NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

INCIDENTS

Grand Canyon NP

Wanted Man Who Fled Rangers Rescued From Below Rim

Park dispatch received a visitor report of a man panhandling at the Duck on a Rock pullout on the afternoon of April 22nd. Rangers Philip Oakes and Cori Conner - the former a field training ranger, the latter a trainee from North Cascades - headed to the spot, which is about ten miles east of Grand Canyon Village, and contacted the man, who declined to identify himself. He instead fled from the two rangers and jumped over the canyon edge, falling to a point approximately 25 feet below the rim. High-angle rescue team members were brought in and rappelled down to the man. On the way down, they were notified by rangers on the rim that one of the vehicles parked at Duck on a Rock belonged to a man wanted in connection with a murder investigation in Texas. When the rangers reached the man, they first handcuffed then treated him. He was placed on a litter, lifted to the rim, and taken to Flagstaff Medical Center by DPS helicopter to have his injuries treated. Rangers identified him as T.B., 48, who is wanted in connection with a murder investigation in Texas. Once he is released from the hospital, he will be transported to the Coconino County Detention Center, where he will remain in custody until Texas Rangers pick him up. The vehicle, which is associated with the Texas murder investigation, has been impounded by the National Park Service and is being held for the Texas Rangers, who will process the car for clues. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Officer]

Yosemite NP

Rangers Confront And Arrest Armed Driver

A Valley shift seasonal ranger stopped a 1989 Jeep Cherokee at the Four Mile Trail trailhead on South Side Drive for a minor traffic violation on the afternoon of April 13th. The ranger contacted the three occupants and identified the driver, a 57-year-old man from Fresno. He was returning to the driver's side window after checking the license with dispatch when he saw that the driver was now holding a revolver on his lap. He immediately drew his weapon, retreated to his patrol car for cover, and radioed for backup. Several rangers and a special agent responded and conducted a high-risk stop, removing the driver and the two women with him without further incident. The man was arrested on several felony and misdemeanor charges, including the unlawful possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine. One of the women was also arrested on multiple charges. Due to the decisive and quick actions of the ranger staff, this potentially violent contact was resolved without incident. [Kevin Killian, Deputy Chief Ranger]

Lake Mead NRA

Firefighters Extinguish Boat Blaze

National Park Service rangers and Boulder City firefighters extinguished a boat fire in the crowded Boulder Beach campground last Friday. They were on scene fighting the fire and evacuating campers within minutes, and had the fire contained about 20 minutes after the initial call. Flames also burned a tent and surrounding brush. Park investigators determined that the boat's operator was filling the trailered boat's tank from a gas container when he unintentionally hit the ignition switch. This evidently caused a spark that ignited fuel vapors. The boat's operator and his family were visiting the park from Las Vegas. No one was injured. [Andrew Muñoz, 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/):

Glen Canyon NRA - More than 200 people packed the Carl Hayden Visitor Center on April 13th to attend the grand opening of an exhibit entitled "Therizinosaur, Mystery of the Sickle-Claw Dinosaur." The centerpiece of the exhibit is a 93-million-year-old, 13-foot-tall therizinosaur skeleton that was excavated just a few years ago from a location near the park.

Death Valley NP - For the second year in a row, high school students from the Los Angeles Conservation Corps' “Clean and Green” program visited Death Valley National Park for a week of service, environmental education, and job shadowing with park staff. Photo.

Cultural Resources - Dr. Douglas Wilson of the Pacific West Regional Office has been chosen as the winner of the 2011 John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in National Park Archeology. 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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