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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, April 10, 2012 INCIDENTS Grand Teton NP Injured Skier Rescued From Granite Canyon A 31-year-old backcountry skier was rescued from Granite Canyon in a multi-agency effort last Saturday after sustaining injuries from a fall. J.T. of Jackson, Wyoming, took a fall about 300 feet from the top of Endless Couloir just outside the boundary of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. J.T. was skiing alone when he took what was described as a slow twisting fall. He called Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrol on his cell phone and reported that he was injured and needed help. Rangers were flown to a landing zone in Granite Canyon, where they waited for ski patrol members to lower J.T. to them. J.T. was initially lowered by patrollers skiing a rescue toboggan down, but due to snow conditions and the terrain had to set up a rope belay system and lowered him in six 300-foot segments into the canyon. He was then taken to St. John's Medical Center for treatment. Endless Couloir is on a north facing slope in Granite Canyon and runs almost 3,000 vertical feet on a roughly 40 degree slope. It is unusual for individuals to have cell phone service in that area of Granite Canyon. J.T. did have an avalanche beacon with him but it was in his backpack. Best practice is for individuals to wear avalanche beacons on their person in case they get caught in an avalanche when gear and outer layers of clothing can easily be torn off from the force of the avalanche. The avalanche danger was listed as low below 9,000 feet and moderate for high elevations on Saturday by the Bridge-Teton Avalanche Center. [Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, Public Affairs Officer] 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/): Harpers Ferry NHP - Flood prone Harpers Ferry has seen dozens of major, damaging floods since the mid-1700s. Now, with climate change bringing heavier and more frequent rains and the prospect for more such floods, the park is revisiting and updating a flood plan it created in 2003. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP - On March 24th, seven historic congregations from Fredericksburg came together to tell their stories in a compelling, NPS-arranged, day-long event that filled five churches and engaged nearly 1,500 visitors in a broad conversation about the history and legacy of the Civil War. Grand Teton NP - Interpretive rangers at Grand Teton hosted an innovative distance learning program called “Snowdesk” this winter - the second year the program has been offered. Mount Rainier NP - West District Ranger Kraig Snure has received a team medal of valor award along with five local deputies for “demonstrating exceptional bravery" in their efforts to rescue Ranger Margaret Anderson after she was shot on January 1st. Submerged Resources Center - The NPS Submerged Resources Center and the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society have announced that Tim White of Baldwin, New York, has been selected as the Service's 2012 diving intern. * * * * 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). --- ### --- |