Now the Traveler is making it even easier for you to comment on pending National Park Service proposals, be they general management plans or the proposal to allow park visitors to carry concealed weapons in the parks.
An astronaut aboard the space shuttle Endeavour is carrying with him a Zion National Park commemorative coin, an expression, perhaps, that the park's red-rock landscape is other worldly.
Anyone who has ever been part of a school field trip knows that such events can be a fun…or frantic experience. The folks at Gettysburg National Military Park have prepared a kit to help anyone planning such expeditions to that park to have the "Best Field Trip Ever!"
Not all proposed wilderness areas are always pristine. Some have waning vestiges of an early day. In Dinosaur National Monument, for instance, there long have been some falling down structures in an area along the Green River that has been recommended for wilderness designation. It took a while, but crews from the monument were able to remove all the facilities from the setting.
In one of the "Iron man," or perhaps "Iron dog," events of sled-dog racing, the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest race is under way, with 24 teams mushing from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon. The trail follows historic Gold Rush and Mail Delivery routes from the turn of the 20th Century, and passes through part of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided not to allow the North Carolina Transportation Department to build a four-lane highway beneath a stretch of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
It promised to be the biggest event in Western North Carolina in 67 years – bigger certainly than when Eric Rudolph was caught dumpster diving in Murphy. The North Shore Road controversy in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was over. Swain County was going to get its $52 million over 10 years -- an amount calculated as the present value of the road that was flooded in 1943 to create Fontana Lake and Fontana Dam.
The Wilderness Act was enacted in 1964. After nearly a half-century, the wilderness edifice of the national park system is only half complete. Ten years ago, Wes Henry, the NPS Wilderness Coordinator, directed that a report document the unfinished wilderness agenda of the parks. Some progress has since been made. The year ahead may be a good year. Much remains to be done.
A number of NPS areas reported increases in visitation during 2009, but what was the outlook going into last year? Now that the actual results are coming in, let's see how the crystal balls fared.
A controversial rule change concerning firearms in national parks takes effect February 22, a change likely to cause confusion and raise concerns over personal safety, but one also that could go largely unnoticed and give some a measure of personal security.
A rugged area of steep cliffs, deep gullies and massive boulders known as Devil's Den is now part of Gettysburg National Military Park. It was the site major fighting in 1863, but in recent years the historic scene was marred by power lines and a restroom. That's about to change thanks to an upcoming project in the park.
If all goes as expected, 14 moose that roam Voyageurs National Park soon will be wearing the latest in radio-collar technology. Not only will the collars track the animals' movements, but they're expected to shed some light on how the moose are reacting to climate change, as they'll also keep tabs on the air temperature wherever the moose roam.
The oldest NPS unit in Alaska is celebrating its centennial this year, and it offers a surprising variety of reasons to visit: rain forest and Russians, Tlingit and totem poles, scenery and small town delights. An interesting series of events is scheduled between March and August to mark the occasion, and you're invited to take part.
If you've traveled Tioga Road through Yosemite National Park at the height of summer, you no doubt have been struck by the grandeur of the high-country scenery. And, you've no doubt noticed the car-clogged trailheads that dot the two-lane road. And the crumbling road shoulders. Well, so have Yosemite officials, who are now beginning work on a plan to rehabilitate 27 miles of the road.
After a 12-year stint as president of the National Parks Conservation Association, Tom Kiernan has announced his resignation and plans to head a charity in New Hampshire.
Mike Snyder, the Intermountain regional director for the National Park Service who became a controversial figure over his "core ops" approach to budgeting, has decided to retire rather than take a reassignment.
Concessioner-operated facilities in the Echo Bay area at Lake Mead National Recreation Area will have a change in name and boat rental offerings as part of switch to new management. Forever Resorts has taken over operations under a three-year temporary contract.
Don Neubacher, a 28-year veteran of the National Park Service who has spent the past 15 as superintendent of Point Reyes National Seashore, is moving over to take the helm at Yosemite National Park.
A decades-long dispute is expected to come to an end Saturday when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar travels to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to sign off on a monetary settlement over the "Road to Nowhere" saga.
High flows of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park that mimic natural ebbs and flows are beneficial for the river corridor, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report. However, the report notes that many of the benefits are erased within six months due to energy demands that dictate releases through the Glen Canyon Dam.
President Obama's $2.7 billion FY2011 budget proposal for the National Park Service is insufficient and fails to keep pace with his pledge to restore the National Park System by 2016, the National Parks Conservation Association said Monday.
President Obama's FY2011 budget proposal calls for $2.7 billion for the National Park Service, a number that includes a $35.3 million increase, to $2.3 billion, over FY2010 levels in operational funding tagged for ecosystem restoration, visitor services, cultural resource preservation and protection, and wildlife initiatives. Overall, though, the $2.7 billion is $21.7 million below FY2010's enacted Park Service budget.
Climbers are expressing concern over how a renewed effort to craft a plan that controls development along the Merced River in the Yosemite Valley could impact their access to certain routes. At the same time, others are urging park officials not to turn Yosemite Valley into a "Popcorn Playground."
Planning a mid-February visit to Zion National Park? The rangers are looking for some hardy souls to help them delineate the park's wilderness boundaries east of Springdale, Utah.
While President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget proposal is headlining the news today, a coalition of conservation and environmental groups has offered its own approach to federal spending when it comes to the environment, one that would focus on coping with climate change, developing clean energy, and protecting natural resources.
Did you feel the wind in the sails go slack? Barely three months beyond the euphoria raised by Ken Burns’ documentary on the national parks, and just four weeks after 2009 delivered the strongest visitation to parks in a decade, President Obama wants to freeze funding levels of the National Park Service.
If, after reading the above headline the movie "Groundhog Day" popped into your mind, you're forgiven. This topic has been poked and prodded more times and ways than the approach to health-care reform. And yet, Yellowstone National Park planners are going to take another swing at it.
A U.S. senator from Virgina wants to more than triple the size of Petersburg National Battlefield by adding 7,200 acres to it, a move that would make Petersburg the largest military park in the country.
If you're planning to visit Zion National Park this summer, the route you choose will make a big difference in your trip. Visitors entering via the park's South entrance won't be affected, but travelers using the East Entrance and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway will find some delays and closures.
With hopes of increasing the safety of those who hike up Half Dome, Yosemite National Park officials will limit numbers of weekend and holiday hikers through a permit system this year.
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