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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, May 21, 2012 INCIDENTS Denali NP&P Climber Killed In 1100-Foot Fall On the afternoon of Friday, May 18th, mountaineering rangers were notified that a member of a three-person climbing team had fallen from 16,200 feet on Mt. McKinley's West Buttress route. The un-roped team had just reached the top of the ‘headwall' or ‘fixed lines' section of the West Buttress route when one climber fell 1,100 feet down the north face of the buttress to the Peters Glacier. A witness said that the climber fell while attempting to recover a backpack that had started to slide downhill. At the time of the fall, an NPS mountaineering patrol was ascending the fixed lines shortly behind the three-member team. They soon arrived at the fall site, contacted fellow NPS rangers via radio, and asked that a helicopter be dispatched to the scene. The park's A-Star B3 helicopter launched from Talkeetna in clear, calm weather conditions with two ranger-paramedics on board. They confirmed that the climber had died of injuries sustained in the fall. The body was recovered and flown back to Talkeetna. There are currently 336 mountaineers attempting routes on Mt. McKinley. Four climbers have reached the summit this season. This fatal fall is the first serious incident on Mt. McKinley of the 2012 mountaineering season. [Maureen McLaughlin, PIO] 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/): Organ Pipe Cactus NM - The park celebrated its 75th anniversary with a series of events in mid-April. It was established by President Roosevelt in 1937 to protect both the habitat of organ pipe cactus and a portion of the Sonoran Desert ecosystem. Workforce Management - Director Jarvis has filmed a short video in which he personally welcomes new employees into the Service and lays out his vision for a career with the NPS. A link is provided. US Park Police - Park Police Sergeant Michael Boehm was remembered in ceremonies lask week when his name was added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the National Park Service. This report covers activities during the week ending on May 18th. Midwest Region - Bill Black, superintendent at Fort Smith NHS, has been selected as the new superintendent at Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Office of Public Health - Diana Allen has been selected as chief of health promotion for the National Park Service's Office of Public Health. She will serve as the NPS “Healthy Parks Healthy People” program lead. * * * * 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). --- ### --- |