NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
NOTICE
President Obama has directed that all flags be lowered to half mast immediately and remain at half mast until sunset on Saturday in memory of the four Marines and one sailor killed in the recent attacks in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
For the full text of the Presidential Proclamation, click on this link: HYPERLINK "https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/21/presidential- proclamation-honoring-victims-tragedy-chattanooga-tennessee" https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/21/ presidential-proclamation-honoring-victims-tragedy-chattanooga-tennessee
INCIDENTS
Cumberland Gap NHP
Road Closed Due To Severe Storm Damage
The Shillalah Creek Trail, used to access the historic Hensley Settlement in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, has been closed to all visitor use due to severe damage caused by recent heavy rains.
Deep ruts and undercutting of road edges have made the 4.6-mile-long road impassable and very unstable. Heavy water continues to run off of the mountain and down the road, eroding its surface and subsurface. Any type of visitor use - whether by pedestrians, horses, bicycles or vehicles - could result in serious injury.
Hensley Settlement tours, conducted by park staff, have been cancelled for the season. The August 12th Shooting Star Spectacular at Hensley Settlement has also been cancelled.
For more information, visitors can call the park visitor center at 606-246-1075.
[Carol Borneman, Chief of Interpretation]
Rocky Mountain NP
Two Injured Hikers Rescued In Separate Incidents
On the evening of July 19th, park rangers were notified via cell phone that a 13-year-old girl from Estes Park had suffered a leg injury roughly a half mile northwest of The Pool in rugged Forest Canyon.
Park search and rescue team members reached her and her father between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. the following morning. It was difficult to find the girl in the steep, rugged, off trail terrain. The area had also been impacted by the Fern Lake Fire, which posed additional challenges for rescuers traversing the area after dark.
A technical raise was used to bring the girl roughly 150 to 200 feet up and over a rock cliff to a flat bench area where a landing zone had been constructed. She was flown from the area to the Upper Beaver Meadows helispot at 4:30 p.m., then taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center.
Park search and rescue team members were assisted by the Northern Colorado Interagency Helitack Crew. Over 30 park personnel were involved in this incident, as well as one member of the Alpine Rescue Group.
As park rescue personnel were finishing the Forest Canyon rescue, they were notified by cell phone of a 43-year-old woman with a leg injury near Emerald Lake. Park search and rescue personnel reached her at 7:45 p.m. A team carried her out on a wheeled litter.
[Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
US Park Police
Seriously Injured Teen Medevaced By Eagle One
On the evening of July 16th, Montgomery County Fire contacted Park Police Aviation and asked for a medevac of an injured 19-year-old man from a spot along the Potomac River. EMS personnel had categorized him as a Category A due to a possible spine injury incurred in a ten-foot fall.
Eagle One Pilot Ryan Evasick was able to lift off and land at the expedient landing zone, a gravel bar in the river, prior to the arrival of a rescue boat. The injured man was quickly loaded onto the helicopter and flown to Suburban Hospital for care.
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[Sergeant Lelani Woods, Public Information Officer]
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):
Walnut Canyon NM - On July 14th, Walnut Canyon National Monument and the Arizona State Society Daughters of the American Revolution jointly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the DAR plaque honoring Arizona's Pioneer Women with a rededication ceremony.
The White House - President Obama has directed that all flags be lowered to half mast from now until Saturday in memory and honor of the four Marines and sailor killed in the recent attacks in Tennessee.
Office of Communications - Three Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals courthouses that played a prominent role in the modern civil rights movement have been designated as national historic landmarks.
Park Facility Management Division - Saguaro National Park is hosting a Climate Friendly Parks workshop this week for park staff and visiting colleagues from Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and Tumacácori National Historical Park.
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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