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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, October 24, 2014 INCIDENTS Office Of Communications Investigation Underway Into Vandalism At Multiple Parks The National Park Service is investigating reports of vandalism - acrylic painting on rocks - in at least ten national parks in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah. Details are not yet available because the case is under investigation, but the vandalism is believed to have occurred in the following parks (asterisks indicate that confirmation is pending at a particular area) - Grand Canyon*, Yosemite, Death Valley, Sequoia-Kings Canyon*, Joshua Tree*, Rocky Mountain*, Crater Lake, Bryce Canyon*, Zion and Canyonlands. Said a Washington Office spokesperson: “There are forums for artistic expression in national parks because national parks inspire artistic creativity. These images are outside that forum and outside the law.” The link below is to a representative media report on the investigation. HYPERLINK "http://gazette.com/vandalism-investigated-at-10-national-parks-including-rocky-mountain-national-park/article/1540003" http://gazette.com/vandalism-investigated-at-10-national-parks-including-rocky-mountain-national-park/article/1540003 Zion NP Climber Dies In 80-Foot Fall A 47-year-old climber from California died in an 80-foot fall on the afternoon of Sunday, October 19th. C.S. was hiking with a fellow climber to the base of “Iron Messiah,” a technical 5.10 climb in Zion Canyon near the Zion Lodge which the duo planned to climb together. They were on an approach pitch in easy fifth class terrain when C.S. apparently fell backward, tumbling approximately 80 feet down the steep slope and striking a series of ledges. C.S. was not roped in and was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Rangers were notified of the accident at approximately 11 a.m. via 911 calls placed by his partner and another witness. Park medics located and reached C.S. by noon. Due to the steep rocky terrain, rangers needed to belay the litter with three attendants down the scree field. Park medics and a requested Lifeflight medical crew stabilized C.S. during the almost three hour technical evacuation. C.S. was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center by Lifeflight, where he succumbed to his injuries. This was the eighth climbing fatality in the park since 1983. [Therese Picard, Canyon District Ranger] Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs Man Sentenced To Prison For DUI Death Around 2 a.m. on August 31, 2013, Kings Canyon National Park received a 911 call reporting a single vehicle rollover accident on Highway 180 in the Cedar Grove area of the park. Responding rangers and park medics found that a 35-year-old North Dakota man had died at the scene and that four other people in the pickup had been seriously injured. Personnel from Yosemite, the California Highway Patrol, the Fresno County Coroner's Office, and the Sequoia Safety Council also responded. A cooperative investigation was conducted by Investigative Services Branch agents and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks law enforcement rangers. On October 14th, N.M., 25, was sentenced to four years and four months in prison for involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol. For more information, go to HYPERLINK "http://www.justice.gov/usao/cae/news/docs/2014/2014_10/10-14-14Moser.html" http://www.justice.gov/usao/cae/news/docs/2014/2014_10/10-14-14Moser.html [Michelle Fidler, Acting Public Affairs Specialist] 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): Saguaro NP - Saguaro National Park held a bioblitz in its Rincon Mountain District on Saturday, October 11th - the first since the National Geographic-sponsored bioblitz it held in 2011. This event was held at the Madrona Pools and focused on aquatic life, particularly invertebrates and microorganisms. Today's Almanac - An active weather pattern will continue across the Pacific Northwest on Friday, where an onshore flow will usher in moisture from the Pacific Ocean, resulting in another inch or two of rain across the region. Northeast Region - Staff at Gateway have been engaged in a successful long-term effort to engage local Hindu leaders in conversations on effective ways to resolve, in a mutually agreeable fashion, the issues associated with offerings left in the park. George Washington Memorial Parkway - The park hosted Secretary Jewell, over 100 Student Conservation Association alumni, Americorps and Peace Corps volunteers and area students for a day of service and remembrance on September 11th. Juan Bautista de Anza NHT - Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail partnered with Latino Outdoors for a September 27th hike in the San Francisco Bay Area to mark both Hispanic Heritage Month and National Public Lands Day. Zion NP - Two Zion National Park Volunteers-in-Parks finished hiking the entire 2,100 mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail in September. They've been hiking sections of the trail since 1975. 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). --- ### --- |