Park News July 9,2008

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

The Spirit of Glacier Bay, operated by Cruise West, went aground at just after 7 a.m. on Monday, July 7th, near Grand Pacific Glacier in Tarr Inlet. There were no injuries to any of the 24 passengers or 27 crew members. The ship lifted off the bottom on a rising tide shortly after 4 p.m. that afternoon. Passengers were then unloaded from the Spirit of Glacier Bay onto another ship for passage out of the bay, and the Spirit was escorted about 60 miles down the bay by the US Coast Guard to Bartlett Cove, where it was moored and an assessment performed. Initial indications from the Coast Guard are that the vessel’s hull did not appear to be breached, but an internal examination revealed damage to the shell plating and framing. Several interior doors also could not be shut. The Coast Guard responded to the incident with two MH-60 helicopters, two small boats and the 110-foot cutter Liberty. The NPS response included three small boats with spill response gear. The concession day tour vessel Fairweather II Express also responded and took passengers off the larger ship. At the time of the grounding, the ship was moving at just a half knot per hour. After running aground, the ship was stable with a one degree port list and is currently three degrees down by the bow. Weather at the time of the incident was clear and mild. The ship was on the third day of a four-day Glacier Bay cruise. Glacier Bay NP sees more than 150 cruise ships in the bay each summer and had an annual visitation of 438,000 in 2007.

 

Denali National Park & Preserve

A climber collapsed and died on the summit of Mt. McKinley on the evening of July 4th. James Nasti, 51, of Naperville, Illinois, was a client on an Alpine Ascents International expedition that began their climb on June 20th.  According to the two expedition guides, Nasti exhibited no signs of distress or illness throughout the trip and was climbing strongly immediately prior to his collapse. The guides administered CPR for up to 45 minutes, but were unable to restore Nasti’s pulse. Park mountaineering rangers at the 14,200-foot camp were immediately notified by the guides via radio. The team was instructed by the rangers to descend carefully with the remaining four clients to the 17,200-foot camp, as Nasti’s body could not be safely recovered at the time.  Conditions were initially calm and clear on the summit, but the weather began to deteriorate as the incident progressed.  The 20,320-foot summit of Mt. McKinley features an exposed flat area roughly the size of a single car garage. Just below the summit, climbers must negotiate a 500-foot-long knife-edge ridge. A recovery along this ridge would require a highly skilled technical rescue team and a rope rigging system. Considering the high risk involved in such a ground lowering, as well as the excessive risk of a helicopter recovery at this extreme elevation, the National Park Service has determined that the safest alternative is to leave the remains of the deceased climber on the mountain at this time. This incident represents the first time a mountaineer has died on Mt. McKinley’s summit.  In 1988, a climber died at an elevation of 19,600-feet on a descent from the summit; the body was not recovered.

 

Saguaro National Park

On June 25th, a 24-year-old homeless man who had wandered into the park found a gila monster and picked it up because – as he later told rangers – "it wanted to be friends." The man then placed the gila on his shoulders, whereupon it promptly bit him on the neck.  While trying to shed the animal, it bit him once more on the hand. He then picked it up and wrapped it in a piece of clothing. A park volunteer encountered the man walking on a roadway adjacent to the park and asked if he needed help. The man told the volunteer what had happened, then showed him the gila. Rangers were summoned; when they arrived, they found the man vomiting and  complaining of difficulty breathing. He was transported by ambulance to a Tucson area hospital, where he was admitted for treatment of the bites, heat exhaustion and severe dehydration. The gila appeared uninjured, and was returned to the park. This was the park's second gila bite incident this year. Gila monsters are native to the American southwest and northern Mexico and are the only venomous lizard native to the United States.  These heavy, slow-moving lizards can grow up to two feet long and can weigh up to three pounds.  Because of their slowness, they rarely present a threat to humans.

 

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Park dispatch contacted supervisory rangers Ron Heeren and Pat Norton on the evening of June 25th and advised them that a person had been swept off the rocks into the water near Slide Ranch. The victim, identified as Raul Zamora-Castillo, 34, had been fishing with three companions when a wave swept him off the rocks into the ocean. He spent approximately 20 minutes in the ocean before his companions were able to pull him from the water. They attempted to resuscitate him while a Coast Guard helicopter and boat responded, but without success. The helicopter hoisted Zamora-Castillo up and brought him to a waiting ambulance, where he was pronounced dead.

 

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

An emergency call for help came into the park dispatch center around 7 p.m. on the evening of Saturday, July 5th. The caller told the dispatcher that a man and woman were in the lake at Six-Mile Cove and were having difficulty returning to the shoreline. The woman had evidently been having trouble, and the man had gone out to help her. Neither was wearing a life jacket. She made it back to shore and was airlifted to Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, but he disappeared. Rangers searched for him until dark, but were not able to find him. His body was recovered the following day. He has been identified as Michael Henderson, 52, of North Las Vegas.

 

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

On June 24th, park pilot Tug Kangus received the 2007 Intermountain Regional Director's Award for Employee Safety and Health Achievement for his years of incident-free flying and dedication to safety.

Tug has been the chief pilot and certified aircraft mechanic at Glen Canyon NRA for over 25 years and a pilot with the National Park Service for over 36 years. In this capacity, he has played a primary role in one of the safest, most effective aviation programs in the National Park Service.

Tug has also played a key role in enabling the smooth operation of Glen Canyon NRA.  Covering more than 1.25 million acres across Arizona and Utah, the aviation program allows for the quick, easy, and reliable transport of both personnel and supplies between far-flung locations.  

Through his flying, Tug promotes the NPS mission in other ways.  He has supported visitor protection with numerous search and rescue functions.  Be it lost hikers or boaters, or unsafe or illegal visitor conduct, Tug is able to quickly and efficiently relay information back to dispatch and rangers.

Resource management benefits from his interest and assistance in Glen Canyon’s bald and golden eagle monitoring program.  Numerous nest locations have been monitored over a period of many years thanks to Tug’s efforts.

But for as much as Tug lives to fly, safety always comes first.  He’s quick to address safety when one boards his aircraft whether it’s your first flight with him or your one-hundredth.  As Deputy Regional Director Tony Schetzsle said, “Safety is no accident and that’s how it is with Tug.” 

Tug’s dedication to safe and effective flight operations and aviation maintenance are to be commended.  He is a great asset to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the National Park Service.

Many congratulations to Tug on this well deserved award!

 

Glacier National Park

Dates: 07/07/2008 - 07/17/2008

Glacier National Park is seeking a permanent full-time WL-9 utility systems repairer/operator leader. Duties include operating and repairing water and wastewater systems for the east side of the park.  Applicants must have a valid driver’s license, and, at minimum, operator in training certification (Class 2C) for wastewater treatment.

For a copy of the announcement and details and instructions on how to apply, please click on the link below. The deadline is July 17th.

Contact the Human Resources Office at 406-888-7877 for more information. 



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