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Two Hikers Rescued In Huntington Ravine Sunday

Rescue crews repel down to two men from Rhode Island who found themselves stranded on a steep ledge in Huntington Ravine Sunday (6-3-18) ~ Photo courtesy of NH Fish and Game.

 
SARGENTS PURCHASE, NH – Two hikers were rescued after getting lost on Mt. Washington this weekend.

Conservation Officers with New Hampshire Fish and Game said that on Sunday at around 1pm they received a call that 27-year-old Daniel Rueda, of Warwick, Rhode Island, and 21-year-old Christopher Petteruto, of Coventry, Rhode Island, were stranded in steep terrain at an unknown location in the area of Huntington Ravine. The hikers were able to give a description of the area but could not provide specific information, as they had not been there before.

Conservation Officers enlisted the help of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), who responded from around the mountain to search for the hikers. Over the next two hours, distant voice contact was made but an exact location could not be pinpointed.

With the afternoon turning to evening, additional search and rescue teams were formed, consisting of volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR), Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) and the US Forest Service.

Additional information eventually surfaced, helping crews to focus their attention on the northeast side of the ravine in an area known as Henderson’s Buttress.

The red circled area is where the two Rhode Island men where located after getting lost off of the Huntington Ravine Sunday (6-3-18) ~ Photo courtesy of NH Fish and Game.

 
By 6:00 PM, crews were still working to reach the stranded individuals.  Temperatures had gone from the 50’s to the high 30’s, and the hikers began to report through 911 (via cell phone) that they were becoming very cold and physically deteriorating.  The hikers had insufficient gear to stay warm, which applied additional pressures to the volunteers to make it to them before the situation

At 7:27 PM, rescue crews successfully reached the hikers at a location approximately 1000 feet off of the Huntington Ravine Trail. The hikers were located in an area of ledge, making it difficult to move either up or down.

Rescue crews provided the  lost hikers with warm clothing,food, and drink after locating them on a steep ledge in Huntington Ravine Sunday (6-3-18) ~ Photo courtesy of NH Fish and Game.

 
The hikers were subsequently assessed and provided with warm clothing, water and food.  Once warm, the two were able to hike and climb with the rescue team back out to the Huntington Ravine Trail and eventually up Mount Washington to the Alpine Garden.

Rescuers crews lead the lost hikers up Huntington Ravine Sunday (6-3-18) ~ Photo courtesy of NH Fish and Game.

 
The hikers were then lead to the Mount Washington Auto Road where they arrived safely shortly after 9:00 PM.

Following the evacuation, the hikers were checked by members of Gorham Ambulance before leaving in their own vehicle.

Fish and Game Officials said advise outdoor enthusiasts to always be prepared for the unexpected, even on really nice days. Conservation Officer Matthew Holmes said “This day started out great for the hikers in question and then ended in a six hour sit with temperatures that nearly hit the freezing mark. The forecast for the coming week on Mount Washington includes a “wintery mix” that will likely take the mountain from spring right back into winter.”

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Memorial Hospital Defers Plan For Unification With Mainehealth

 

North Conway, N.H. ­– A proposal to fully unify Memorial Hospital with its parent organization, MaineHealth, will not go forward as planned with respect to financial and governance functions, but the hospital still plans to integrate its other operations with the larger system at the end of the calendar year.

Memorial and the other members of MaineHealth have been working over the past 18 months to create a unified governance, financial and operating model so that resources and expertise can flow more easily across the healthcare system. The Memorial Board of Trustees approved the “unification” plan last fall subject to required approvals.

Since that time, leaders at Memorial and MaineHealth have been working through certain requirements in New Hampshire that do not exist for the other MaineHealth members in Maine. Those leaders have recently concluded that there are aspects of the process that cannot be resolved in a timely manner relative to the overall timeframe for unification across MaineHealth. As a result, Memorial Hospital will not fully unify with the system when the other members of MaineHealth come together on Jan. 1, 2019. Instead, Memorial Hospital will continue to operate under the definitive agreement reached with MaineHealth in 2013.

What this means in practical terms is that Memorial will retain separate governance and financial structures in New Hampshire. It does not mean, however, that the hospital is leaving MaineHealth. In fact, the hospital still plans to unify its operations with the larger system at the end of the calendar year.

“It became clear that we have a lot of work to do with our MaineHealth colleagues before we could move forward with an application to the Attorney General’s office to fully unify with the system,” said Laura Jawitz, chair of the Memorial Board of Trustees. “Rather than rush that process or slow the progress being made across the rest of the system, we determined it was best to go forward under the existing membership agreement with MaineHealth.”

“One thing remains clear,” said Jawitz. “Our membership in MaineHealth has allowed us to better serve our patients here in the Valley, and MaineHealth remains the right partner for us going forward.”

Scott McKinnon, President & CEO of Memorial, said moving forward with unifying operationally with MaineHealth means continuing to pursue the integration of key functions such as human resources, information systems and clinical services. He also said there will be no interruption of the planned installation of the Epic electronic health record system later this year.

“Our leadership is now assessing what it will mean to have separate governance and financial structures alongside a unified MaineHealth,” said McKinnon. “We will share any information we have about that as it becomes available. In the meantime, rest assured, we will continue to move forward with our colleagues to find the most beneficial way to be a part of the MaineHealth family.”

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Win Tickets To See Vance Joy Live

 

All this week (June 7- June 11) Tune into 93.5 WMWV for your chance to see Vance Joy live at the Bank Of NH Pavilion. He’ll be performing with special guest Mondo Cozmo on Saturday June 9th.

 

On the heels of his Rolling Stone Australia cover story, Vance Joy has revealed a release date of February 23 for his long-awaited second album, Nation of Two. The multi-platinum Australian singer/songwriter has also unveiled the album’s cover art (above) and tracklisting (attached), as well as a brand new song and video from the album, “We’re Going Home.” Nation of Two marks the follow-up to Vance Joy’s RIAA platinum certified worldwide breakthrough album, 2014’s dream your life away. Featuring 13 new songs, NatiNation of Two features tales of love and longing anchored by Vance Joy’s delicate storytelling, masterful instrumentation, and compelling vocals.

Vance Joy’s debut album, dream your life away, recently surpassed one million in consumption in the U.S. alone and featured the hit singles “fire and the flood,” the platinum certified “Mess Is Mine,” and the 4x platinum blockbuster, “Riptide.” Based on the success of those songs, Vance Joy was the #1 Most Played artist at Alternative radio in 2015. The singer/songwriter has built a massive global following and has surpassed one billion cumulative streams across platforms.

Worried you may not win? Then pick up your tickets now at Bank Of NH Pavilion.

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Story Land Not Closing, Despite Viral Rumor

GLEN, NH – A Facebook post has caused a bit of a stir in the Mount Washington Valley and across New England after it claimed that story land was closing.

The satirical news organization New Hampshire News Network posted on Facebook that the Glen attraction was closing this fall. Many social media users, not realizing the page is satirical similar to the Onion, believed the post to be true.

Lauren Hawkins Marketing Director at Story Land said the post has caused them quite a headache with people calling concerned that the 60-year-old attraction was closing.

Hawkins said in a phone interview “It is absolutely not true. We don’t like to believe everything on the internet” Hawkins joked, adding “We will be open for many more years to come.”

Story Land was opened in Glen in 1954 by Bob and Ruth Morrell of North Conway, owners of the Eastern Slope Ice Cream Co. The Morrells sold Story Land in 2007. It is now owned by Palace Entertainment.

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Hiker Injured On Frankenstein Cliff Trail

HARTS LOCATION, NH – An Injured Hiker had to be carried out of the White Mountains Wednesday.

Fish and Game Conservation Officers say that 43-year-old Mary Crivelli, of Maryland was out hiking with friends when she injured her ankle after slipping on a rock near the summit of the Frankenstein Cliff Trail in Harts Location at around 1pm.

A member of her hiking party had to hike approximately half a mile in order to find cell service to call for help.

Conservation officers as well as twenty-two students and staff from Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (S.O.L.O.) in Conway responded. Rescuers carried Crivelli to the trailhead arriving at around 7:40 Wednesday night.

Fish and Game Officials said that they rely heavily upon volunteer rescue groups like S.O.L.O to help with search and rescue missions. Noting that the public is encouraged to help support search and rescue activities in the state by purchasing a Hike Safe Card.

For additional information about hikesafe cards, visit hikeSafe.com.

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Destructive Invasive Insect Found In Maine

 

AUGUSTA – Officials at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) report that emerald ash borer (EAB) has been found in Maine. Despite an aggressive search for at least a decade, the destructive forest insect from Asia had not been detected in Maine previously. It has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in thirty-four states throughout the country. The estimated commercial (unprocessed) value of Maine ash trees is approximately $320 million.  

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials with the Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed the identification of a pre-pupa found in Madawaska, Maine. The discovery was made by a joint DACF – U.S. Forest Service (USFS) team on May 22, 2018. The team had responded following the discovery of EAB in Edmundston, New Brunswick, just across the river from Madawaska.

Discovery Anticipated

The Maine DACF has long anticipated the arrival of EAB and the inevitable destruction that follows. Public outreach has been conducted for fifteen (15) years. Experts have long believed that the insect has been present Maine but undetected despite an aggressive effort to find it. Its discovery in Quebec, Vermont and New Hampshire further added to the growing concern.  

Steps Taken To Locate EAB (EAB Surveillance in Maine)

  • Firewood awareness (2003–present)
  • Exotic Woodboring/Bark Beetle Survey (2004–2007, 2015)
  • Girdled Trap Tree Surveys (2007–present)
  • Purple Trap Surveys (2008–present)—4,668 traps
  • Hundreds of participating volunteers, looking for visual signs of EAB, including woodpecker feeding
  • Cerceris Biosurveillance (2008–present)
  • Forest Pest Outreach Trainings (2009–present)—Outreach, events, presentations
  • Nursery Visual Surveys (2015–present)—More than 30 nurseries
  • Green Funnel Trap (2016–present)
  • Conservation District outreach and trainings (2016–present)

Current Maine Response Status

State and federal officials are meeting to implement a statewide emergency-response plan. To determine the extent of the infestation, a multi-agency survey effort has been launched including personnel from the Maine DACF, APHIS and USFS.

As recently as April 26, officials conducted a multi-agency tabletop meeting to create an emergency plan for responding to EAB’s eventual discovery and implement a planned response. That is now underway.

Additional information will be released as more is learned from teams in the field and as data is processed.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

Emerald ash borer was first discovered in the Detroit, Michigan area in 2002, though it is believed to have arrived in the 1990s. The beetle is about one half an inch and metallic green. Its larva tunnels through the wood just under the bark of ash trees and can kill even healthy trees in three-to-five years. Hundreds of millions of trees across the country have been killed.

Ash trees comprise 4 percent of Maine’s hardwood forest and are also an important street tree. Emerald ash borer threatens all species of ash trees (except mountain ash) and could have significant ecological and economic impacts. There are no practical means to control EAB in forested areas, though pesticide treatments can protect individual trees.

Slowing the spread of EAB is crucial. An emerald ash borer generally moves only about one half-mile on its own in a year, but can move hundreds of miles in a single day within a piece of infested firewood.

Caution Regarding Firewood

Emerald ash borer is not the only threat to our forests that can move in the seemingly benign firewood brought to camp. Numerous other insects and diseases can also hitchhike in firewood. Spread the word: use local firewood. If you have friends or family planning to visit Maine, make sure they are aware of the state and federal rules that ban movement of untreated firewood (www.maine.gov/firewood). Sources of treated or local firewood can be found online at firewood scout http://firewoodscout.org/s/ME/.

More information about emerald ash borer is available at:

http://www.maine.gov/eab

http://www.emeraldashborer.info/