NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Thursday, June 11, 2015
INCIDENTS
Grand Teton NP
Injured Climber Rescued From Garnet Canyon
On Tuesday afternoon, rangers conducted a rescue operation via helicopter for an injured climber who fell on a wet rock slab just above the Meadows area of Garnet Canyon in the heart of the Teton Range.
C.E., 31, of Marietta, Georgia was solo climbing a fourth class rated rock slab when he slipped and slid approximately 150 to 200 feet before coming to rest in a snowfield at the base of the rock feature. C.E. was not wearing a helmet at the time of his fall.
Two Grand Teton employees conducting a research project in Garnet Canyon witnessed C.E.'s sliding fall and immediately began hiking to his location. These park employees are certified as emergency medical technicians and they were able to effectively assess C.E. and provide emergency medical care until park rangers could arrive by helicopter.
A separate backcountry party also reached C.E. and placed an emergency call for help via cell phone. That call was received by Teton Interagency Dispatch Center at 12:30 p.m. Because wet, snow sloughs were shedding off areas above the accident site, responders carefully moved C.E. to a more secure area out of harm's way.
Park rangers happened to be conducting early season training at the time at the Teton Interagency Helibase, located at the Jackson Hole Airport. Their preseason training included a Helicopter Express ship that just came under contract with Grand Teton and Bridger-Teton National Forest to support firefighting and search and rescue operations during the coming season.
The helicopter flew from the helibase to the Jenny Lake rescue cache located near the base of the Teton peaks at Lupine Meadows and picked up two rangers for transport to Garnet Canyon. After the ship landed on a snow-covered area near the accident site, the two rangers traversed about 200 yards to reach C.E. and place him in a rescue litter. They carried him back to the helispot and placed him inside the ship for a quick flight to the Jenny Lake rescue cache. C.E. was then transferred into a waiting park ambulance and transported to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further care of his multiple injuries.
C.E. did not receive a head injury, which was lucky given the fact that he was not wearing a helmet and that he was crossing wet and likely slippery rock slabs. While rock features in Garnet Canyon can be easy to ascend, they are often more difficult to descend. As these rock slabs melt out, they can be covered with slippery silt or sand, which makes good traction more challenging.
[Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]
Missouri NRR
Homicide Investigation Underway
An investigation is underway into the suspicious death of a 29-year-old Iowa woman whose body was found near the Myron Grove boat ramp along the Missouri National Recreational River on June 1st. The body was discovered in the water near the shoreline in an area known as the Highline Area just outside of Vermillion, South Dakota.
Authorities are asking for the public's help with any information on suspicious activity in the area on Monday afternoon between the hours of 1 and 3 p.m. Investigators believe that a dark colored sedan with tinted windows and a loud exhaust system may have been involved. Anyone with information regarding the case is being asked to contact the Clay County Sheriff's Office at 605-677-7100.
For more information, click on the link below.
HYPERLINK "http://www.siouxlandmatters.com/story/d/story/alicia-hummel-death-vermillion-clay-county/16146/ABTfPOL_T02RrKNXGTv38Q" http://www.siouxlandmatters.com/story/d/story/alicia-hummel-death-vermillion-clay-county/16146/ABTfPOL_T02RrKNXGTv38Q
[James Dahlstrom, Chief Ranger, Niobrara NSR]
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):
Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services - On June 3rd, National Park Service SAR personnel participated in a portion of the two-week-long Operation Angel Thunder, the largest personnel recovery exercise in the world, with 2700 participants from the military, international partners, and domestic agencies.
Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division - "Discovery of Sound in the Sea" is an award-winning website that introduces users to the science and uses of sound in the sea. The NPS participated in its development.
Intermountain Region - Two significant sites in southeastern Colorado history were linked this spring in a presentation marking the 2014 designation of Boggsville National Historic District as a “national treasure.”
Denver Service Center - Jim Corbett, branch chief for DSC's Planning Division Publications Branch, has announced that he will retire on June 26th with more than 38 years of federal service.
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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