NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Friday, June 19, 2009
INCIDENTS
Yosemite NP
Ranger Saves Lives Of Two Visitors
Ranger Dan Abbe was flagged down by park visitors south of the tunnel on Wawona Road while on his way to work in Yosemite Valley on Tuesday, May 26th. They told him that there was a truck over the side of the road and on fire, and that there were people still inside. Abbe found a full-sized pickup with an upright trailer behind it resting on its side about 30 feet below the road. Fire burned in the engine compartment as he worked to extricate the two occupants. He was finally able to get them out and escorted them downhill and away from the truck and trailer. They told him that the pickup was filled with 70 gallons of gas, that they had an extra 50-gallon gas container onboard, and that the trailer had two full propane tanks. Abbe moved them further away from the vehicle, then returned to the road. At the point, the passenger compartment filled with smoke, and crackling noises issued from the pickup; with minutes, both track and trailer were fully engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to the vegetation around it. The fire was suppressed and Abbe and the visitors were taken to the park medical clinic, where they were treated for smoke inhalation and released. The truck and trailer were a total loss. The visitors credited Abbe with saving their lives and will be coming back to the park in the near future to present him with a plaque to show their appreciation. [Scott Gediman, Public Affairs Officer]
Yellowstone NP
Search Continues For Man Who Jumped Into River
Efforts to find the body of a man who jumped into the Yellowstone River earlier this week are continuing. Witnesses report that N.M., 20, was on the observation platform at Brink of the Lower Falls when he jumped over the railing into the river. He was then swept over the 308-foot-high Lower Falls to the bottom of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. On Wednesday, searchers rapelled to the bottom of the canyon and recovered some of N.M.'s clothing from an eddy about a quarter mile downstream from the base of the falls. The park helicopter conducted another search flight Thursday morning down the length of the 20-mile-long canyon. The ground search is centered on observation points along the canyon rim with a clear view of the Yellowstone River at the bottom of the canyon, which ranges from 800 to 1,200 feet deep. The Brink of the Lower Falls is a popular observation point along the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. A gauge upstream of the falls recorded nearly 6,000 cubic feet of water per second flowing into the Yellowstone River at the outlet of Yellowstone Lake at the time of the incident. [Public Affairs]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS.
Indiana Dunes NL - Last weekend, a group of kayakers completed the Burnham to Marquette Water Trail Expedition across the open waters of Lake Michigan. The event inaugurated the new Southern Lake Michigan Water Trail, which spans more than 40 miles of the lake - including 15 miles within the park. Photo.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7837" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7837
Chamizal NM - The park recently hosted three events focusing on Hispanic culture and diversity within the NPS - a discussion with middle school students, a public forum with Hispanic superintendents from around the nation, and an evening presentation by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Photo.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7840" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7840
Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by the NPS and its partners across the nation. Added this week are the following - a course on trail management, a tree care safety workshop, a FLETC course on investigation of complex archeological crimes, TEL station training next week on conducting interpretive activities at historic sites and on leading the way to excellence in interpretation, and FLETC basic tactic instructor, firearms instructor and law enforcement fitness coordinator training courses.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1785" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1785
Events Calendar - The weekly events calendar, which was suspended for a while due to lack of submissions, has returned. Today's listing of upcoming NPS and NPS-related events across the nation includes the upcoming employee reunions at Minute Man (on its 50th anniversary) and Zion (on its 100th anniversary) and the Ranger Rendezvous in December in Gettysburg.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1786" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1786
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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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