NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

INCIDENTS

Joshua Tree NP

Flash Flood Causes Significant Damage, Closures

Torrential rains caused widespread flash flooding in the Pinto Basin and Cottonwood Spring areas of Joshua Tree National Park yesterday morning. Extensive flood damage occurred to Park Route 11 - the Pinto Basin Road - with loss of pavement in numerous areas. The Cottonwood Visitor Center was flooded and parts of the Cottonwood Campground were washed away. Until further notice, Park Route 11 is closed from the entrance of White Tank Campground to the park's south boundary at Interstate 10. The Cottonwood Visitor Center and Cottonwood Campground are also closed. No visitors or park employees were injured during the flood event and no vehicles were damaged. It is estimated that at least three inches of rain fell during the morning storm. Park crews are continuing to assess the full extent of the damage though it may be some time before complete damage estimates are available. [Joe Zarki, Public Information Officer]

Delaware Water Gap NRA

Search In Progress For Missing Hiker

Rangers are conducting a search for a 25-year-old New Jersey man who was last seen hiking with friends at Van Campens Glen on the New Jersey side of the park on Sunday afternoon. The park was notified of the missing hiker by a local county control center around 4 p.m., and the search was begun a half hour later. It was suspended at nightfall, resumed on Monday, and continued yesterday. Assisting are the New Jersey State Park Police and volunteer searchers and canine handlers from New Jersey Search and Rescue. Bushkill Fire Department has provided an underwater camera system that will allow rangers to safely search the creek. [Kathleen Sandt, Public Affairs Specialist]

Natchez Trace Parkway

Pursuit Of Speeder Leads To Significant Drug Seizure

On September 3rd, field training ranger Jay Drinkwater and field trainee Sasha Herrin attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding on the parkway. The driver tried to elude them by turning off the parkway onto a county road, then a dirt road leading into an agricultural field. The driver then bailed out and fled on foot. The rangers gave chase but were unable to catch the individual. State and local agencies responded to lend assistance. A perimeter was set up and K-9 units were brought in, but they were unable to locate the suspect. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 108 pounds of marijuana. The investigation is ongoing and being conducted in cooperation with North Mississippi Drug Task Force, with leads being followed up in Texas and Mississippi. [Mike Foster, Chief Ranger]

Prince William Forest Park

Driver Killed, Passenger Seriously Injured In Accident

A 42-year-old resident of Triangle died on September 5th when the vehicle he was driving on Joplin Road flipped over onto its roof and landed approximately 50 feet within the park. A 51-year-old woman who was riding with him was seriously injured and in critical condition but is expected to survive. The crash was not witnessed and the vehicle was barely visible due to forest foliage; a passerby noticed it and called 911 around 11:30 a.m. The on-duty ranger was only a mile away and was the first emergency responder on the scene. Both vehicle occupants were entrapped. The passenger was extricated from the car by Prince William County Fire and Rescue and transported to a critical care trauma facility via a waiting helicopter. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The on-duty ranger assisted with scene and traffic management for approximately three hours while the road was closed. The time and cause of the crash are under investigation by the Prince William County Police Department. Excessive speed may have been a contributing factor on the dry but winding road, but the time of the accident is not known. [Cynthia Sirk-Fear, Chief Ranger]

Colorado NM

Body Of Apparent Suicide Victim Recovered

Rangers responded to an apparent suicide just after midnight on Friday, September 9th, when a visitor called 911 to report seeing a woman run and jump off the edge of a cliff near Cold Shivers Point. Units from Glade Park and Grand Junction Fire Departments responded to assist the rangers. Due to darkness and hazardous terrain, search and recovery operations were suspended until first light. The body of a 24-year-old Grand Junction woman was located and recovered below Cold Shivers Point on Saturday by the Mesa County Technical Rescue Team. The recovery involved an approximately 300-foot technical raise from the base of cliff. The Mesa County Coroner's Office assisted with the investigation and notifications to the family. [Karen McKinlay-Jones, 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/):

Rainbow Bridge NM - Local Navajo youth and Rainbow Bridge staff joined this summer to undertake natural and cultural resource projects on both park and Navajo Nation lands.

Richmond NBP - On Saturday, September 10th, the park officially opened its newest unit, Rural Plains, which is located on the Totopotomoy Creek battlefield in Hanover County, Virginia. Photo.

Midwest Region - Seven NPS employees will soon be moving into their new office in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Located in the former Movie Gallery video store on South Chicago Street, the office will house the NPS Midwest Region West Servicing Human Resources Office. 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 the Assistant Director for Information Resources 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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