NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

INCIDENTS

Great Smoky Mountains NP

DUI Operation Results In Seven Arrests, Many Citations

In conjunction with a two-year DUI prevention program, the park recently conducted special law enforcement operations on its roadways. The operation, which ran for two weeks, consisted of two sobriety checkpoints and four special “saturation” road patrols and resulted in seven DUI arrests and the issuance of 36 citations and 66 warnings for various violations. A ranger at the checkpoint on Foothills Parkway saw a driver throw a beer can out his window as he approached rangers there. He was pulled over and found to be operating under the influence. Also in the vehicle were two children under the age of three and a sober passenger. In addition to the DUI offenses, three people were arrested for public intoxication and citations were issued for open containers of alcohol, underage possession of alcohol, and possession of controlled substance to speeding, littering, and failure to wear a seatbelt. [Nancy Gray, Public Affairs Specialist]

Rocky Mountain NP

Ailing Boy Evacuated From Park Backcountry

On Sunday afternoon, rangers learned that a 15-year-old boy on a group camping trip to the North Inlet group site had become ill the previous night and was not getting better. The campsite is located at 9,290 feet and about six-and-a-half miles from the North Inlet trailhead on the park's west side. Fortunately, a ranger on backcountry patrol was nearby and was onsite within the hour. Three other rangers, one a park medic, arrived three hours later. While the rangers were treating the young man, another ranger rode to the scene on horseback, leading a second horse. The boy was put on the second horse just after 9 p.m. and taken to the trailhead, arriving near midnight. He was taken by ambulance to Granby Medical Clinic. Eighteen park staff were involved in the rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]

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/):

International - World Ranger Day will occur this Sunday, July 31st. Along with paying tribute to the work that rangers perform to protect the last vestiges of the earth's natural and cultural heritage, it is a day to remember the many rangers and other park staff who lose their lives annually in the line of duty.

The White House - President Obama has proclaimed today as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. Flags will accordingly be lowered to half staff from sunrise to sunset.

Park Facility Management Division - Nominations are being sought in a number of categories for this year's national accessibility achivement awards. They must be submitted by August 31st.

Grand Canyon NP - Ranger William Yavorsky will be remembered in a memorial service and celebration of life on August 8th at the Shrine of the Ages on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. 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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