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National Park Mystery Photo 40: Sure Is Bright

Dec 21st - 10:09am | William McCluskey

It's a lava pool.  Where?  Well that's a little harder to tell, I would guess it's at Hawai'i Volcanoes

Dec 21st - 09:50am | Bob Janiskee

Good going, RangerLady. That makes five.

Dec 21st - 09:49am | RangerLady

I usually don't get these, but I'm going to guess it's a lava tube at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park? Maybe on Kilauea? The material surrounding that hole looks just like a lava flow.

Dec 21st - 09:09am | Bob Janiskee

Caprice Kutz ID-ed the photo, providing an apt descriptor and a "close enough" name for the park in which the photo was taken. That's four so far.

Dec 21st - 08:52am | Caprice Kutz

Lava at Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii

Dec 21st - 08:26am | Bob Janiskee

Lee Dalton has checked in with the correct answer too. The tally moves to three.

Dec 21st - 08:07am | Lee Dalton

A "window" in a lava flow at Hawaii Volcanoes.

Dec 21st - 06:50am | Bob Janiskee

Aron also got it right.  That makes two.

Dec 21st - 06:32am | Aron

That looks like part of a lava flow, which would put it at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Dec 21st - 05:20am | Bob Janiskee

Congratulations to MRC, who was the first to nail this one.

Dec 21st - 04:12am | MRC

Looks like a lava tube, most likely at Hawaii Volcano NP.

NPS Director Jarvis Allows Parks To Ban Disposable Plastic Bottles

Dec 21st - 09:03am | ecbuck

Why Doug? Oh, and BTW - how many plastic is inside your fridge?  How about under your kitchen sink?  How much plastic is in your mobile tomb known as the Chevy Volt?  Do you live your life without plastic or are you like the fur protesters wearing leather belts and shoes and downing a McDonalds burger every day?

Dec 20th - 21:08pm | Doug Leen

There is a larger question here.  That is of all the plastics in the parks and moreso the off-shore manufacturing of trinkets (China, etc.) that are filling up our visitor center's gift shops and the bordering community's trinket shops.    

Dec 20th - 20:13pm | Doug Leen

Hear hear!

Dec 20th - 12:01pm | London Accountant

About time! The environment is thanking Jarvis right now. And the act itself is powerful in its symbolism against the bottled water industry I'd argue.

Dec 17th - 16:21pm | ecbuck

BTW Justin - an interesting article to back up my point. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/10/13/too-good-to-be... More junk science.

Dec 17th - 16:13pm | ecbuck

Justin,  were do I Google to see the humans that have been killed by those dead animals? His statement is typical of the eco-hysteria.  And if there is a problem with plastic in the ocean - the problem isn't the plastic - its the idiots that put it in the ocean.  There are many ways to safely recycle or dispose of plastics.  We don't need to abandon their vast benefits.

Dec 17th - 14:13pm | justinh

Anon, If you just GOOGLE "animals killed by plastic bottles," you'll find a large number (and variety) of websites that give stats on the hazards plastic, including plastic bottles, pose to wildlife.    

Dec 17th - 12:36pm | T Lyons

I worked for the cooperating association at the Grand Canyon for the summer of 2011.  We voluntarily stopped selling disposable plastic water bottles and began to sell low-cost refillable green bottles.

Dec 16th - 20:25pm | Dandy

Simple solution all disposable containers should have a deposit on them at least 25 cents then they would be picked up or not thrown away.    How about this- would you rather step on a broken glass bottle or plastic?  I am not buying two dozen drinking bottles at 2-3 dollars each..  No you can't get just one and refill it, their is no place to refill,

Dec 16th - 17:35pm | Anonymous

The announcement by Jarvis leaves the PWB ban at Grand Canyon as clear as mud (as usual) and shifts the focus from him to IMR director Wessels and the new grca superintendet.  As I read the documents, the acting park superintendent made it clear to WASO and IMR back in June that the park did not intend to implement the PWB ban at Grand Canyon (that had been scheduled by superintendent Martin be

Dec 16th - 16:07pm | Anonymous

"Plastic in the environment is killing us all. How many thousands of sea animals die each year from eating plastic? How many humans become ill from eating these same sea animals?" Pray tell Richard.  How many of each?

Mark of the Grizzly

Dec 21st - 08:16am | Kurt Repanshek

Good catch, anonymous. Sometimes the fingers don't always do what the brain tells it to. I'll fix the error.

Dec 20th - 20:42pm | Anonymous

Do you have a source for the claim that 9 bears fed on Wallace's body? The NPS press release said that at least 9 bears were feeding on bison carcasses in the area: http://www.nps.gov/yell/parknews/11105.htm.

Dec 20th - 11:22am | Kerry Gallivan

Excellent book. I picked it up in the Kalispell, MT airport after an extensive backcountry hiking trip in Glacier NP where we excountered three gizzlies. A must read if you're at all interested in these amazing animals!

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

Dec 21st - 08:00am | Danny Bernstein

Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis about hiking the Appalachian Trail 3000 miles in the Great Smokies by William Hart. Bill grew up around the Smokies and wrote his hiking memoirs Hiking the Florida Trail by Johnny Molloy. I'm not sure I want to do the Florida Trail but the book was great.

National Park Quiz 6: Watchable Wildlife

Dec 20th - 20:49pm | At Home in YELL

The reason Yellowstone's bison are called "free-roaming" is because they're not fenced in, like the other bison herds in the NPS. But even that has to be qualified to some degree, since because of the bison carrying brucellosis and for other political reasons, bison are only allowed to roam free in select, small areas outside the park.

Annual Count Shows Huge Decline In Yellowstone National Park Elk Herd, But How Accurate Is It?

Dec 20th - 11:31am | reality22

"Wolves do not take prime age animals"  What a farse!  In an 8 day span wolves kill 3 highly pregnant prime aged collared cow elk from the highly studied clam lake elk herd in Wisconsin!  Close to half the animals in this herd wear monitoring collars.  Wolves are the undisputed cause of death.   Early on in the introduction Dr Anderson said that we would have 500 animals by 2004.  That was befo

Rare Motion Pictures Show Civil War Veterans at the 75th Gettysburg Battle Anniversary Reunion

Dec 20th - 08:18am | Lee Dalton

How many people who look at this will realize that William Henry Jackson, shown in the first photo, is the man who accompanied the Washburn expedition into Yellowstone and took the photographs that helped make Yellowstone the world's first national park?

Dec 20th - 01:31am | Anonymous

It's not likely. The Veitnam Veterans of this country are getting older now. I have seen them pass a lot. I work for the VA and my heart is touched by every single veteran in need, we do what we can to help and have fought battles to improve the quality of care for them (red tape, nonsence). I am a part of that organization, the Local AFGE 2401.

Dec 20th - 01:19am | Anonymous

I work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. I had a really rough day today....I am a former Marine and combat veteran. I don't think I have room to complain, but be thankful for the veterans I serve every day. It's humbling to see these men who never received anything for their torment. I reluctantly accept anything I get with humility.

Information Sought In Case of Deer Poached At Monocacy National Battlefield

Dec 20th - 07:56am | JLA

Concerned,

Dec 19th - 22:34pm | Anonymous

Visit: www.saveblackwater.org

Dec 19th - 19:06pm | anonymous

Don't make it a National Park .

Dec 19th - 17:24pm | Anonymous

If portions of the Monongahela National Forest and West Virginia State Park & Forest Lands become designated as the new Appalachian Highlands National Park, this tragic poaching story will become a weekly incident case for the NPS.  West Virginia must have over half its hunters behaving as nightly

Dec 16th - 17:01pm | Concerned Taxpayer

That you can contact F&W (state) for retrieval. No you can no longer retrieve an animal that dies in the park. In the past you had to contact the Park Service (Federal) and they would determine if you could go in and how far. It was up to the individual as to how far he would let you look for a wounded animal and even if you could enter the park.

A Potpourri of Suggestions For Visiting The National Park System This Winter

Dec 20th - 07:39am | Don Morris

I would suggest more than watching an "archived dive program"  at Channel Islands National Park.  While the park is always tricky to visit, before long the plants will be blooming, and the islands are already green.  Keep an eye on the weather, because storms do visit the area and impede travel, but the very best weather in the park are the intervals between storms.

High Water Table, Wetlands Causing Flooding At Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Dec 19th - 12:39pm | doesn't matter

Everyong is making this an ORV issue like everything else there.  It is an access for everyone issue.  Some of us do not drive on the beach so this is my two cents about it.

Vail Resorts, Long Synonymous With Skiing, Expanding Into National Park Concessions

Dec 19th - 11:33am | David Crowl

I have camped in the RV park at Flagg Ranch a couple times and would recommend it to anyone. I really enjoyed the full hook ups and the great location between the parks. Hopefully it will only improve with the transition of vendors.

Supporters Of a Mount St. Helens National Park Want National Park Service To Study That Possibility

Dec 19th - 09:07am | DStaniforth

I agree that Mount St. Helen's is a wonderful place. I visited it briefly in June and thought it was gorgeous. Truly a worthy addition to the National Park system

Dec 18th - 00:49am | Meg

Mt. St. Helens should be a national park, but not because it'll help the economies of the gateway communities.   That is not nor should it be the primary (or secondary, or tertiary) purpose of legislating new national parks. Mt. St. Helens should be a national park because it's an incredible place.  Period.

NPS to Package Three Lodges on the Blue Ridge Parkway Under One Concessions Contract

Dec 18th - 09:25am | Danny Bernstein

I'm so happy that there's a chance that the lodge at Doughton Park has a chance of reopening. I'm even happier about the coffee shop. One of the best stops on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Danny Bernstein www.hikertohiker.com

Reader Participation Day: Rewrite a National Park Warning Sign

Dec 17th - 18:52pm | Renee L. Sloan

Enjoy driving your cars, trucks and vans On the freeway, interstate—all over this land; But in the park, remember all vehicles are banned. Bring along your favorite tome; Read, relax, feel free to explore and roam But please leave furry friends at home.

National Park Service Falls in "Best Places To Work" Rankings

Dec 17th - 17:54pm | Anonymous

The National Park Service is an organization in decline due to poor priorities and decision making at the highest levels.  Management reflexively blames the budget, but the NPS is a lavishly funded organization.  Their budget has increased by around 50% since 2000.  Obviously costs have increased since then, but not at that level.  The problem is that instead of using that money for basic park

Echoes of the Cold War in the Tropical Warmth of Everglades National Park

Dec 17th - 14:26pm | Gerald R. Simons

I was at the site located near Red Creek, 183rd st and at that time there were only tents. The only perminant building was the mess hall. one paved road in front of the barrack tents was paved to the outhouses. Orderly room was a tent as well as the showers. We The tents were built on a frame with screens and a plywood floor.

Mountain Lion, With Its Feast, Leads to Closure Of Dinosaur National Monument Campground

Dec 17th - 02:40am | Bob

Indeed, similar to bear encounters, but never "play dead" in a mountain lion encounter. Carrying EPA-Registered Bear Spray in mountain lion territory is always a good precaution. Bear Spray has repelled attacks of many species, including Puma concolor (mountain lion, cougar, panther, etc., depending on where you are hiking--they're all the same cat).  

Dec 16th - 13:02pm | Grammy

Sounds similar to bear precautions. Thanks for the info.

BASE Jumpers Cited For Illegal Leap at New River Gorge National River

Dec 16th - 10:26am | AnonymousD

If one of them had landed in the river and needed rescue, emergency personel would have to put their lives at risk to save them. Then there is the outside chance they land in front of a train and the psychological impact on the operator of that train.

Spectacular Lava Show At Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Dec 16th - 09:27am | Kurt Repanshek

Roughly 4 miles...each way!

Dec 16th - 08:56am | Anonymous

"Visitors who do not want to hike out to the ocean entry" Just curious... how far of a hike is this?

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.