| Page 1102 | National Parks Traveler

Back in the late 1960's, Bob Barbee was Yosemite's resource management specialist and was tasked with the job of determining why Sequoias in the park were not reproducing. He found that the only places young Sequoias were growing were on road cuts and other places where the tiny seeds could reach bare mineral soil to germinate. In other places, years of fire suppression had left such a thick

Jun 3rd - 12:42pm | YosemiteSteve

As someone who has lived and worked in Sequoia National Park for 20 years now, here's a few things that might be considered.

Jun 3rd - 11:08am | Joel

As someone who spends most his time inside the Sequoia National Monument year round I can attest to the fact that the US Forest Service is actually doing a great job and that the groves under their management are doing better then those that the NPS manages.

Jun 3rd - 10:36am | Anonymous

I for one would prefer to see all "monuments" under NPS management but I suppose that is not politically feasible. Giant Sequoia, being contiguous with Sequoia NP, would seem to be a sensible area for transfer to the Park Service, whether as park or preserve or some of both.

National Park Service Responds To Dancing In The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Jun 3rd - 12:50pm | Kurt Repanshek

Putting on my devil's advocate hat for a minute or two, I think we all can agree that the "dancers" went into the memorial intending to force an encounter with the Park Police.

Jun 3rd - 12:28pm | Lee Dalton

When making an arrest and asked by the person being arrested to cite the specific law under which the arrest is being made, an officer would be foolish to try to provide chapter and verse. Few of us ever had the entire CFR memorized and making a mistake, especially on camera, would be a serious detriment to the case. We were taught to make the arrest when we knew it was on solid ground and le

Jun 3rd - 12:00pm | Dottie

Well, maybe the guy "didn't seem to be threatening any of the officers", but he sure as heck wasn't doing what the Ranger was telling him to do. There's gazillions of miles to go dance; they were there for the publicity and to behave as spoiled brats the way their parents taught them.

Jun 3rd - 11:47am | Anonymous

Ban dance is WRONG. (capoeira)

Jun 3rd - 10:55am | CMS

Those dancers are true activists. Media Benjamin, one of the arrestees, is one of the creators of Global Exchange and Code Pink. These are extremely leftist leaning organizations working for the overthrow of this country. She lived in Castro's Cuba for a while and described living under that regime as "Dying and Going to Heaven".

When Did Dancing In The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Become A Crime?

Jun 3rd - 12:33pm | Lee Dalton

Anonymous, I'm afraid you've been partaking of paranoia inducing hallucinogens or something. Or are you one of the people involved with Adam and his friends?

Jun 3rd - 10:51am | Anonymous

All of you who are siding with the police on this: Just remember...when they knock down your door and enter your home ...

Jun 3rd - 10:35am | Anonymous

One person was in a Code Pink shirt, but I assure this was not organized by Code Pink. Adam Kokesh, one of the main organizers is a verteran of Iraq who now opposes the war. He ran for congress in 2010 as a Republican in New Mexico. His positions are mostly libertarian, anti-war, and pro liberty.

Jun 3rd - 08:27am | Lee Dalton

What on earth does MLK have to do with this?

Jun 2nd - 21:24pm | Anonymous

yes, they have the right. These guys were not going peacefully. They were resisting arrest. If they were making a peaceful protest, they turn, willingly and put their hands behind their backs. These protesters were not peacefully there to dance. They were angrily there to resist arrest because They Felt They Were Being Wronged. That's not a peaceful protest.

Jun 2nd - 21:21pm | Anonymous

The participants were fairly warned, and repeatedly. They were clearly there to provoke an incident. The law has been reitterated clearly for them, and repeatedly. Were I visiting at that time, I wouldn't want to visit the Jefferson or any of the US state park monuments in the DC Area and have out-of-place dancing happening around me.

Jun 2nd - 09:58am | Ron Saunders

Lee That , I can understand. Where do these guys come from ?

Jun 2nd - 09:17am | Ed123

the government has dedicated a space with a solemn commemorative purpose that is incompatible with the full range of free expression that is permitted in public forums. Really! the Jefferson Memorial. is incompatibel with free expression?

Jun 2nd - 07:37am | Lee Dalton

Ron, those things were clipped directly from this group's website. As I read through a lot of their gibberish, I was completely bewildered by whatever "message" they are trying to get across.

Jun 1st - 21:32pm | hikegnp

Don't feel to sorry for these folks geting arrested. They do it on a regular basis. They are part of the group Codepink and have staged demonstrations may times that have gotten them arrested. They are not innocent victims. Seems ironic that they are complaining about being in a police state, but if their Marxist/Communist/Socialist political views are implemented they would really have a p

Jun 1st - 16:51pm | Vince Brewster

Medea Benjamin, Adam Kokesh, and Co. got exactly what they wanted with their publicity stunt: lots of publicity, arrests, and unwarranted sympathy for their claim that they live in a police state.

Sections of Pacific Crest Trail Poached by Mountain Bikers; Could Problems Arise in National Parks?

Jun 3rd - 12:14pm | steve in mammoth

why don't we ask the deer and bear who the want to hang with and get the lawyers sue anyone the animals don't see eye to eye with by the way i wish there were more people out in nature then maybe we would not want to rape our school system and steal our kids ability to get an education as well as enjoy the natural world.

Plan Crafted To Address Threats To Whitebark Pine Forests in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Jun 3rd - 08:30am | Kurt Repanshek

Ecbuck, frankly, these days I wouldn't mind having a share of oil stocks...they're about the only ones rising;-)

Jun 3rd - 08:03am | ecbuck

Sorry Rich, I have absolutely no affiliation with the petroleum companies. Don't even own a share of their stock. You may believe climate change is real but the evidence (actual temperature measurements) indicates that it is not the cause of beatle kill in Yellowstone and there is nothing you can see, breathe, smell or walk on that will change that fact.

Jun 2nd - 18:20pm | Rick B.

Sorry, spindoctor, but climate change is real. Call it anecdotal, but I believe what I see, what I breath, what I smell, and what I walk on. I don't believe your anonymous postings. You call it what you want, but try to peddle your stuff elsewhere. So many of "us" are skeptical? "Us" being those bought and paid for by petroleum companies?

Jun 2nd - 14:49pm | ecbuck

Aaron, You want to go with "anecodal evidence" over the hard factual numbers? That seems to be the problem with the climate change alarmist - and why so many of us are skeptical. Alarmists argue from their sincerity rather than from the science.

Jun 2nd - 14:44pm | tomp2

I don't have time to search my archives for the appropriate climate data (I'm on a winBUGS webinar of NPS folks learning proper use of a statistical tool).

Jun 2nd - 13:39pm | Aaron Lund

Kurt, Thanks for all the supplemental information. Also, nice job with your responses. I think most of us have observed enough anecdotal evidence of climate change with our own eyes that you have to seriously question the sincerity of anyone who tries to argue that climate change isn't happening.

Jun 2nd - 12:52pm | ecbuck

"he monthly temperature charts on those pages also show the average daily max. temp in the park, measured from 1948-2005, was 52.9 F, which was up just slightly from the average daily max. temp measured between 1971-2000 (52.7 F)." So again, the more recent numbers were below, not above the prior years - though I would deam the delta as not signficantly.

Jun 2nd - 12:06pm | Kurt Repanshek

Well, ecbuck, not exactly sure where in the park those temperatures were taken, but the page you linked to shows average snow depth in January and February as 8 inches, which I think the snowplow operators might disagree with.

Jun 2nd - 11:38am | ecbuck

Kurt - Here is the actual chart of average temps in Yellowstone 1990 -2006

Jun 2nd - 11:19am | Rick B.

Healthy skepticism these days, of course, will generally include tracing anti-climate change rhetoric to one or another front for Big Oil. Easiest way to find this is to list the congresspeople who argue against climate change and examine their major contributors.

Jun 2nd - 10:31am | Kurt Repanshek

ecbuck, True, many of the reports are based on the same or similar scientific studies, but they are scientific studies just the same, more than a few produced by Dr. Logan. As for the GYCC report this post was based on, here's another snippet from it that points to the science:

Jun 2nd - 09:19am | ecbuck

Kurt, I have read many such materials and attended many related presentations. These materials generally don't represent actual studies and science but rather claims with references - to others claims with references - often cirulating back to themselves.

Jun 2nd - 08:54am | Kurt Repanshek

ecbuck, I've come across a lot of reports on the impacts of climate change, and all point to warming winters, not beetle acclimation, for the problem. Among those reports and groups that cite climate change as enabling beetles to move higher in elevation and attack whitebark pine:

Jun 2nd - 07:35am | ecbuck

Kurt You state as fact that the whitepine have moutain beetle activity "thanks to climate change". Could you specificy the "climate change" in Yellowstone and show where no other factor may be the contributor - i.e beetle acclimation.

By the Numbers: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Jun 3rd - 08:29am | Kay and David Scott

We stayed three nights at Glacier Bay Lodge during our 2008 national park lodge tour. We flew from Seattle to Glacier Bay by way of Juneau. We stopped for two nights in Juneau on the return. Quite an interesting town. This was our first visit to the park and we really enjoyed our time there. We took both the cruise of Glacier Bay and the evening whale-watching cruise. Each was a great exp

Jun 3rd - 06:44am | Jim Burnett

And one other number: "10." That's my score on a scale of one to ten for the quality of our two visits to this park, with the "10" being tops. We found it was worth the time and expense to get here, and to spend several nights there.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Campgrounds to Begin Opening April 1

Jun 3rd - 06:46am | samsdad1

Tell her unless she is into mass quantities of closure signs as a WOW factor then she needs to wait until the breeding seasons end for Cape Hatteras.

Jun 2nd - 15:10pm | James Barger

My daughter works at the outdoor center at East Carolina University. She is often leading trips to the West Carolina mountains to take folks hiking and rock climbing. She stays on the lookout for backpacking trips that are interesting and fun.

Reader Participation Day: Where Are the Best Waterfalls In the National Park System?

Jun 2nd - 21:48pm | Anonymous

Yosetmite Falls. I had a transcendent experience on a May night with the falls raging with snow melt. The valley below was bathed in the light of a full moon. I'll never forget it.

Backcountry Hiker With A Growing Reputation For Being Overdue Rescued In Glacier National Park

Jun 2nd - 16:28pm | Anonymous

I am certain this had been said on Traveller before, though not in this thread: Currently, NPS has the flexibility to delay or refuse to undertake rescue missions if conditions would endanger the rescuers. Requiring a rescue fee/insurance in advance would create an expectation that a rescue would be mounted regardless of conditions.

Where Can You See Wildlife Right Now: Wolves, Bison and Bears in Yellowstone National Park

Jun 2nd - 14:01pm | Gloria Grant

My husband John and I go to Yellowstone yearly. We love to come the third week of June and stay for a week. We love Lamar Valley and last couple of years, Hayden has also been wonderful for us. Can't wait to come again!!!!

Grizzly Bear Shot and Killed By Hikers In Denali National Park and Preserve

Jun 2nd - 11:42am | Anonymous

If the hikers were being charged and eared for their lives that is enough just cause to shoot...or should we wait for the bear to rip off one's head?

National Park Quiz 95: National Seashores

Jun 2nd - 08:36am | Bob Janiskee

Since questions 3 and 8 have been replaced, thanks to RoadRanger's feedback, some additional explanantion is needed here. The original questions dealt with being able to access national seashores via hard-surfaced roads, and whether hard surfaced roads exist within certain parks.

Jun 2nd - 00:55am | RoadRanger

Bob, regarding Questions 3 and 8: For certain, there are no paved roads on Shackleford and Core Banks at Cape Lookout, but I believe you will find a hard-surfaced entrance road and at least one paved parking lot at the Harkers Island Unit (Visitor Center). That unit is within the park boundary.

Bison Hazing Could Snarl Traffic in Yellowstone National Park This Week

Jun 1st - 21:41pm | C.C.

This hazing is abusive to the bison and needs to be stopped. Some of those babies are only days old and are hazed for miles back into the park. One baby has already been hazed to death earlier in May. Maybe if visitors see this abuse, more people will realize our tax dollars are being used to abuse animals.

Jun 1st - 18:55pm | Bruce

Call me a tenderfoot, but I was relieved to learn that "bison hazing" has nothing in common with "fraternity hazing." Controversial or not, no bison are intentionally harrassed, abused, or humiliated in this operation. ;-)

Bird Nests and Closures Spurring Civil Disobedience at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Jun 1st - 13:56pm | Ron Saunders

To Recent Visitor Lee, I am sorry you did not enjoy your day on the beach at the Outer Banks. Believe me when I say this because I am sincere. It can be a wonderful experience. I would ask that you keep an open mind.

Support Journalism about National Parks!

National Parks Traveler is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Donate Now!

The Essential RVing Guide

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.

National Parks Traveler

Search