NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
INCIDENTS
Sleeping Bear Dunes NL
Major Search Conducted For Father And Three Children
On August 26th, a search involving more than 50 people from ten agencies, including Sleeping Bear Dunes rangers, took place near the historic village of Glen Haven.
A ranger came upon a late model BMW parked near the Maritime Museum around 7:20 a.m. that morning. When he ran the plate, he learned that a missing persons notice had been issued for a 50-year-old father and his three children from the Detroit area. He was later informed that the father had been involved in a domestic dispute with his wife the day before in a nearby county and that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
A search was begun in the immediate area and the father and the three children were found approximately one mile from the Maritime Museum in an open field just before 8 p.m. that evening as they were walking towards the car. They had spent the previous night nearby in a wooded area without food and water or shelter and were trying to avoid being seen by ground teams and a Coast Guard helicopter.
The Leelanau County Sheriff's Department arrested the father for domestic violence and the three children were reunited with their mother. All four were suffering from dehydration but were otherwise in relatively good condition. Media coverage was extensive.
[Phil Akers, Chief Ranger]
Rocky Mountain NP
IMT Manages Park Operations During Major Bike Race
Stage six of the 2013 USA Pro Cycling Challenge came through the community of Estes Park on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday, August 24th. The race, which began in Loveland and finished in Fort Collins, did not come through the park, but access to and egress from the park was heavily impacted, including multiple road closures right outside its boundaries.
Visitors entering from the east side were encouraged to come to the park early and stay through the day to avoid detours and heavy congestion in Estes Park and along US Highway 34. Some trailheads in the park were inaccessible most of the day due to the race route.
Rocky Mountain's Type 3 incident management team was assigned to manage park operations on Saturday due to limited resource support from cooperating agencies normally relied upon during a busy Saturday in August.
The team worked closely with the town of Estes Park and other involved agencies to plan, prepare for and manage this event. The park provided staff to assist the town with traffic control.
[Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
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/):
Northeast Region - On August 24th and 25th, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park hosted two centennial performances of “Sanctuary: A Bird Masque,” a famed play about bird protection and conservation.
Independence NHP - A symbolic tapping of the Liberty Bell was held on August 28th as part of the national commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King's “I Have a Dream” speech.
Brown v. Board of Education NHS - Governor Sam Brownback joined the Topeka High School Drum line, choral groups, and school children on August 28th for a recitation of the “I Have A Dream” speech from the steps of Monroe Elementary School in the park.
Fire and Aviation Management - December 31st will mark the end of the nomination season for the 2013 Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award. Details are provided on how to make a submission.
Martin Van Buren NHS - Former NPS ranger Gordon "Gunny" Gundrum, who now resides in upstate New York, stood next to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his "I Have a Dream" speech 50 years ago.
Daily Almanac - Temperatures well above normal are likely for parts of the Great Plains today. This region may also see some scattered afternoon thunderstorms during the afternoon hours.
National Fire/Incident Situation Highlights - The daily national fire summary is posted around 8 a.m. EDT each day and can be found at either of the links above. For the most current information on the Rim Fire in Yosemite, click on this link: HYPERLINK "http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3660" http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3660
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The Morning Report is 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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