NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, May 14, 2009

*** UPDATED ***

This email edition has been updated to include notification of the death of Brian O'Neill, superintendent of Golden Gate NRA.

INCIDENTS

Rocky Mountain NP

Seriously Injured Solo Climber Found By Skiers, Evacuated By Rescuers

Two backcountry skiers came upon an injured 57-year-old man at the base of Ptarmigan Glacier late on Tuesday morning. He'd taken a tumbling fall (distance unknown) on Monday morning while mountaineering in the area and had been lying at that location for 24 hours when the skiers showed up. One of the skiers contacted park dispatch via cell phone and reported the accident. A park rescue team responded to the location, which was at the 11,000-foot elevation (above treeline) and about five miles from Bear Lake trailhead. Two rangers reached him at 3:30 p.m. and found that he was conscious but suffering from numerous injuries. Winds at the time were blowing at about 75 miles per hour, making a helicopter evacuation impossible. The rescue team therefore evacuated him via wheeled litter. They reached the Bear Lake trailhead around 10:30 p.m. and transferred him to an ambulance for transport to Estes Creek Medical Center. The victim was alone at the time of his accident and had not been reported as overdue. It appears that an avalanche may have caused his fall. The two skiers saw the man from a distance, but he at first appeared to be part of the rocky terrain. When they got to him, they provided him with warm clothing, fluids and food, moved him from avalanche-prone terrain, and stayed with him - likely saving his life. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]

Yellowstone NP

Six Men Cited For Disturbing Old Faithful

Rangers have cited six men for walking on Old Faithful - and two of them for urinating at the geyser - after someone outside the park reported seeing them on a live park webcast. The six men were cited for going off trail and into the geyser area last week. Park rangers also cited two of the men for illegally possessing a piece of a park natural resource, and two for urinating at the geyser. All six are scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate. The park has a camera aimed at the geyser 24-hours a day with video streaming over the Internet. [KIDK News]

OTHER NEWS

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

Servicewide - “The National Parks: America's Best Idea,” the six-episode, twelve-hour documentary being produced by Florentine Films, Ken Burns' studio, has been completed. The initial episode is scheduled for airing on PBS on September 27th.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7688" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7688

Golden Gate NRA - Superintendent Brian O'Neill passed away peacefully on the afternoon of May 13th with his family by his side. Information on a memorial service will be posted on the park's web page later today.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2346" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2346

National Park Foundation - The National Park Foundation is offering national historic landmark grants to encourage parks to undertake documentation of new properties that may be eligible for recognition or to update the documentation of existing National Historic Landmark and National Register properties.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7692" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7692

Outer Banks Group - Long-time Outer Banks Group employee Paul K. Stevens has been selected as the group's next chief ranger. He replaces Norah Martinez, who transferred to Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska earlier this year to become that park's chief ranger.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2345" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2345

* * * * *

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).

--- ### ---