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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, November 13, 2014 INCIDENTS New River Gorge NR Rangers Rescue Injured Climber A rock climber from Ohio was climbing the New River Gunks route in the Junkyard area, a 5.7 sport route supported by a top bolt, when he lost his grip, fell from 12 to 14 feet, landed in the sitting position, then fell backwards and hit his head. Fellow climbers reported that the injured man used an old cam device someone had left on the route. No one knew where the old device came from or how long it had been there. The climber clipped into the device about ten feet above the ground and continued to climb up the route. He then lost his grip and fell. The cable attached to the device broke and failed to arrest his fall. Rangers, an ambulance crew, and local first responders were dispatched to the accident after fellow climbers called it into the Fayette County 911 center. Rangers determined that the man had a possible broken wrist, back injury, and a minor head injury. He was not wearing a helmet. Rangers, climbers, and first responders carried him out in a litter. Two low angle belays were set to support the team as they carried him out the steep trail to a waiting ambulance. He was transported to Raleigh General Hospital for further evaluation and treatment. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger] Chattahoochee NRA Improvised Explosive Device Found In Park On November 4th, a park visitor found a backpack which was left unattended in the Vickery Creek Unit adjacent to a hiking trail. The visitor checked the backpack to identify an owner and noticed what appeared to a possible improvised explosive device. Ranger Jay Kolodzinski and a Roswell PD officer looked for and found the backpack. An explosives disposal unit from Cobb County PD responded along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorism Task Force special agents, and bomb technicians from the Atlanta Field Office. The Cobb County team rendered the suspected improvised explosive device safe. Due to nightfall, the scene was secured overnight by Rangers Anthony Winegar and Mel Johnson from Kennesaw Mountain NBP. The FBI Evidence Recovery Team, Atlanta Field Office, and Sandy Springs Georgia, Police Crime Scene Unit processed the crime scene. The FBI is the lead agency on the investigation. [Greg Podany, Special Agent] 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): Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division - Students at Colorado State University are participating in a joint CSU-NPS research project in which acoustic data recordings from parks are being analyzed to provide park managers with information to guide management decisions. Today's Almanac - Lake effect snow is forecast for areas along the Great Lakes. An arctic air mass will bring much lower temperatures -- in some cases 25 to 40 degrees below normal -- across much of the northern and central U.S. Office of Communications - The NPS has announced the names of the recipients of the seven regional Freeman Tilden Awards. The award recognizes outstanding interpretive programs and projects designed by NPS employees. Centennial Office - The Centennial Office has scheduled additional webinars for employees and partners to learn more about preparations for the Service's centennial in 2016. Channel Islands NP - The National Park Service lost a friend and research scientist with the death last week of Dr. Larry Agenbroad, the lead paleontologist and director at The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota. Yosemite NP - Long term NPS employee Pamela McHaney passed away on November 1st in Memphis, Tennessee, following a difficult and aggressive battle with cancer. 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). --- ### --- |