NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, January 20, 2012

INCIDENTS

Mount Rainier NP

Major Search Underway For Two Missing Parties

Search efforts are underway for two parties overdue from a weekend trips on Mount Rainier. A party of two planning to winter camp on the Muir Snowfield over the weekend was due out on Sunday, January 15th; a second party of two climbers on a summit attempt via the Disappointment Cleaver route was due back on Monday, January 16th. Western Washington was hit by a storm over the weekend, followed by a severe winter storm through mid-week, forcing a delay in the field search. Both parties were outfitted for winter weather with the exception of snowshoes or skis. Due to the weather conditions, it is expected that they are waiting out the storms before attempting to descend to Paradise. Visitors to the upper mountain are advised to stop moving, dig in and wait for better weather during severe weather and whiteout conditions. On Tuesday, a search team of two skied the route above Paradise to Panorama Point to assess conditions in the area and to look for signs of the two overdue parties. Travel was extremely difficult, with team members sinking two to three feet into the snow. Visibility was limited, winds were gusting up to 100 mph, and their tracks filled in behind them as they negotiated the deep snow. Yesterday, a team of ten searched from Paradise up the Muir Snowfield to Camp Muir without locating either of the parties. Eight of the team members skied back down to Paradise, searching along the way. There may be a short weather window this morning for the two searchers remaining at Camp Muir to search under better conditions before the next storm arrives midday. A helicopter is on standby at Joint Base Lewis-McChord awaiting favorable flight conditions, although freezing rain precluded flight operations on Thursday. The weather is the greatest challenge to search efforts at this time. Both a winter storm watch and a moderate level avalanche warning were issued for the area. The search team is made up of highly skilled mountaineers who are familiar with the route and in mitigating associated avalanche exposure. The team is composed of Mount Rainier climbing rangers and park staff and members of Everett Mountain Rescue, Seattle Mountain Rescue, International Mountain Guides and Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated. Kelly Bush from North Cascades NP is IC. Although both parties are equipped for winter camping, concern for their wellbeing grows each day. The Western Incident Management Team is en route to assist with the incident. For information on weather conditions visit the park Weather webpage HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/weather.htm_" http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/weather.htm. For a look at current conditions at Paradise visit the webcam webpage HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/mora/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm_" http://www.nps.gov/mora/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm (note that the Camp Muir webcam is not maintained in winter). [Patti Wold, PIO]

Glen Canyon NRA

Man Indicted On Felony Theft Charges

On December 22nd, a grand jury indictment was issued out of Coconino County for S.B.W. of Utah. The indictment included two class 5 felonies for theft and theft of a credit card and one class 4 felony for taking the identity of another. S.B.W. had been living with his girlfriend of a few weeks in the Wahweap District in July, 2010, when he disappeared with approximately $2,000 to $3,000 worth of her property, including her credit card, which he used to purchase snacks and fuel for his vehicle at gas stations, leaving a trail from Page, Arizona, up north into Utah. Ranger Scott Larson took the initial report for this case and worked with the NPS Investigative Services Branch to bring it to its conclusion. [Heidi Hall, Special Agent]

Grand Canyon NP

Body Of Falling Victim Identified

A body found near Yaki Point has been identified as that of 41-year-old P.R. of Glenside, Pennsylvania. P.R.'s body was found on Thursday, January 12th, next to the South Kaibab Trail about a third of a mile from the trailhead, which is located near Yaki Point on the South Rim. It has been determined that P.R. died of injuries sustained in a fall. An investigation into the incident is ongoing and is being conducted by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Coconino County medical examiner. [Shannan Marcak, 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/):

Department of the Interior - Philanthropist David Rubenstein has donated $7.5 million to repair damage to the Washington Monument caused by last August's earthquake. The gift matches federal funds approved by Congress in December and completes the funding necessary for the overall repair project.

Padre Island NS - Donna Shaver, chief of the park's division of sea turtle science and recovery at Padre Island National Seashore, has been selected as the 2011 “Newsmaker of the Year” by a Corpus Christi newspaper for her work in sea turtle research and conservation.

Blue Ridge Parkway - Jeri Swaim, human resources specialist at Blue Ridge Parkway, retired on December 31st.

Servicewide Training Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training.  The following are new additions to this week's calendar - an interpretation and education local registered coach course at Carlsbad Caverns and three new FLETC training courses.

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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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