From Mono Herald newspaper report by Rosanne Higley:

Poor weather was not conducive to learning, but gave would-be rescuers
valuable experience

June MRA Team Hosts Ice-Climbing Seminar - The June Mountain Rescue team was host to 45 people in an ice climbing seminar in Lee Vining Canyon despite the area's first significant snowfall since mid-December last weekend.

Trainees included members of Mountain Rescue Association teams from Inyo County, China Lake Naval Weapons Center, Yosemite National Park, San Diego, Sylmar and Malibu, as well as individuals from the Bridgeport office of the California Highway Patrol and the Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center.

The snow was a mixed blessing for participants, according to organizers of the training. John Ellsworth, of the host group, said the snowy conditions were not conducive to effective learning. "It's hard for people to concentrate when they are cold and wet. But it was good for them to experience it in the bad weather. Many were not prepared for the conditions. They did not have changes of clothing."

The training had been scheduled to include camping in Lee Vining Canyon and two days of ice climbing training.

Igor Vorobyoff, team historian, said about half the trainees left Saturday night rather than camp in the snow, and many more left Sunday morning when the weather was clear, but windy. He added that the host team learned a lot from the experience.

Many trainees were not prepared for the cold, snowy weather

"Many of the people here asked for winter camping training in a future session," Vorobyoff said. "We learned that we have to provide winter camping and ice climbing, but at different times."

The training included indoor sessions for novices, explaining principles of ice climbing and tools. Outdoor stations trained both novices and more advanced participants in the use of tools, hand and foot placement and other details important to safe climbing. Ellsworth said the snow was a hindrance to climbing. "The snow hid the details of the ice, which are so important to effective route selection. Ice climbers can go anywhere the ice is safe, but they need to see it to know where to go."

The June Lake Mountain Rescue team has hosted ice climbing seminars at least three times before, according to Vorobyoff. He added that records were not well-maintained before his tenure as historian, so he is not sure how many trainings have been held.

In his new role, Vorobyoff corrected the name of the team. "We're a 'mountain rescue team,' not just `search and rescue' as we've been called in the past," he said. "We're members of the Mountain Rescue Association, a North American organization active in many Western states and Canada."

"The MRA is a certification program for search and rescue," Vorobyoff continued. "It promotes professionalism in search and rescue by testing teams in a variety of skills needed to perform their duties. That doesn't mean that every member of a team must be a proficient ice climber, but that some members of each team are trained to handle the variety of situations that may occur."

Another function of the MRA is to compile a data bank with statistics pertinent to rescue operations. "The data bank can provide profiles of types of people and how types may perform when lost or hurt. This information may help searchers find a victim faster," Vorobyoff said.

The MRA is also an organization which provides an interchange of new ideas. The association sponsors national and regional seminars and produces a newsletter for member teams.

John Ellsworth prepares to demonstrate ice-climbing techniques

The June Lake Mountain Rescue Team meets at the firehouse, on the first Tuesday of each month and provides training for its members. Trainings throughout the year will range from search and rescue theory to tracking, technical rock and ice rescue, avalanche search techniques and tools, litter carrying, and backcountry skills development.

In 1983, the June Lake rescue team was called for 16 operations, according to Vorobyoff. In 1984, they performed seven searches and five rescues, beginning and ending the year with searches for lost skiers off the backsides of Mammoth and June mountains.

Ellsworth said the team was busier before the formation of the Mammoth Lakes Search and Rescue Team and when Mono County teams were called into Madera County for operations. Vorobyoff noted, however, that as members of the Mountain Rescue Association, the team may be called to assist in any large operation anywhere in the state.

The June Lake team is a volunteer organization under the direction of the Mono County Sheriff's office. Deputy Ken McClintock, search and rescue coordinator, expressed his respect for the members of the rescue team.

"They are willing and, more importantly, able to do the jobs they are called upon to do. They are professional enough to know they need to stay current on training and techniques, and they do it. Training is mostly their responsibility."

"The June Lake Mountain Rescue Team has saved the county a lot of money. They are well-trained, professional and always available when we need them," McClintock added.

Although training and professionalism are important to the success of a rescue team, both Vorobyoff and Ellsworth agree that most of the team's work is the grunt labor of finding the victim and hauling him or her out of the backcountry. For this, the team needs members, lots of them, Vorobyoff said.

Anyone in the June Lake area (including Lee Vining, Mono City, etc.) interested in making a commitment to the June Lake Mountain Rescue Team, are encouraged to call Vorobyoff and to begin attending meetings. "The appropriate trainings will be provided to new members," Vorobyoff added.

From Mono Herald newspaper report by Martin Strelneck:

Firemen, paramedics and police officers had the unpleasant task of sifting through the wreckage of a plane which crashed near Conway Summit Monday afternoon. The pilot was killed in the crash.

Fiery Crash on Snowy Monday Claims Home-Bound Idaho Pilot - A 64-year-old Idaho pilot, tentatively identified as Robert Hartwig of Coeur d'alene, Ida., died Monday afternoon after his light plane crashed and burned approximately 300 feet below the top of 8,138-foot Conway Summit.

Mono County Sheriff Coroner investigators said the identification was 'based on documents found on the body and the aircraft's registration. Positive identification will be based on the results of an autopsy using forensic dental identification techniques, said the coroner's office.

Hartwig's Cessna 150 crashed on the south side of the summit below the Mono Lake Viewpoint turnout. Witnesses described the weather as poor, with snow squalls and low clouds. The plane wreckage was pointing south, indicating that it was possibly trying to turn hack when the accident occurred.

Units from Mono County Sheriff's Department, Lee Vining Volunteer Fire Department, CalTrans, California Highway Patrol and the Forest Service responded to the scene. The body was removed from the rugged canyon by members of the June Lake Search and Rescue Team.

Investigation into the accident, which occurred at approximately 2:20 p.m., is continuing by local authorities and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Flight records found at the scene showed that Hartwig had departed the Mammoth-June Lakes Airport a short time before the crash.

Effective immediately, the June Lake Rescue Team is the only local organization recognized by this Department to conduct SAR operations within Mono County. This action is taken for various reasons:

One team within the County will significantly streamline operations and will also comply with liability and future budget constraints. It will also simplify call-out and coordination procedures.

It is hoped that members of the Mammoth Lakes Search & Rescue Team who wish to remain active in SAR will contact the June Lake Team and offer their time and expertise to that organization.

Thank you for your past good works and cooperation.

Very truly yours, Lloyd F. Wilson, Sheriff-Coroner

From November 7, 1985 The Review newspaper report by Dave Roknic:

Mammoth Search and Rescue Faces Uphill Test to Continue - The Mammoth Search and Rescue team is searching for new life and trying to rescue itself after a mandate from the Mono County Sheriff's Office recently took away the group's official status.

A press release from the sheriff's office cites the June Lake Search and Rescue Team as "the officially recognized search and rescue team in Mono County."

"One [of the reasons for this action] is to simplify call-out and coordination procedures. Others are to consolidate resources, address liability issues and streamline operations," the press release continues.

The sheriff's office is entitled to take this action because it is the office which is ultimately responsible and liable for search and rescue operations in Mono County.

"It's nothing against the Mammoth team or the volunteers in the north county," Sheriff Lloyd Wilson said last week. "It wasn't meant as a slam at anyone. It was more a matter of procedure."

Craig Schrager, president of the Mammoth Search and Rescue Team, is nevertheless taking steps in hopes of changing the sheriff's decision. Under the current situation, Mammoth members' only option is joining the June Lake team.

But according to Schrager, joining the June Lake team is prohibitive. Mammoth members would be trainees for an entire year, and then they could only join by gaining the unanimous approval of the members of the June Lake team.

Now that the shock is subsiding, Schrager is trying to get the Mammoth team reinstated. He has written a letter to Wilson, the Mammoth Lakes Town Council, and the Mono County Board of Supervisors explaining the Mammoth team's predicament and reiterating the team's desire to continue search and rescue operations in Mammoth.

An excerpt from Schrager's letter states, "As a resident of Mammoth Lakes, I am concerned that my town will not have a fast-responding search and rescue team available. The bulk of the county's populace and visitors are in the Mammoth Lakes area."

The letter also cites the Mammoth team's many successful rescues, and problems encountered with the June Lake team's travel time to Mammoth rescues.

As of now, Wilson's decision seems final; but Schrager is not ready to give up. Currently, both Schrager and Wilson believe that each side has been misinformed and does not fully understand the situation.

According to Schrager, the sheriff's office is arranging a meeting between the two teams and the sheriff, but the sheriff's department was unable to confirm any word of such efforts at press time.

Mammoth town council member Greg Newbry, who was involved in the creation of the Mammoth Search and Rescue Team in 1978, says he does not believe the town council will intervene unless it becomes obvious the three groups cannot reach an agreement by themselves.

"I do think the sheriff's department handled it poorly," Newbry commented. "By taking and dissolving the Mammoth Search and Rescue Team, they have taken able-bodied individuals out of Mammoth."

From November 28, 1985 The Review newspaper report by Dave Roknic:

Mammoth Search & Rescue Members Can Join June Team - Members of the Mammoth and June Lake search and rescue teams met last week with Mono County Sheriff's Assistant Coordinator for Search and Rescue Mike Donnelly to discuss the status of search and rescue operations in the county.

The meeting was triggered by Sheriff Lloyd Wilson's action in early October which removed the Mammoth team from active status with the sheriff's department. At the same time, Wilson named the June Lake Search and Rescue Team as the only recognized team in Mono County.

Although the decision originally created animosity between the Mammoth team and the sheriff's department, the most recent meeting has resulted in more of a "let's give it a try" attitude. Although Mammoth Search and Rescue President Craig Schrager is not convinced the new system will work, Schrager said he will encourage Mammoth's displaced search and rescue members to join the June Lake team.

Donnelly said the sheriff's department will stand firm on Wilson's decision, and he believes, in spite of the controversy, this is a positive step for search and rescue in Mono County. He noted it will be better to have one, strong team in the county because everyone will know each other's abilities.

Schrager believes it is important to have a strong search and rescue team in Mammoth, and for that reason he hopes Mammoth members will be accepted by the June Lake team.

One bone of contention has been that Mammoth members would have to undergo at least a six-month "trial period" before becoming official members of the June Lake team.

According to June Lake Search and Rescue spokesman Igor Vorobyoff, the trial period is a team tradition and new members are "candidates" rather than "trainees." Candidates participate fully in the searches, but they do not have an official vote in the organization until the trial period is up.

"In the team's history," Vorobyoff said, "no person has ever been turned down [after the six months]."

Vorobyoff and Donnelly stressed Mammoth team members or anyone else interested in search and rescue should contact the June Lake team. Vorobyoff noted the team also had two members from Mono City and welcomed members from anywhere in the county. "We don't discriminate by area," he said.

One catch to joining the June Lake team is that the candidate must participate between June 15 and Sept. 15 when most searches take place. So technically, a person who joined today could not be an official member until Sept. 15, 1986.

Vorobyoff said Mammoth team members will be treated individually. "Even though we know some of the members are qualified, we just want to get to know them," he said.

To help things along, the June Lake team has also decided to rotate its regular monthly meetings between Mammoth, June Lake and Lee Vining in order to accommodate all members.

Two Mammoth members, Gary Gunther and Leigh Molson, have already become involved with the June Lake team. Their overriding reason was simply a strong desire to be involved in search and rescue.

Gunther, who is also associated with Inyo County's team, has already participated in a rescue in northern Mono County with the June Lake team. He said although he was virtually a stranger, June Lake members treated him fairly. "Everything went fine," Gunther said, "and I felt I was accepted as well as I could be accepted under the circumstances."

"I don't think that those people [other Mammoth members] have anything to worry about," Gunther said.

He noted the Inyo County team has a trial period similar to June Lake, and he believes the system is successful. "I've found that it worked very well," he said.

If the Mammoth team is truly finished, one question does remain. What will the team do with its cache of rescue equipment and funds, which were both donated by the Mammoth community?

Although all the groups involved are tentatively in agreement on the restructuring of search and rescue in Mono County, the sheriff's department's Donnelly realizes everyone may not be convinced the new system will work. Donnelly made it clear that anyone concerned with the effectiveness of search and rescue or anyone who would like to join should contact him for details or answers to questions.