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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, July 23, 2014 INCIDENTS Grand Teton NP Seriously Injured Hiker Evacuated From Garnet Canyon A backcountry hiker received a serious injury to her leg as she jumped from a rock while descending the Cache Couloir above the Platforms in Garnet Canyon last Sunday afternoon. After jumping from the rock, the woman was unable to move her leg. A member of her hiking party of five dialed 911 to report the need for assistance. Rangers launched a short-haul rescue operation to extricate the 23-year-old woman with assistance from a Teton Interagency contract helicopter. The helicopter flew three rangers into Garnet Canyon on a reconnaissance flight to pinpoint the woman's location. They soon spotted her and the pilot landed in Garnet Meadows and dropped off the rangers. They were joined by two other rangers who hiked in, arriving around 8 p.m. A decision was made to short-haul the woman via an aerial evacuation suit, with an attending rescuer, to the Jenny Lake rescue cache at Lupine Meadows. The ship landed there a half hour later and the woman was taken to St. John's Medical Center for further care. The woman and members of her party told rangers that they did not have specific hiking plans for the day. Because they were unsure of their exact location when the accident occurred, rescuers had to use ‘pings' from three separate cell phone calls to obtain GPS coordinates. Only the third call provided accurate coordinates. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer] Lake Mead NRA Two Rescued, Two Missing In Separate Same-Day Incidents On July 20th, rangers rescued two visitors and searched for two swimmers who are still missing. Around 11 a.m., dispatch received a 911 call reporting that a woman was having difficulty breathing while hiking in White Rock Canyon. Rangers located her and hiked her out to safety. She refused medical assistance. Shortly thereafter, a visitor notified a ranger that a person was missing at Lake Mohave south of Willow Beach. Later reports indicated that a man had jumped off a boat to go swimming and was last seen going underwater. Rangers are continuing to search the area with the assistance of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue Dive Team. Around 2 p.m., a 911 call came in reporting a near drowning at Ski Cove on Lake Mohave. Rangers and medics responded. The man was flown to a Las Vegas hospital by Mercy Air, where he is expected to recover. Twenty minutes later, dispatch received another 911 call, this one reporting that a man went missing while swimming near Boulder Islands on Lake Mead. Rangers, Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens and members of the Metro Search and Rescue Dive Team are searching for him. All incidents are under investigation. In the water-related cases, none of the victims was wearing a life jacket. Winds were gusting between 20-30 miles per hour throughout the afternoon. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer] 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): Sitka NHP - Five years ago, the park began augmenting its ranger-led walks with cell phone tours of its 25 totem poles. Since then, more than 12,000 visitors have taken such tours, with an average length of about three quarters of an hour. Alaska Region - Every year, summer solstice provides the opportunity to share Alaska's national parks via social media. This year's event reached scores of thousands. George Washington Carver NM - On July 12th, nearly 1,500 visitors enjoyed the 71st annual Carver Day celebration at George Washington Carver National Monument. Radio Program Management Division - The most recent edition of Radio Connection Newsletter, highlighting Servicewide radio program activity performed during the second quarter of 2014, is now out. George Washington Birthplace NM - Thanks to an impact grant from the National Park Foundation, a small section of shoreline at George Washington Birthplace National Monument recently got a big makeover. Intermountain Region - William “Bill” Haviland, a retired 35-year veteran of the National Park Service, passed away on July 16th. A memorial service will be held in Montana at a later date. 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). --- ### --- |