NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Thursday, January 29, 2009
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INCIDENTS
Grand Teton NP
Stranded Skiers Rescued From Backcountry
C.B., 29, and D.M., 27, both residents of Jackson, Wyoming, took a wrong turn after exiting an out-of-bounds gate at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort around 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 25th, and spent an unexpected night in the mountains without adequate clothing or shelter. The two men intended to ski south into Rock Springs Bowl, but inadvertently turned north and entered Granite Canyon. They did not realize that they were off course until they had traveled some distance into Grand Teton's backcountry. When darkness overtook them, they tried to camp for the night. Since they lacked extra clothing or any basic emergency gear to warm themselves, though, they became cold and decided to keep moving. As they were following Granite Creek downstream, C.B. fell through a thin bridge of snow and landed in knee-deep water. In addition to getting wet, C.B. lost one ski in the process of scrambling out of the streambed, which hampered his ability to continue skiing. The two men used their cell phone around 6:30 on Monday morning to make a 911 call for help, and that call was received by a Teton County dispatcher. The men reported that they were stranded somewhere south of the ski resort, as they still believed that they had skied toward Rock Springs Bowl, but a GPS locator on the cell phone pinpointed their position as being in Granite Canyon within Grand Teton National Park — several miles north of where they claimed to be. Shortly after making their emergency call, the cell phone lost service. Teton County dispatch alerted rangers of the situation and a search and rescue operation was begun. Two rangers snowmobiled to Granite Canyon, left their snowmobiles on the valley, floor, then skied into the canyon. Meanwhile, patrol staff from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort skied into Granite Canyon from the summit of Rendezvous Mountain and searched the canyon's upper reaches. Both rescue parties reached the stranded skiers around noon and provided C.B. with a spare ski to assist him in skiing out. The two men were located about two miles west of the mouth of Granite Canyon. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]
Virgin Islands NP
Rangers Arrest Man For Larceny From Backpacks
A series of thefts from backpacks at Waterlemon Beach led rangers to establish a surveillance operation there on January 23rd. They saw a man later identified as F.G. watch the beach area from a ruin with his binoculars, then walk up a path where other items had recently been stolen and take three bags from the beach while their owners snorkeled out to a reef. Rangers arrested him without incident. He cooperated with the investigating, confessing to the thefts and providing the locations of both his illegal camp and some of the stolen property. He was taken to federal court and held on bond. Rangers recovered ten backpacks and most of the stolen property. F.G. has also provided a written letter of apology to the victims for stealing their belongings. Rangers Jeff Mihan, Tom Schaff and Ludric Smith participated in the operation. Ranger Greg Johnston is case agent. [Jeff Mihan, Acting Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
Edgar Allan Poe NHS - The park held a four-day celebration of Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday in mid-January. The writer was born on January 19, 1809, and lived in Philadelphia for six years, his most productive period.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7304" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7304
Legislative and Congressional Affairs - Mike Gauthier and Jim Ireland began work in Washington, D.C. this month after being chosen in December as the NPS Bevinetto Congressional Fellows for 2009-2010. Their selection marked the second year in which two candidates were chosen for this rewarding leadership training opportunity.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2233" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2233
Glacier NP - Jim Foster has been selected as the park's new chief of facility management. He replaces John Kilpatrick, who transferred to the Army Corp of Engineers in September after ten years in the position.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2234" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2234
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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).
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