National Park News

The body of missing climber John Arum, was found on the north slope of Storm King Mountain by National Park Service rangers.

The National Park Service announced today that beginning Saturday, September 4, 2010 it will significantly scale back the search for the missing floatplane carrying employees Mason McLeod, brothers Neal and Seth Spradlin, and pilot Marco Alletto. The floatplane disappeared on August 21, 2010 after taking off from Swikshak Bay in Katmai National Park and Preserve. No sign of the floatplane or missing men has been reported since.

Burn out operations continue in preparation for northern containment of the Saffron Fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

BrooksCamp: Sunny fall day at Brooks Camp. Bears take long naps near river after feasting on salmon buffet-be prepared for long bridge closures.

Zion National Park today announced the continuation of an intensive and sustained crackdown on all who drive drunk in the park.”

A waist-style day pack was found this afternoon during an aerial search of Storm King Mountain in North Cascades National Park. The pack was found on the north side of the mountain in steep, cliffy terrain at an elevation of 8000 feet and was confirmed to belong to missing climber John Arum.

The family of missing climber John Arum has issued a public statement.

Yesterday, Wednesday, September 1, at 6 p.m. park staff received a smoke report coming from the Cow Creek Fire area.

The onset of fall in Yellowstone, with its cooler temperatures and snow in the high country, prompts many animals to start moving to lower elevations. Yellowstone’s road corridors, campgrounds, and other developments were built primarily in lower elevation areas. This can result in great wildlife viewing opportunities for visitors. However, with these opportunities comes an increased risk of visitors being injured if they get too close to wildlife. It can be challenging to manage both wildlife behaving naturally and the people viewing them.

The eighth meeting of the Denali National Park Aircraft Overflights Advisory Council will take place on Friday, September 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Murie Science and Learning Center, located in Denali National Park.

The search continues for the mountaineer missing on Storm King Mountain in North Cascades National Park. The 49-year old resident from the Seattle area was planning to solo climb Storm King Mountain on Saturday, August 28. National Park Service personnel, plus mountain rescue volunteers from the Stehekin community and Chelan County have been searching for the missing climber since Monday, August 30.

With the opening of hunting seasons on lands surrounding Yellowstone National Park, hunters are reminded that hunting is not permitted within the park. Though most of the park boundary is well marked, it is the responsibility of the hunters to ensure they do not hunt within the park.

Targeted search efforts today revealed no clues in the hunt for the missing floatplane carrying National Park
Service employees Mason McLeod, 26, Neal Spradlin, 28, Seth Spradlin, 20, and pilot Marco Alletto. Clearing
skies and good visibility allowed searchers to focus on high-elevation areas and large lakes within the 14,000
square mile search area.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is soliciting public comment on the Park’s plans to transition the Park’s management of its elk herd from an experiment to a long-term management strategy. Under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) the public has 30 days to provide comments before the National Park Service can make a decision.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced a delay in the reopening of the Little River/Jakes Creek Trail access road in the Elkmont area due to continuing construction activities. The revised date for the reopening is now scheduled on October 15.

On September 9, pavement preservation work will begin on the South Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. In order to facilitate the safe and timely completion of the work, some disruption of traffic and parking patterns will occur.

Work is set to begin right after the Labor Day holiday weekend on a stretch of road along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Redwood National and State Parks will conduct a series of prescribed
burns this fall in the prairies and oak woodlands of the Bald Hills east of
Orick. The prescribed fire season in the parks begins in late September
or early October as weather conditions permit.

Yellowstone National Park is inviting the public to learn more about their public lands and climate change by attending the Tenth Biennial Scientific Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The conference, “Questioning Greater Yellowstone’s Future: Climate, Land Use, and Invasive Species,” will be held in the park at Mammoth Hot Springs, October 11–13, 2010.

Despite variable and windy weather which developed over the area this afternoon, searchers were able to
continue efforts to locate the missing floatplane carrying National Park Service employees Mason McLeod,
26, Neal Spradlin, 28, Seth Spradlin, 20, and pilot Marco Alletto. No sign of the plane or passengers has yet
been reported.

BrooksCamp: Bear activity along the Brooks River is increasing. 8 bears visible at once this morning and great bear viewing from Lower Platform 8/30 PM.

Join the park on the 2010 Ride For Trails this October!

Good weather is forecast for Yellowstone National Park for the start of the Labor Day holiday weekend. This typically results in a pulse of weekend visitors, as many people from the area surrounding the park use the occasion to mark the unofficial end of summer.

Multiple search and rescue incidents occured in the park August 27 through August 29.

Work is nearing completion on the section of road between Norris and Madison through Gibbon Canyon in Yellowstone National Park.

Visitor passes away in the park due to an underlying medical condition, possibly brought on by hiking in the desert in hot weather.