|
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, June 24, 2014 INCIDENTS Glacier NP Park Recovers From Impacts Of Major Spring Storm A number of park roads, campgrounds and other facilities were temporarily closed last week due to a storm that brought four to eight inches of rain to lower elevations and up to 36 inches of snow to higher elevations over a two-day period. Spring plowing was slowed and in some cases stopped last week due to the weather and low visibility. West side plowing activities resumed on Sunday and road crews punched through 16 new snow slides to The Slopes area on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. At least 24 new snow slides on the road were observed by park staff, with more anticipated as plowing progresses. Road crews report encountering snow slides up to 200 feet long and 15 feet deep. Crews will also be clearing the road of rock, mud, and wood debris. Many areas of the road that were once clear of snow now need to be plowed again. A snow slide destroyed at least eight segments of guard rail near Haystack Creek. On the west side of the park, Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently open to vehicle travel from the West Entrance to Avalanche. Hiker-biker access is available from Avalanche to the Loop while road crews are working. On the east side of the park, the Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently open to vehicle travel from St. Mary to Jackson Glacier Overlook. Road construction activity is currently underway between Rising Sun and Siyeh Bend. There is no hiker-biker access past the Jackson Glacier Overlook vehicle closure. Water levels appear to have stabilized across the park, decreasing concerns of flooding. The St. Mary Campground is now open with limited sites available. Access to Kintla Lake via the Inside North Fork Road is again possible. The Goat Haunt area is now open and boat tours are operating regularly. Park personnel continue to monitor other areas of the park as temperatures rise and snowmelt continues. For additional questions about Glacier National Park, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm" \t "_blank" http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or call 406-888-7800. See the park's Flickr page at HYPERLINK "https://www.flickr.com/photos/glaciernps" \t "_blank" https://www.flickr.com/photos/glaciernps for various images of the park, including recent snow slides on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. [Denise Germann, Management Assistant] Niobrara NSR Rangers Rescue Three Following Canoeing Accident Rangers responded to a call of a canoe wrapped around Cornell Bridge on Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge just after noon on June 14th. Rangers Bryceson King and Nathan Tillinghast found a woman and child stranded on the flattened boat and a man clinging to a cement bridge pillar nearby. They were advised that neither of the adults could swim and that the woman had sustained injuries that made it difficult for her to help the child. King provided throw ropes to a member of the party he positioned downstream, then utilized a throw rope from the bridge to assist the three people on the boat. Tillinghast contacted Cherry County EMS and Valentine Fire for backup before entering the river by canoe to provide the trio with support and instruction. Rescuers were able to safely remove the woman and child from the boat before Tillinghast could use his canoe to remove the man from the bridge pillar. All three were transported to Cherry County Hospital, where they were treated for hypothermia, lacerations and abrasions from the bridge and a near drowning by freshwater aspiration. One victim was immediately transported to Rapid City Regional Hospital in South Dakota and is expected to make a full recovery. [Andrew Branum, Acting 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): Petersburg NB - A series of ranger presentations and living history events were held on the weekend of June 14th and June 15th to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening battles of the Petersburg campaign in 1864. Southeast Region - Patty Wissinger, 55, deputy superintendent at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, passed away last Friday evening after a prolonged illness. A memorial service will be held tomorrow. Colorado NM - Park staff, volunteers and visitors celebrated the completion of the asphalt overlay project which smoothed the road surface within the tunnels on the west hill of Rim Rock Drive with a morning of ceremonial bicycle rides. Park Facility Management Division - On June 17th, Grand Canyon National Park received a Federal Green Challenge award from the Environmental Protection Agency for its achievements in sustainability. Natural Resource Stewardship and Science - George Dickison, deputy associate director for natural resource stewardship and science, will retire on June 30th after 22 years with the National Park Service. 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). --- ### --- |