NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
INCIDENTS
Grand Teton NP
Strong Windstorm Fells Trees Throughout Park
A strong windstorm blew through Grand Teton National Park and surrounding areas shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday, June 1st, temporarily stranding visitors on the Teton Park, Moose-Wilson, and Signal Mountain Summit roads and blocked traffic in many other areas.
Park rangers, road crews, and fire engines quickly responded to clear park roads of over 150 downed trees and search teams were able rescue all park visitors by 11 p.m. Despite the number of falling trees, no injuries were reported.
High winds were observed throughout the park, with wind speeds of 52 mph recorded at the Jackson Hole Airport. The Teton Interagency Dispatch Center son received reports of many downed trees and power lines blocking park roads and disrupting access and service to campgrounds and other park areas.
Park rangers quickly built a list of affected areas, which included the Teton Park Road at Cottonwood Creek, Catholic Bay, and Mount Moran Turnout; Moose-Wilson Road; Signal Mountain Summit Road; North Park Road near the Moran Entrance Station; Colter Bay Visitor Center and Campground; Pilgrim Creek Road; Cattleman's Bridge Road; Deadman's Bar Road; as well as other ancillary areas in the park.
While response efforts were complicated by power, phone, and internet outages, park crews were able to clear over 150 trees and rescue all park visitors by 11 p.m. Park rangers staffed downed power line areas on the Teton Park and Pilgrim Creek roads through the night. Lower Valley Energy crews were able to remove downed lines from the Teton Park Road around 6 a.m. on Tuesday and the road was reopened. Only minor property damage to vehicles and structures was reported.
While most park areas and services are open at this time, many areas are operating on backup power generators. Park maintenance crews and Lower Valley Energy are continuing to restore full functionality to utility systems, water systems, wastewater treatment facilities, and other park infrastructure. Full repair of this infrastructure is expected to take a few days.
[Andrew White, Public Affairs Officer]
Yellowstone NP
Visitor Injured In Bison Encounter
A 62-year-old Australian man sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries after an encounter with a bison near Old Faithful Lodge yesterday morning.
According to witness reports, several people were crowding a bison that was lying on the grass near an asphalt path when the man approached it while taking pictures with an electronic notepad. He got to within three to five feet from the bison when it charged him, tossing him into the air several times.
When responding rangers arrived on scene, the bison was approximately 100 yards from the injured man. He was flown to a hospital for treatment.
Bison can sprint three times faster than humans can run and are unpredictable and dangerous. Visitors are advised to always give the animals enough space to avoid crowding the animal.
[Public Affairs Office]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers):
John Day Fossil Beds NM - Paleontologists have discovered ten new prehistoric rodent species at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and nearby public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
World Ranger Congress - The Eighth World Ranger Congress of the International Ranger Federation will be held in the United States in May 2016 in honor of the NPS Centennial. Registration is now open.
Klondike Gold Rush NHP - Cindy Von Halle, chief of interpretation at Klondike Gold Rush, retired last Friday. She was an "interpreter extraordinaire" and leaves a legacy at Klondike Gold Rush that will benefit park visitors for decades to come.
Geologic Resources Division - Jeremiah Kimbell, the Service's new and only petroleum engineer, began his NPS career with the Geologic Resources Division on June 1st.
To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites:
NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index
Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/
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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