| Page 1124 | National Parks Traveler

Thanks, Ron! If you don't use "appropriate" and "inappropriate," that is a sign that you write well. Good writers are able to use precise positive and negative adjectives (like "beneficial," "worthwhile," "suitable," and "warranted," or, in the opposite sense, "damaging," "illegal," "bad-mannered," "unfair," "absurd," and "unjustified") to say what they mean and then defend it.

Mar 30th - 11:09am | Ron Saunders

imtnbke

Mar 29th - 22:48pm | imtnbke

I guess that the right-wing echo chamber has found its equivalent among the outdoors-as-moribund-museum crowd. (I apologize in advance for my sarcasm in this post; I know I should tone it down and I write this against my better judgment.) The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees has issued its own denunciation of the Big Bend National Park plan:

Mar 29th - 20:02pm | imtnbke

Zeb, you keep returning to the issue of "sharing," yet there's nothing preventing mountain bikers from using these trails . . . without their bikes under current regulations. [¶] To flip the coin, hikers often are forced off trails by some mountain bikers—either while using the trail or because they don't want to even venture out onto them due to the bike traffic.

Mar 29th - 14:07pm | Kurt Repanshek

Zeb, you keep returning to the issue of "sharing," yet there's nothing preventing mountain bikers from using these trails...without their bikes under current regulations.

Mar 29th - 13:58pm | Zebulon

Allan, Why would the trail be mediocre? The one argument that comes back over and over is that there are plenty of trails outside the park that cater to cyclists, and therefore, the NPS should keep cyclists off trails in the park. I don't get the logic in the argument and does not address why bikes are kept off trails in the parks themselves.

Mar 29th - 11:51am | Allan T

I am very familiar with this proposal and it caters to a select special interest group trying to set a precedent - not the general visiting public.

Reader Participation Day: What's On Your National Park Bucket List?

Mar 30th - 11:22am | Lawrence J. Caldwell

In my backyard, in my lifetime, I would like to be the first visitor to the Pinelands National Park (currently Preserve).

Mar 30th - 10:14am | Nick Christensen

Toroweap at Grand Canyon. I've made it as far as Mount Trumbull before road conditions forced me back, but I'd love to spend a day at the far remote corner of the canyon.

Mar 30th - 10:10am | justinh

To visit a Maine Woods National Park.

Mar 30th - 10:02am | YLA

We have taken our kids to over 15 National Parks in the last 8 months, and my vote for best so far is Glacier NP. Yosemite is on our Bucket List. Check out our adventures: http://yearlongadventure.wordpress.com/

Mar 30th - 09:23am | David Crowl

I would love to do one of the tours at Mesa Verde. And I have Yosemite, Acadia, The National Mall, and anything in Alaska on my bucket list.

Mar 30th - 09:07am | Laura @ First C...

Honestly, ALL of the national parks are on my bucket list! Yosemite has already been checked off, but I'm headed back there again this summer. Unfortunately, I'll have to take a break from Yosemite if I hope to get to all of the other parks.

Mar 30th - 08:56am | Anonymous

Someday hope to see the bears in Katmai.

Mar 30th - 08:52am | Mizzou Bluke

The National Park of American Samoa. How to get there without mortgaging the house though?

Mar 30th - 08:36am | Pat

Of all National Parks worldwide, Torres del Paine and El Tatio Geyser Field in Chile would be the top choices (both on the same bucket trip), with Dolina Geyserov (Valley of the Geysers) in Kamchatka right up there. Within the U.S., it would have to be Denali National Park.

Mar 30th - 06:29am | Eric

Don't yet know what I'll do when I arrive, but I feel like I've got to get to Aniakchak National Monument. It's almost an achievement just to say you were there.

Congress Slashes $101 Million From National Park Service Budget. More To Come?

Mar 30th - 10:46am | Anonymous

That was allllllll Steve Martin. That was one of the many inane projects that happened under the reign of Mr. Martin. Please don't judge the NPS, based upon the actions of one rogue individual. An individual who, while in power, did accomplish many good things...but mostly iron fisted and rammed a lot of bad projects into play while there.

Mar 29th - 23:44pm | anonymous

Maybe we could get back the $5 Billion that was given to Brazil for their deep water oil drilling efforts. That's BILLION! This is CRAZY!

Mar 29th - 12:16pm | anonymous

Was that same NPS Construction Fund tapped to eliminate private ownership of the 100+ year Verkamps Store at South Rim. I believe the Verkamp family had no choice but to accept the $3 million settlement and vacate. What was the urgency of this action and others in a time when the country is beyond broke? If I am off base on this, someone please correct me.

Latest NPS Study of Valles Caldera Finds it Worthy of Inclusion in the National Park System

Mar 30th - 08:05am | Old Zion Ranger

One of the most magical and enchanting places in the world. Should have been included in the NPS years ago.

Mar 29th - 21:01pm | Anonymous

I support including this wonderful Caldera in the National Park Service.

Cedar Breaks National Monument Searching For Wildflower Festival Poster Designs

Mar 29th - 20:56pm | Anonymous

Are there any available prints of the 2009 wildflower poster? I believe it was of Indian Paintbrush...

Supreme Court Declines To Review Issue Of Landfill Next To Joshua Tree National Park

Mar 29th - 20:33pm | Spirit Coyote

Doesn't "BLM" stand for Bureau of Livestock and Mining? It just looks to me like their living up to their name.

Summer Special: What’s Old is New Again: Bandelier National Monument Sheds Light on the Ancestral Homeland of Five Modern Pueblos

Mar 29th - 17:11pm | Tom Ribe

Right now the Valles Caldera National Preserve is in danger of losing its protection as the law that established a "trust" to manage it expires in 3 years. After that the preserve would become general Forest Service land open to cattle, off road vehicles and vandals. The significan historic buildings would have little or no protection.

Mar 29th - 10:04am | Kurt Repanshek

Thanks for the clarification. That was an editing error, not the author's.

Mar 29th - 09:31am | Anonymous

Great encapsulation of wondrous Bandelier. One clarification: the short film shown in the new theater is narrated by Meryl Streep and Dr. Dave Warren from Santa Clara Pueblo, former Deputy Director of the National Museum of the American Indian. A longer version, "Sky Island", featuring N.

Mar 29th - 09:23am | Spirit Coyote

This amazing place is where I took my first backpacking trip. I like it so much that I would move into some of the ruins if I didn't think it would land me in jail.

Summer Special: Ten Cultural-Historical Parks That Don't Get Enough Love

Mar 29th - 16:21pm | Sarah

Andersonville is really nice. Very moving.

These Ingenious "Meta-Bottles" Carry an Important Message from Point Reyes National Seashore

Mar 29th - 15:06pm | MrBill

Not to belittle the guy or his efforts, but all he's done is point out the obvious -- the "Tragedy of the Commons". Public property will always tend to be befouled more than private property. It's all about incentives.

Mar 29th - 12:36pm | Corinne Takara

What a beautiful and inspiring project! It would be great if this extended to other sites as a collaborative project engaging many people in both the collection process and final installation. I will be sharing this project with my students who are collecting two month's worth of bottles for an art installation for their library.

Mar 29th - 02:14am | Andrew Cheng

Thank you for the inspirational story. If only we had more Richards in this world...

Mar 28th - 22:13pm | Ron Saunders

Many of us have picked up a bunch of trash and debris from the beach But I doubt we can top this fellow. Hats off to Mr. Richard James. Ron (obxguys)

Summer Special: Guided Adventure in Utah's National Parks: Why and How to Do It

Mar 29th - 08:34am | Canyon Fossil

Most of the larger parks have a Natural History Association, and many of them also have a Field Institute which has outdoor classes and guided hikes,including the Zion Canyon Field Institute. These are not-for-profits and the funds are channeled back into their mother park.

Interior Department Report Finds No Misconduct By Point Reyes National Seashore Staff In Review of Oyster Farm Impacts

Mar 28th - 23:35pm | Hmmm

It's not anything new, Sara. What are the PR Specialists or others working under a Superintendent supposed to do? Tell the truth and lose their jobs or say what they have to keep receiving a check and further their careers?

Mar 28th - 22:49pm | Ron Saunders

Why do some of us cringe upon hearing the term "best available science" ?

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