NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
INCIDENTS
Yosemite NP
Missing Hiker's Body Found And Recovered
Rangers recovered the body of missing hiker K.S. near the base of Vernal Fall yesterday. K.S., 73, was fatally injured after falling from a cliff near the top of the waterfall. He had been in the park for several days, staying at the Ahwahnee Hotel and taking day hikes each day. Each morning, K.S. would leave a note with the concierge outlining his daily plan. On Sunday, his note said that he was planning to hike to the top of Vernal Fall via the Mist Trail and return to the hotel around noon. Hotel staff attempted to contact K.S. around 5 p.m. that evening, discovered that he had not returned, and notified the park. Rangers discovered his backpack near the guardrail at the top of Vernal Fall later that evening. A full-scale search and rescue operation was conducted on Monday, including several ground teams, a dog team, and a California Highway Patrol helicopter. The search area was concentrated around the Mist Trail. There was intermittent rain throughout the day, resulting in difficult search conditions. The helicopter's crew and ground team simultaneously spotted K.S.'s body around 6 p.m. that evening. The Mist Trail, closed during the search and rescue operation, has now been reopened. [Public Affairs Office]
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Injured Hiker's Rescue Requires Marathon Evacuation Effort
The park's SAR team and Ouray Mountain Rescue successfully evacuated an injured hiker from the Black Canyon's S.O.B. Route last Saturday evening. The operation - possibly the longest scree evacuation in recent years - required the efforts of 20 rescuers and support staff, took more than 24 hours, and required the establishment of multiple hauling stations to move the injured hiker through thick brush up 1,800 feet of loose rock and boulders, cliffs and ledges. Rangers responded to a HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPOT_Satellite_Messenger" SPOT locator signal late Friday. An EMT and a paramedic spent the night with the injured Colorado Springs man, stabilizing his broken lower leg and providing support until the rescue could begin early Saturday morning. [Sandra Snell-Dobert, Chief of Interpretation, Education, and Technology]
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/):
Martin Luther King, Jr. NHS - The park is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” Speech” and the March on Washington with an exhibition entitled “Mine Eyes Have Seen.” It features significant photography of the 1963 March on Washington.
San Antonio Missions NHP - San Antonio Missions has unveiled its first public electric vehicle charging station, made possible by a Department of Energy Clean Cities grant managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
San Juan NHS - San Juan National Historic Site commemorated the 1797 defense of San Juan from British attack on April 27th and 28th. Over 3,000 visitors attended events held in the park.
National Capital Region - Joy Beasley has been selected as the new chief of Cultural Resource Preservation Services for NCR. She began her new duties this past Monday.
Denver Service Center - After 32 years with the Denver Service Center, Glenn Lamoree has announced he will retire on May 30th. Glenn is a branch chief with the DSC Design and Construction Western Team.
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Guidance on incident notification can be found under the “Hot Topics” heading on InsideNPS or at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504.
The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).
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