NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, March 20, 2009

INCIDENTS

Big South Fork NRRA

Canoeists Rescued After Near Drowning In High Flowing River

On March 15th, rangers received a report of stranded canoeists in the Alum Ford area within the park's Kentucky District. A couple from Chicago had attempted to canoe from Alum Ford to Turkey Creek while the river was at flood stage, running at approximately 15,000 cfs (cubic feet per second). The water temperature was also dangerously cold at 45 degrees. Within a mile, they encountered huge rapids which flipped the canoe and nearly drowned both of them. The boat and all their gear were lost. They were able to crawl out of the river and walk back upstream, clinging to rocks and branches, until they got the attention of some people back at Alum Ford and a call was made to 911. Rangers Curtis Stone and Jimmy Barna responded and located the couple with the help of bystanders. With flood waters still rising, Stone was able to use the park's jet boat to negotiate the treacherous whitewater to a point where he could reach the victims, who were now nearly hypothermic. Rangers and bystanders positioned themselves downstream along the river with throw bags and rescue gear as Stone ferried the man and woman back across the frigid water to safety. No further injuries occurred and the pair were transported from the scene and made a full recovery. Barna was incident commander. [Frank Graham, Chief of Visitor Services]

Big Cypress NP

Significant Wildlife Die-Off Under Investigation

Roy McBride, a member of the interagency panther capture crew, came upon a dead black vulture along Turner River Road on the morning of March 16th, then spotted several more dead vultures on Fire Prairie Trail. McBride notified chief ranger Ed Clark, who in turn notified dispatch and asked for rangers and resource managers to respond. Ranger Mary Jo Shreffler and resource management staff subsequently located 32 dead or dying black vultures and three opossums. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was advised and one of their officers responded. Park resource management employees Annette Johnson and Steve Schulze, outfitted with personal protective suits, collected the specimens while hydrologist Paul Murphy collected water samples from nearby water sources to test for contamination. The dead animals are being sent to various labs for testing. A US Fish and Wildlife Service special agent visited the park the next day; while he was on-site, two more black vultures were found. The investigation continues. [Gary Shreffler, Park Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

Chamizal NM - During the first week of March, the park brought together acting troupes from around the Spanish-speaking world to perform plays from Spain's Golden Age at the 34th annual Siglo de Oro drama festival.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7464" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7464

Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by the NPS and its partners across the nation. The section has been reformatted and now includes listings for online training courses. The first of these to be posted is a course on managing archeological collections. Also added today are an NPS Fundamentals V course at Mather and a use-of-force instructor course at FLETC.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1702" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1702

Events Calendar - Today's listing of upcoming NPS and NPS-related events across the nation. Added today is this coming Sunday's opening of a major new exhibit on slavery entitled “African Passages” at Fort Moultrie.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1703" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1703

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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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