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Updated: Report Details How Corporate Pressure Seemingly Derailed Plans For a Plastic Bottle Ban at Grand Canyon National Park

Nov 10th - 21:56pm | Anonymous

Personally, having been a presenter of several issues of concern directed at NPS, serious issues I believe, I do not feel comfortable throwing Superintendent Ubureauga into the same pot that I know others belong.  I just don't.  I have other reasons but the home assessed value versus selling price differential, even after the crash I sold property for twice the assessed value.

Nov 10th - 21:17pm | Julie

I'm glad Coke raised the issue and there doesn't appear to be any wrong done here.  I don't drink out of the faucet at home - I only drink bottled water - why would I want to drink out of a faucet in a national park or a bathroom, as suggested above?  Water supply stations are helpful but that should not be the only water source.

Nov 10th - 20:43pm | Anonymous

Capitalizing 'vast' don't make it so.

Nov 10th - 20:07pm | ecbuck

Owen - that is the beauty of America.  If you don't want to buy Coca Cola products - then don't buy them.  Boycott.  We won't force your to buy them.  If enough people agree with you - KO will change their practices.  But, the fact is that the VAST majority of people don't agree with you.  Don't force your opinion on the rest of us.

Nov 10th - 18:55pm | Misplaced Anger

Coca-Cola is not the problem - its poor NPS leadership.  In this case, the buck stops with NPS Director Jarvis.  He made the call to stand the program down, obviously feeling the pressure of incredible wealth and power from an influential corporate donor and "partner."  This incident, as well as, the interference with

Nov 10th - 15:24pm | Owen Hoffman

Boycott Coca Cola!  Corporations, regardless of the amount of their philanthropic contributions, should not have a major influence on the management of our national parks.  This is upsetting news. Ban the damned bottles.    

Nov 10th - 14:09pm | RangerLady

I would be more impressed if the NPS stopped their concessionaires from using plastic forks, knives, etc. I saw so much plasticware tossed about on the south rim and it was all stuff handed out by concessions. It really doesn't cost that much extra to use cornmeal based products that biodegrade.Of course I would also like to see all vending machines dissapear.

Nov 10th - 13:01pm | Rick B.

I'm a strong fan of both Director Jarvis and of the NPS in general, but this is a sad and disappointing report.

Nov 10th - 12:07pm | Anonymous

If banning isn't going to happen, then at least add a large, per bottle, deposit to encourage people to pick them up.  The damages to the Earth that these things are responsible for is a problem that will take a more concerted effort beyond the National Parks.  But a 25 cent per bottle deposit will at least keep the Park cleaner.  Although I'm sure, Coke will veto that as well.

Nov 10th - 11:45am | k d g

Follow the money, that usually explains it /review/2011/backpack-grand-canyon8973

Nov 10th - 11:14am | Michael Mariant

"...a bunch of recyclable bottles, buy water outside the park and fill them?" Not sure if you read the story completely, as it spells out all the locations that waters spigots for refilling water bottles are located, including the new ones that were built as well as the ones that the park concessionaires installed in all of their facilities.

Nov 10th - 11:01am | Ryan

If you cannot find a source of water other than a plastic bottle of water, then please stay in your home.  Plastic bottles are a scourge placed upon this planet by greedly profiteers.  Recycling the bottles is not the answer, banning them is.

Nov 10th - 10:55am | Gaelyn

One of the problems is recycling the plastic bottles. No one really wants the stuff and it ends up costing NPS to get rid of it appropriately. Water sold in bottles was still available on the North Rim this last summer in the Deli. Yet I saw a lot of people taking advantage of the new "spring water" dispensers. It's good water.

Nov 10th - 10:25am | Lee Dalton

Zion has a fine approach.  At several places around the park you can find water bottle filling stations with interpretive signs explaining the environmental costs of disposable bottles.  There were no water vending machines there.  (And I hope this is still true.)

Nov 10th - 09:52am | Anonymous

Isn't there a better way to solve the problem than banning water bottles in the desert?  How about invest in a recycling program instead?  I mean, what are hikers supposed to do for water, especially non-serious hikers?  Invest $100 for a water backpack or a bunch of recyclable bottles, buy water outside the park and fill them?  So, I couldn't go into a store on either rim and buy a bottle of w

Nov 10th - 09:25am | Anonymous

Interesting. It seems that Jon Jarvis’s hand is frequently seen near the cookie jar. /2011/10/national-park-superintendent-and-his-questionable-real-estate-deal8860

Nov 10th - 09:20am | Anonymous

Would hate to see people gample on their health by making a choice not to buy water instead of spening $10 on a reuable bottle.  Also, keep in mind that the small plastic bottles out of a machine are reusable.

Camping and Woodcraft by Horace Kephart

Nov 10th - 21:04pm | Susan Simpson

Like the book it's about, this review is comprehensive and engaging.

As A Federal Agent, Carter Niemeyer Killed Wolves For A Living

Nov 10th - 18:23pm | Anonymous

To the anti-wolf crowd, it matters little what the science behind the wolf reintroduction says.  It matters little what the "boots on the ground"  investigations of the livestock and elk depridations say.  It matters little what the truth is about wolves and a balanced ecosystem.

How Much Did Those New Units Of The National Park System Cost You?

Nov 10th - 17:05pm | Anonymous

So wouldn't it be cool for the National Parks to just secede from the Union and become the United National Parks and pay for their needs from tourist dollars and contributors only? Kind of pay as you go and leave those without interest in the way the Parks are managed, alone and not required to fund operations that they have no say in.

Nov 10th - 16:40pm | Rick B.

Hmmm. "...locking up the resources in these newly protected lands...". Right from the pen of Paul Hoffman. Parks are SUPPOSED to lock up resources, views, wildlife, EVERYthing, for the future. Not consume them and move on.

Nov 10th - 15:57pm | Anonymous

Anon wrote, " And what does it cost us by the locking up of the resources in these newly protected lands."   I'm guessing the costs are more than offset by the economic impact of tourism as well as the value of the experience."

Nov 10th - 13:27pm | Anonymous

The real question is how much does it take away from the existing units by adding so many more by executive fiat when only so much money is availble for the whole system. And what does it cost us by the locking up of the resources in these newly protected lands.

National Park Mystery Photo 38: Not an Ordinary Donkey

Nov 10th - 16:25pm | Bob Janiskee

You're in the right ballpark, Lindsey.

Nov 10th - 13:55pm | Lindsey

My guess is Yellowstone.  I remember hearing about people throwing their toys into something, which caused it to be covered in hard surface.  Need help filling in the blanks in my memory.

Nov 9th - 16:53pm | Kurt Repanshek

Hmmm, an interesting guess ed-123, but wrong.;-)

Nov 9th - 16:47pm | ed-123

This appears to be coral, so i'm guessing Virgin Islands National Park

Nov 9th - 11:34am | RangerLady

I decided to do a Google image search to see if I could find this. I typed in "Donkey" and "National Park" and up came a picture of Jon Jarvis. I don't think I like google now...lol

Nov 9th - 11:08am | Anonymous

I also connected the Donkey image to the Grand Canyon in particular and possibly someplace in the SW.  Brighty is long gone (sad way Brighty went) but the connection for many with Donkeys/Mules and Grand Canyon NP is alive even with the elimination of the Donkeys and reduced opportunities for visitors to experience the Mule Ride into the Canyon.  

Nov 9th - 10:23am | Kurt Repanshek

Good thinking, Ranger Lady, but, unfortunately, incorrect...

Nov 9th - 10:20am | RangerLady

The only thing I can think of is Brighty of the Grand Canyon, but I don't remember seeing that anywhere and it certainly doesn't look like the statue at the North Rim.

Groups Sue To Overturn Removal of Greater Yellowstone Wolves from Endangered Species List

Nov 10th - 16:15pm | Anonymous

And to think them thar cowpokes are outsmarting you.  Go figure?

Reader Participation Day: Should Economics Be Considered When Adding Units To The National Park System?

Nov 10th - 11:05am | Anonymous

Anon 10:26: "Will NPS ever receive a budget to continue adding parks without doing other parks dirty."   The answer to your question that came to my mind is that it will never happen as long as NPS has the attitude that Anon 3:05 expressed.   Gods above the realities of today, they aren't, although many would disagree. 

Nov 9th - 23:26pm | Anonymous

How much more deferred maintenance of buildings and structures can the NPS assume just to satisfy pork belly projects?  The new areas NPS gathers into its fold cost money to maintain.  Will NPS ever recieve a budget to continue adding parks without doing other parks dirty.

Nov 9th - 16:05pm | Anonymous

Economics are often a good way to convince skeptical locals that a park is a good idea. So they should be considered for that reason. But, the park needs to stand alone in value even without economics considered - bringing jobs to an area is not a reason to create a park, but is an added benefit.

Nov 9th - 13:10pm | dennis p lima

Yes, I agree that economics should be a consideration. We have spent so much money so foolishly in the past leaving us with trillion dollar deficits. It is time for some reality checks.

Nov 9th - 12:38pm | Anonymous

I believe if you do a biopsy on the extreme left and the extreme right in a blind test you'd find the same genetic makeup.  Anybody in the middle gets drowned out but there are elections that reflect something good occasionally for the majority in the middle.

Nov 9th - 11:34am | Rick B.

"The environment bubble"? The world you live in, you mean. The "reality" you've embraced includes the mining that reduces mountains to toxic rubble in West Virginia, and old growth forests reduced to stubble elsewhere, and black snow on the ground next to factory smokestacks.

Nov 9th - 09:47am | Anonymous

Look around and see what not considering economics has brought us to the brink of.   Many cases seem like an example of getting a loan to go to the Candy Store.  Ah, to live in the Environment Bubble.  In the 60's I dreamed of such a bubble but have since embraced reality after some hard lessons.  How glorious it would be to stay in the womb.  Some politicians have discovered that angle.  

Nov 9th - 08:14am | ecbuck

Ecominics should always be a consideration.  And I said "a" not "the".  But if the economics are so favorable to the local economy, then it would behoove the "locals" to  create the park like environment.  The Park Service's (federal) resources shouldn't be used just to help a local group.

National Park Mystery Photo 38 Revealed: A Very Special White Crust

Nov 10th - 08:27am | Bob Janiskee

If it gives you any comfort, ed 1-2-3, none of the other Traveler readers who struggled with this one did any better than you. 

Nov 10th - 07:33am | ed-123

Wow, I wasn't even close

Updated: The National Park Foundation And The Special "National Parks Edition" Toyota FJ Cruiser

Nov 10th - 03:29am | Anonymous

Great vehicle it has the sporty features of my dream SUV

October Visitation To Yellowstone National Park Was Good, But Not Record-Setting

Nov 9th - 22:19pm | Anonymous

This begs the question--is "record setting" monthly attendance a good thing??

Hunter, Thinking He Was In National Forest, Kills Bison Inside Grand Teton National Park

Nov 9th - 16:23pm | y_p_w

I'm pretty sure that hunters like hunting near protected areas because the animals can be really good specimens when they spend most of their time in those areas. It seems like one heck of a risk though, given that it's too easy to lose track of where the boundary line is.

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

Nov 9th - 10:23am | Bob Janiskee

The tarantula described in this article is the desert tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes). 

Nov 9th - 10:05am | Anonymous

Tarantulas live all over the united states, not just desert.

Four Men Given Jail Time For Digging Up Gingseng In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Nov 9th - 09:13am | y_p_w

Daivd: Ginseng isn't endangered. It's grown all over the world.  Depends on the species. Wild ginseng fetches a premium price, and often they're getting scarce. One species in China is listed as an endangered species.

Nov 9th - 04:38am | dave

I remember seeing it when I was a kid. In the fall? With its red berry pods. I wonder how much logging affects it? Everybody seems to log around here as soon as the trees are the minimum size.

Study Points To Great Economic Beneft Of Arches, Canyonlands National Parks and Surrounding Recreational Lands

Nov 8th - 21:37pm | Wulverine

We did our part this summer. We were in Moab for 3 nights (Gonzo Hotel) and went to Canyonlands and Arches, a winery, Dead Horse Point State Park, Castle Rock, Big Bend Recreational Area, and had multiple dinners. I would say we contributed $750 to the local economy. Well worth it.

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