Kenai Fjords |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2025. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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June 17, 1987 Location: An ice valley in Exit Glacier The G.s were taking photos of Exit Glacier when a 1/2 ton piece of ice calved off, bounced on the ground and hit each of them. P.G. suffered multiple rib fractures, elbow and pelvic fractures, and is bleeding internally; K.G. suffered bruises and lacerations to the face and was treated and released. Both had been standing within 4' of the glacier. Alaska RO will send more info when it becomes available.
Two visitors were injured - one seriously - when ice calved off Exit Glacier and hit them. Update: On June 17th, Mrs. G. died due to multiple traumatic injuries.
Location: Pederson Lagoon Two NPS VIPs were patrolling Aialik Bay when they discovered a black bear in the lagoon. The animal had reportedly been there for approximately three days. It was on a tidal flat and wasn't able to pull itself out of the water. The chief ranger called the state troopers since the animal was off park land. The troopers authorized action which allowed rangers to use ropes to pull the bear out of the water. The bear had been shot in the back, paralyzing its legs. The bear was destroyed and the carcass was taken by the state troopers as evidence. The bear was a small male weighing approximately 150 lbs.
The nine-member Type I interagency overhead team that was yesterday reported to be in Valdez to assist with the oil spill has now gone to Kenai Fjords to help the park prepare for the impact of the spreading spill, which should reach the park within the next two to four days. The team will augment the Kenai Fjords staff, and will be available for use by the Coast Guards' on- scene coordinator. The team will be reporting to the park superintendent, the Alaska Regional Office and the Interior Department's regional environmental officer. They will also coordinate the monitoring of park resources and document pre-spill and post-spill conditions. (Dave Ames, Acting RD, ARO).
As of late Friday, the Type I incident command team had arrived in Seward and was establishing staging and command areas. A spill response plan showing general areas of concern for park resources had been completed; detailed maps showing rookeries, marine mammal haul-outs and other high- priority resources were also being prepared. The Service's DeHavilland Beaver was being converted from skis to floats by the Office of Aircraft Services in Anchorage for use by the incident command team, and a Grumman Goose was being held at OAS for possible use. According to a Thursday report by NCAA, chances are good that the oil spill will not reach the park. Winds were said to be the most important variable, since a wind shift would be required to move oil from the Gulf current to the park's shoreline. The Coast Guard was about to move booms to Seward and was considering moving some operations there as well, since the town is close to the leading edge of the oil. (Dave Ames, Acting Regional Director, ARO; John Quinley, Public Affairs, ARO).
As of yesterday afternoon, the leading edge of the oil slick was stationary at a point three miles off the Chiswell Islands in Alaska Maritime NWR and ten miles off the mouth of Resurrection Bay. There's also a body of oil about 15 to 25 miles wide roughly 20 miles offshore from the park which formed from patches of oil coming out of Montague and Bainbridge passages. Winds and freshwater flows are presently keeping the oil offshore. Booms have been placed in Humpy and Thumb Coves outside the park and in Aialik Bay inside the park; more oil booms - totalling about 25,000' in length - are en route to Seward, and the park has established priority protection areas for their use in conjunction with local and state officials. The incident command team (ICT) has sent boats and aircraft along the coast for resource assessments. Assignments include wildlife evaluation, coastal land evaluation, recreation impacts, and intertidal zone evaluations. Photographs and descriptions are being recorded for before and after use if needed. There are 46 people now assigned to the ICT, and another 20 people are working full or part-time on the spill in the Alaska Regional Office. (Dave Ames, Acting Regional Director & John Quinley, Public Affairs, ARO).
The weather in Seward deteriorated yesterday afternoon, with winds shifting and now blowing out of the south. The oil patch has moved closer to the park, and is now eight miles southwest of Granite Island (located near the tip of Harris Peninsula) and within five miles of Aialik Peninsula. Both peninsulas are within Kenai Fjords (see attached map for location and configuration of spill as of Monday afternoon). NO oil has yet come ashore on land within the park, however. Booms are in place in Humpy Cove and Thumb Cove (outside the park) and Pederson Lagoon in Aialik Bay (inside the park); boom placement was to have been completed yesterday on James Creek, Tonsina Creek and Island Creek. NCAA and others have said that the wind direction will be critical in keeping the oil offshore. The Weather Service yesterday predicted a 75% to 80% chance for the Sunday arrival of a low pressure system with 35 to 40 knot winds out of the south and southeast. This will increase the likelihood of oil reaching shore in Kenai Fjords, Katmai and Lake Clark. Two-person teams are en route to the latter two areas to finalize details of those parks* spill contingency plans. Logistics will be more difficult since the two parks are considerably larger than Kenai Fjords and have no road access or city adjacent to their coastlines. A Coast Guard lieutenant has arrived in Seward and will be based at incident command team (ICT) headquarters. The NPS and ICT will operate under Coast Guard direction. Resource assessment work conducted in Kenai Fjords yesterday included collection of water and plankton samples, surveys of high-use recreation areas and beaches, bivalve surveys and vegetation evaluations in the intertidal areas, and evaluations of species compositions, densities and distributions. (Dave Ames, Acting Regional Director, ARO, and John Quinley, Public Affairs, ARO).
The leading edge of the main oil slick has been reported 40 miles south of Gore Point and is tracking southwest at 15 to 18 miles per day under present conditions. It's expected that it will reach Kodiak Island within five days. There is now an oil sheen on most of the rocks along outer portions of the park's peninsulas and bays, and an oil mousse can be found throughout the Chiswell Islands off Cape Resurrection and the Pye Islands at the south end of the park (see attached map). Winds of 25 to 30 knots from the southeast are forecast for Saturday, which would push the oil toward the park. (Dave Ames, Actin Regional Director, ARO, and John Quinley, Public Affairs, ARO).
As of late Saturday, the oil was still slightly offshore of Kenai Fjords and had not made any further advances toward the park. Winds and currents are currently keeping movement in balance. The oil has come ashore on Cape Resurrection, Barwell Island, and the Chiswell Islands; it is close to the shores of Granite and Pye Islands. Boom placement operations were to have resumed this weekend following the arrival of 6,500' of boom late on Friday. Boats will work on booming streams in lower Kenai Fjords and outside the south end of the park. Another 5,000' of boom is being reserved for the Resurrection River in Seward. A Navy open-water oil skimmer was put into action near the mouth of Resurrection Bay on Saturday. One intelligence- gathering crew has returned from the Nuka Point area, and a second has departed to work in the southern portion of the park below James Creek. A float plane is patrolling existing boom sites. The incident command team and Alaska Regional Office now have 122 people working on the spill. (Boyd Evison, Regional Director, ARO, and John Quinley, Public Affairs, ARO).
A storm on Monday broke up large areas of oil; on Tuesday, Coast Guard reconnaissance discovered oil along the east sides of all points of land extending toward the Gulf of Alaska from Resurrection Bay to Gore Point, but found little or no visible oil sheen in the bays. Coast Guard skimmers were working east of Cape Resurrection and west of Montague Island. A barrier and deflection boom was placed in McArthur Pass between Pye Islands and McCarty Fjord on Wednesday. (Boyd Evison, Dave Ames, John Quinley, ARO).
On Friday evening, the incident command team reported that oil had reached the coast of Katmai at Big River, which is south of Cape Douglas. A 40- square-mile slick of mostly sheen was sighted two miles off the cape that same afternoon. Oil has also been found on the beaches of the Chugach and Barren Islands. A Park Service crew at Kenai Fjords has confirmed oil on the shoreline of Aialik Peninsula. Oil has also moved into Nuka Bay - up to James Lagoon in the East Arm and into Yalik Bay on the West Arm. A heavy oil mousse was reported in Granite Passage between the Harris Peninsula in Kenai Fjords and Granite Island in the adjacent wildlife refuge. Boom deployment for the protection of the Katmai coast is being handled out of Kodiak, and twelve vessels were sent to that location on Friday. Six of them have net equipment to break up the spill, and the remainder are carrying booms to be deployed according to NPS priorities for the protection of the Katmai coast. Demobilization of the incident command team continues in Homer and Seward as the operation is turned over to Exxon, Veco and the Coast Guard. Katmai intelligence gathering operations in Homer have been transferred to the incident command team at Kodiak, but will continue to be managed from Homer. (Boyd Evison, RD, ARO; Dave Ames, ARD, ARO; and John Quinley, PA/ARO).
As of yesterday, oil had been reported along the Katmai coast as far south as Missak Bay, generally in the form of tar balls and mousse. Poor weather in the area - rain, gale warnings, and seas to 18 feet - hampered oil tracking and resource assessment work. One vessel working along the Katmai coast was to return to Homer yesterday if weather permitted; two other boats are awaiting better weather to continue work there. Another boat is completing fish and intertidal surveys in Aniakchak Bay. The booms in James and McCarty Lagoons in Kenai Fjords remain damaged; repair depends on the arrival of materials. Overflights found high southeast winds pushing mousse and sheen into bays on the southern shore of lower Kenai Peninsula, including beaches at Gore Point. No oil has been seen north of English Bay on the peninsula. The weather prevented skimming operations in Nuka Passage which were planned for the 23rd. The Coast Guard has deployed 35 fishing vessels from Kodiak to spot and attempt to catch oil approaching Kodiak Island and the Katmai coast. Two fishing vessels have been deployed near Cape Douglas with 3,000 feet of boom to react to oil sightings. The staff of the Senate Energy Committee plans to visit Kenai Fjords on the 28th. (Boyd Evison, RD, ARO; Dave Ames, ARD, ARO; John Quinley, PA, ARO).
Exxon reports that 43,000 barrels of oil remain along the shoreline throughout the region, and that another 28,000 barrels remain on nearby waters. About 42,000 barrels have been recovered, and it's estimated that 127,000 barrels have evaporated. Here's a park by park breakdown of current activities. Kenai Fjords - A Corps of Engineers dredge is successfully collecting oil in Agnes Cove near the Aialik Peninsula. A recommendation will be made to Exxon that crews be directed to beaches to collect dead, oiled wildlife. Fewer oiled birds are being found in the water, but many have washed ashore. The park reports that visitation to headquarters and the visitor center is above average, and that interpretation is developing displays and programs on the spill and the Service's response. (John Quinley, PA, ARO).
Kenai Fjords - A Coast Guard helicopter flew over the park on the 25th and reported that 80 percent of the shoreline in Nuka Passage has been affected by oil, with a heavy sheen observed off the outer coast of Nuka Island. Boom repair and James and McCarty lagoons continues. (John Quinley, PA, ARO).
Kenai Fjords - Cleanup operations continue on the Pye and Chiswell Islands off the coast of the park. A method for setting shoreline cleanup priorities has been approved by the Seward multi-agency coordinating group for use in the Seward area, both in and outside of the park. Rankings are based on the degree of oiling, accessibility of the shoreline, and the presence of important ecological and human use factors.
Overview - On the 6th, Admiral Robbins of the USCG visited the Katmai coast to view oil impacted areas. On the 7th, Congressman Bruce Vento visited Kenai Fjords and Katmai with Regional Director Boyd Evison. Kenai - Cleanup operations continue on the Pye and Chiswell Islands. The park has provided the Coast Guard with lists of shoreline areas where cleanup is authorized. The work involves picking up oiled kelp, tar balls and other debris. Excavation of sand and gravel by mechanical means is not authorized. (John Quinley, PA/ARO).
Overview - The weather from lower Kenai Peninsula to the Katmai coast has been severe, with gale warnings, winds at 45 knots with gusts to 65 knots, and 20 foot seas. The outlook through Friday is for calmer winds and 5 foot seas. More than 250 people have worked or are currently working for the region either full-time or part-time on the spill response. The cost to date for this effort is about $2.1 million. The estimated cost for the remainder of the fiscal year is an additional $2.5 million. Personnel are now being brought in from throughout the NPS to work on the spill response. A video briefing on the Katmai coastal situation for WASO and other parties should be available next week. It is being prepared in Kodiak by Jim Boyd from Albright FDC. Tort claims investigators are assembling their final reports in Seward. The Kodiak incident command post will be moved to a larger location this week. IC team members have worked out of two hotel rooms since early last month. Kenai Fjords - The Coast Guard reports that there are 28 vessels in the area of Kenai Fiords collecting oil. There are also 29 boats collecting birds, five recovering otters and two with emergency medical personnel aboard. An Exxon helicopter crew reported on the 9th that areas of oil remain along the coast from the Aialik Peninsula on the north side to Gore Point on the south end of the park's coast. On the 8th, Exxon reported that there was a light sheen in Montague strait, the exit from Prince William Sound.
Kenai Fjords - Beach cleanup continues, with the majority of the work being conducted in the Nuka Bay area at the south end of the park. About 70 employees contracted by Exxon are working in or near the park, and an additional crew of about 80 people is due this week. The NPS is overseeing crew activities in the park. A special use permit is being prepared for Exxon to establish a fuel cache for helicopters in the south end of the park.
Poor weather limited operations over much of the weekend in both areas. One cleanup boat had to leave the Katmai coast and take shelter in a bay off Kodiak Island, and others have restricted their activities to sheltered bays on the coast. Cleanup continues in Chiniak Bay. Boat crews report that storms and tides are lifting old oil, suspending it, and redistributing it. Exxon contractors report collecting 17,378 bags of oiled debris and sand at Kenai Fjords as of the 26th. Fifteen. NPS resource protection officers from park areas across the country are working with Exxon/Veco crews on beach cleanup in that park. CSIIA is inspecting the Exxon/Veco boats working in Kenai after sanitation problems were reported. NPS personnel have already been eissigned to other boats because of safety and sanitation concerns. (John Quinley, PA/ARO, via telefax: to RAD/WASO).
At midday on the 29th, a car clout occurred in the Exit Glacier area of the park in which a window was broken and a purse and camera were stolen. Sometime during the night of the following day, a burglar or burglars broke a $300 thermopane window in the Exit Glacier ranger station and stole approximately $2,500 worth of NPS property, including a radio, spotting scope, gas-powered impact drill, rescue equipment and tools. The park reports that incidents such as these have never before occurred in Kenai Fjords, and notes a likely correlation with the marked influx of people seeking high-paying ($16.70/hour) oil cleanup jobs in the Seward area. Although there are few additional jobs available, people continue to come into the town. There has been a considerable upswing in the number of arrests, assaults, bar fights and alcohol-related incidents, and the Seward police have had to augment their staff. The park is concerned about security around the headquarters building because of the increased number of people hanging around the nearby boat harbor area. (Peter Fitzmaurice, CR, KEFJ, via CompuServe message to RAD/ARO and RAD/WASO).
At 1 p.m. on June 25th, a Harbor Air Service Cessna 207 flying out of Seward with four sight-seeing passengers from the cruise ship Universe disappeared while returning from a flight over the park. An air search was initiated by the USAF Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) with Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircraft. Up to seven airplanes were involved in the search, and were assisted by NPS personnel in a helicopter. On June 29th, a USAF helicopter crew located the plane's wreckage on the Aialik Peninsula in the park. The Cessna had crashed at the 2,700-foot level on the steep, 2,800-foot peak. All five aboard the plane were killed on impact. On July 1st, state troopers, park personnel, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) inspector and four mountain rescue volunteers reached the site via helicopter and a 175-foot rappell. The remains were recovered and removed. NTSB is investigating the crash. The pilot may have flown into a cloud and hit the mountain. (Peter Fitzmaurice, CR, KEFJ, via CompuServe message from RAD/ARO, 7/6).
L.B., 24, of Anchorage, has forfeited the hide of a black bear that was illegally killed in Harris Bay on June 10th. L.B. and his father encountered the bear while fishing in the park. The bear was attracted to a fish one of them had unwisely left on the beach. Following a short investigation and the seizure of the hide from an Anchorage taxidermy shop, L.B. confessed to killing the bear. L.B. agreed to settle the matter by forfeiting the tanned hide and skull in lieu of a civil penalty under the Lacey Act. The hide and skull will be used for environmental education programs in the park. [John Quinley, PIO, ARO, 12/17]
On May 2, 1992, J.H., 27, D.D., 20, and R.L., 23, were cited for vandalizing the Exit Glacier ranger station and causing about $750 in damage. Following a year of intermittent investigation, the subsequent charges resulted in a total fine of $1,750. A special resource protection fund account has been established with the Alaska Natural History Association, and $1500 of the total fine was deposited into this account. The account enables the park to retrieve 95% of the fines for resource protection programs. [Diane Wisley, Acting CR, KEFJ, 6/17]
C.C. of Anchorage recently confessed to shooting a black bear near Exit Glacier on May 28th and was charged with a Lacey Act violation. The case was handled as a civil suit. On June 17th, C.C. forfeited the hide and skull and was assessed $2,5000 in civil damages, which were placed in the park's resource protection fund. The investigation began with a tip from two visitors who spotted C.C. shooting the bear and took down his license plate number. The witnesses were rewarded with $200 from he resource protection fund. [Diane Wisley, Acting CR, KEFJ, 6/17]
Exit Glacier was swept off its terminal moraine during the recent Alaska floods. Fifty feet of the leading ice edge and one third of the terminal moraine washed away. Kettle ponds disappeared under an avalanche of sediment; ice chunks now dot the outwash plain. A 150-foot section of the Exit Glacier road was washed out, and the road has accordingly been closed at Resurrection Bridge. Work is also underway to repair Exit Glaciers trails, all of which were affected by the flooding. Segments of the newly-constructed upper section of the Harding Icefield trail sustained heavy damage, and the bridge and trailhead sign-in station at the beginning of the trail were buried under 15 feet of sediment. The entire Exit Glacier area remains closed. A six-person maintenance crew from Denali began about four weeks of road and trail rehab work on Tuesday. They brought two dump trucks and a D3 bulldozer from Denali with them. Damage has been estimated to be in excess of $100,000. [Peter Fitzmaurice, KEFJ]
On June 18th, a group of sea kayakers on Aialik Bay advised park resource managers conducting harbor seal surveys that a bear poaching incident had occurred in Quicksand Cove, a remote beach in the bay that's accessible only by boat or float plane. The kayakers said that another group camped in the cove had shot a bear the previous day, and that the group was supported by a small pleasure craft and the commercial fishing vessels Arctic Spring and Hilda. They also reported that the members of the other party were planning to stay there for two weeks to conduct suction dredge mining operations in the lagoon, and that they were carrying sidearms. Rangers Peter Fitzmaurice and Jeff Troutman flew to the site the following day along with National Marine Fisheries Service officer Kevin Heck; rangers Mike Tetreau and Kelly followed in a park vessel. While en route, rangers in the plane saw the Hilda and a small runabout headed out of the bay under deteriorating rain and sea conditions. At the cove, they found animal parts at a site where an animal had been recently butchered. Fitzmaurice and Heck returned to Seward in the float plane in a driving rain storm and spotted the Hilda and the runabout anchored in a protected cove near Aialik Cape. The others remained to gather more evidence and conduct further interviews with the kayakers. Heck boarded the runabout when it returned to Seward Harbor just before midnight and contacted the operator, T.P., who eventually revealed that he had the hide and meat of the bear that had been shot in the bay on board the boat. He said that S.B. of Palmer had shot the bear, and that he was on the Hilda. A state trooper took T.P. into custody on a warrant for a prior fishing violation. Heck and Fitzmaurice met the Hilda and asked if any of the six people on board had a weapon. S.B. revealed a .45 revolver under his heavy coat. All members of the group denied engaging in any sport hunting or fishing on the trip until confronted with the information about the seizure of the bear hide and meat. S.B. then admitted to shooting the bear. He also said that he'd planned to mine in the bay, but had found no suitable sites. Charges are pending for wildlife and Lacey Act violations. [Peter Fitzmaurice, CR, KEFJ]
On the afternoon of May 29th, the 95-foot tour boat Glacier Explorer collided with a humpback whale. The vessel, with 115 passengers and four crew members, was traveling south at 22 knots from the Aialik Bay area of the park to the Chiswell Islands when the whale surfaced unexpectedly almost directly ahead of the ship. Although the skipper immediately swerved and throttled back, the fiberglass vessel rode up slightly on the whale, and a two-foot by three-foot stabilizer fin was broken away from the bottom of the hull. Initial reports (later determined to be unfounded) were that the vessel was taking on water, so the Coast Guard launched a C-130 and rescue helicopter; other vessels in the area also responded. The skipper steered the vessel close to Harbor Island, and all passengers donned lifejackets and were staged at emergency stations. The crew then determined that the hull was intact and the vessel returned to Seward under its own power. Another tour boat that responded to the scene reported that the whale continued to feed in the area and displayed no unusual behavior. The Coast Guard Marine Safety Office investigated the accident. At the request of the National Marine Fisheries Service, chief ranger Peter Fitzmaurice investigated for possible Marine Mammal Protection Act violations. No fault has been found on the part of the skipper or the vessel. [CRO, KEFJ, 5/30]
On the morning of Sunday, September 26th, a survey crew contracted by BLM was completing a cadastral survey of lands within the park which were recently conveyed to the Port Graham Village Corporation. As the crew was off-loading from a helicopter via a "toe in" landing on a rocky point along the steep, remote, marine shoreline, surveyor C.L. walked upslope into the main rotors of the Hughes 500 helicopter. C.L. was struck on his hard hat and shoulder and knocked down by the rotor blades. The pilot of the helicopter managed to maintain control of the aircraft and landed it on a rock ledge nearby, where he activated his ELT. The party's support ship was anchored out of radio range in a bay some 25 miles away. When they realized the helicopter was overdue, they began to get underway; at the same time, the Coast Guard issued an alert regarding the ELT signal. The vessel eventually got close enough to establish radio contact with the ground crew and called the Coast Guard to request a rescue helicopter from Kodiak. C.L., his survey partner, and the pilot were hoisted into the rescue aircraft around 2:30 p.m. C.L. was flown to a hospital in Homer, where he was stabilized before being flown on to a hospital in Anchorage. He sustained fractures and lacerations to his shoulder. He will require skin grafts and more surgery, but is expected to recover fully. At the time of the report, Temsco Helicopters, the helicopter's owner, was planning on flying a mechanic to the stranded helicopter with replacement rotors, rotor head, and drive shaft. If they couldn't repair the aircraft in the field, they planned to sling it out with a heavy lift helicopter. The forecast at the time called for winds building from 25 to 50 knots. There was a possibility that the strong winds could blow the unsecured helicopter off its small ledge and into the deep water. [Peter Fitzmaurice, CR, KEFJ, 9/29]
Four snowmobilers who were racing in the Exit Creek area on March 8th failed to see and subsequently drove off a seven-foot snow bank at a speed of about 50 miles per hour. All went about 20 feet through the air before striking the opposite bank. The four men - T.W., A.J., G.dV. and J.J. - are all assigned to the nuclear missile submarine USS Alaska, which was in the area for the Operation Northern Edge military exercise. They were transported to Seward and treated at the temporary military clinic set up for the exercise; G.dV. was later airlifted by military aircraft to Anchorage for treatment of a back injury. Ranger Mike Thompson made the initial response and coordinated removal of the damaged snowmobiles, which had been rented from the local Army recreation camp. [Jim Ireland, ACR, KEFJ, 3/9]
Warm weather, heavy precipitation and hurricane-force winds have caused numerous avalanches and weather-related problems throughout south central Alaska. On Thursday, the governor declared that section of the state a disaster area. Headquarters at Kenai Fjords NP has been isolated by avalanches and the city of Seward is operating on generator power. One employee evacuated her residence after an avalanche came down in the subdivision. Katmai NP lost a roof on a storage building in King Salmon owned by the Air Force when it was struck by 110 mph winds. A total of eleven small aircraft were severely damaged by the high winds; three of them were torn loose from their tie-downs and overturned. No serious injuries were reported, but damage to structures in the area was widespread. Damage to park buildings has been limited to roofing and siding. Preceding the wind, the temperature rose from 24 degrees below zero to 40 degrees above in just three hours. The region's Type II incident management team has been put on alert by the Alaska Department of Emergency Services (ADES). Travel on roadways by NPS employees is being limited to essential activities. The NPS is cooperating with DOI and ADES efforts. A roster of personnel available for search and rescue operations is being assembled at the state's request. [Jay Liggett, RLES, ARO, 2/4]
On Thursday, September 19, B.F., a contract researcher studying black bears on the park coast, became stranded on a rocky beach in the north end of Aialik Bay approximately 35 air miles southwest of Seward. B.F., working alone, had anchored his 18-foot, rigid-hulled inflatable boat off shore and climbed an adjacent ridge to retrieve a radio collar. Sustained winds of 30 knots, gusting to 45 knots, caused the boat to break free of its anchor and wash ashore on a nearby rocky ledge. The park's 53-foot vessel, the Serac, was in Aialik Bay to meet with B.F. and conduct other work. B.F. was determined to be overdue in late afternoon after he failed to meet the Serac and repeated attempts at radio contact failed. B.F. had failed to file a float plan, so the search area of about 100 square miles included all of Aialik Bay, a 19-mile-long fjord with numerous bays and coves. A local air service was utilized to overfly the search area and quickly located the stranded vessel. The Serac responded immediately to the location, and a crew of five went ashore and helped B.F. pull the boat off of the rocks and into the heavy surf, still driven by gusting 30- to 40-knot winds. Without this response, it is likely that the boat would have been significantly damaged or destroyed and B.F., working alone to free the vessel, could have been seriously injured as the surging incoming tide and wind driven waves pushed it into the rocks. Several violations of park safety and boating policy have been noted and will be addressed with B.F. and his employer. [Submitted by Jim Ireland, Chief Ranger, Kenai Fjords NP]
Alaska Support Office contracting officer B.W., 60, and his wife, D.W., 56, were killed in a traffic accident on the Seward Highway on Saturday, October 12. They were driving south to the Kenai Peninsula when another driver crossed into their lane and collided head-on with their vehicle. Both Weisers died at the scene. B.W. and D.W. planned on retiring within the month. B.W. had worked for the NPS since 1994, coming to the agency after working for both the Air Force and British Petroleum. D.W. worked at Health South. They are survived by their children, grandchildren and several siblings. The funeral was on Tuesday, October 15, at Congregation Beth Shalom in Anchorage. They were interred later that day, also in Anchorage. [Submitted by John Quinley, Public Affairs Officer]
Heavy rains caused flooding in southern Alaska late last week and forced the park and Forest Service to jointly close the Exit Glacier Road. The park is concerned about the new foundation that was just poured for the Exit Glacier Nature Center. Contractors have shored up the area with additional loads of gravel, but concerns persist as the waters of Resurrection River continue to rise. Weather predictions call for more rain. [Submitted by Jane Tranel, Public Information Officer, ARO]
Heavy rains (more than five inches) caused flooding in southern Alaska late last week and had substantial impacts on the park. Water in the Resurrection River rose six feet in twelve hours last Wednesday, reaching the deck level of the bridge on the Exit Glacier road. An avalanche on the Forest Service side of the bridge closed traffic to the glacier on Thursday night. The glacial outwash stream shifted channels and began flowing behind the site where the new nature center is being built and continues to threaten the building. Gravel was trucked in to create a berm to protect the center. The dike protecting the park maintenance area is still holding. Rain was still falling at the time of the report (Monday), and more problems were considered possible. Despite the rain, the slide on the Exit Glacier road was cleaned up and the road has reopened. [Submitted by Anne Castellina, Superintendent]
A modified Piper PA-18 crashed during a beach landing about a mile
east of Aialik Glacier on the afternoon of July 12th. Pilot J.B. and
passenger P.G. were uninjured. J.B. said that the plane's
left landing gear struck a small stream channel while landing on the
rocky beach, causing the plane to flip. J.B. activated an ELT and
attempted to flag down passing tour boats with bright clothing. He was
quickly spotted by a nearby sightseeing aircraft, which in turn arranged
to have J.B., P.G. and all their gear lifted out by a float-equipped
charter aircraft. The plane was partially disassembled and removed by a
commercial landing craft the following day. J.B. and P.G., both of
Anchorage, were landing for a day of sport fishing when the accident
occurred.
On the evening of Saturday, July 19th, a local man was shot and
killed at his residence about five miles north of Seward, just outside
of the park. The suspect, an experienced hunter, immediately fled on
foot into the adjacent heavy woods armed with a large caliber rifle.
Rangers Jim Ireland and Richard Millsap responded to a mutual aid
request from Alaska state troopers along with officers from the Forest
Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Seward PD. The rangers
and NMFS officer assumed perimeter security and control of the crime
scene, allowing troopers to begin a hasty search of nearby residences
and wooded areas. The rangers were released after about five hours,
following the arrival of additional state officers. The intensive
manhunt, which was in its third day on Monday, continues to focus on a
residential subdivision about six miles north of Seward, which
coincidentally includes the homes of nine park employees.
On Saturday, July 19th, Attorney General John Ashcroft visited the
Exit Glacier area of the park. Sandy Brue, chief of interpretation,
accompanied the group. The FBI coordinated security with local ranger
staff. There were no incidents associated with the visit.
On Friday, September 5th, resource mangers Mike Tetreau and Matt Gray
and visiting Klondike Goldrush ranger Anita Gray were working on the
upper Harding Icefield Trail above Exit Glacier when hikers requested
help for a sick friend. They found R.K., 24, lying on a
scree slope about 100 yards off the trail a half mile from the top. He
was unresponsive, his radial and brachial pulses were absent, and he
appeared to be actively seizing. Language barriers limited the gathering
of information on his medical history. Tetreau and Gray recognized this
as a life threatening situation and requested an immediate ALS response.
A local ER doctor went to park headquarters and established a telephone
patch with the people on scene, while a local "flightseeing" helicopter
was diverted from its regular operations to transport ranger Jim Ireland
and two local volunteer ambulance crew members to the scene. After
establishing an IV line and administering IV dextrose (which took his
blood sugar level from 35 to 131), responders and bystanders formed a
litter team to traverse the scree slope to the helicopter, which
transported R.K. to Providence Seward Medical Center, where he was
found to have a core temperature of about 88 degrees. Although the day
was sunny and relatively warm, R.K. had not eaten for almost 18
hours, then hiked the steep trail in heavy clothing. Upon arrival near
the top, cool winds off the ice field coupled with his sweaty clothes
caused the rapid onset of hypothermia, with low blood sugar compounding
the problem. Given his hypoglycemia and moderate hypothermia, it's
likely that R.K. would not have survived continued exposure if not
for the timely arrival and assessment performed by NPS personnel and the
availability of a helicopter for rapid extrication.
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 25th, the Star of the Northwest,
a 100-foot tour vessel with approximately 160 persons on board,
began taking on water in the Eldorado Narrows area of Resurrection Bay
south of Seward. Initial indications are that the vessel struck a
submerged rock that breached multiple compartments. A may day call was
issued, and approximately 30 local vessels responded, along with USCG
small boats and aircraft. The passengers were safely evacuated to
another large tour vessel, and multiple dewatering pumps were utilized
to keep the vessel afloat until it could be towed back into dry dock in
Seward. National Park Service interpretive ranger Kimberly Finch
and intern Lauren Wahl were aboard the vessel as part of an agreement in
which the company, Major Marine Tours, pays the costs of NPS rangers
aboard each of their tour boats throughout the summer season.
Finch and Wahl assisted crew members in managing and safely offloading
passengers without injury. A couple who had been aboard the
boat came into the park visitor center after the incident and wanted to
make sure we knew how much Finch had added to their experience. In their
words, "She really made the trip exceptional, not just through her
narration but in her demeanor. She was the last person to get off
the boat onto the other boat. A real example of what you would expect a
ranger to be." The incident received extensive local media
coverage.
The U.S. Geological Survey is currently monitoring the eruption of Augustine Volcano in Alaska that began on Wednesday with two explosions at the summit of the volcano. The alert level is classified at red, the highest level of concern. The volcano is located in Cook Inlet, about 180 miles southwest of Anchorage. Because of the volcano's location, the ash fall from a full scale eruption will likely have significant impacts on the regional office in Anchorage and on Lake Clark NP&P, Kenai Fjords NP and Katmai NP&P. Other areas may also be affected. The high alert level has prompted the regional office to issue a memorandum to all employees in Alaska with the following guidance: "In the event of ash fall in Anchorage the regional office will not be open for business until the event is over and it is considered safe to return to work. Affected parks may have to close as well - that discretion is up to the park superintendent. The health and safety of our employees is our main concern and ash fall can pose significant threats. Please read the tips below to insure your safety." On Wednesday, the eruption produced an ash plume that reached about 30,000 feet above sea level. The ash plume then detached from the volcanic vent, and winds blew the ash away from populated areas. USGS advises, however, that the volcano's status could change at any time. USGS expects this eruption may be similar to Augustine's eruptions in 1976 and 1986 when the volcanic ash was spread throughout and perhaps beyond Cook Inlet. Since spring 2005, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has been recording increasing unrest at Augustine Volcano. Rates of earthquake occurrence increased slowly from an average rate of one to two per day in early May, to three to four per day in October, and up to 15 per day in mid-December. Concurrent with this increase, USGS detected a small uplift of the volcano using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) instruments permanently installed on the mountain. In early and mid December, a number of small steam explosions were recorded by seismic instruments on the volcano. Views of the summit following these explosions revealed new steaming cracks and localized deposits of debris. In addition, airborne gas measurements and thermal imaging measurements showed an increase in the output of volcanic gas and heat at the summit of the volcano. The highest temperature recorded, on January 4, was 390 C (750 F). AVO interpreted these changes as a sign that new magma was accumulating beneath the volcano's summit. In response to this activity, AVO deployed additional seismometers, GPS receivers, an infrasound sensor, and time lapse cameras on the flanks of the volcano, and established a web-based camera system. Further deployment of additional monitoring equipment is ongoing and USGS will continue to monitor the activity closely. Further information on Augustine Volcano and related hazards and response plans can be found at the following web sites: HYPERLINK "http://www.avo.alaska.edu" www.avo.alaska.edu; ash-related information at HYPERLINK "http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/"; NOAA and National Weather Service ash cloud trajectories and aviation warnings at HYPERLINK "http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/augustine.php", tsunami issues related to Augustine at HYPERLINK "http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/Augustine/AugustineWeb.htm"; and community preparedness at HYPERLINK "http://www.ak-prepared.com/plans/mitigation/volcano.htm".
On Monday, October 9th, flood warnings were issued for several areas of Alaska, including Seward. Park headquarters is located in Seward, and the park maintains a visitor center at the popular Exit Glacier. Torrential rains caused rivers to rise out of their banks and flood much of the city, leading to the issuance of a disaster declaration. By Tuesday afternoon, water began dropping in the Resurrection River and receding from flooded areas, but flood conditions persist in several subdivisions around Seward, including the Exit Glacier subdivision where the park's maintenance facility is located. Flooding there was from Box Canyon Creek, which broke through its levees and sent a torrent of water, ice and debris through the area. Although park staff were able to leave the facility before roads became impassable, some had to leave their personal vehicles there. Crews have been unable to push Box Canyon Creek back into its channel, but several new small flood channels have developed across the subdivision. In the Old Mill subdivision north of Seward, floodwaters had not yet receded at the time of the report. Floating fuel and septic tanks have been seen and the borough has posted notices advising those on wells to boil water. Several members of the park's staff are standing vigil at their properties, which have been cutoff by flooded bridges and roads, and the park is helping them as much as possible. The road to Lowell Point has been closed due to a bridge washout. Staff commuting from that location may have to use local water taxi services for the time being. Water remains about a half foot deep across the park road to Exit Glacier, which has been closed since late on Monday. [Jeff Mow, Superintendent] HYPERLINK "http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8292438p-8188960c.html"
The crew of the MV Serac came to the assistance of a disabled vessel near Thumb Cove on Friday, June 22nd, while en route to Aialik Bay to resupply the ranger station there. The disabled vessel, a 24-foot Bayliner, was without power and against the rocks just north of the entrance to Thumb Cove in Resurrection Bay. The crew of the Serac deployed their Zodiac, and deckhand Elsie Dillewaard successfully pulled the Bayliner away from the rocks and alongside the Serac. Captain Fred Wells proceeded to the middle of Resurrection Bay with the vessel under tow, eventually turning it over to the United States Coast Guard for towing back to Seward. [Jim Pfeiffenberger, Education Coordinator]
On the afternoon of Thursday, June 28th, rangers Sean Brennan, Sarah Cowell and Rayne Rohrbach responded to an "officer needs assistance" call just outside the park. State troopers, responding to a report of a man with a gun threatening to shoot people in a local trailer park, determined that he was in a motor home along Exit Glacier Road, the primary entry into the park. Many local seasonal workers live along the road in long-term camps established for the entire summer. Based on their knowledge of the area and its residents, the rangers immediately identified the suspect's vehicle from the officer's description and led Seward city police and troopers to its location. As they arrived, a single shot was heard from a the motor home. Rangers immediately set up roadblocks well away from the suspect and maintained them for several hours while state and city officers began negotiations with the suspect, who was believed to have a hostage and who threatened to kill any officer who approached. These roadblocks cut off all traffic into and out of the park, stranding a large number of park visitors and staff for about four hours. The suspect, identified as W.A., ultimately surrendered to troopers after exiting the bus with a loaded handgun. The road into the park reopened at about 6 p.m. [Submitted by Jim Ireland, Chief Ranger]
On July 16th, park resource management specialist Mike Tetreau, currently an intermittent employee working with a private firm conducting follow-up studies related to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill along the park coastline, found an apparent commercial filming production in Taroka Arm, a seldom-visited area along the park's southern coast. In addition to the campsite "set" itself, a nearby support crew camp was located near a sensitive archaeological site. Ranger Sean Brennan, currently on detail as a criminal investigator assignment with the NPS Investigative Services Branch, flew to the site by chartered float plane the following day with Tetreau and contacted L.S., also known as the "Survivorman", who has a show by the same name currently running on the Discovery Channel. L.S., with a crew of four at the nearby camp, was apparently filming an upcoming episode of the show in the park, with a driftwood shelter constructed on the beach and multiple cameras surrounding it. L.S. was cited for commercial filming without a permit, and given the opportunity to obtain a permit. L.S. paid the required application, location and monitoring fees, totaling approximately $2,800, which will allow the park to recover most of the cost of the investigation. [Jim Ireland, Chief of Interpretation & Visitor Services/Chief Ranger]
The 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan last Friday - the fifth largest quake in the world since 1900 and nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one that recently devastated Christchurch, New Zealand - produced a tsunami that crossed the open and came up on the shores of park beaches from Guam to the West Coast. No visitor or employee injuries have been reported. The following summarizes reports submitted from all affected areas: Alaska Region - The massive earthquake and possibility of a tsunami led to several precautionary measures to Alaska, but in the end no real effects from the quake and subsequent tsunami were felt. In Sitka (Sitka NHP), some precautionary evacuations were made in the town and the city airport was closed briefly but soon reopened. Elsewhere in Alaska, only small waves and stronger and unusual currents were expected, and were soon seen in the Aleutian Islands. Dutch Harbor (ALEU) reported an 18 inch surge in water levels. The outer coasts of Katmai, Kenai Fjords, and Lake Clark also may have been slightly impacted. [Dean Ross, Deputy Chief of Emergency Services, WASO; Karen Gatewood, Acting Regional Chief Ranger, PWRO; Steve Chaney, Superintendent, REDW; Kim Coast, Acting Chief Ranger, GOGA; John Quinley, Public Affairs, ARO]
On August 29, a hiker on the Harding Icefield Trail, about 1 mile above Marmot Meadows, called the NPS to request assistance, reporting cramping and spasms in both legs. Rangers and volunteers from the Bear Creek Fire Department, as well as a LifeMed Alaska helicopter, were dispatched. The patient was treated on site and was able to walk down the mountain and the helicopter was canceled. Source: Kenai Fjords National Park September 18, 2022 On September 10, early in the morning, a motor vehicle accident was reported along the Herman-Leirer Road near the Exit Glacier Parking lot. NPS staff, Alaska State Troopers, the Seward Police Department, the Bear Creek Fire Department, and the Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps responded. Two people were found outside the heavily damaged vehicle and transported to Providence Seward Medical Center. An investigation by the NPS and Alaska State Troopers is ongoing, and the press release says that "speed is believed to have been a factor leading to the accident." Source: Kenai Fjords National Park
On June 26, near the southwest beach of Aialik Glacier, a single engine aircraft had a rough landing that disabled the aircraft. No injuries were reported. The park is working with the owner of the plane to remove it from the beach. Source: Kenai Fjords National Park
On July 17, a 15-year-old was hiking on the Harding Icefield Trail, about 3.7 miles in, when they went into cardiac arrest. Bystanders and NPS staff performed CPR until a LifeFlight helicopter was able to arrive on scene. Despite additional resuscitation efforts by the LifeMed paramedics, the individual was pronounced deceased at the scene. Other responders on the incident included Alaska Wildlife Troopers, the Bear Creek Fire Department, the Seward Volunteer Ambulance, and Alaska State Troopers. The incident is under investigation by the NPS and Alaska State Troopers. Source: Peninsula Clarion
On April 19, six skiers on a multi-day trek across the Harding Icefield from Exit Glacier to Bradley Lake became stranded due to severe weather. They were able to shelter in a snow cave. Due to poor visibility and high winds, a rescue was not possible until the following day. The following morning, an Alaska Air National Guard helicopter was able to land near the skiers and take them to a local hospital for evaluation. The rescue was coordinated by the NPS and Alaska Wildlife Troopers. A National Guard HC-130 support plane also assisted in the rescue. Source: Alaska News Source/KTUU
On May 17, due to warm temperatures and snowmelt, the park closed the Exit Glacier Developed Area to all snowmachine use. The park will reopen it when snow depth, snow density, and frozen soil conditions are adequate. Source: Kenai Fjords National Park
On August 7 at about 5 AM, a landslide triggered a tsunami that washed over portions of Pedersen Lagoon near Aialik Bay. No one was reported injured in the incident. A private lodge reported damage to "boardwalk areas" and an NPS campsite easement had food storage box damage. Park staff are unclear whether continued landslides, rockfall, or tsunamis might occur in the area and are urging caution while visiting the area around Pederson Lagoon. Source: Kenai Fjords National Park | |