NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, July 31, 2014

INCIDENTS

Rocky Mountain NP

Missing Hiker Found By Searchers

On the morning of Monday, July 28th, the park received a call advising that a 56-year-old Illinois man was overdue from a climb of Longs Peak.

He'd planned on summiting the peak on the east side on Sunday. Around 4:30 p.m., he called his family and told them that he'd be late getting back to the trailhead. When he failed to show up or call again, they contacted the park.

Members of the park's search and rescue team began looking for him on Monday morning, retracing what they assumed was his intended route. Just before noon, the man called his family; he said that he was okay, but that he'd had to spend the night on the peak due to severe weather and nightfall. He then resumed his descent in heavy fog in the morning and became lost. He also reported that he might be on Mount Meeker.

A helicopter was brought in to assist in the search and spotted the man below Peacock Pool in the Roaring Fork drainage late in the afternoon. Rangers were nearby and reached him 15 minutes later. He declined medical evaluation and evacuation by helicopter, saying that he wanted to hike out on his own. Ranger led him back to the trail and gave him directions to the trailhead.

[Kyle Patterson, 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):

Ocmulgee NM - On July 26th, Ocmulgee National Monument commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Dunlap Farm with interpretive programs and living history demonstrations.

Office of Communications - Due to a combination of climate change and habitat loss, up to a quarter of the total area of the National Park System is vulnerable to vegetation shifting upslope and northward according to new research published in Global Change Biology.

California NHT - More than 20 federal, state, local, non-profit, and private partners helped develop a new park on the California National Historic Trail. The Lander Trail New Fork River Crossing Historical Park opened to the public on June 21st.

Women's Rights NHP - Women's Rights National Historical Park hosted its first annual Convention Paddle in July. The goal was to foster an understanding of the importance, significance and history of New York's water trails.

Office of Communications - The National Park Service has awarded more than $700,000 in historic preservation grants to 18 American Indian tribes and Alaskan Natives organizations.

North Cascades NP - After nearly thirty years of dedicated service to the National Park Service, Kinsey Shilling, the chief ranger at North Cascades, is retiring on July 31st.

Biological Resource Management Division - Carmen Chapin, NPS Great Lakes Exotic Plant Management Team liaison, has been recognized by partners in the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! campaign as their July Partner in Action.

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).

--- ### ---