NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

INCIDENTS

Pictured Rocks NL

Camper Succumbs To Injuries Sustained In 70 Foot Fall

Rangers received a 911 call at 4:45 a.m. on Monday reporting that a man had fallen 70 feet from the top of Miners Falls to its base.

F.S., 24, who was camping at that location with a friend, was gathering firewood around 2:30 a.m. when the accident occurred. His companion was able to get down to F.S.'s location, assess his condition, and hike out to make the call for assistance.

The steep, rough terrain and inclement weather conditions made the ensuing rescue effort challenging. Temperatures were below freezing, rocky surfaces were ice covered, natural lighting was minimal, and the Miners River was flowing higher than usual.  

Rescuers used a Stokes litter, an extension ladder and dry suits to get F.S. across the river. They then carried him up the steep rocky hill to a tracked rescue vehicle that transported him to a waiting ambulance. F.S. was taken to the local hospital, where he was pronounced dead several hours later.  The case is still open pending further investigation. Alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor and an autopsy will be conducted.

The park extended its thanks to the Alger County Sheriff's Department, Alger County EMS, Alger County Rescue 21, Munising Township FD, Eastern Upper Peninsula Search & Rescue and the Rock River Township FD for their assistance

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[Bill Smith, Acting Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's InsideNPS. To see the full text, 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 Morning Report web page ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/):

Valley Forge NHP - Valley Forge National Historical Park honored military personnel - past, present and future - with a special Veteran's Day program on November 11th at the National Memorial Arch.  

Harpers Ferry Center - Five national parks won 2013 interpretive media awards from the National Association of Interpretation with the help of Harpers Ferry Center.

Northeast Region - Interpretive programs at the park are helping visitors to experience a deeper connection with Booker T. Washington's life through tours of the landscape, visits to historic structures, and caring for the animals.

Hot Springs NP - A two-year-old German shepherd named “Saki” recently graduated from canine training and began working in the park with a ranger handler.

Intermountain Region - Bill Thompson has been selected as the new chief of facility management for Intermountain Region. He assumed his new duties on October 20th. 

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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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