AHRA rangers respond to a call for CPR in progress in Fremont County
Travis Duncan
The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area is based in Salida.
Photo is courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
May 26, 2022Photo is courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Texas Creek, Colo. – At 2:41 p.m. on May 25, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) rangers responded to a call about a river incident involving a commercial rafting trip in the Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon section on the Arkansas River.
The Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon section is a Class I-III section of the river within CPW’s Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) west of Cañon City.
A call was received by AHRA rangers for CPR in progress at the Salt Lick Recreation Site on a 75-year-old male. The male victim fell out of the boat near Three Rocks, a Class III rapid. Once the guide was able to pull the unresponsive male back into the boat, they exited the river at the Salt Lick Recreation Site. Raft guides began performing CPR and later Fremont County Sheriff’s deputies and Fremont County EMS arrived on scene. An Automated External Defibrillator, or AED, was deployed, but they were unable to revive him.
Emergency personnel declared the victim deceased and the body was turned over to the Fremont County Coroner for identification and determination of the cause of death.
The Arkansas River was flowing at 1,060 cubic feet per second as recorded at the Parkdale gauge at 3 p.m. The water temperature was recorded at the Salt Lick Recreation Site at 55.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The air temperature was 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
The AHRA is a linear state park following the 152-mile corridor of the Arkansas River from its confluence just below Leadville to Lake Pueblo State Park.
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The AHRA is managed through a cooperative effort between Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. Formed in 1989, this partnership allows agencies to provide visitors with recreation opportunities and care for significant natural resources of the upper Arkansas River valley.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.