NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, September 15, 2011

INCIDENTS

Canyonlands NP

Rangers Find Injured Man Crawling Across Desert

On Friday, September 9th, rangers in the Island in the Sky District began looking into circumstances surrounding a campsite at the Willow Flat campground, which appeared to be abandoned and unoccupied. The investigation led to a search for A.R., a 64-year-old visitor from North Carolina. Details led staff to believe that he may have been in or around the park's Maze District. A search was begun for A.R. two days later. He was spotted from a helicopter around 2 p.m. in the area of Little Blue John Canyon, just outside the park's boundary, and was flown to Moab Regional Hospital, where he was treated for leg fractures, internal injuries, trauma, and dehydration. Further investigation revealed that A.R. attempted to hike in and out of Lower Blue John Canyon via the entry/exit route between West and Little Blue John Canyons. He fell approximately 10 feet trying to gain the wash bottom, suffering extensive leg trauma in the process. A.R. couldn't bear weight on his right leg, so spent the next four days and three nights crawling across the desert in an attempt to get back to his car. He had no overnight gear, warm clothes or a map, but did have five liters of water and two power bars with him. No one knew where he was or what his plans were. It rained on him several times as he crawled across the desert. A.R. is expected to fully recover. Matt Jenkins was IC for the search. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]

Delaware Water Gap NRA

Body Of Missing Hiker Found

The body of 25-year-old A.M. of Long Valley, New Jersey, was recovered on Tuesday at Van Campens Glen on the New Jersey side of the park. A.M. had been missing since Sunday afternoon. He was hiking and swimming at Van Campens Glen with friends and was last seen climbing on the rocks near the stream. The area is a popular recreation site and has a picnic area and a hiking trail along Van Campens Brook. Swimming is prohibited at the site. Rangers began a search for him on Sunday afternoon and continued throughout the day on Monday. Tuesday's efforts included assistance from the New Jersey State Park Police, New Jersey Search and Rescue, and Bushkill Fire Department. The cause of death has not yet been determined. [Kathleen Sandt, Public Affairs Specialist]

Shenandoah NP

Disoriented Hiker Found After Multi-Day Search

Last week, a DC area hiking club contacted the park and reported that a member of their group had become separated from the party on the Lower Hawksbill Trail. The missing 53-year-old man had just joined the hiking club for the first time that morning, so the person who called had limited helpful information. Moreover, no one actually saw him with the group once they started on the trail. The parking area they started from serves numerous trails that go off in virtually every direction. With no information to work with, only hasty searches of the extensive trail system could be conducted on the following day. Those hasty searches did provide one lead, a possible witness who reported seeing someone along the Appalachian Trail above Timber Hollow with the one identifying feature of the missing hiker - he hiked with an ice axe, something not normally seen in Shenandoah in August. But the man was described as very disoriented and frustrated. This piece of information led to a more focused search of the area around the possible point last seen, although no clues were discovered during the second full day of searching. The investigation however, led to a better understanding of potential problems this hiker may have been experiencing. He was described as an alcohol user who had a history of seizures that would leave him mobile but disoriented for hours at a time. On the third day of search, teams were sent down into Timber Hollow below the AT, where it seemed likely he may have stumbled or otherwise entered - terrain described as some of the worst in Shenandoah. Almost immediately one team found clues believed to be associated with the missing person, including an empty bottle of vodka. Shortly before noon on the third day, another team found the missing man at the bottom of Timber Hollow, lying in Hawksbill Creek. He was suffering from hypothermia with a body temp of 94 degrees and had a significantly altered mental state. He was littered to the boundary, where he was picked up by an ambulance that took him to a hospital. The man ultimately spent four days in the hospital, being treated for significant chemical imbalances among other things. Once he regained his mental alertness, he was able to provide some details of his experience. He had started with the group on the trail but was the last in line. He then experienced a seizure shortly into the hike. When he came to, he began to search for his party, but was still somewhat disoriented. The weather had deteriorated, with thick fog and heavy rains. He remembered meeting the man who had provided searchers with information on the point where he was last seen. After talking with him, he was hiking the AT when he stumbled off the trail and tumbled down the steep slopes, ending up well below the trail. He was injured from the fall but otherwise still able to move. He did not want to climb back up to the trail, so he walked across the slope, hoping the trail came down to him. He ultimately found the drainage and decided to follow it down. He then spent the first night near the bottom of the hollow, and on the following morning continued to look for a way out but started having difficulty with his legs going out. He ultimately just stopped and sat down. He had no memory of what happened on much of the second day. He spent about another 48 hours in stormy weather until the search team found him. [Pete Webster, Deputy Chief Ranger]

Zion NP

Driver With Multiple DUI Convictions Arrested

On the evening of Monday, August 8th, ranger Josh Wentz contacted a driver for an equipment violation near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. Following an investigation, he was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The driver, an Idaho resident, had two previous DUI convictions from Idaho (2007 and 2008) and a current Idaho misdemeanor warrant for previous violations of his conditions of release specifying “no alcohol.” Further investigation revealed that the driver had these conditions of release due to two other pending Idaho DUI charges and numerous criminal mischief charges. Because of the driver's previous DUI convictions, the local assistant U.S. attorney declined the case, as the federal CFR charge is a Class B misdemeanor, and transferred the case to the state authorities for prosecution. While Zion is proprietary jurisdiction, there is also federal case law (US v Palmer 1992, US v Fox 1995) that has ruled against parks using the Assimilated Crimes Act to incorporate state DUI charges that may carry heavier penalties into federal court due to the existence of the existing 36 CFR DUI charge. Rangers are working with the Washington County Attorney's Office on the case. In Utah a third DUI conviction within 10 years qualifies as a third degree felony, with penalties of $5,000 and up to five years in prison. Interest from the Idaho authorities has been high based on the long alcohol-related history of the driver, pending Idaho charges, and existing misdemeanor warrant. Zion is one of three parks partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the second year of an Impaired Driving High Visibility Enforcement Project along with Delaware Water Gap and Great Smoky Mountains. Through the funding assistance of NHTSA, the project at Zion has included 24 hours of training on NHTSA's standardized field sobriety tests, increased enforcement during national campaigns and local events, increased media outreach, public education and notification, as well as partnering with local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and highway safety offices. [Therese Picard, Zion NHTSA Coordinator]

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/):

Rock Creek Park - All phases of the Georgetown Waterfront Park, a 9.5-acre park located along the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, DC, have been completed and it has been added to Rock Creek Park. Its addition completes a continuous greenway of NPS land for more than 200 miles along the Potomac River from Cumberland, Maryland, to Mount Vernon.

Great Smoky Mountains NP - Great Smoky Mountains has taken the lead in the creation of a 13-agency partnership to combat drunken driving in and around the park. The Foothills Law Enforcement Coalition will also work to increase public awareness of the dangers of driving while impaired through education efforts. Photo.

Office of the Comptroller - The NPS FBMS Program Management Office has launched an NPS Financial and Business Management System "frequently asked questions" page. Links are provided.

Southeast Region - Ellen Hand, currently chief of administration for the Outer Banks Group, will join the Southeast Regional Office in October as the senior MABO/SHRO program specialist for the East Administrative Service Unit. 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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