Latest news with #parkRanger


The Guardian
26-06-2025
- The Guardian
California bear who injured Lake Tahoe camper killed by park ranger
A California black bear with a history of confronting humans and breaking into homes was euthanized this week after swiping at a camper near Lake Tahoe and sending her to the hospital with cuts and bruises, officials said. The woman was woken up around 4.30am on Sunday when the female bear broke into her trailer at a campground near Emerald Bay state park, according to the California wildlife department. The camper tried to scare off the bear by screaming and banging pots and pans, the department said. 'Undeterred, the bear forced its way into the trailer and swiped at the camper, leaving her with cuts and bruises on her arms and hand and requiring an escorted trip to the hospital,' the statement said. Later that morning, the bear ripped open the door to a camper van with teenagers sleeping inside and then was reported harassing other campers at the same campground. The bear, deemed a public safety risk, was tracked to another campground nearby on Monday and euthanized by a park ranger, officials said. DNA testing confirmed it was the same bear responsible for the attack on the woman a day earlier. Wildlife officers had been trying to trap the bear since 17 June after attempts to haze it out of areas where people live and recreate had failed. The bear had been the subject of multiple 911 calls following break-ins and confrontations, officials said. On June 10, the bear broke into a car parked at a campground with a child fastened to a child seat inside. Steve Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the fish and wildlife department, said euthanasia is a measure of last resort. But protecting human life is paramount, he said. 'It's not a decision that's made lightly,' Gonzalez said Thursday. 'Every incident, big or small, involving a bear goes through a lot of approvals and review.' Officials said the sow's two cubs were captured and delivered to a wildlife rehabilitation facility in nnorthern California in the hope they can be rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Bears are a common sight in the Tahoe region, and residents and visitors are encouraged to stay aware and keep food locked away, Gonzalez said.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tom Hanks Has Heartfelt Response to Being Called 'America's Dad'
Tom Hanks gave a heartfelt response to Variety after being called 'America's Dad' by his The Americas producer Mike Gunton. Hanks narrates the NBC nature series, which explores the natural wonders of the Americas through never-before-seen footage of animals in their habitat. While Hanks himself admitted that his off-the-cuff narration style is different from the typical nature-doc energy, it was exactly what Gunton was looking for when putting his series together. After calling Hanks 'America's dad,' the Phoenician Scheme star launched into a thoughtful response. 'I think that might say more about the induced trauma of family of origin issues for most of America. But I will say, I would love to be called something specific: The best park ranger they've ever heard,' Hanks joked. The actor recalled attending an event as a child in which he watched a park ranger hold court for nearly an hour. 'It was riveting to my 8-year-old mind. Believe it or not, part of me thought, 'How do I get that job?'' Hanks continued: 'Look, I have enthusiasms that are particular to me. I have a willingness to dominate every dinner table that I sit at. It's one of [my] character defects that I'm working on. But I'm going to treat that seriously when someone comes in and says, 'We look upon you as a dad.' Because the best dads are going to offer up wisdom, patience and just the right amount of discipline when the time comes.' He added that he's more than happy to accept the title in perpetuity 'provided I don't have to campaign for it.' 'I'm just going to have it handed to me!' he cracked.'People need to trust the the person who's telling these stories has got integrity and is telling them the truth,' Gunton explained of his reason for choosing Hanks to lead the series. 'Because nature is complicated, and people want to know what really is going on here, what's the real science, the real environment, all those things.' Hanks added: 'There's no lies in this thing. There is no crypting together of stuff in order to present some sort of sensibility or an idea, or promote an idea…No CGI, no lies.' Tom Hanks Has Heartfelt Response to Being Called 'America's Dad' first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 19, 2025


New York Times
13-06-2025
- New York Times
Park Area Closed to Recover Body of Teen Who Fell Over 50-Foot Waterfall
Officials closed part of Olympic National Park in Washington State this week to recover the body of a teenager who slipped and fell over a 50-waterfall last weekend, the National Park Service said. The 18-year-old slipped on wet rocks at the top of Sol Duc Falls on Sunday afternoon, and plummeted to the bottom of the falls, witnesses told park officials. The man, whose name the authorities did not release, briefly resurfaced before disappearing beneath the water, park officials said. The park's swift water and rope rescue teams began their search immediately after the man disappeared, officials said, while another crew searched the riverbanks upstream from the trailhead. Thermal imaging was used to search the water, while drone teams from local police departments looked from above. Late on Monday, a park ranger found a submerged body pinned between the first and second falls, officials said, adding that it was 'likely that this is the visitor who fell over the falls the day before.' The park announced on Tuesday that it was closing the area around the falls as the teams prepared to recover the body. The point where the body was seen is in a slender canyon beneath the main falls, where the water gains speed. The force of the water was further strengthened, officials said, by higher temperatures, which cause rapid snowmelt and significantly high river flows. Park officials said Tuesday that they would 'begin the operation as soon as the river conditions allow for a safe and successful recovery.' They said that they were thwarted by the 50-foot cliffs, covered in algae and moss, on both sides of the area. Farther downstream, they said, there is a second waterfall, a whirlpool, and other hazards. Park officials did not offer any public updates after Tuesday, and did not respond to emails and phone messages on Friday. Olympic National Park, which preserves more than 920,000 acres on a thumb of land known as the Olympic Peninsula, is one of the largest, most remote, and least-developed protected areas in the United States.


The Independent
27-05-2025
- The Independent
Insect-eating Venus flytraps thrive in the Carolinas as hikers peek into their native ecosystem
Park ranger Jesse Anderson leads dozens of people on a weekly hike in North Carolina to see some of the most unique living things in the world — plants that supplement the nutrients they get from sunlight by digesting ants, flies and spiders. But the Venus flytraps aren't like the human-size, ravenous and cruel Audrey in 'Little Shop of Horrors.' In the wild, Venus flytraps are the size of a lima bean and pose no harm to anything other than insects. Their special hairs snap their leaves together when brushed — but only twice in about 20 seconds or less to reduce the amount of false alarms by dust or rain. Once inside, the insect is doomed to become plant food, Anderson said. 'It continues to trigger those hairs and the trap slowly closes and eventually starts releasing digestive enzymes to start breaking down the insect. And because they're in nutrient-poor environments, they supplement their food with insects,' Anderson said. Anderson's hike at Carolina Beach State Park on the southeast North Carolina coast also showcases other carnivorous plants. There are vase-shaped pitcher plants with liquid at the bottom that traps insects, then digests them. Butterworts and sundews attract insects with glistening leaves, then secrete an adhesive to trap them in place. Bladderworts work similarly to Venus flytraps. And the hike is one of the few places to see Venus flytraps. The plant only grows in 12 counties in southeast North Carolina near Wilmington and a few nearby places in South Carolina, which made the organism the state's official carnivorous plant in 2023. Now is an especially good time to take that hike. Venus flytraps bloom from about mid-May to mid-June, Anderson said. The flytrap is a fragile plant that needs fire to survive. Wildfires in the pine forests where they grow clear off the denser overgrowth to provide the abundant sunlight the plants need. They face two big enemies — poachers and development. Harvesting the plants without permission is a felony in North Carolina and a misdemeanor in South Carolina. In 2016, a man was sentenced to 17 months in prison for taking nearly 1,000 Venus flytraps from game land in Hampstead, North Carolina. And the flytraps live in one of the fastest-growing parts of the U.S., where neighborhoods and businesses have been built over their habitats. Most of the plants can now be found in preserves and other undisturbed areas. Scientists counted only about 300,000 flytraps in the Carolinas several years ago. While Anderson's hike is one of the few ways to see Venus flytraps in their natural environment, he said commercially grown plants can be found around in greenhouses and plant stores around the world and can thrive in homes in the right conditions 'They like nutrient-poor soils, and also they can't stand typical well water or tap water. So they need things like rainwater or distilled water or versus osmosis,' Anderson said. Venus flytraps need abundant sunlight and soils that are moist but not drenched. And they don't have to eat bugs if they can get enough nutrients from photosynthesis. Please don't feed them hamburger meat — that's not what they eat. And try not to trigger the leaves shut without something to digest. That takes a lot of energy the plant needs to replace. ___ Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this story.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Bucks County park closed as crews search for park resource ranger after his kayak overturns
The Brief Rescue units are on scene at a Bucks County park. Officials announced Tyler State Park would be closed until further notice after an accident happened involving a park ranger. NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Tyler State Park, in Bucks County, is closed until further notice as crews work to find a park ranger whose kayak capsized. What we know Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources released a statement saying Tyler State Park would be closed indefinitely due to an accident involving a park ranger. A 38-year-old park resource ranger was in a kayak in the Neshaminy Creek Friday, a little after 12:30, when the kayak overturned. Additionally, they went on to say many agencies responded to the scene to help in the search. A witness at the park in Newtown Township sent a video showing emergency crews suiting up to enter the water. What we don't know No additional details were released.