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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, November 21, 2014 INCIDENTS Rocky Mountain NP Body Of Missing Climber Found During helicopter search operations yesterday, the body of P.J., missing since last Sunday, was found 200 feet below the Ledges on the Keyhole Route. A park SAR team was flown to a landing spot in the Glacier Gorge drainage and four team members climbed approximately 1,800 vertical feet to where P.J. was found. His body was flown from the scene to a landing spot at Upper Beaver Meadows at approximately 4 p.m. and transferred to the Boulder County Coroner. P.J. was reported overdue the afternoon of Monday, November 17th, when he did not arrive at work. His vehicle was located in the parking lot at the Longs Peak Trailhead. He reportedly left Sunday morning to summit Longs Peak. Safety was a top priority in determining when and where rescue personnel could search for P.J. Winter conditions, including extreme winds and below freezing temperatures, made search and recovery operations even more difficult. These challenging conditions hampered search operations, particularly above tree line, over the past three days. With Thursday's calmer winds, searchers were able to utilize a helicopter, making it possible to cover a much larger area and ultimately locate P.J. Over the multiple day search, park SAR teams were assisted by Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue, Alpine Rescue Team, Diamond Peak Ski Patrol, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Search Dogs of Colorado and the Colorado Search and Rescue Board. Park staff also worked with the US Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer] Upper Delaware S&RR Vandals Tag Historic Roebling Bridge Early on the morning of Saturday, November 15th, vandals used spray paint to leave their “tag” on the sidewalls and capstones of the historic Roebling Bridge in Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. The Roebling Bridge is the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the United States and is a designated National Historic Landmark and National Civil Engineering Landmark. Nearby residents reported the presence of up to four people at the bridge but could provide no further identifying information; thanks to their interest in the unusual activity, though, the graffiti extends only half way across the bridge on the New York side. The graffiti extends across several different types of materials (wood, plexiglass, metal, and stone), with historic stone posing the greatest challenges for removal. Park law enforcement rangers are working with local law enforcement agencies to identify individuals associated with similar “tags.” Park staff are also consulting with regional experts on Section 106 compliance and the safest and most effective methods for cleanup. The estimated cost for removal is $2,000, which should be completed within the next week. [Joe Hinkes, 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): Office of Communications - Putting together the tale of a whale named “Snow” has earned Kelly VandenBerg and Melissa Senac of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve the 2014 National Park Service Freeman Tilden Award for Excellence in Interpretation. Today's Almanac - Another round of heavy lake effect snow is forecast for the Great Lakes through midday. A Pacific storm will bring snow, some of it heavy, to the Northwest. Geologic Resources Division - A new poster, "Caves of the National Parks," prepared in partnership with the American Geosciences Institute, is now available online and in hard copy for distribution to staff and visitors. Saint Croix NSR - The “Vets on the River” program recently concluded a successful third year of engaging veterans and their families. This year, 317 veterans and their family members were served, more people than ever before. Office of Communications - The Service has proposed a rule to allow deaccessioning of federally owned archeological items determined to be of insufficient national archeological interest. A Federal Register notice is now out. US Park Police - On November 13th, Park Police Officer Bruce Martin was presented the Higgins Award by Eastern District of Virginia U.S. Attorney Dana Boente. World War II Valor in the Pacific NM - Merry Petrossian, the park's chief of facility management, retired on Friday, November 14th, marking a milestone in the NPS management of operations in Pearl Harbor. 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). --- ### --- |