NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, July 10, 2009

INCIDENT

Yosemite NP

Three Rescues In Mather District In Six Days

Rangers and rescuers in the park's Mather District were involved in three significant rescue operations during the first week of July:

July 1 - Dispatch received a cell phone call reporting that a climber had fallen on the standard Southwest Face route on Cathedral Peak. The climber, a 29-year-old woman, sustained multiple traumatic injuries and was in and out of consciousness. She'd fallen 30 to 40 feet to a large ledge while attempting a 5.7 bypass of the chimney section that most routes funnel into. Her partner was about 90 feet below. A rescue mission was immediately launched by a helitack crew in the park's contract helicopter. Hasty and climbing teams also headed toward the scene of the accident. Aerial recon confirmed that another climber was with the woman on a large fourth class ledge three pitches from the base of the peak. A park medic was inserted onto the ledge via short haul with a litter and medical and packaging gear. The climber was packaged and short hauled off the ledge with the medic to the catch team in Tuolumne Meadows. The patient was then put inside the helicopter, flown to Crane Flat helibase, and immediately transferred to a PMI medical helicopter with flight nurses. The elapsed time from the launching of the park helicopter to the transfer of the woman to the PMI helicopter was an astounding 40 minutes. A second technical operation was conducted by the Tuolumne Meadows SAR team to help lower the patient's partner and the climbers who assisted her. Ranger Scott Jacobs was the IC.

July 4 - Park dispatch received a 911 call concerning an injured hiker at the 12,500-foot elevation of Mount Dana. She reportedly suffered a ground level fall while hiking through talus; she suffered a contusion to her head and was complaining of headache, nausea and dizziness. Yosemite's contract helicopter and helitack crew picked up two rescuers from Yosemite Valley and flew to the scene. The pilot was able to land the helicopter about a third of a mile from the injured hiker. A park medic determined that she could walk to the helicopter. She was flown to Tuolumne Meadows and transferred to an ambulance, then transferred again to Mono County paramedics and taken to the Mammoth Lakes Hospital. Ranger Jason Ramsdell was the IC.

July 6 - Dispatch received a phone call from Vogelsang High Sierra Camp regarding a 52-year-old hiker who slid approximately 50 feet down a steep snow field into talus on the face of Vogelsang Peak, suffering traumatic injuries to a shoulder, hand, and foot. Yosemite's contract helicopter, helitack crew and park medic Jack Hoeflich flew to Tuolumne Meadows to pick up a second medic, Jason Ramsdell, then assess the scene. The hiker was lying at 11,000 feet between two steep snow fields. The rescue team and IC agreed the safest and fastest rescue would be via short haul. The two park medics were short hauled to the man's location on a 250 foot line. The medics provided medical care and packaged him for short haul extraction. They were flown to a catch team at Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, where the man was placed inside the helicopter. The helicopter then flew to the Crane Flat helibase, placed in an ambulance, and taken to Yosemite Medical Clinic. Ranger Scott Jacobs was the IC.

[Sally Sprouse, Acting Mather District Ranger]

Buffalo NR

Husband And Wife Sentenced On ARPA Charges

On January 9, 2008, rangers were alerted to the recent looting of a known archeological site in the park's upper district. After two days of surveillance, rangers Lee Brumbaugh, Kelly Charbonneau, and Ranger James Purcell (from Natchez Trace) installed surveillance equipment near the site. While installing the equipment, rangers contacted W.A.G. and a juvenile walking toward the area. W.A.G. was in possession of digging tools and boots that matched impressions left in the recently excavated looter holes. M.G., W.A.G.'s wife, remained at a trailhead area with their vehicle. She was found to be in possession of artifacts and a pick. Further investigation and crime scene analysis positively linked the G.s to the site. A search warrant of their residence was executed by rangers and NPS special agents, resulting in the discovery of numerous items associated with collecting artifacts and other evidence linking the G.s and others to excavating activities in the park and on nearby private land. After a six month investigation in conjunction with agents from the NPS Investigative Services Branch, the G.s were indicted by a federal grand jury. During a subsequent interview, W.A.G. admitted to digging in the park and relinquished 71 stone tools, projectile points, or other artifacts that he said originated from the site. On June 24th, W.A.G. and M.G. were formally sentenced in federal district court. As a result of a plea agreement, W.A.G. was sentenced under one felony count of violating ARPA to six months imprisonment and one year of supervised probation. M.G. was sentenced under one misdemeanor count of ARPA and received one year of supervised probation. The two have also been ordered to pay $4,613 in restitution to the park. The park's archeologist, Dr. Caven Clark, was instrumental in the investigation and provided expert testimony during the sentencing proceedings. Rangers from Buffalo NR and Hot Springs NP, as part of the Cultural and Archeological Response Team (CART), assisted during the course of the investigation. [Lee Brumbaugh, Middle District Ranger]

Grand Teton NP

Follow-up On Teak Boarding Incident

Following Tuesday's report on the two girls who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning while “teak boarding” or “teak surfing” (click on the link below for a copy), the park received a number of queries about this sport. The activity is called “teak surfing” because the swim platforms on ski boats are often made of teak wood. Swimmers use these transom platforms to body surf on the wake behind a slow moving boat. Unfortunately, the inboard motor exhaust ports place the swimmers in direct contact with carbon monoxide gases, leading to potentially deadly exposure. This is true even if the boats have side exhausts, since the vessels create a draft that pulls the exhaust gases back into the swim platform area. High concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause a rapid loss of consciousness and death. Levels of carbon monoxide are more dangerous in the boating environment because they can lead to drowning. In addition, carbon monoxide concentrations released from boats can be over 150 times higher than exhaust from an ordinary automobile. Carbon monoxide—an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas—is a leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths each year in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 500 people perish annually due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include severe headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea, fainting, and death. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, slight nausea, and a mild headache. Because of its inherently unsafe nature, “teak surfing” is illegal in all national park units under Title 36 CFR 3.8(b)(7) and it is also illegal in a number of states. Glen Canyon NRA has done extensive work with houseboat manufacturers and users following a series of carbon monoxide fatalities. The internet links below also provide additional information related to the dangers of carbon monoxide while boating:

HYPERLINK "http://www.uscgboating.org/articles/boatingview.aspx?id=114" http://www.uscgboating.org/articles/boatingview.aspx?id=114

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/upload/BSC86.pdf" http://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/upload/BSC86.pdf

[Patrick Hattaway, North District Ranger, and Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type=Incidents&id=4597" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type=Incidents&id=4597

OTHER NEWS

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

Civil War Sesquicentennial - In conjunction with the 150th anniversary year of John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park recently hosted the official kickoff of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7904" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7904

Biscayne NP - A team of park divers has successfully captured the first confirmed exotic Indo-Pacific lionfish sighted in park waters in recent years. This invasive species of fish has been likened to underwater locusts and is considered a serious threat to Florida's marine life. Photo.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7905" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7905

Human Resources - The National Park Service has completed implementation of the National Business Center's Quicktime time and attendance (T&A) system. Full implementation means that all regions of the NPS are using Quicktime.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7903" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7903

Yosemite NP - Two visitors whose lives were saved by ranger Dan Abbe returned to the park in late June to present him was a plaque in recognition of his efforts. Photo.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2411" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2411

Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by the NPS and its partners across the nation. New this week are the following - a leadership academy for first line supervisors at Saguaro, a year-long landscape maintenance skills development training course out of the Olmstead Center for Landscape Preservation, and a Climate Friendly Parks webinar being offered today on biodiesel use in the NPS.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1796" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1796

Events Calendar - A calendar of upcoming NPS-related events from around the National Park System, including an employee reunion at Minute Man, another at Zion, and this year's Ranger Rendezvous in Gettysburg.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1792" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Conferences&id=1792

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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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