NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
INCIDENTS
Glacier NP
Trail Runner Injured By Bear
A jogger was injured on Sunday morning in an encounter with a grizzly bear while running on a backcountry trail on the park's west side. T.N., 60, of Kalispell, Montana, reported that he had been bitten by a grizzly bear at about 9:45 a.m. while he was running on the Lake McDonald Valley Trail in Lake McDonald Valley. T.N. told an investigating ranger that he was running northeast on the trail about one to one-and-a- half miles from the Avalanche Lake trailhead when he heard what he described as the sound of a dog barking, then galloping horses coming up the trail behind him. T.N. said he had just enough time to turn around and get about a foot off the trail when he saw what he estimated to be two 250-pound grizzly bears running toward him. T.N. said that he believed the bears were running from something that had startled them and that one of the bears stopped in close proximity to him. He kicked the bear, then fell down. The bear bit him twice as he continued to kick and poke the bear with sticks. The bear soon lost interest in him, moved away, then went uphill from the trail. T.N. walked downhill and cross country to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, where he got a ride from a visitor back to his own car at the Avalanche trailhead. He then drove himself to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center's emergency room, where he received medical treatment. During an interview after the incident, T.N. told a ranger that he normally carries bear spray, but that he did not have it with him on this occasion. [Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]
Yosemite NP
Memorial Day Brings Crowds, Multiple Incidents
Rangers dealt with big crowds and numerous incidents over the Memorial Day weekend. There was heavy traffic throughout the park on all three days. Lines at entrance stations throughout the park began forming as early as 7 a.m. and continued until late in the afternoon. Complicating operations was a phone outage throughout much of the Mather District due to lightening and thunderstorm activity earlier in the week. Significant incidents included:
Firefighters actively suppressed the Cottonwood Fire while monitoring other lightening-caused fires in the park.
There were five incidents that required the use of air ambulances, including the medevac of a 60-year-old woman with loss of consciousness at Olmsted Point on May 23rd. She suffered a facture of her cervical spine in a ground-level fall.
Tuolumne rangers responded to a motorcycle crash on May 24th in which the operator suffered a lower leg fracture and dislocated shoulder.
The park's dispatch center received 1,539 telephone calls during the holiday weekend, while rangers dealt with 568 incidents, 242 vehicle stops, 15 medical assistance calls, and 16 motor vehicle accidents. [Charles Cuvelier, Deputy Chief Ranger]
Yosemite NP
Bicyclist Killed In Crash With Car
Yosemite Valley rangers responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash involving a bicyclist on the afternoon of May 29th. S.M.K., a 52-year-old South Korean citizen, was riding a mountain bike eastbound on South Side Drive, a two-lane, one-way road, when the accident occurred. Accident investigators believe that S.M.K. was attempting to cross from the south side of the road to a pullout on the north side of the road when he collided with an oncoming vehicle. Witnesses estimated the speed of the vehicle to be about 30 mph, and said that S.M.K. was thrown up on the hood, then thrown forward to the ground when the vehicle stopped. S.M.K. was treated on scene by ranger/medics and was transported by ambulance to the Yosemite Medical Clinic. He was then flown to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, where he died from a severe head injury. S.M.K. was not wearing a helmet. [Jack Hoeflich, Shift Supervisor]
Yosemite NP
Visitor Rescued From Cables On Half Dome
On the afternoon of Saturday, June 6th, G.B., 35, slipped while descending the Half Dome cables and slid approximately 150 feet down the east face, coming to rest on a small ledge. Multiple 911 calls were received from hikers in the area who reported the accident and advised that G.B. was unresponsive. A visitor scrambled out to G.B. and stayed with her until rescuers arrived. At the time of the incident, Half Dome was socked in with clouds, with snow flurries on the summit and mist on the cables and sub-dome. Four teams were dispatched to the scene, including rangers from Little Yosemite Valley, a hasty medical team up the slabs from Mirror Lake, and a support team up the John Muir Trail. There was a narrow opening in the cloud cover just before 7 p.m. and Yosemite's contract helicopter, H-551, was able to land on the sub-dome and insert two rescuers. The rescuers scrambled up to G.B. and packaged her in a KED (Kendrick extrication device) and litter. H-551 then made two attempts to short-haul her from the site, but poor visibility caused those missions to be aborted. A final attempt to retrieve her was made after 8 p.m. and was successful. She was short-hauled to Awahnee Meadow, then transferred to a waiting air ambulance and transported to Doctor's Medical Center in Modesto. [Charles Cuvelier, Deputy Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
Fire Island NS - This week is Rip Current Awareness Week. As part of a concerted interagency effort by NOAA and the NPS, posters are being placed prominently throughout this and other parks warning of the life-threatening hazard of rip currents.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7798" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7798
Wilderness Stewardship and Recreation Management - The Wilderness Leadership Council is looking for four new members. Applications are due by June 30th.
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7800" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7800
Northeast Region - Nottingham Park Serpentine Barrens in Chester County, Pennsylvania, has been named a National Natural Landmark. Photo.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7797" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7797
Intermountain Region - Mark Spier, a 32-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named superintendent of Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site in Brownsville, Texas. Photo.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2376" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2376
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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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