NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, August 24, 2012

INCIDENTS

Yosemite NP

Body Of Missing Boy Found

The body of J.A., a six-year-old boy who was swept into the Merced River on Wednesday, August 15th, was recovered yesterday. J.A. was wading in the Merced River with his ten-year-old brother, A.“A.”A., near the Vernal Fall Footbridge when they were swept downstream. A.A. was pulled from the river by a park visitor shortly after the incident, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Extensive search efforts for J.A. have been ongoing since last Wednesday. Rangers located his body approximately 50 yards downstream from the Vernal Fall Footbridge. Fluctuating water levels in the Merced River, changing weather conditions, and treacherous terrain contributed to a difficult and challenging search. However, with receding water levels and dry weather over the last few days, rangers were again able to access areas within the river corridor that were previously difficult to search. [Kari Cobb, Public Affairs Officer]

Southeast Region

Parks Prepare For Tropical Storm Isaac

Several reports have been received by parks affected or potentially affected by Tropical Storm Isaac, which passed by Puerto Rico yesterday and is forecast to become a hurricane by this weekend and make landfall somewhere between Florida and Louisiana:

San Juan NHS - The park, including Castillo San Crist—bal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro, reopened yesterday. The fortifications were temporarily closed to ensure the safety of visitors given the hazardous conditions associated with Tropical Storm Isaac.

Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks - The parks have transitioned from routine operations to management by the standing Type 3 incident management team (Mike Jester, IC). Current forecasts suggest possible park impacts due to Tropical Storm Isaac, which is forecast to become Hurricane Isaac by the time it arrives. Although both parks will remain open through today for use, camping has been suspended at Dry Tortugas and backcountry camping permits are not being issued in Everglades. An all-employee meeting will be held this morning.

Biscayne NP - Shutdown measures have begun, with non-essential boats pulled out of the water and dry-docked in the boneyard, loose gear and equipment around Convoy Point being relocated and/or secured, water quality meters pulled from Manatee Bay, and near-complete shuttering of island residences.

Additional reports will be posted on Monday and thereafter, as appropriate.

[Ernesto Padilla, SAJU; Leslie Velarde, EVER; Vanessa McDonough, BISC]

Saint Croix NSR

Park Crews Join In Search For Missing Three-Year-Old

A three-year-old girl was reported missing from her home near the park on the evening of Tuesday, August 14th. The home is about a mile from the park on a 40-acre spit of land in the middle of the Yellow River, which flows into the St. Croix River. Park crews joined in the search operation that evening, launching the park's zodiac with a dog search team on board and were on the water until 3 a.m. On Wednesday, more than 500 volunteers and others joined in the land search effort. Park personnel dragged the confluence of the St. Croix and Yellow River and continued up the Yellow River to Highway 35. From that point, they walked along the Yellow River to the Danbury dam, searching for the girl. The search was suspended late on Wednesday when a dive team found the girl's body about 25 yards from her home in three feet of murky water. A preliminary autopsy revealed that she'd drowned. This was a multi-agency search that included federal, state, county and local authorities and volunteers. [Chuck Carlson, Acting Chief Ranger]

Lake Mead NRA

Rangers Recover Body Of Drowning Victim

On the evening of August 20th, Boulder City PD contacted the park and asked for assistance in searching for a city resident who'd failed to return from a swim in the lake. Rangers looked for him, but without success. On Tuesday morning, Lake Mead Marina personnel reported what appeared to be a body floating about 20 feet from shore. Rangers recovered the body and turned it over to the county coroner. The victim matched the description of the missing person. [Kevin Turner]

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/):

Gulf Islands NS - Part of Horn Island, one of the seashore's islands off the Mississippi coast, was closed to the public last Friday due to the discovery of hazardous materials. Asbestos has been found and mustard gas and other chemicals may also be present.

Cultural Resources - A new website celebrates the National Park Service's August 25th birthday with profiles of some of the people who helped create the agency.

Pacific West Region - Sarah Creachbaum has been selected as the new superintendent of Olympic National Park. She replaces Karen Gustin, who retired in March after over 30 years with the National Park Service.

Upcoming Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training. Added to this week's listing are the following - the 2013 National Parks Institute Executive Leadership Seminar, training on advanced photovoltaics design and installation at Zion, an equipment operator safety course at Grand Canyon, and ten new FLETC offerings.

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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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