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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, June 2, 2014 INCIDENTS Mount Rainier NP Six Climbers Killed On Liberty Ridge The search for a party of six overdue climbers on Liberty Ridge came to a tragic conclusion on May 31st when an air search identified personal items and detected avalanche beacon signals at a location 3,300 feet below the ridge in a debris field on the Carbon Glacier. This area correlates with the fall line in the area of the climbers' last known location. With all physical evidence at the scene suggesting that the party was buried in the debris field for nearly three days along with the 3,300 feet fall, it was determined that there was no chance of survival. Evidence suggests that the party was swept off the mountain in an avalanche-like event. The final fall location is extremely hazardous due to continuous rock and ice fall from the ridge above. Recovery efforts would require ground and aviation resources and would put recovery personnel in the direct path of these hazards. Incident command made the decision to not conduct those efforts in light of the unacceptable risks to recovery personnel and the operation transitioned to a limited, continuous search at that time. Recovery efforts will be evaluated on an ongoing basis as conditions change. The party consisted of two A.A.I. climbing guides and four clients. They last contacted their office on May 28th at approximately 6:00 pm by satellite phone from about 12,800 feet on the Liberty Ridge route. They reported that all was well at the time. The climbers were planning to make their push to the summit the following day. Alpine Ascents reported the overdue party at 4:30 pm on May 30th. Approximately 50 people were assigned to the operation, including park staff, commercial climbing guides and military personnel. A team of three climbing rangers conducted a ground search along the Liberty Ridge climbing route. The US Army Reserve 214th Air Division out of Joint Base Lewis McChord and Northwest Helicopters provided the helicopter assets vital to locating the climbing victims. The combined efforts of the ground search and aerial search teams ensured that the suspected accident area was methodically searched for any evidence associated with the climbing victims. [Lorant Veress and Patti Wold] Fire Island NS Trailer And Three Boat Motors Stolen From Park On the morning of Thursday, May 29th, employees arriving at the Patchogue Maintenance Facility discovered that the chain link gate securing the yard was open and that the lock had been cut. Further investigation revealed that three boat outboard motors and a government flatbed trailer had been stolen from the yard early that morning. The motors had been stored along with other equipment in an open air warehouse and were still in their original crates. It is believed that the stolen trailer was used to transport the motors from the premises. The total equipment loss is estimated at $30,000. In consultation with NPS special agents, it was determined that the Suffolk County Police Department's fifth precinct would lead the investigation, with the assistance of Fire Island law enforcement rangers. The investigation is ongoing. [Lena Koschmann, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers): Department of the Interior - On Friday, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced a new NPS theme study that will identify places and events associated with the story of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. Office of Partnerships and Philanthropic Stewardship - The spring edition of Parks: The Stewardship Circle Journal, a publication produced by the National Park Foundation, is now out and available online. Office of 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 Service. This report covers activities in Congress for the week ending May 30th. National Capital Region - Lisa Mendelson-Ielmini, deputy regional director for National Capital Region, has been named NCR's acting regional director. She succeeds Steve Whitesell, who has retired. To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites: NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/ The Morning Report is produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov). --- ### --- |