work in Salt Lake City on Monday, his girlfriend contacted the Teton County Sheriff's Office, which in turn contacted the park. Rangers checked the Taggert Lake trailhead, where they planned to start, and found vehicles owned by the two men. A search was then begun. Because of unstable snow conditions on Monday afternoon, rangers chose not to search by ground, which would put rescue personnel at risk, and instead launched a helicopter reconnaissance flight. Erratic winds and poor visibility pre-empted a thorough search and rangers were forced to suspend the operation at sunset and make plans for a larger effort Tuesday. Four teams with four rescuers each began skiing into Garnet Canyon from the Teton Park Road on Tuesday morning, followed by an operations team to support the advance teams with radio communications and other needs. A helicopter flight was launched at 11:20 a.m. after weather conditions allowed and visibility improved. The rescue teams conducted a methodical search of several areas throughout the Garnet Canyon area and focused on probable locations where W.K. and G.S. might have gone. Both men have some knowledge of the Teton backcountry and have previously climbed and skied in the Teton Range. They carried avalanche equipment with them and are familiar with the use of such equipment. Avalanche conditions over the past few days were rated as “considerable,” by the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, meaning that human-triggered avalanches were likely. Yesterday's avalanche report said that moderate danger existed above the 9,000 foot elevation and low danger for mid to low elevations from 6,000 feet to 9,000 feet. Six to seven inches of new snow fell overnight at the 9,300 foot and 9,580 foot snow plot stations on Rendezvous Mountain. [Jackie Skaggs, 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/):

Great Smoky Mountains NP - A crowd of over 200 people joined park staff and partners on Friday, April 15th, in dedicating the park's new partner-funded Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The new 6,300-square-foot, state-of-the-art center was constructed under a $3 million contract with Great Smoky Mountains Association and was donated to the park at Friday's ceremony.

Yosemite NP - Yosemite National Park hosted the second session of its four week leadership academy earlier this monnth. Members of the park's extended management team are expanding their capacity to lead people, lead change, develop business acumen, and enhance overall strategic performance. Photo.

Workplace Enrichment - Workplace Enrichment recently launched a series of articles entitled "From Where I Sit,” with the objective of bridging the gap between leaders and managers and employees. This most recent installment deals with communications and setting expectations. Photo.

Southeast Region - Rachel Wheelus will retire from Southeast Regional Office at the end of April after 25 years of federal service. Photo.

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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of Communications and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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