NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, October 27, 2011

INCIDENTS

Joshua Tree NP

Rock Climber Seriously Injured In Fall

A rock climber visiting from Japan was seriously injured in a climbing accident on the afternoon of Sunday, October 23rd. Y.K., 36, sustained severe head trauma when he took a 25-foot fall while climbing on Cyclops Rock. Rangers provided initial emergency care and were assisted by members of Joshua Tree Search and Rescue. San Bernardino County Fire and Morongo Basin Ambulance personnel soon arrived on scene to provide advanced life support. Rangers secured a landing zone for helicopter medical transport, and a Mercy Air helicopter flew Y.K. to Desert Regional Hospital. An initial investigation by rangers revealed that Y.K.'s fall may have occurred when a second member of the two-person climbing team fell from a lead climbing position and struck Y.K., causing him to fall. The second climber was uninjured. The accident is still under investigation. [Joe Zarki, Public Affairs Specialist]

Buffalo NR

Two Hikers Seriously Injured In Consecutive Falls

Two people hiking in the Lost Valley area on Monday, October 24th, were seriously injured in consecutive falling accidents. B.A., 22, and J.A., 23, were hiking with another couple in the Eden Falls area when they decided to climb to another cave beyond the end of the designated trail. B.A. entered a V-shaped canyon slot, where he slipped on wet leaves, slid approximately 20 feet, and fell another 40 to 50 feet to a rock basin above Eden Falls Cave. J.A. heard the sounds of the accident; while investigating, she, too, fell down the same slope. One of their friends was able to reach them while the other left the scene to call for help. Park dispatch was notified in the early evening, and Buffalo National River Search and Rescue was called out. A unified command was established that included the park and Newton County Search and Rescue. First responders arrived to assist the couple at 7 p.m. and NorthArk medics arrived at approximately 9 p.m. and began patient care on scene. A total of 36 search and rescue personnel assembled two high-angle “lowers” to safely transport the victims downslope, where they were transferred to a litter. The first lower involved a drop of 30 feet; the second lower was 40 feet. The carryout team transported the victims via litter two miles to the Lost Valley trailhead, where they were transferred to an ambulance and transported to a waiting medevac helicopter on Highway 43. Owing to the severity of his injuries, B.A. was transported first, followed by J.A. He sustained a compound fracture of both bones of his right forearm and right ankle as well as head injuries. She suffered two fractured ankles. [Caven Clark]

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/):

Office of Communications - The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation recognized exceptional volunteers and a park ranger with, respectively, Hartzog Awards and the Servicewide Harry Yount Award during an event held in Washington on Tuesday. Photo.

Office of Communications - Lifetime passes to America's national parks for senior citizens and Americans with disabilities are now available through the mail.

Gateway NRA - Fun and service combined for 500 youth and adults who attended The Great Urban Outdoor Event last weekend at the park's Floyd Bennett Field. The NPS and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation combined forces to bring President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative to youth in New York City.

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science - A memorandum calling for natural resource FY 2012 technical assistance requests has been issued. Submissions are due by November 23rd.

Rocky Mountain NP - It may still be fall where you are, but winter's already made its appearance in the Rockies. A snowstorm this week dropped from eight to sixteen inches on the park. A link to several images is provided.

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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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