NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
INCIDENTS
Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs
Body Of Missing Hiker Found After Multi-Day Search
The search for hiker K.“W.”B., which began on Tuesday, October 27th, after he failed to return from a day hike up Mt. Whitney, came to a conclusion this past Saturday when his body was found by searchers on the mountain's eastern slope. The search was run jointly on both sides of the Sierra Nevada by the Inyo County Sheriff's Office and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, as the trail originates on the Inyo National Forest but the summit is in the park. Ground searchers and dog teams from Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks and numerous county teams participated in the search effort, along with helicopters from the National Park Service, California Highway Patrol, and the National Guard. Extremely windy conditions grounded helicopters all day Tuesday and much of Wednesday, and ground searchers were unable to reach the summit due to inclement weather until Thursday. K.B.'s pack and ice axe were located on Friday afternoon by the crew of a National Guard helicopter on the western slope of Mt. Whitney, and his body was discovered on the eastern slope on Saturday. The cause of death has yet to be determined. [Adrienne Freeman, Acting Public Affairs Specialist]
Upper Delaware S&RR
Search Underway For Missing And Possibly Suicidal Woman
On October 31st, the New York State Police notified the park that a missing 36-year-old woman with a history of substance abuse and suicidal tendencies had last been seen on the bank of the Delaware River in Narrowsburg. She'd disappeared on October 28th. Based on evidence found at the point last seen and high water conditions that have existed since the date of disappearance, a river search was conducted from Narrowsburg downriver about 15 miles to the Barryville/Shohola Bridge. Daily search efforts by the park and NYSP are ongoing and include helicopters, watercraft and divers. [Joe Nicolson, Supervisory Park Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
Department of the Interior - To honor America's service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced that areas managed by the department will not charge entrance fees on Wednesday, November 11th.
Partnerships and Visitor Experience - The National Park Foundation and the African American Experience Fund have issued a new grant opportunity called “Building Common Ground.” A link is provided to the application form.
Eastern Incident Management Team - Members of the Eastern Incident Management Team recently participated in an interagency incident management training course, scoring highest among all participating teams on the simulation exercise held during the training. Photo.
George Washington Carver NM - Sue Reiss, 47, the park's supervisory facility operations specialist, passed away last Saturday following a long battle with cancer. Photo.
Saguaro NP - Ranger Brian Rutledge was honored by the Southern Arizona Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) this month for his outstanding efforts in DUI enforcement.
To see these and other stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter): NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index ; non-NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/
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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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