Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
One Climber Killed, Second Missing in Mountain Accident
On Tuesday, June 15th, family members reported that climbers L.C.
and A.V. were overdue from an ascent of the highly
technical Liberty Ridge route on Mount Rainier. The pair had undertaken
the ascent on the previous weekend. A search was begun, and a motionless
person was spotted in the snow west of the ridge at 9,000 feet during a
reconnaissance flight on Thursday. That evening, a team of climbing
rangers was flown to the mountain and inserted onto lower Curtis Ridge.
On Friday morning, the rangers recovered L.C.'s body. Rangers Chris
Olson, Glenn Kessler, Stoney Richards and Matt Hendrickson then
conducted an intensive ground search of the area, using avalanche
transceivers and probes. They recovered two backpacks and a climbing
rope, but found no sign of A.V., who is a seasonal wildland
firefighter at North Cascades NP. Efforts to find him continue. L.C.,
29, of Stevensville, Montana, was a graduate student at the University
of Montana with a master's in applied mathematics and taught alpine and
mountaineering skills. He leaves his parents, wife, and four-and-a-half
year old son. A.V., 29, is a graduate of Evergreen State College,
with a bachelor's degree in botany. He just began his third season of
employment at North Cascades, where he served as a fire effects monitor.
Last year the pair attempted to climb Disappointment Clever on Mount
Rainier with a friend, but turned around due to poor weather conditions
that made the route unsafe. Meanwhile, rangers were also involved in the
rescue of a second, unrelated climbing party from Thumb Rock on the
Liberty Ridge route. Although uninjured, A.H., 44, of Fort
McMurrey Canada, and B.P., 48, of Connecticut, reported that they
were in distress and needed assistance in descending the route. Mike
Gauthier is IC on this incident.
[Submitted by Patti Wold,
Information Officer]
Glacier National Park
Visitor Survives Fall and Submersion in Reynolds Creek
A.A., 24, of Orlando, Florida, survived a fall and cold
water immersion in Reynolds Creek on June 16th after his companion,
other park visitors and nearly a dozen park personnel came to his
rescue. A.A. and Valerie Sudlow were hiking near Deadwood Falls on
the Gunsight Lake Trail, approximately a mile from the trailhead on the
Going-to-the-Sun, when A.A. climbed some rocks above the falls. He
slipped and fell into the pool and was reportedly submerged underwater
for several minutes. Sudlow ran down to the pool below the falls and
found A.A. unconscious and not breathing. She reportedly pulled him
from the water and administered CPR for approximately five minutes
before he began breathing on his own. Don Scharfe, owner of Rocky
Mountain Outfitters in Kalispell, came upon the scene with several
climbing companions and assisted by starting a small fire and treating
A.A. for hypothermia. NPS personnel were notified shortly thereafter
and responded. Park interpretive naturalists and trail crew members
assisted rangers by providing clothing to warm A.A. and later
carrying him to the trailhead via litter. An air ambulance was requested
and landed at the Jackson Glacier overlook pullout on Going-to-the Sun
Highway. Flight nurses further stabilized A.A. while the helicopter
flew to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where he was given additional
medical care.
[Submitted by Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs
Specialist]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Fatal Accident on Highway 89
On the afternoon of Thursday, June 17th, M.P., 48, of
Jackson, was heading south on Highway 26/89/191 when he lost control of
his 1994 Chevy truck. The tires on the passenger side of the vehicle
drifted off the edge of the pavement; when M.P. tried to turn back onto
the highway, he evidently overcorrected, causing the truck to flip over
once and come to rest on its side. At the time of the accident, M.P.
and coworker Stanley Wood, 46, of Wilson, Wyoming, were returning to
Jackson in a company truck from a job site at the northern end of the
valley. The two men work for Chimney Sweeps of Jackson Hole. Neither
M.P. nor Wood was wearing a seatbelt and both men were thrown from the
truck. The park was notified, and rangers immediately responded. When
they arrived, they determined that M.P. had expired. Wood survived and
was found sitting on the side of the road. He was taken to St. Johns
Medical Center in Jackson for treatment of his injuries and later flown
to Eastern Idaho Medical Center in Idaho Falls for additional treatment.
Rangers closed the highway to all traffic between Moose junction and
Moran junction to provide safe access for emergency vehicles and
emergency medical personnel responding to the accident. The road
remained closed for four hours so that rangers could conduct an
investigation of the accident scene and remove the truck.
[Submitted
by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Specialist]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Successful Intervention in Attempted Suicide
The park received a report of a man attempting suicide at Humpback
Rocks on Sunday, June 13th. Augusta County deputies were first on scene
and were able to track him to his location at the top of a cliff. Prior
to contacting him, they learned that he'd been involved in a similar
incident two years previously in Denton, North Carolina. On that
occasion, he'd barricaded himself in his home with numerous weapons and
had held off a SWAT team for some time before surrendering. When the
deputies reached him, they found that he was armed with a knife and
threatening to kill anyone who came close to him. During this initial
contact, he repeatedly stabbed himself in the leg. With assistance from
the man's brother, deputies were able to convince him to move away from
the cliff and come back down to the hiking trail. Deputies and ranger
Marc Cyr lay in wait for him as he came down and were able to stun him
with a taser and take him into custody. He was taken to Augusta Medical
Center, Other agencies providing assistance included Shenandoah NP,
Dooms FD, and Waynesboro Rescue.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's
Office]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Suicide at Parkway Overlook
On June 10th, the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office received a call
from the boyfriend of a woman who had gone to Robinson Gap to commit
suicide. He said that he'd been on the phone with her when he heard a
gunshot. A deputy responded and found her car at the House Mountain
overlook. She was slumped over the wheel and all the doors were locked.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation is underway
with the sheriff's office.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
Lassen Volcanic National Park (CA)
Butte Lake Prescribed Fire (Prescribed Fire Treatment)
On June 16th, at approximately 17:00 hours, ignition began northwest of Butte Lake, and approximately 100 acres were completed. An additional 150 acres was burned on June 17th, until rain hampered combustion. Ignition operations resumed on the 18th and the final 150 acres should be completed by this afternoon. (full report)
Status: Butte Lake Trail and Bathtub Lake Trail are temporarily closed.
Acreage: 325 acres
Resources Committed: Approximately 60 firefighters, 7 overhead, 3 protection rangers, and 3 engines.
Estimated containment date: June 19, 2004[Submitted by Scott Isaacson , scott_isaccson@nps.gov, 530-595-4444 x 5162 ]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide Training
Operations Training Opportunities
This calendar appears in Monday editions of the Morning Report and InsideNPS. Please note:
- New and revised entries are in bold face.
- Submissions for other training courses should conform to the style used here.
- Please include the URL to the web sites where readers can obtain the requisite forms and/or find out additional information about the training course. If a URL is not specifically listed, the announcement can likely be found on the Learning Place, the NPS training page found at http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc.
- Closing dates for applications are underscored.
**********************************************************************************************
June
June 28 — July 2: Archeological Resources Protection Training (XP-ARPTP-405), Hot Springs, AR. Course applications can be obtained at www.fletc.gov/osl/registration.htm and should be faxed to Virginia McCleskey at 912-267-3464. Closes shortly — get your nomination in now. Questions should be directed to her at 912-554-5828. [Dennis Burnett, LE&ES/WASO]
July
---
August
August 9 — August 13: Fundamentals of Special Park Uses, Albuquerque, NM. Sign-up deadline on My Learning Manager is June 30th. [Lee Dickinson, WASO]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
GS-025 12/13 SAR & EMS Program Manager
An announcement has been issued for the Branch Chief for Emergency Services under the Associate Director, Resource and Visitor Protection. The announcement number is NPS-WASO-04-034 and it closes on July 7th. Responsibilities include oversight of emergency operations, incident management teams, emergency medical services and search and rescue. For a copy of the announcement, click on "More Information" below.
[Submitted by Don Coelho, Chief, Law Enforcement & Emergency Services] More Information...
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (LA)
GS-11 District Interpreter
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve is seeking interested applicants for a GS-11 district interpreter in its Crescent City District. The Crescent City District includes the French Quarter Visitor Center located in the heart of New Orleans' historic French Quarter, with its garden courtyard, interactive exhibits, theater, demonstration kitchen — all just a block from the Mississippi river. The District also includes Chalmette Battlefield, site of the Battle of New Orleans where Gen. Andrew Jackson whipped the British in the last battle of the War of 1812. The District has a year-round operation with 8 permanent staff and a budget of over $500,000. The richly varied interpretive program includes folklife and cooking demonstrations, music performances, guided tours through historic neighborhoods, Trails & Rails program from New Orleans to Houston on Amtrak's Sunset Limited, living history encampments with black powder firing, and an innovative JROTC living history program (winner of the 2003 Southeast Region Keeper of the light Award). This vacancy announcement closes July 16. For further information go to vacancy announcement JELA-04-08 at http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov.
[Submitted by Dan Brown, daniel_r_brown@nps.gov, (504) 589-3882 ext. 224]
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (MD)
Passing of Janet Shewbridge
Janet Shewbridge, gift shop manager with the park concession, Evelyn Hill, Inc. passed away on June 15th after a prolonged illness.
Janet worked at the park gift shop in the park's visitor center for 30 years.
Evelyn Hill, Inc. operates park concessions at the Statue of Liberty NM as well as at Fort McHenry.
She is survived by her brother and four nieces and nephews. Services for her were held on Friday, June 18th.
[Submitted by Charles Strickfaden, Chief Ranger]
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.