NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
INCIDENTS
Glen Canyon NRA
Memorial Service Set For Rangers Brent McGinn, Laurie Axelsen
On October 8th, Chief Ranger Brent McGinn and Dangling Rope District Ranger Laurie Axelsen took off from the Bryce Canyon Airport in a privately-owned Cessna 172 for a pleasure flight over Mount Dutton, continuing on to Page, Arizona. Both were off duty at the time and had flown to Bryce Canyon so that McGinn could meet friends and scout out hunting locations.
Early on the morning of October 9th, Glen Canyon's dispatch center received a report that the plane was overdue. Shortly thereafter, a search was begun by Garfield and Kane Counties, the National Park Service and Classic Lifeguard, a local air medical evacuation service. Around 8 a.m., the crew of the latter spotted the plane in a rugged area known as Deep Creek on Mount Dutton in the Dixie National Forest. Both Axelsen and McGinn were killed in the crash.
McGinn was 49 years old and had worked at Glen Canyon for almost three years. He was from Duluth, Minnesota, and started his National Park Service career in 1980 as a park technician at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Through the years, he had worked at several National Park Service units, including Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks and Canaveral National Seashore. He is survived by his parents and three siblings.
Axelsen was 41 years old and had worked at Glen Canyon for over eight years. She was from Great Falls, Montana, and started with the National Park Service in 1989 as a park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park. Axelsen had previously worked at several national park units, including Olympic, Big Bend and Shenandoah National Parks. She is survived by her parents and a brother.
Both are survived by their National Park Service family and friends across the nation.
The NPS Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is currently on scene, providing assistance to park staff by helping to maintain park operations, providing CISM peer support for park employees, and helping facilitate the planned memorial event (see below).
"As what often happens with a tragic event within the NPS family, employees from around the country have sent e-mails and made phone calls with offers of support -- both with thoughts and prayers and by sending staff to help,” said Acting Superintendent Kym Hall. “Knowing we can continually turn to our park service brothers and sisters for support is a priceless gift we receive as being members of this organization. Our neighbors and friends throughout the area have demonstrated that same support through phone calls and sharing of resources as much as possible. For that, we are very appreciative.
“The staff at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is facing some tough days and weeks ahead as we gather ourselves up and find the strength to move forward and get back into our daily lives. There will be a tremendous hole in our organization with the loss of two such well-known and passionate people. It is a comfort to know they were doing something they loved when their lives ended."
A joint Celebration of Life event will be held in Page, Arizona, on Thursday, October 14th, at 1:00 p.m. MST. Please call the McGinn-Axelsen Memorial Hotline at 928-608-6256 (recorded message) for updates. Additional information, including an exact location, will be posted under events to the memorial sites below as soon as it is available. Please RSVP to HYPERLINK "mailto:McGinnAxelsenRSVP@gmail.com_" McGinnAxelsenRSVP@gmail.com to help event planners anticipate attendance. Please provide your name, number of guests, affiliation and any special needs.
Memorial websites have been established to honor the memories of Brent McGinn and Laurie Axelsen. Please share your condolences, photos, and stories online at:
Brent McGinn Memorial Website - HYPERLINK "http://www.sympathytree.com/brentmcginnnps/_" http://www.sympathytree.com/brentmcginnnps/
Laurie Axelsen Memorial Website - HYPERLINK "http://www.sympathytree.com/laurieaxelsennps/_" http://www.sympathytree.com/laurieaxelsennps/
Condolences and messages of support may be sent to the following addresses. They will be forwarded to the families:
McGinn Family, c/o Management Assistant, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, PO Box 1507, Page, AZ 86040
Axelsen Family, c/o Management Assistant, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, PO Box 1507, Page, AZ 86040
Apostle Islands NS
Capsized Kayaker Succumbs To Hypothermia
On the afternoon of Friday, September 10th, two kayakers headed out from the park's kayak launch at Little Sand Bay to paddle to a campsite three miles away on Sand Island. Increasing wind and waves on Lake Superior caused the paddlers to become separated around 4 p.m. One of the paddlers reached Sand Island and radioed the U. S. Coast Guard two hours later to report that his companion, 46-year-old A.K., was overdue. An extensive multi-agency search was conducted that included vessels and staff from the National Park Service, Coast Guard, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Shortly after 7 p.m., rangers found an empty, capsized kayak matching the description of the missing kayak in the waters near Sand Island. The search for A.K. continued unsuccessfully through the evening until deteriorating weather conditions forced its suspension near midnight. The search resumed at daylight on Saturday, with assistance from the Bayfield County Sheriff's Department, a USCG helicopter, and a Canadian Coast Guard aircraft. At 7:30 a.m., rangers spotted a body floating face up in the surf along Justice Bay on Sand Island. The helicopter lowered a rescue swimmer to recover the victim, soon identified as A.K., and transfer him to a waiting NPS vessel. Although A.K. was wearing a life jacket over a full wet suit, the cause of death was determined to be hypothermia. The near shore marine forecast for the Apostle Islands area that day called for east winds of 10 to 15 knots with waves increasing to one to three feet in the afternoon. However, winds at the Devils Island lighthouse from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday were blowing from the east northeast at 19 to 22 knots with gusts to 25 knots. The air temperature was 53 degrees and the water temperature was about 47 degrees. Waves in the search area were observed to be three to five feet during the early evening hours on Friday. [Michael Larsen, Park Ranger]
New River Gorge NR
Kayaker Drowns In Gauley River
A kayaker drowned in the Gauley River early this past Sunday afternoon. The accident occurred at Pillow Rock rapids, which is about four river miles below the Summersville Dam. The kayaker, a man in his mid fifties, overturned in the rapid and was unable to right his boat. He was able to get out of the kayak, but became entrapped just below the surface of the water at Camera Rock. Other private boaters worked to free the man and eventually got him to the right bank of the river in Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park. Bystanders began CPR, which was taken over by JanCare paramedics. Efforts to save the man's life continued for some time, but eventually medical control pronounced death. The victim's body was transferred to Summersville Hospital, where the medical examiner will review the case. National Park Service staff, Kesler Cross Lanes volunteer firefighters, and state park and DNR personnel responded to the accident. The name of the victim is being withheld pending the notification of his family. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Lake Mead NRA
More Facilities Open As Flashflood Recovery Continues
The Callville Bay Marina complex and the low water launch ramp at Echo Bay have been reopened to the public. Access to the former is limited to marine slip renters, but the campground, trailer village, store and lounge there are open to all. Shuttle boat service for marina slip renters will continue on a daily basis from the launch ramp courtesy dock until access via the marina head walk is restored. Slip renters may elect to stay overnight, but restroom facilities are not yet available. Full services should be restored sometime within the next two weeks. Until then, boat fuel, sewage pump-out and boat rental services will not be offered. The park completed its field survey of damage late last week. Engineers are now working to estimate the cost of repairing the damage inflicted by the flashfloods. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Yosemite NP
Rangers Join Unified Command In Successful SAR
On October 6th, the park's search and rescue office received a request from the Mono County Sheriff's Office for assistance in a search for an overdue backpacker. T.A., 70, of Truckee, California, was on a five-night, one-way hike from the Virginia Lakes trailhead to Saddlebag Lake. He was due out at noon on October 6th but failed to arrive. The Sierra Nevada mountain range experienced a severe multi-day storm on October 3rd that brought winter conditions and road closures to the high country, heightening the urgency of the search for this solo traveler. Much of the T.A.'s intended route was in the park, but the point last seen and the entry and exit points were located in Mono County, creating a unified command opportunity. Yosemite rangers arrived at the unified command post on the evening of October 6th to fill command staff positions. Mono County Search and Rescue had undertaken a hasty search that evening with three field teams, but with no success - the returning field teams reported very difficult conditions with cold temperatures and drifts of snow up to two feet deep. The next morning, the search was expanded with more command staff positions, seven field teams, two dog teams, and two helicopters. During team insertions, observers in the park's helicopter noticed tracks leading away from two circles stamped in the snow and an arrow pointing towards the southwest and Virginia Canyon. Field teams and the helicopters were shifted to that area. Shortly thereafter, T.A. was found by a field team near Summit Lake inside the park. He was 26 hours overdue at that point and moving slowly toward the Virginia Lakes trailhead. He was tired and cold, but otherwise in good condition. He was extracted by helicopter, flown to Tuolumne Meadows, and reunited with his wife. This search was the third major search in the Tuolumne Subdistrict since the beginning of September. Unified incident commanders were Yosemite ranger Jason Ramsdell and Pete DeGeorge of the Mono County Sheriff's Office. [Kevin Killian, Mather District Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):
Andersonville NHS - Over 15,000 visitors came to the park over an 11-day period in September to honor our nation's prisoners of war, missing in action, and killed in action. This year's National POW/MIA Recognition Day featured the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall. Photo.
Climate Change Response Program - The October 2010 issue of the Climate Change Response Program's newsletter is now available. A link is provided.
Hopewell Culture NHP - Jon Casson, facility management specialist at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, passed away on October 5th after a brief illness. He was 58 years old. Photo.
Denver Service Center -
Denver Service Center project manager Mike Williams is retiring from the National Park Service on October 28th following almost 32 years of government service. Photo.
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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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