NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Monday, July 6, 2015
INCIDENTS
Cape Hatteras NS
Three Visitors Injured In Separate Shark Encounters
Between June 26th and July 1st, visitors were injured in three separate encounters with sharks off park beaches:
On the morning of Friday, June 26th, the park received a report from the Dare County Sheriff's Office 911 Center of a person apparently injured by a shark approximately one mile north of the Avon Fishing Pier. Hatteras Island Rescue Squad paramedics and NPS rangers responded to the scene. The victim, a 47-year-old man, had been swimming with others when the incident occurred. He received various injuries to his right leg and lower back. He was treated at the scene and then transported by ambulance and air flight to Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, for further care.
On the following Saturday afternoon, Dare County 911 again advised the park that several EMS units were headed to the beach, this time near Waves, North Carolina, to treat an injured teenager. Ocean Rescue Squad paramedics and NPS rangers found that a 17-year-old boy had sustained injuries from a shark. He was swimming with several others when the incident occurred, but no other swimmers were injured. The victim received various injuries to his right calf, buttocks and both hands. He was treated at the scene and then transported by life flight to Norfolk, Virginia, for further care.
Three days later, on July 1st, yet another call came in of an injured person, this time near the lifeguarded beach at Ocracoke. Rangers, lifeguards and responding emergency personnel determined that a 68-year old man had been injured by a shark. He had been swimming approximately 25 to 30 feet offshore in about waist-deep water with his adult son at the time. There were no other swimmers injured. The victim received various injuries to his left lower torso and hip, lower left leg, and both hands. He was treated at the scene and then transported by ambulance to the Ocracoke Airport for transport by East Care Airflight to Vidant Memorial Center, in Greenville, North Carolina, for further medical treatment.
“While the National Park Service does not know why there has been an increase of these incidents, we do want to make sure our visitors are aware of them and have a safe visit to the national seashore,” said Superintendent David Hallac. “We can never guarantee anyone's safety when they enter the water. The only way to be sure you do not encounter sharks or other marine wildlife that may be harmful to humans is to stay out of the water.”
The park has increased the number of visitor contacts on the beaches and posted information at key locations for visitors.
[Cyndy Holda, Public Affairs Officer]
Yellowstone NP
Two People Injured After Approaching Bison
Two people were injured after getting too close to bison in separate incidents over the last two weeks. The first encounter occurred on June 23rd when an off-duty concession employee came upon a bison while walking off trail after dark in the Lower Geyser Basin area; the second incident occurred on July 1st when a visitor encountered a bison while hiking the Storm Point trail in the Yellowstone Lake area.
The first incident happened when a 19-year-old visitor and three friends were returning to their car after swimming in the Firehole River late at night. The girl and a companion were walking in the dark when they came upon a bison lying down about 10 feet from them. The companion turned and ran from the bison, but before the girl could react, the bison charged her and tossed her in the air.
The girl's friends helped her to their car and drove back to Canyon Village, where all four live and work. At Canyon, the girl went to bed, but awoke a short time later feeling ill. Around one in the morning, the party called the Yellowstone Interagency Communication Center asking for medical help. Rangers transported her by ambulance to a hospital outside the park. She was was treated for minor injuries and released later that day.
The second incident occurred when a 68-year-old visitor was hiking on the Storm Point trail, approximately 300 yards from the trailhead, and encountered a bison near the trail. The woman continued on the trail; as she passed the bison, it charged and gored her. A witness ran up the trail to report the incident to an interpretive ranger leading a hike in the area. Shortly before 4:30 p.m., the ranger reported the incident to the Yellowstone Interagency Communication Center. Due to serious injuries, the woman was transported to Lake Clinic by ambulance and then flown to a hospital outside the park.
These were the third and fourth bison encounters to occur in Yellowstone National Park this summer. The other two occurred when visitors in the Old Faithful area approached too close to bison. Both visitors in those incidents were flown to a hospital due to their injuries.
[Public Affairs Office]
Great Smoky Mountains NP
Kayaker Dies In Accident On Little Pigeon River
Rangers responded to a report of a kayak accident on the evening of July 2nd in the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River in the Greenbrier section of the park.
K.C.W., 53, of Apex, North Carolina, capsized his kayak and floated to the river edge, where friends pulled him from the river. Rangers, Gatlinburg Police Department officers, and Gatlinburg Fire Department personnel performed CPR on K.C.W. before he was transported to LeConte Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
[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):
Cultural Resources Directorate - The National Park Service has launched a Latino Heritage Internship Program to help create the next generation of conservation advocates. For ten weeks, 40 Latino interns will put their experiences and expertise to use at 37 sites across the NPS for the benefit of the organization's current and future visitors.
National Capital Region - David Gallery, 34, an IT specialist for the National Capital Region Communications Center and longtime C&O Canal NHP employee, died unexpectedly at his residence on Friday, June 26th.
Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services Division - Policy update training for Reference Manual-9 (law enforcement) will begin on July 7th. This training will be delivered via a two hour webinar. All commissioned employees are required to attend a webinar session.
Workforce and Inclusion Directorate - From now until the end of August, employees have an opportunity to nominate their colleagues, supervisors, and employees for awards that recognize excellence in performance and dedication to the Service's mission and values.
Office of Communications - Melanie O'Brien has been selected to manage the national Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) program in the Washington Office.
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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