NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
===============================================================================================================
INCIDENTS
Grand Canyon NP
Badly Injured Hiker Rescued From Remote Area Of Park
On Sunday, October 19th, N.K., a 59-year-old backpacker, was seriously injured in a fall while hiking with two companions near Tapeats Cave in a remote area below the North Rim. N.K. fell 30 feet down a 40-degree slope, then off a 20-foot drop into a dry stream bed with large boulders. N.K.'s son-in-law, a Grand Junction (Colorado) firefighter, ran ten miles to the Colorado River in two hours to summon assistance. There he contacted members of a river trip with a satellite phone. Park rescue personnel responded by NPS helicopter just before sunset. Due to the late hour and remoteness of the site, it wasn't possible to land, so ranger/paramedic Brandon Torres was dropped off at a nearby point and hiked to N.K.'s location. Torres treated him throughout the night. N.K.'s daughter, A.K., later told a Grand Junction Sentinel reporter that “the paramedic's calm demeanor and positive attitude put both Dad and I more at ease.” She had nothing but praise for the National Park Service. “After Dad was a little more comfortable, I sat down a little ways away and sobbed uncontrollably. It felt good to be able to let all that emotion out, especially since I knew my dad was in good hands.” On Monday morning, park personnel conducted a helicopter short-haul evacuation from below Tapeats Cave. N.K. was flown three miles, along with Torres, to the Surprise Valley area, where a Classic Lifeguard aeromedical helicopter was staged. Classic Lifeguard then transported N.K. to Flagstaff Medical Center, where he received treatment for a broken pelvis, arm and femur, a head injury, and multiple abrasions and contusions. Della Yurcik served as incident commander. [Ken Phillips, Chief of Emergency Services]
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
BASE Jumper And Associate Plead Guilty In Court
On October 7th, a BASE jumper and his partner pled guilty to separate charges in federal court following their arrest after a BASE jump a week earlier. A.G. pled guilty to a violation of 36 CFR 2.17(a)(3), illegal delivery of a person by parachute, the regulation prohibiting BASE jumping. A.G. was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines. T.H., A.G.'s partner, who aided and abetted him by acting as a radio lookout and posing as a hiking partner, pled guilty to interference with an agency function and was ordered to pay a $250 fine. Despite the duo's extraordinary efforts to avoid detection, including surveillance of the ranger station, scouting the jump location the previous day, using two-way radios, leaving for the jump site under darkness, and completing a backcountry permit stating they were hiking together, ranger Mark Franklin was still able to outwit the two and observe A.G. BASE jump off the 2,250-foot-high Painted Wall, Colorado's highest cliff, early on the morning of October 1st. Later that morning, rangers contacted a bewildered A.G. and T.H. as they exited S.O.B Draw and confiscated all the equipment used in the jump. A.G. had attempted to hide all of the equipment and other evidence of the jump in nearby trees prior to leaving the area. [Steve Winslow, District Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
Among the stories in today's edition are the following:
Great Sand Dunes NP&P - A study conducted by the Natural Resource Program Center's natural sounds program has revealed that the park is exceptionally quiet - among the quietest areas in the 50 NPS units studied over the past six years.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7036" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7036
National Partnership Office - The National Park Foundation has announced three new grant opportunities for national parks. Application due dates are in December and January.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6820" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6820
US Park Police - Park Police sergeants Charles Dennings and Greg Knee, detective Kevin Fornshill, and officers Samuel Karns, William Brancato, and Luis Liguori ran in the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 26th.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2117" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2117
* * * * *
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).
--- ### ---