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Why The Delay In Designating Official Wilderness In National Parks?

Nov 30th - 09:53am | tahoma

Geography, economics, and politics undoubtedly play roles is whether Wilderness is designated in National Parks, but most Traveler readers would probably be surprised at the lack of support for Wilderness by many National Park Service managers.

Nov 29th - 18:19pm | Anonymous

Really kind of scary to think what it is going to take to change the conversation away from the I hate America movement.  I knew the '60's were going to come back and kick us in the ass.

Nov 29th - 18:03pm | Kurt Repanshek

Professor, Indeed, a quick Internet search shows wilderness issues can be bipartisan...and partisan. This story talks about legislation introduced by two Republicans, include Darrell Issa: http://wilderness.org/content/california-wilderness-new-bills-show-bi-pa...

Nov 29th - 17:41pm | ecbuck

Anon who wants to nationalize the oil industry.  Perhaps you should move to Venezuela.  That is such a nice place under nationalization.

Nov 29th - 17:18pm | Bob Janiskee

Brian, would you please provide some evidence to support your claim that "park wilderness tends to be designated in Democratic states"? 

Nov 29th - 16:25pm | Brian Daniher

Aaron, park wilderness tends to be designated in Democratic states or congressional districts like the California parks, or by a congressman with Democratic leanings who is prominent in the Interior department, like the brothers Udall in Arizona. I hate to say but it seems like a very partisan process.

Nov 29th - 10:57am | Anonymous

The oil industry should have been nationalized 100+ years ago.

Nov 29th - 09:02am | ecbuck

Accounting - of course Exxon doesn't pay all its taxes to the US.  It doesn't do all its business in the US.  In fact, the vast majority of the income is generated outside the US.

Nov 29th - 08:25am | Anonymous

Hmmm, emotion based, you mean careing don't you, Lee?

Nov 29th - 08:23am | Anonymous

Controlling profit doesn't work for anyone but feeds the class envy dysfunction.  Thoses 90,000 employees and 500,000 stock investors pay taxes also and are probably able to hold onto their houses, visiting Parks and spreading their earnings much more efficiently to the country than those 45 million that are being cared for through food stamps (no disrespect) and long term unemployment.

Nov 29th - 08:19am | Lee Dalton

Thank you Accuracy, for that post.  Posts supported by documentation such as you provided are key to any fact based discussion and serve as a fine foil against emotionally based ideologues.

Nov 29th - 04:28am | DStaniforth

I do appreciate and love vast tracts of wilderness in parks, but then again I also love some of the fantastic drives and views provided by roads. There definately has to be a balance between having wilderness but also allow corridors for access. To me a National Park is not simply a wild place.

National Park Mystery Photo 39: An Uncommon Configuration

Nov 30th - 09:52am | Eric

Manzanar NHS?

Nov 30th - 09:36am | Bob Janiskee

Sorry, Jon, it's not from the National Prisoner of War Museum at Andersonville National Historic Site.

Nov 30th - 09:34am | Bob Janiskee

Anon 10:25 a.m. has nailed it. Nice going. Anybody else?

Nov 30th - 09:30am | Jon Sparks

Is this from Andersonville Prisoner of War Musesm?

Nov 30th - 08:48am | Bob Janiskee

Pretty good guesses, Eric and Lee, but no cigar. It's barbed wire alright, but it's not at Homestead National Monument of America or Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. I'll bet you've got some other possibilities in mind, so go ahead and give it another shot.

Nov 30th - 08:47am | Eric

I'll take a guess... Is it barbed wire from Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site?

Nov 30th - 08:45am | Lee Dalton

A clump of barbed wire.  I think I remember seeing this at Homestead National Monument in Nebraska.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Denies Request For Hearing On Restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park

Nov 30th - 09:16am | ecbuck

Actually Lee - I don't think we disagree on this one. At least not on the point of needing full public input.  Where we might disagree is on the outcome.  You appear to be fully committed to removal no matter the cost or impact.  I am open to removel IF the cost and impact doesn't place an undue burden on the people. Amd Lee - I am always smiling.

Nov 30th - 08:54am | Lee Dalton

I used the word millions in response to your use of the same word.  Probably back in 1913 it was probably more like "hundreds of thousands."  But the idea is the same.  There was tremendous public outcry throughout the United States as John Muir and others pushed to save the valley.

Nov 29th - 19:50pm | ecbuck

"My point is that there were millions of people who opposed the dam back then"

Nov 29th - 19:23pm | Lee Dalton

Right, but after years of hearings and lobbying on both sides of the issue, Congress stepped in and overruled all objections with the Raker Act.  Even that act, which stipulated that no private profits would be derived from the dam, power generated by water from the flooded valley generated many dollars for PG&E in later years when it was not enforced.

Nov 29th - 16:24pm | ecbuck

As I suspected.  There were at least 10 years of discussion and lots of hearings on the topic. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amrvhtml/consbib8.html

Nov 29th - 16:17pm | ecbuck

Lee - if that were true - it wouldn't have been right then either.  Somehow, I doubt that was true.

Nov 29th - 16:06pm | Lee Dalton

There were millions of people whose opinions didn't count back in 1915 or whenever Hetch Hetchy was flooded.

Nov 29th - 12:39pm | Anonymous

A breath of fresh air you are Lelandg.  

Nov 29th - 12:11pm | ecbuck

" There's no reason not to hold public hearings on this important topic." lord no - we certainly wouldn't want to muddy the cituation with public opinion.  Afterall there are only millions of people that may be affected but their opinion doesn't count.

Nov 29th - 11:16am | Sam Rivers

The detailed studies by EDF, UC Davis, Restore Hetch Hetchy and others show that elimination of the reservoir in Yosemite National Park would result in a very small (4%) decrease in water delivered to SF and its wholesale customers.  So, how would that slights shortage be made up?

Nov 29th - 11:14am | Lelandg

While restoring the HH may be idealistic, here are several points to consider. Where will the funds come from to tear down the dam and the restoration? Where the funds come from to build an additional storage facility for the City because there will need to be additional storage?

Nov 29th - 10:38am | Anonymous

I don't see why only San Francisco voters get to have a say on Hetch Hetchy.  Would they be the only ones paying for removing the dam and storing the water in another reservoir?  Are they the only ones who would benefit from seeing a Hetch Hetchy as nature intended? 

Nov 29th - 10:28am | Owen Hoffman

As a US citizen and as a former resident of San Francisco and Yosemite Valley, I highly support restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley.  Drain Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and store the water needed to service the city in other impoundments located further downstream along the Tuolumne River.  There's no reason not to hold public hearings on this important topic.  I hope to see Hetch Hetchy restored duri

Nov 29th - 09:57am | y_p_w

I've been to Hetch Hetchy. It's an interesting area, but I wouldn't think it would be a draw quite like Yosemite Valley. It would probably attract crowds similar to Tuolumne Meadows.

Nov 29th - 09:38am | David Crowl

Great link...thank you!

Nov 29th - 09:30am | Kurt Repanshek

David, the Restore Hetch Hetchy group points to better water conservation in general and improvements/enlargements to some of the other existing impoundments that catch the river. You can find the details at this page.

Nov 29th - 09:20am | David Crowl

Kurt, It would be fascinating to restore Hetch Hetchy and could be like doubling the size of an overcrowded Park. It would be a long slow process that would have wide interest. I was curious as to the following quote above;   "would preclude the SFPUC from restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley given that reasonable alternatives for water storage are available."

Nov 29th - 09:01am | seth

Where can we sign the petition? I am so ready.

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

Nov 30th - 09:12am | stormy

I've always wondered about these 'surveys'.  I'm a recent federal retiree (not NPS) w/over 33 years of service and my former agency routinely ranked in the top 10.

Reader Participation Day: Do Your Holiday Plans Include a Visit to a National Park?

Nov 30th - 08:53am | stormy

Trail of the Wolf at Yellowstone.  Our second time.  YNP in the winter is just magical.

Nov 30th - 08:46am | Lee Dalton

Out to Golden Spike for the winter locomotive display.  Lots of white steam and hopefully blue sky.

Nov 30th - 08:27am | hiker

Off to Joshua Tree and Mojave for New Years weekend.

House Natural Resources Committee To Hold Hearing On Endangered Species Act

Nov 30th - 08:25am | Anonymous

The way the EPA and the ESA have been implimented it should not be a surprise that there is a growing number of Hastings and Bishops (and their supporters) out there to counter.  Hope they land somewhere reasonable that serves the whole picture of present realities.  That would be real achievement in my eyes.   

Group Pushing Proposal To "Complete" North Cascades National Park

Nov 30th - 01:14am | Rainy Pass Ron

Hey Anon of 11/29 @ 11:30: A quick bit of fact checking shows the Methow Valley News publisher to be a guy named Donald Nelson.  Near as I can tell, Donald Nelson has nothing at all to do with the North Cascades helicopter skiing enterprise.  He is a former editor or publisher of a west-side business journal, so one might expect him to naturally be more aligned with the King County Council and

Nov 29th - 12:30pm | Anonymous

The Methow Valley News publishers are intimately involved in the heli-skiing business (which would be big losers since a park designation would end their noisy overflights) so their opposition to "development" is laughable but not in the way that the authors intended.

To Build, Or Not To Build, A New Bridge Over St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

Nov 29th - 20:49pm | Anonymous

I oppose this bridge.  Minn. is slightly shifting traffic from down town Stillwater to connect to Wisconsins roads that direct traffic to the old lift br.  With I-94 just "7". Miles do that br should be the one to expand even a mass traffic mode added.

Special Luminaria To Mark Holidays At Mesa Verde National Park

Nov 29th - 13:16pm | michelle

Any chance you can post some of the tours and music live on-line?  I'm completely across the country and there isn't anyway I can get there!

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

Nov 29th - 10:22am | samsdad1

If you are worried about contaminated water in the National Park I think you be more concerned about how it got contaminated rather than draining it into the ocean where it could pose a problem to someone fishing on the south beach. True, where is the research for that...

Latest Studies On Yellowstone National Park's Wolf Packs Shows Stable Population

Nov 29th - 10:03am | Anonymous

Has anyone yet made the connection that a reduced Elk herd will mean eventually, reduced wolf numbers. They go through stages as they do on Isle Royale. When there is plenty of prey, you get plenty of wolves. When prey numbers drop, the wolf population will drop shortly thereafter from lack of food (low pup survival rate). When the wolf numbers are down, prey numbers increase.

Bridge to Somewhere Stirs Debate at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Nov 29th - 09:36am | Anonymous

I disagree. This would be great. I think there could be less acidents from bikers on roads. They need more bike trails.

Nov 29th - 09:28am | Anonymous

 i am against it i don't want bikers off road on my land. i hope you don't build the bridge. save the money , time , and workers profit.

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