NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
===============================================================================================================
INCIDENTS
Glacier Bay NP
Cruise Ships Runs Aground In Park
The Spirit of Glacier Bay, operated by Cruise West, went aground at just after 7 a.m. on Monday, July 7th, near Grand Pacific Glacier in Tarr Inlet. There were no injuries to any of the 24 passengers or 27 crew members. The ship lifted off the bottom on a rising tide shortly after 4 p.m. that afternoon. Passengers were then unloaded from the Spirit of Glacier Bay onto another ship for passage out of the bay, and the Spirit was escorted about 60 miles down the bay by the US Coast Guard to Bartlett Cove, where it was moored and an assessment performed. Initial indications from the Coast Guard are that the vessel's hull did not appear to be breached, but an internal examination revealed damage to the shell plating and framing. Several interior doors also could not be shut. The Coast Guard responded to the incident with two MH-60 helicopters, two small boats and the 110-foot cutter Liberty. The NPS response included three small boats with spill response gear. The concession day tour vessel Fairweather II Express also responded and took passengers off the larger ship. At the time of the grounding, the ship was moving at just a half knot per hour. After running aground, the ship was stable with a one degree port list and is currently three degrees down by the bow. Weather at the time of the incident was clear and mild. The ship was on the third day of a four-day Glacier Bay cruise. Glacier Bay NP sees more than 150 cruise ships in the bay each summer and had an annual visitation of 438,000 in 2007. [John Quinley, Public Affairs Office]
Denali NP&P
Climber Collapses And Dies On Mt. McKinley Summit
A climber collapsed and died on the summit of Mt. McKinley on the evening of July 4th. J.N., 51, of Naperville, Illinois, was a client on an Alpine Ascents International expedition that began their climb on June 20th. According to the two expedition guides, J.N. exhibited no signs of distress or illness throughout the trip and was climbing strongly immediately prior to his collapse. The guides administered CPR for up to 45 minutes, but were unable to restore J.N.'s pulse. Park mountaineering rangers at the 14,200-foot camp were immediately notified by the guides via radio. The team was instructed by the rangers to descend carefully with the remaining four clients to the 17,200-foot camp, as J.N.'s body could not be safely recovered at the time. Conditions were initially calm and clear on the summit, but the weather began to deteriorate as the incident progressed. The 20,320-foot summit of Mt. McKinley features an exposed flat area roughly the size of a single car garage. Just below the summit, climbers must negotiate a 500-foot-long knife-edge ridge. A recovery along this ridge would require a highly skilled technical rescue team and a rope rigging system. Considering the high risk involved in such a ground lowering, as well as the excessive risk of a helicopter recovery at this extreme elevation, the National Park Service has determined that the safest alternative is to leave the remains of the deceased climber on the mountain at this time. This incident represents the first time a mountaineer has died on Mt. McKinley's summit. In 1988, a climber died at an elevation of 19,600-feet on a descent from the summit; the body was not recovered. [Maureen McLaughlin, PIO]
Saguaro NP
Man Bitten Twice By Poisonous Gila Monster
On June 25th, a 24-year-old homeless man who had wandered into the park found a gila monster and picked it up because - as he later told rangers - "it wanted to be friends." The man then placed the gila on his shoulders, whereupon it promptly bit him on the neck. While trying to shed the animal, it bit him once more on the hand. He then picked it up and wrapped it in a piece of clothing. A park volunteer encountered the man walking on a roadway adjacent to the park and asked if he needed help. The man told the volunteer what had happened, then showed him the gila. Rangers were summoned; when they arrived, they found the man vomiting and complaining of difficulty breathing. He was transported by ambulance to a Tucson area hospital, where he was admitted for treatment of the bites, heat exhaustion and severe dehydration. The gila appeared uninjured, and was returned to the park. This was the park's second gila bite incident this year. Gila monsters are native to the American southwest and northern Mexico and are the only venomous lizard native to the United States. These heavy, slow-moving lizards can grow up to two feet long and can weigh up to three pounds. Because of their slowness, they rarely present a threat to humans. [Bob Love, Chief Ranger]
Golden Gate NRA
Fisherman Drowns In Pacific Ocean
Park dispatch contacted supervisory rangers Ron Heeren and Pat Norton on the evening of June 25th and advised them that a person had been swept off the rocks into the water near Slide Ranch. The victim, identified as R.Z.-C., 34, had been fishing with three companions when a wave swept him off the rocks into the ocean. He spent approximately 20 minutes in the ocean before his companions were able to pull him from the water. They attempted to resuscitate him while a Coast Guard helicopter and boat responded, but without success. The helicopter hoisted R.Z.-C. up and brought him to a waiting ambulance, where he was pronounced dead. [Kim Coast, Operations Supervisor]
Lake Mead NRA
Man Drowns In Lake Mohave
An emergency call for help came into the park dispatch center around 7 p.m. on the evening of Saturday, July 5th. The caller told the dispatcher that a man and woman were in the lake at Six-Mile Cove and were having difficulty returning to the shoreline. The woman had evidently been having trouble, and the man had gone out to help her. Neither was wearing a life jacket. She made it back to shore and was airlifted to Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, but he disappeared. Rangers searched for him until dark, but were not able to find him. His body was recovered the following day. He has been identified as M.H., 52, of North Las Vegas. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
OTHER NEWS
Other stories can be read on InsideNPS at one or the other of these two sites:
NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index
Non-NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/
Please note that both publications carry a combined NIFC/NPS fire report. That is generally posted around 8 a.m. Eastern.
Among the stories in today's edition are the following:
Gettysburg NMP - A major restoration of the famous Gettysburg Cyclorama, a colossal circular oil painting from 1884, is nearing completion and will be unveiled at the dedication of the park's new museum and visitor center this September.
WASO - Director Bomar, the first naturalized citizen to serve as director of the National Park Service, delivered keynote remarks to a group of newly naturalized citizens at Ellis Island.
In the Media - A weekly summary of news stories about or of consequence to the NPS, including links to the articles.
Glen Canyon NRA - On June 24th, park pilot Tug Kangus received the 2007 Intermountain Regional Director's Award for Employee Safety and Health Achievement for his years of incident-free flying and dedication to safety.
* * * * *
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363
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).
--- ### ---