Pacific Northwest Parks
Record Rains Cause Washouts, Closures
Heavy rains that have fallen in Washington and elsewhere in the Northwest over the past several days have caused some serious problems:
- Olympic NP — Heavy rain last Thursday led to extensive road damage throughout the park and the Olympic Peninsula. Most dramatic was the eight foot deep, 130 foot wide landslide that covered U.S. Highway 101 around Lake Crescent. The slide not only covered both lanes of the highway, but also pushed a log truck into Lake Crescent. The driver, 43-year-old Robert Coyle of Forks, Washington, had finished his last run of the day and was heading home along the lake when his truck was pushed through the guard rail and into the lake by the debris flow. Although a non-swimmer, Coyle was able to reach shore by climbing through his window and onto a series of logs that were part of the slide material. The park road crew, along with crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation, cleared the mudslide on Friday and Saturday. The truck was removed from the lake on Saturday afternoon and the road re-opened on Saturday evening. Elsewhere around the park, the Hoh Rain Forest road and the Sol Duc road both remain closed due to extensive washouts. The Queets, Quinault North Shore, North Fork and Graves Creek roads are also closed due to flooding, damage and/or downed trees. A flood watch is still in effect for the Olympic Peninsula and heavy rain is forecast to continue throughout most of this week.
- North Cascades NP — Late last week, a major Pacific storm brought rain and high winds gusting to 70 mph to the area. On Thursday and Friday, as much as 10 inches of rain fell in 48 hours in areas on the west side of the Cascades. The high winds caused downed trees and major power outages throughout the area; the extensive rains caused rivers and streams to overflow their banks and closed many roads. A series of mudslides, including one that took out a 150 foot section of road near Diablo Lake, closed the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) for the season. This closure is the earliest in the highway's 31-year history. The heavy rains caused rocks to tumble onto roads and block culverts, felled trees across roads and caused mud to slide off hillsides in several areas throughout Ross Lake NRA. Fisheries biologists expect that the high stream and river flows will result in a large reduction in survival of pink and federally listed chinook salmon in the Skagit River system. The return of chinook salmon three to four years from now will consequently be much lower than otherwise, and the return of pinks in 2005 will be severely reduced. Park staff assisted numerous stranded visitors and supported staff members and local jurisdictions with evacuations of low lying areas. Rangers were called to assist in a search for two local men who went to check their cabin in the Bacon Creek area on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest just west of the park boundary. The men were found on Monday morning after having been stranded in their cabin by high waters for over 16 hours. Park staff have begun the process assessing damages. Another Pacific storm is hitting the area at present, bringing another bout of high winds, heavy rains and further flooding.
For details on the storm's impacts on the Northwest, click on "More
Information" below, which will take you to the lead story in yesterday's
Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
[Submitted by Barb Maynes, Public Affairs,
Olympic NP; Pete Cowans, Chief Ranger/Tim Manns, Chief Interpreter,
North Cascades NP] More
Information...
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Major Search Culminates in Recovery of Doctor's Body
On October 15th, rangers in the Tower Subdistrict checked out a red
2000 Chevy Blazer that had been parked for four days at the Slough Creek
trailhead. They found several suicide notes inside and evidence
identifying the missing man as a doctor from Louisiana. Both a search
and a criminal investigation were begun. Investigators learned that the
man was a well-known physician in both Florida and Louisiana. Evidence
indicated that he'd staged a very elaborate disappearance in late May.
At that time, a county sheriff's department conducted an extensive
ground and water search for the man, then an investigation into his
whereabouts after his boat was found floating and unoccupied. No
conclusive determination was made on his fate, but both drowning and
death from other causes were considered possible. The case received
extensive media coverage in the Florida Panhandle. The doctor's name was
entered into NCIC as a missing person. On September 25th, he was stopped
in Bozeman, Montana, and cited for numerous traffic violations. The
agency that had made the NCIC entry was contacted and the doctor's name
was removed from the missing person listing. This action generated
renewed media interested in both Montana and Florida, particularly when
the physician failed to appear in court as scheduled on October 9th. On
October 16th, an NPS dog and ground search team led by ranger Bonnie
Gaffney located the doctor's body in a secluded area about two miles
north of the Slough Creek trailhead. He was later positively identified
by family members. All investigation and forensic data strongly suggest
that his death was a suicide. Special agents continue to attempt to find
anyone who may have contacted the doctor prior to his death. Supervisory
park ranger Travis Poulson was the search IC.
[Submitted by Brian
Smith, Supervisory Special Agent]
Amistad National Recreation Area (TX)
Drug Seizure
Rangers were contacted by Customs officers on October 9th regarding a
load of marijuana that was to be smuggled across the Rio Grande River.
The load, which came to 149 pounds, was brought across the river and
delivered to undercover agents, who were to be given a drop-off
location. They took the marijuana to a Customs office until the delivery
was to be made. It was subsequently delivered, and the two recipients
were arrested. Border Patrol officers were also involved in this
interagency operation.
[Submitted by Bruce Malloy, Chief Ranger]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Suicide from Roanoke River Bridge
The park received a report of a man crossing the guardrail on the
Roanoke River Bridge on Thursday, October 16th. Rangers could not find
him or his body. Search teams, including divers, were brought in, and
the body of the 55-year-old man was found on the following day. All
indications are that his death was a suicide. The case ranger is Steve
Buxton.
[Submitted by John Garrison, Staff Ranger]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Manassas National Battlefield Park (VA)
Two GS-025-9 Protection Rangers
Manassas National Battlefield Park is recruiting for two GS-025-9 protection rangers to join its proactive law enforcement program. The park offers the opportunity to perform a variety of visitor and resource protection activities, including traffic enforcement; investigation of cultural and natural resource violations; foot, horse, and bike patrol of 35 miles of trails; and details to special events at parks throughout the region and the National Mall. The rangers selected for these positions may also serve as the park EMS and/or fire coordinators. Due to the park's commuting proximity to D.C. and several other NPS sites, there is the potential for dual career opportunities. The announcement for these positions is currently advertised on USA JOBS as MANA-03-09. For additional information, contact chief ranger Gil Goodrich at 703-754-8694.
[Submitted by Gil Goodrich]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.