NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

INCIDENTS

Grand Teton NP

Lost Snowboarders Rescued From Backcountry

Rangers conducted the first backcountry search and rescue operation of the 2011/12 winter season on the night of February 13th. J.T., 55, and M.F., 36, both from New Jersey, left the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort just before 3 p.m. on Monday. Their plan was to go to the Rock Springs Bowl, but they went the wrong way and ended up in Granite Canyon inside the park instead. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Ski Patrol first received notification that they needed help around 7 p.m. Teton County Search and Rescue was notified, and members of that team were able to ping the GPS location of the pair from their cell phone and determine that they were in the park's backcountry. The Teton Interagency Dispatch Center was notified of the out-of-bounds boarders at 7:30 p.m. Rangers were able to communicate directly with the duo via cell phone and determine that a search and rescue response was needed based on a medical condition of one of the two men, combined with their inadequate preparation for backcountry travel. Rangers used a snowmobile to access the mouth of Granite Canyon and reached the pair around 10 p.m. at a location in the lower canyon. Although the snowboarders were not injured or in need of medical aid, they lacked winter backcountry experience and did not possess food, water, lights or the appropriate avalanche gear. The Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center reported the general avalanche hazard for February 13th to be “moderate” above the 9,000 foot level and “low” for low elevations (6,000-7,500 feet). Backcountry users were also cautioned to be prepared with appropriate emergency equipment and the knowledge and skill of how to use such gear before attempting a winter excursion. [Public Affairs]

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/):

Cape Hatteras NS - The Ocracoke Pony herd has a new member - “Alonso,” a three-year-old registered Spanish stallion. “Alonso” was recently adopted by the National Park Service and was transported to Ocracoke Island on February 2nd.

Office of Communications - A plan has been announced for correcting the so-called “Drum Major” quote on the new memorial to more accurately reflect the meaning and intent of Dr. King's original statement.

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science - The winter edition of Park Science, which focuses on wilderness stewardship and science, is now out and available online. A link is provided.

National Park of American Samoa - Dr. Peter Craig, the park's natural resource manager, has retired after 20 years as one of American Samoa's leading voices for conservation and the environment.

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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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