NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, August 22, 2011

INCIDENTS

Bryce Canyon NP

German Visitor Killed By Lightning

An international visitor was killed by lightning along the Rim Trail between Sunrise and Sunset Points on the afternoon of Thursday, August 18th. The victim has been identified as V.K., 51, from Hamm, Germany. V.K. and his family were on the Rim Trail near Sunset Point when a rapidly developing thunderstorm approached the area. The family began returning to their vehicle to seek shelter from the rain. V.K. sought refuge under a large ponderosa pine, which was struck by lightning while he was under it. Family members ran to the Bryce Canyon Lodge nearby to call for help. A registered nurse and her husband, visiting from Washington State, were first on the scene and determined that V.K. had no pulse. They immediately began performing CPR. Park rangers and Garfield County emergency medical technicians soon arrived and continued CPR. Attempts to revive him continued while he was transported by ambulance to Garfield Memorial Hospital in Panguitch, Utah, 25 miles away. Hospital staff took over care of the patient but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. The last lightning-caused fatality in the park was in 2004. [Dan Ng]

Glacier NP

Mother And Son Rescued From Park Creek

Members of a family were walking along McDonald Creek near Red Rock Point late last Wednesday morning when one of them, a young boy, fell into the creek. His mother tried to catch him but fell in as well. Both began floating down the creek, but were retrieved by bystanders. The mother was unconscious and not breathing, so her rescuers began CPR and brought her back to consciousness. A doctor and two nurses who happened to be in the area helped treat the woman for hypothermia. Park rangers arrived and assessed her vitals and administered oxygen. She was then taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Her young son was reported to be in good condition with no injuries. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]

Apostle Islands NL

Rangers Rescue Capsized Kayakers

On Wednesday, August 17th, 13 kayakers associated with a commercial guide trip attempted to paddle from Meyers Beach to the mainland sea caves within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Two kayakers capsized in three- to four-foot seas and were rescued by a private boater who transported them to Cornucopia. Eight other kayakers from this group began struggling in rough water near the sea caves and requested assistance from National Park Service rescue staff. The remaining three kayakers were able to paddle safely back to Meyers Beach. A small craft advisory had been posted for the near shore waters of western Lake Superior that day and rangers at Meyers Beach had advised kayak groups not to launch due to the current and anticipated hazardous wave conditions. The National Park Service mobilized 15 people and two vessels during this rescue operation. Other agencies involved in the rescue included South Shore Ambulance and the U.S. Coast Guard. [Myra Foster, Acting 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/):

Director's Office - The National Park Service launches a new initiative, entitled "A Call to Action: Preparing for a Second Century of Stewardship and Engagement," with a first-ever national employee town hall meeting on Founders' Day this Thursday.

Office of Communications - For a few years early in the last decade, each edition of InsideNPS contained a daily almanac. It returns today and now includes incident reports from 25 years ago.

Natural Resource Program Center - The Biological Resource Management Division is seeking your help in selecting a suite of NPS “ambassador migratory species” for a workshop this fall on conservation of migratory species and movement corridors nationally and internationally. A link is provided.

Uniform Program - The NPS Uniform Program is conducting an online survey to gauge satisfaction with the NPS uniform. All uniform-wearing employees are encouraged to participate. The online survey will be conducted until September 9th.

Blue Ridge Parkway - Gary W. Johnson, the park's chief of resource management, planning, lands and compliance, has retired after a 40 year federal career. During his career, Gary worked on projects in 56 NPS units. Photo.

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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced 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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