NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Friday, March 7, 2008
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INCIDENTS
Big Bend National Park
Missing Hiker Found After Overnight Search
On March 3rd, rangers learned that a 68-year-old man who'd left his spouse on the Grapevine Hills trail had not returned to the trailhead by the time darkness set in. They conducted a hasty search of the trail and established containment points around the area. Due to the hiker's age, medical history, and lack of cold weather equipment (nighttime lows were predicted to dip into the low 20s), an incident command was established and the search was pursued through the night. A Texas Department of Public Safety aircraft with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) capabilities was requested and searched the area all night without finding the missing man. He was located around 8:30 a.m. the next morning near Balanced Rock, about 75 yards off trail. Investigation revealed that he'd lost the trail and become exhausted. When night fell, he huddled under a rock overhang, maintaining his body heat by wrapping his head with his jacket. He was found to be cold, tired and hungry, but in good health. Ranger Michael Ryan was the incident commander. [Kevin Tillman, West District Ranger]
Yosemite National Park
Boy Scout Falls To Death
On February 16th, two Boy Scouts were hiking with their troop from Modesto, California, on the Yosemite Falls Trail, approximately 300 yards above Columbia Point. The two boys left the trail and attempted to take what they believed was a short cut. Both boys fell due to the steep terrain. One of them was able to self-arrest after a drop of approximately 10 feet, but saw that his companion continued over the edge and fell about 300 feet. The victim was located by rangers at the bottom of the cliff in an area just west of the Munginella climbing route. Advanced life support measures were employed for approximately 15 minutes before the boy was pronounced dead. A preliminary finding of the investigation into the incident by investigators and the medical examiner has ruled the death as accidental. (Jeff Sullivan, Supervisory Special Agent]
Natchez Trace Parkway,
Arrest Of Wanted Felon
FTO ranger Jay Drinkwater and trainee Ryan McLeod were on patrol of the Natchez Trace Parkway when they saw a vehicle fail to stop at a stop sign just after midnight on Saturday, January 19th. They contacted the occupants and noted that the passenger was acting nervous and appeared to be providing false information. A check of the passenger's information was completed via dispatch, which confirmed Drinkwater and McLeod's suspicions. Further investigation revealed he had four active felony warrants out against him. The rangers also found that he had about 2.5 ounces of marijuana in his possession. This was McLeods 30th arrest while in the FTEP program. [Allen S. Etheridge, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories (among others) can be read on InsideNPS:
CAMP Program - The Mid-Level Management Development Program Class of 2008 has piloted a demonstration family camping outreach program as a model program for agency use across the country.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6271" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6271
Risk Management Division - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Polaris Industries, has recalled a number of ATV's that can overheat and catch fire.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6272" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6272
Office of the Chief Information Officer - The latest Records Management and Privacy Act training modules are now available to all NPS employees and contractors in DOI LEARN. They are mandatory for all employees whether or not they have access to the Internet or a computer, and apply to all contractors performing work under NPS contracts.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6273" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6273
Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by both the NPS and its partners across the nation. Added this week are two housing management courses, FLETC classes on internet investigations and covert electronic tracking, an EMT refresher at Zion, equipment operator safety training at Mojave, fire incident resource advisor training at Lake Mead, an arborist training program being offered by the Olmstead Center, a three-part webcast on cultural resource law, an equipment operators safety course at GW Parkway, and a motorboat operator instructor certification course at Lake Mead.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=775" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=775
Events Calendar - Today's listing of upcoming NPS and NPS-related events across the nation. Registration has now opened for the first session of the “Designing the Parks” conference, which will be held in Charlottesville in May.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=776" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=776
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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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