NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

INCIDENTS

Point Reyes NS

Rangers Rescue Man Stuck On Headland Cliffs

Rangers received a report last Thursday of a man stuck on the cliffs near the Point Reyes lighthouse. N.K., 31, and his cousin, C.K., 20, had descended approximately a thousand feet down the cliffs of the Point Reyes headlands, an area closed to public entry. When they tried to climb back up, they found that the cliff was steep and crumbly. C.K. could not go further, so waited in a relatively safe spot while N.K. continued to climb. He reached the parking lot after several hours and called for assistance. Rangers, Marin County firefighters and a California Highway Patrol helicopter responded. The crew of the helicopter confirmed C.K.'s position on the cliff, but declined the mission due to winds gusting over 40 mph. Rangers and county firefighters then conducted a high-angle technical rescue, raising C.K. over 500 feet. He was shaken but otherwise uninjured. Both K.s were cited for multiple violations. [David Schifsky, Chief Ranger]

Shenandoah NP

Rangers Investigate One Suicide, Intervene In Two Others

Rangers successfully intervened in two suicide attempts this spring and investigated a third in which a woman succeeded in her efforts by driving her car off Skyline Drive and crashing several hundred feet below:

On April 29th, a police dispatcher in Harrisonburg received a call from a man who said that he was camping on Turk Mountain and was going to shoot himself. Park dispatch was contacted and rangers helped the Harrisonburg dispatcher talk the man into leaving his weapon at his campsite and hiking to Skyline Drive to meet them. They took the man into protective custody at the trailhead and transported him to the Augusta Medical Center. They then recovered his weapon and all the items from his campsite. The man had been hiking the Appalachian Trail in the park for a week when he made the call.

On May 17th, park dispatch was contacted by the sheriff's office in Jefferson County, West Virginia, and advised that a man had called his wife and told her that he'd taken enough medication to be dead within 15 minutes. Rangers determined that the 53-year-old man had registered at Skyland Lodge. When they reached his room, several hours after he'd called his wife, they found him unconscious in his room and suffering from severe respiratory distress. Basic and advanced life support measures employed by rangers and Page County rescue personnel greatly aided in keeping him alive.

On June 2nd, a park maintenance crew working at Horsehead Overlook on Skyline Drive noticed that vegetation was laid down at the edge of the overlook and discovered a vehicle 300 to 400 feet below. Rangers found that the sole occupant had not survived the crash and that she had been listed as missing and suicidal by police in Farmville the day before. A suicide note was found inside along with notes indicating that she'd scouted other Shenandoah overlooks that night.

[Pete Webster, Deputy Chief Ranger]

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/):

Saint Croix Island IHS - On Saturday, June 4th, Saint Croix Island International Historic Site held a ceremonial ribbon cutting for its new visitor facility. About 120 people from both Canada and the United States attended the event.

White Sands NM - Sets of fossil tracks recently found in the park appear to be associated with archaeological artifacts, suggesting a possible co-existence between humans and mammoths/mastodons. Efforts to document the fragile tracks are underway. Photo.

Midwest Region - The rising waters of the Missouri River and its tributaries are a potential threat to NPS areas and offices in at least three Midwestern states. 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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