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Bluffs Lodge Along The Blue Ridge Parkway Shuttered For 2011

Oct 12th - 17:44pm | Carolyn S.

P L E A S E someone re-open this quaint little coffee shop!  And go ahead and re-hire the entire staff, because it just won't be the same without the same ladies cooking up those wonderful meals!!!  I have to be completely honest...I come from a heritage of great country cooks!  (My mama being the absolute BEST, and several aunts not far behind).  And I have eaten many, many places in my few tr

Oct 12th - 15:29pm | jdubya

I was all primed to head for the Parkway and catch some fall foilage by the light of the full moon tonight.  It's only 3 hours from Raleigh.  Provided Bluffs Lodge had accomodations.  Well, so much for that impulse.  I didn't know until I called their phone that something was amiss.  Oh, well, maybe next year.

Wolf Looking For Human Handouts Euthanized By Yellowstone National Park Staff

Oct 12th - 17:22pm | Anonymous

Very well stated. It is ignorant people that cause these animals to be killed.

Oct 12th - 14:59pm | Lyn Ridenour

This is just too  sad!  But what can you do when visitors don't follow National Park procedures about storing and disposing of food when in the Parks.  Sometimes you just can't fix stupid!!

NPCA Sues National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service Over Big Cypress National Preserve Addition Lands Management

Oct 12th - 17:12pm | dkchristi

Immediate gratification from an off-road experience destroys habitat that provides years of beauty and serenity for hundreds of people.  The exchange is illogical.  Endangered species are losing habitat everywhere in the world due to human encroachment.  I know about ghost orchids.  They are picky.  They don't do well domestically.  They require their own unique environment - as that found in t

Oct 12th - 16:59pm | dkchristi

The habitat for endangered species is always in jeopardy because material pleasures are served instead of esoteric ones.  In search of instant gratification, future generations are deprived the serenity and sheer joy that flora and fauna provide.  The ghost orchid as an example is inspiration for the suspense novel, Ghost Orchid,a story wrapped in the beauty and mystique of the ghost orchid of

NPS Steps In to Keep Three California State Parks Open in 2012

Oct 12th - 16:34pm | Anonymous

  All the early California Redwood State Parks are the result of difficult, & compromising work by The Save The Redwoods League formed in 1918 in which the first NPS Director, Stephen Mather was a founding co-member, illuistrating how a small dedicated group passionate about saving

Oct 12th - 13:23pm | y_p_w

I voted for the vehicle fee that would have kept the state parks open.

Oct 12th - 13:02pm | Anonymous

I am aware that the national parks are also starved of money but why not transfer some of these state parks to NPS?  Besides the Redwood and Golden Gate parks there are state parks within Mojave Preserve and Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area.  While not on the closure list, Angel Island (formerly federal property) and perhaps other state parks are "nationally significant" and could make fi

Oct 12th - 10:23am | rdm24

These closures are embarassing, but I'm glad the National Parks could help. A number of other closed parks are within National Forests, and I would like to see the USFS step in. Palomar Mountain SP is within the Cleveland NF, and it is one of my very favorite parks!

Many Facilities on Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim to Close for Season on October 15

Oct 12th - 15:25pm | Connie Hopkins

Hey Paul! As a TR fanatic, I also enjoyed the Rough Rider Saloon/Coffee House!

Oct 12th - 07:54am | Paul @ Driving ...

We love the North Rim and will be there when it re-opens next year.  Can't wait to return to the Rough Rider Saloon! http://drivinginertia.com/87/scared-sober-on-the-north-rim-of-the-grand-canyon/

Oct 12th - 06:26am | Connie Hopkins

We just returned from our trip to Arches, Bryce (where we got snow!) as well as the South and North Rims of the GC. What a wonderful vacation, 5 star all the way. We love the GC and it's almost like visiting 2 different parks. The South Rim has its wonderful vistas and opportunities but I love the North Rim because it has fewer tourists.

Reward Offered For Information Leading To Arrest, Conviction Of Those Responsible For Mountain Lion Death

Oct 12th - 14:17pm | Kurt Repanshek

Humane Society of the United States....

Oct 12th - 14:16pm | Anonymous

Please let the readers know who HSUS is ? website ?  Mission statement ?  Humane Society...? There are too many duplicate or similar abbreviations to remember.  

Oct 12th - 12:06pm | AnneHSUS

Thank you so much for sharing this story and helping to raise awareness.  All of us at the HSUS hope that the person(s) responsible are quickly found.

Taking the Long Way Home, Through Yellowstone National Park

Oct 12th - 13:55pm | Anonymous

"There are fewer elk in Yellowstone than there used to be—owed, of course, to predation by wolves and grizzlies"- really, let's not forget to mention those lost to predation by humans surrounding the park......

Oct 11th - 09:25am | Lee Dalton

Todd, does your friend live at Norris perchance?

Obama Administration Draws Criticism For Fast-Tracking Transmission Line Project Through National Park Units

Oct 12th - 13:43pm | Budlong

Disappointed to learn that our public lands are being wounded in the East too. I thought most of the destruction was happening here in the desert areas. We have 15 square mile projects going up all in one swoop, essentially clear-cutting old growth desert for huge solar projects, when we could be putting solar on all those roofs baking in our abundant sunshine.

Oct 12th - 10:02am | Anonymous

FIRE SALAZAR, he is worse than Watt!

National Park Mystery Spot 29 Revealed: A Hole in the Ground

Oct 12th - 13:21pm | y_p_w

I was thinking Crystal Cave, but the other clues sort of threw me off. I would also note that there's poison oak along the path to the cave. It's right around the upper elevation limits where it can grow. The guides warned us about it, and suggested that we could wash it off (before it takes hold) if we had been exposed.

Oct 12th - 10:56am | RangerLady

I work for the government....doesn't the automatically make me trust-worthy? lol I was down with the flu all last week and so bummed I missed the quiz. But who knows what answers I may have come up with in my drugged state.

Oct 12th - 10:47am | Bob Janiskee

I was wondering what happened to you, RangerLady. To answer your question: Of course you can count it if you figured it out without any help. The trick is to get people to believe you. :o)

Oct 12th - 10:38am | RangerLady

Too bad I was sick last week! Does it still count if I figured it out before I looekd at the answer?

House Of Representatives Could Act Monday on Bid to Allow Uranium Mining Around Grand Canyon National Park

Oct 12th - 11:29am | Donna Crouse

My I am confused by many of the statements in the article.  Take for instance the concern of CAP, since the Colorado River already carries 1% uranium and the mining of the breccia pipes would pull that out of the water, wouldn't that actually make it SAFER for the 80% who rely on the river for its water?  As for the fishing, camping, hunting, etc.  how is that widlerness/wildlands designation w

Natonal Park Mystery Photo 37: Whatever Happened to Boomer I?

Oct 12th - 10:46am | Kurt Repanshek

Ranger Lady got it mostly right. Full details tomorrow!

Oct 12th - 10:03am | Kurt Repanshek

Nope, not a rescue horse, nor the nose of an aircraft. Caitlin has pretty much nailed it, but we'll hold off a little longer to see if anyone else can figure it out.

Oct 12th - 09:49am | Haley J

 My guess is that it is a memorium of Boomer the NPS Equine Rescue Horse down in the Chircahua's AZ and while I don't think he has passed away Boomer II might be his kin or replacement?

Oct 12th - 09:41am | Lee Dalton

That looks like nose art on a WWII aircraft.  But where?  Let's see, could it be at Tuskegee National Historic Site?

Oct 12th - 09:06am | Kurt Repanshek

No, not a cannon, but perhaps now the 105 mm howitzer they use will be renamed!

Oct 12th - 09:00am | Anonymous

Cannon used to start avalanches in Yellowstone?

Oct 12th - 08:35am | Bob Janiskee

Not a US Geological Survey vessel.

Oct 12th - 08:12am | Caitlin

US Geological Survey vessel, and on the water...  probably at Glacier Bay.

Colors Peaking In The National Parks Across The Country

Oct 12th - 08:13am | Randy Fought

This year, folks can enter their fall foliage pictures of the Natchez Trace Parkway anytime from October 1 through November 23 in a Natchez Trace Fall Foliage Photo Contest. Each contestant may enter up to three pictures.

El Malpais National Monument Closes Caves to Humans Over White-Nose Syndrome Concerns

Oct 11th - 20:03pm | Anonymous

To date, the human vector has still not been proven! http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20110924/NEWS/110929901/1078&ParentProf...

Updated: Budgeting At Grand Canyon National Park Is Not Always As Simple As You Might Think

Oct 11th - 17:52pm | Mark Patterson

I agree with Gordon that Xanterra should probably get out of the mule business, but the mules should always be a part of going into the Grand Canyon.

Oct 11th - 17:50pm | Mark Patterson

The view from the rim is only amazing if you have never been in the inner canyon.  Who wants to go to the Grand Canyon and ride a mule through the pine trees on the top?  People want to go into the canyon, otherwise they would just do like most of the tourists and drive up walk to the edge, look for a few minutes, and then leave.

A National Park Superintendent And His Questionable Real Estate Deal

Oct 11th - 17:01pm | Anonymous

Conflicts at a level unseen before.  The RMI/ Superintendent Aberuaga issue seems insignificant, comparatively.   http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/obama-jobs-council-stacked-...

Oct 11th - 15:56pm | Anonymous

So, anything wrong with this example at the Federal level?  This individual is an ongoing conflict of interest it would seem.  While we are on the subject. http://commonamericanjournal.com/?p=34239

"Red Tide" Prompts Visitor Advisory at Padre Island National Seashore

Oct 11th - 13:23pm | Greg

Family and I were at the beach in Port A this weekend and experienced the "aerosol effect" Sunday (Oct. 9th). Had no idea at the time what was causing the symptoms- profuse tearing of the eyes, burning throat, coughing, runny nose. Knew something larger was going on because even strangers were complaining of the same symptoms. Could barely see while driving when we left.

Pestilence and Persistence: Yosemite Indian Demography and Culture in Colonial California

Oct 11th - 13:13pm | Anonymous

The part where you speak of the "new Ceremonial Roundhouse near Camp 4 designed by the American Indian Council of Mariposa County and endorsed by the National Park Service", is at odds with other tribes in the area, namely the Mono Paiutes, who take issue with the American Indian Council's position

Grizzly-Luring Berries Mean Moose-Wilson Road In Grand Teton National Park Could Close From Time To Time

Oct 11th - 13:01pm | Donna L.Miller

I think its great that Grand Teton National Park is protecting the Grizzly Bears and other wildlife!! Isn't viewing wildlife in their natural habitats what makes our National Parks so enjoyable? Sure, visitors need to practice "caution", but its a small price to pay for the opportunity to visit our natural wonderlands and enjoy what is perfectly natural.

Oct 11th - 11:20am | Anonymous

Amazing that GRTE has chosen an approach to protect the Grizz from the idiot human DUI drivers as opposed to sending armed rangers along this scenic meandering road to kill any Griz daring to protect its berry-elk-moose-deer food reserve or cubs.  So, Why not close the road completely and allow that high-end $ community to detour more to protect the Grizz habitat ?

Oct 11th - 09:30am | Lee Dalton

Maybe we should just provide the bears with a supply of ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce and fry sauce and tell 'em to have some tasty snacks.  Might get some people's attention.  Predators usually take the weakest or slowest -- might also help the human gene pool.

Say What? Overheard in the Park...

Oct 11th - 12:53pm | Jim Burnett

Another version I heard was, "At what elevation do the moose turn into elk?" I was tempted to say, "It depends upon which side of the Continental Divide you're on," ... but I resisted :-)

Oct 11th - 09:50am | Kurt Repanshek

Back in 1988, when working for the AP in Wyoming and covering the Yellowstone fires, someone asked why they couldn't use the water from Old Faithful to battle the flames! And then, of course, the old standby that likely has been heard in more than a few parks: "When do the deer turn into elk?"

Oct 11th - 09:45am | tahoma

Some great stories here folks, thanks for the smiles!  I too have heard visitors ask where the elk were kept at night and 'Is there anything to do here?', but my favorite interaction was the couple who were chastised for trampling flowers in the Paradise meadows.

Oct 11th - 09:04am | Bob Janiskee

Back in July 1985, our tour bus packed with University of South Carolina alums, faculty, and friends was buzzing with excitement as we approached Yellowstone's eastern entrance. Most of us had never been to the park, and we were primed to make the most of our visit. Our driver, a good ol' boy named James, got on the P.A.

Creature Feature: The Desert Tarantula Looks Big, Hairy, and Scary

Oct 11th - 12:33pm | Helen Marshall

I have several of these fascinating critters in my native plant landscaped yard in El Paso Texas. Saw one out late yesterday afternoon, presumably a guy cruising for some females!

Ozark National Scenic Riverways, A River System At Risk

Oct 11th - 09:15am | Anonymous

This highlights the preservation problems related to the streams, wilderness, and wild caves of Missouri, our wonderful environmental heritage.  How do we education the vast public to the need for preservation of these natural areas because once they are worn out, they are gone?

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