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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, June 26, 2012 INCIDENTS Mount Rainier NP Recovery Efforts Continue On Mount Rainier Efforts are continuing to recover climbing ranger Nick Hall. Hall died in a rescue accident on the mountain on Thursday, June 21st after he fell approximately 2,500 feet down the Emmons Glacier. Recovery efforts have been impeded by deteriorating weather conditions and increased avalanche danger due to accumulation of new snow at the higher elevations. Deteriorating weather conditions will continue to affect the area over the beginning of the week. An improving weather forecast is expected for Wednesday and Thursday, with less chance of precipitation and increased visibility. The park will utilize the clear weather window to continue helicopter operations and complete the recovery efforts on the mountain. The park is being assisted throughout this incident by a Chinook helicopter with crew from Joint Base Lewis McChord, an MD500 helicopter from Northwest Helicopters out of Olympia, Washington, Mountain Rescue Units from Tacoma and Everett, Washington, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, The Soup Ladies, and dozens of personnel from other National Park Service units. Gracious support has also been received from businesses and other partners in many of the gateway communities. The family has asked that donations in honor of Nick Hall, in lieu of flowers, be made through the following accounts: Nick Hall Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 431, Patten, ME 04765. Please make checks payable to Nick Hall Memorial Fund. Donations to this fund will support search and rescue in Maine and assist the Hall Family with travel expenses. MORA Search and Rescue Fund, 55210 238th Ave E, Ashford, WA 98304. Please make checks payable to DOI-NPS and note that the donation is in honor of Nick Hall. Cards and condolences may also be sent to the above addresses. Inquiries regarding memorial services should be sent to Jacqueline Ashwell ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Jacqueline_Ashwell@nps.gov" Jacqueline_Ashwell@nps.gov ). She is keeping a list for distribution of that information once arrangements have actually been made. [Rick Jones, Information Officer] Lake Mead NRA Search Underway For Body Of Swimmer The park received a report of a man missing in the waters of Boulder Basin on the afternoon of June 23rd. Rangers responded along with a volunteer team and personnel from the Nevada Division of Wildlife and the Coast Guard. The man had jumped out of a vessel to take a swim. The winds pushed the boat further and further from shore, though, and the woman and child still in the 21-foot boat didn't know how to operate it. They therefore called 911. Both were quickly rescued, but, despite of the rapidity of the response, the swimmer could not be found. A search was begun but proved fruitless. Side scan sonar is currently being utilized in an effort to find his body. The man was not wearing a life jacket. [Randy Lavasseur, Assistant Chief Ranger] Blue Ridge Parkway Motorcyclist Dies Of Head Injuries In Parkway Crash On Friday, June 15th, a 68-year-old North Carolina man was heading north on the parkway on his motorcycle when he entered a section under construction. This particular section had a one lane closure due to paving and traffic was being escorted by a "pilot" vehicle. Witnesses reported that the man increased his speed, trying to catch up to traffic already passing through the area, and lost control when he crossed over into the opposing lane, which was closed. He laid his motorcycle down, causing him to slide, and then lost his helmet, causing him to suffer major head trauma. He was airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center for treatment. On Thursday, June 21st, rangers were notified he had succumbed to his injuries. [Tim Francis, Pisgah District Ranger] 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/): Grand Teton NP - On Saturday, June 16th, nearly 90 firefighters from Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, the Bridger-Teton National Forest and Grand Teton National Park gathered for the 14th Annual “All Fire Day” to train together in a variety of workshops and scenarios. Rocky Mountain NP - A new webcam has been installed at the Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park. The facility is located at 11,796 feet and is the highest visitor center in the National Park System. Lowell NHP - Richard E. (Rick) Smith, 64, died on Monday, June 18th after a long illness. He retired in 2010 after a 22-year career as a park ranger at Lowell NHP. Southeast Region - Elena Robisch, Southeast Region's geospatial support program manager, will retire on June 28th, after almost 21 years of federal service. She will then hit the open road... * * * * 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). --- ### --- |