Tag: Grand Teton National Park

FROM THE PARKS: BEARS & YELLOWSTONE

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Many have heard of the recent incident in Yellowstone Park — here is a link to an ABC News report…

http://abcnews.go.com/US/grizzly-bear-kills-hiker-yellowstone-national-park/story?id=14014264

Many are weighing in on the incident, its implications and importance for safety.  Grand Teton National Park announced the following program on July 5, which we found slightly ironic but so important.  Not only is preparing yourself important, but so is protecting our natural environment for these wild animals.  Be sure to be prepared whenever you journey into our Wyoming wilderness, and always remember that animals in the wild are just that — wild.

From Grand Teton National Park (National Park Service, US Dept of the Interior):

Grand Teton National Park Supports Bear Spray Recycle Program

Grand Teton National Park is proud to announce its participation in a new sustainability effort that recycles a specialized item commonly used in bear country: bear spray. In coordination, with other federal partners at Yellowstone National Park, the National Elk Refuge and surrounding national forests, Grand Teton recently placed collection bins at several locations to gather unwanted bear spray canisters and prepare them for recycling.

Millions of people visit  the Greater Yellowstone Area each year, and thousands of bear spray canisters—used and unused—are disposed of in trash containers because they are not allowed on commercial flights, or visitors no longer have a need for the spray after they leave the area. These bear spray canisters enter the waste stream, causing a serious environmental concern. In addition, waste disposal workers are exposed to accidental discharge of pepper-laced propellant at disposal sites. To correct this problem, a new recycling center was established this year in Yellowstone.

The effort to curb the growing number of bear spray canisters in landfills emerged two years ago, when Yellowstone park managers and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality agreed that a recycling project could resolve this issue. The solution came from three Montana State University (MSU) engineering students who designed a machine that removes the pepper oil and propellant before it crushes the canister. The recycling unit is able to extract all contents through a filtering process that safely separates the ingredients. The empty canisters are then punctured, flattened and sold to any recycling center as high quality aluminum.

Using the principles that were developed by the MSU students, a Montana-based manufacturing firm produced the first-of-its-kind canister recycling unit. The recycling unit, located at Mammoth in Yellowstone, began operating this spring. To fund manufacture of the specialized unit, donations were secured from the Greater Yellowstone Area business community.

“As National Park Service employees, we have a responsibility to be on the forefront of sustainable environmental practices, and we’re proud to join our federal partners in this recycling effort: an effort that has positive impacts across the Greater Yellowstone Area,” said Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott. “Grand Teton park personnel will take the lead in transporting canisters from collection sites within the greater Jackson area to the specialized recycling unit located in Yellowstone.”

Collection sites within Grand Teton National Park include: Colter Bay Visitor Center, Colter Bay Cabins, Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Ranger Station, Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Gros Ventre Campground, Signal Mountain Lodge, and the Craig Thomas Discovery Visitor Center. Collection sites are also located at the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center at the National Elk Refuge and Teton County Recycling at 3270 South Adams Canyon Road. In addition, collection sites are located at several private businesses, and at the Jackson Hole Airport beginning July 15.

Yellowstone is accepting bear spray canisters at most hotels, stores and at all park entrances.

 

NEWS FROM THE PARKS: Teton Employees Receive Fire Service Awards

Posted on by wlmeditor

Teton Interagency Fire Employees Receive 2010 Regional National Park Service Awards

On behalf of the National Park Service Intermountain Region (IMR), Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott and Bridger-Teton National Forest Supervisor Jacque Buchanan presented two Teton Interagency Fire employees with awards for excellence in fire management. Grand Teton National Park Assistant Fire Management Officer Mack McFarland received the IMR Interagency Fire Management Leadership Award and Martha Williamson, Teton Interagency fire planner, received the IMR Fire Management Achievement Award.

McFarland’s leadership award recognizes his exemplary service and dual role for the past three years as a fuels specialist for Grand Teton National Park and as the north zone assistant fire management officer for fuels on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

“Mack had the vision and skills to effectively work within each agency’s constraints and overcome any obstacles to successfully complete fuels treatment projects for both agencies,” said IMR Fire Management Officer Michael Davin. “Mack is a great example of a service-first approach that is truly working.”

McFarland began working seasonally at Grand Teton in 1990 and became a permanent employee in 1996. During his tenure as the interagency fuels specialist, McFarland managed several large-scale projects: the multi-year Lower Gros Ventre Prescribed Fire and the Buffalo Valley Fuels Environmental Assessment, among others.

“On behalf of the Intermountain Region, I extend our thanks and appreciation to Mack McFarland for his dedication and commitment to the teamwork, integration and cooperation between the Bridger-Teton National Forest and Grand Teton National Park,” said IMR Director John Wessels. “His skill in ‘leading by example’ demonstrates a genuine interagency spirit.”

Williamson came to Bridger-Teton National Forest and Grand Teton National Park as the interagency fire planner and fire GIS specialist in 2008. She earned the fire achievement award for her significant GIS support and contributions in training for the IMR Wildland Fire and Aviation Management Program.

“Martha provided invaluable direction in creating hands-on training for National Parks Service fire personnel within the Wildland Fire Decision Support System,” said IMR Director John Wessels. “In addition, she has participated in and provided direction for our regional fire geo-database.

Martha works hard to find practical solutions to fire spatial analysis, risk assessment and solution development to better protect people, firefighters, and natural resources.”

The Intermountain Region of the National Park Service spans eight states from Montana to Texas, and includes 92 parks and national historic sites.

GTNP: Bicyclist Injured in Truck Collision

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Bicyclist Injured in Collision with Delivery Truck

A 54-year-old Jackson, Wyoming resident received multiple injuries when he was struck by the rearview mirror of a delivery truck while biking on Highway 26/89/191, about 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, May 11. The delivery truck, driven by a 54-year-old Jackson man, and the bicyclist were both northbound on the highway when the accident occurred approximately one mile north of the Airport Junction in Grand Teton National Park. The cyclist was wearing a bike helmet.

After making contact with the bicyclist, the driver of the truck quickly stopped and made a 911 call on his cell phone to summon help. Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received the rerouted 911 call from the Teton County Sherriff’s Office at 9:19 a.m. and a park ranger immediately responded to the accident site.

The ranger provided emergency medical care to the bicyclist and sent him by park ambulance to St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson.

Further details about this incident will be available at the conclusion of an accident investigation.

About 3.8 million people travel by vehicle on Grand Teton National Park roads each year. While accidents between vehicles and bicycles or pedestrians are rare, park managers completed a transportation plan in 2007 that included, among other goals, a system of multi-use pathways within the park to separate pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicle traffic.

Construction of a separated pathway running parallel to Highway 26/89/191 is scheduled to begin on June 1, and a 6.3 mile pathway segment from Moose Junction to the park’s south boundary will join a pathway system being built from the Town of Jackson toward the park. Once constructed, the entire pathway (approximately 12 miles) will provide a measure of safety, separating non-motorized users from motorists on Highway 26/89/191.

Missing Skiers Found in GTNP

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On the evening of Saturday, April 23, after a long day of searching an avalanche debris field in Garnet Canyon Meadows, a Grand Teton National Park ranger picked up two discernible beacon signals deep in the snowpack.

Due to the late hour—coupled with the need to evacuate all search teams from the Teton canyon and cease helicopter operations before day’s end—a handful of rescuers were not able to dig deep enough to locate the source of the signals. Early Sunday morning, a core group of park rangers flew back into Garnet Canyon to resume digging. After two hours, they reached Walker Pannell Kuhl and Gregory Seftick, buried under 13 feet of snow near a large boulder in the avalanche path.

Over 35 rescue personnel and four canine teams methodically searched the large avalanche field in Garnet Canyon for more than ten hours on Saturday.

With the help of good weather, rescuers hoped to find any clue as to the fate of Kuhl and Seftick. At 7 p.m. with just two teams left to airlift from the canyon, Ranger Nick Armitage made one final sweep with his avalanche transceiver over an area that had been probed by rescuers earlier in the day. After Armitage picked up first one beacon signal, and then another, five additional rescuers joined in digging through the dense snowpack to reach the source. Although five feet of snow was cleared away, rescuers were not able to reach the beacon before the last helicopter flight needed to be made. Upon removing the snow, however, rescuers also made a positive probe hit. It should be noted that avalanche probe poles are generally 10 feet long and the beacon was deeper than their initial reach.

On Sunday morning, helicopter pilot Nicole Ludwig—flying a Teton County Search and Rescue contract helicopter out of Hillsboro, Oregon—airlifted six park rangers back into the Garnet Canyon Meadows to resume digging toward the two beacons. Rangers continued to excavate through another ten feet of snow before they reached Walker and Greg. Rangers then prepared them for a helicopter flight to the valley floor where a Teton County coroner met the ship.

It appears that Walker and Greg were buried by a large avalanche that shed off the north face of Nez Perce Peak sometime Saturday night, April 16, while they were in their tent, located near a large boulder between the Platforms and the Meadows of Garnet Canyon. Walker and Greg carried avalanche beacons and other appropriate gear with them on their trek into the Teton Range, and their beacons were transmitting when the avalanche enveloped their campsite.

The concentrated search for Kuhl and Seftick lasted six days, due in part to stormy weather, new snowfall and ongoing concerns about avalanche danger for rescue teams. Search operations involved park rangers and staff, as well as numerous Jackson Hole community rescue personnel. Grand Teton National Park appreciates the cooperation and dedication of the organizations and companies who assisted during the past several days.

Those groups include trained rescue personnel, volunteers and support staff from Teton County Search and Rescue, Teton Interagency Fire personnel, Bridger-Teton National Forest and Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center staff, a Yellowstone National Park employee, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrol, Wyoming K9 Search and Rescue teams, and Grand Targhee Resort ski patrol and canine teams, as well as experienced professional mountaineers from Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and Exum Mountain Guides.

The Seftick and Kuhl families extend their heartfelt thanks to all rescuers for their work in helping to locate their sons and brothers.

Grand Teton Natl. Park Search for Skiers Entering Sixth Day

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Search for Missing Skiers Enters Sixth Day

The search for Walker Pannell Kuhl, age 27, of Salt Lake City, Utah and Gregory Seftick, age 31, of Columbia Falls, Montana resumed today, Saturday, April 23 in Grand Teton National Park. Kuhl and Seftick began an overnight camping and skiing trip one week ago, and were reported missing on Monday, April 18, when Kuhl failed to show up for work. This marks the sixth day for a concentrated search to locate the missing skiers.

A high pressure system brought sunny skies and calm winds this morning, creating perfect weather conditions to continue search operations. Four K9 search and rescue teams from nearby Grand Targhee Resort in Alta, Wyoming, and more than 35 search and rescue personnel were airlifted from a helispot on the Teton Park Road (elevation 6,685 feet) into a high elevation helispot in Garnet Canyon (9,500 feet) near the base of Nez Perce Peak to begin another full day of combing through a large avalanche debris field. A broad snowfield on the north face of Nez Perce gave way sometime after Friday, April 15, and the resulting avalanche path covers Garnet Canyon Meadows where it is presumed that the two men may be found. The avalanche debris field is approximately 200 feet wide, 200-300 yards long and 15 feet deep.

Grand Teton National Park rangers again enlisted the assistance of trained rescue personnel and support staff from Teton County Search and Rescue, Teton Interagency Fire, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrol, Wyoming K9 Search and Rescue, and Grand Targhee Resort ski patrol and K9 teams, as well as experienced professional mountaineers from Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and Exum Mountain Guides (two park concession companies) to provide the best possible and most complete exploration of snow-covered area where Kuhl and Seftick may be located.

Local weather forecaster Jim Woodmency, who joined the search effort today, reminded the search teams that over three feet of new snow has fallen on the Teton Range over the past week. Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center has recorded 661 inches of snowfall at the Raymer snow plot (elevation 9,300 feet) so far this winter. The Tetons receive an average of

400 inches of snowfall per year.

Further information about today’s search effort will be available after individual teams return to the incident command center near park headquarters at day’s end.  Visit http://gtnpnews.blogspot.com/2011/04/search-for-missing-skiers-enters-sixth.html for more information.