| Page 1176 | National Parks Traveler

Irremotus and occidentalis are identical down to every gene. That ridiculous, made-up argument didn't work in court, and no thinkihng person will buy it here. Furthermore the person agonizing over the waves of ungulates of yesteryear now eaten must not actually live in the area, otherwse he would trip over the abundant elk and bison that I continue to see weekly.

Nov 16th - 23:28pm | Rick B.

Boy, the semantic value of these discussions sure drops when an overuse of "quotation marks" "not sure if I'm sarcastic or emphasizing" gets thrown on on top of cutsie wootsie names to attack other with. Boo.

Nov 16th - 19:08pm | Kevin Watson

Sorry to burst your bubble wolfaboo's, however this specie of grey wolf, (CL occidentalis) has never been native to our region below the Canadian border.( Never even close, by hundreds of miles).The native wolf of our region, (CL irremotus) has been wiped out by this "Experimental" specie. This is a fact you people seem so proud of ignoring. Ignorance is no excuse.

Nov 16th - 17:34pm | justinh

Kevin Watson, Not much of what you're saying is accurate. y_p_w is correct that the wolves restored to Yellowstone are native: they are Northern Rocky Mountain wolves, a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus). To suggest that they are not "native" because they were relocated from Canada is to confuse a biological definition of "native" with a political one.

Nov 16th - 17:07pm | Me

"Wolves Not Native!" This wolf myth is old and retold so often as to become trite. Belief might be stagnant, knowledge is not..

Nov 16th - 16:36pm | y_p_w

The gray wolf isn't native? My information is that they used to range all throughout North America. Perhaps the current population reintroduced to Yellowstone is Canadian, but there aren't that many healthy population of wolves.

Nov 16th - 14:48pm | Kevin Watson

What a great "fairy tale" spin to the complete destruction of our natural wildlife from a "top king" predator that should be considered by everyone as the greatest disaster of our eco system in modern times. May you please take a honest look at this one simple fact about your beloved "furry icon"! THERE NOT NATIVE!!! Get over your criminally protective selves once and for all.

Nov 16th - 13:13pm | Lynn

There will always be a controversy about the wolves no matter where they are located or relocated. But, all of you need to realize that the Lord put them here for a reason. That reason is to keep balance whether it is killing for food or "killing for fun."

Nov 16th - 12:54pm | Anonymous

To Toby Bridges, And once the wolves reach the "mythical balance" many continue to speak about, the wolves will begin to disappear, and so will the grizzly bears - due to the loss of adequate food supplies. Yellowstone is doomed to become nothng more than a lot of pretty, and very empty, real estate.

Nov 16th - 11:44am | MI MI

I have been celebrating the wolves everyday since I first saw them in Yellowstone 10 years ago. I travel 2000 miles one way to catch a glimpse of them every year. They are the very image of the song in my heart and I could never regulate that melodie!!!!!

Nov 16th - 08:09am | Jane S

The reintroduction of the wolves in Yellowstone, in my mind, is symptomatic of the tension that has always existed between man and nature. What and whose purpose do we serve? The wolves were originally killed off because of the threat they brought to ranchers, farmers, and to a lesser degree, the park. With their reintroduction, we face similar issues.

Nov 16th - 07:44am | Toby Bridges

If you think wolves only "kill what they eat"...you are the one who obviously knows nothing of wolves.

Nov 16th - 05:24am | Anonymous

Obviously you know nothing about wolves. Wolves do not kill "just for fun" they kill what they eat and to survive unlike humans who do "kill just for fun". If the deer and other animals are declining so precipituously then all hunting should be discontinued.

Nov 15th - 21:52pm | Anonymous

Thank you Jane Schneider for a well-written and informative article on the goings-on at Yellowstone National Park, and on the works of the Yellowstone Association. This article makes me want to visit the park and witness the beauty of it and the majestic animals at my earliest convenience. Well done!

Nov 15th - 21:01pm | Anonymous

I disagree with the above comment. The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone is only putting back what was wrongfully removed over many years. Wolves are pack animals and live in a strong social network. When the wolf kills it not only benefits the wolf and his family but also many other animals and birds.

Nov 15th - 19:44pm | anonymous

Humans are the apex predators not wolves. If ungulate populations are "falling" it is from heights never intended by mother nature, to a level more in line with what an be supported. If bubba misses his elk for one season because of it, so be it.

Nov 15th - 19:39pm | Raven

Sharks of the land? how about a king pin species. The land without the wolf is not vibrant or healthy. Returning to balanced levels of all species, including plants is what the wolf brings. A little education and less old hatred, goes a long way. And yes, I put my name down! No need to be anonymous here! Wolves are part of the natural web of life.

Nov 15th - 14:56pm | Anonymous

Wolves are the sharks of land, who do casually and cruelly kill over and over just for fun. Our deer family population and other preyed upon animals are declining precipitously. They should be regulated, not celebrated.

These Worms Can Jump -- And They're Unwelcome Pests At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Nov 16th - 18:01pm | Harry Case

Actually, Barky, I believe importing any foreign organism without a permit is a violation of federal law. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to enforce because of the sheer voume of pests being carted accross our borders and into our ports.

Nov 16th - 05:21am | Barky

You can buy these worms ... called Alabama Jumpers ... on-line for fishing and worm composting. http://alabamajumpers.com/.

Whitebark Pine Trees in Crater Lake National Park Under Attack From Blister Rust, Pine Beetles

Nov 16th - 17:42pm | justinh

This kind of thing is so depressing; it seems to be happening everywhere. The dying of hemlocks at Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains, the lodgepoles at Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone. Could really use some good news about our trees.

Nov 16th - 16:58pm | Anonymous

Unfortunately, we have learned that Dr. Michael Murray is no longer monitoring whitebark pine health at CRLA. He has left the NPS and Crater Lake for a job in Canada.

Nov 15th - 08:52am | pkrnger

Kurt, thanks for featuring this important article on the threats to the whitebark pine at Crater Lake National Park. Thanks also go to Dr. Michael Murray, park research biologist, for writing about this important research.

Park Potpourri – A Sampling of Upcoming Events in Parks Around the Country

Nov 16th - 11:29am | Jim Burnett

Anonymous - Thanks for your comment.

Nov 16th - 10:06am | Bob Janiskee

@Anon. Granted that the Masonic Hall in Forbestown is the oldest standing building in the settlement. Is it also the oldest masonic lodge in the state of California? The claim for Shasta seems very strongly supported.

Nov 16th - 09:56am | Anonymous

The oldest Masonic lodge in Calif. is in Forbestown.....

Marine National Parks Have Experienced Vast Losses of Coral Reefs to Bleaching and Disease

Nov 16th - 09:53am | Anonymous

When one considers how the warming climate has provided opportunities for insects to decimate old-growth pines in Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mts, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mtn, not to mention the disapprearing glaciers in Glacier NP, this is pretty depressing news.

National Park Service Establishing Protocols For Dealing With White-Nose Syndrome in Bat Populations

Nov 16th - 09:16am | Kurt Repanshek

I haven't come across any information portraying federal or state officials as "blaming" cavers for spreading this disease. What I have read are concerns about the rampant spread of WNS and "precautions" being taken in an attempt to minimize that spread.

Nov 16th - 07:38am | Jon Chinn

This is bogus policy based on bad science. Show me a single peer rteviewed scientific study showing humans have transmitted WNS. Parks should be open to people, and caves should be presumptively open. Period. No matter what a vet, who has how much experience underground [?], thinks.

Nov 16th - 00:53am | Anonymous

"There is evidence that shows these spores can be transported on gear, articles of clothing after going into an infected cave," said Mr. Thomas." Really? I've yet to see such evidence. Yet another attempt to blame cavers for transmitting the disease through baseless, unproven claims.

Mount McKinley Flightseeing? Sure, Let's Go!

Nov 16th - 02:12am | RoadRanger

In the late winter of 2000, I boarded a de Havilland Beaver with four other guests for a spectacular trip from Anchorage to Mount McKinley and return after a stop over for lunch at Talkeetna. It was the best $199 travel expenditure I have ever made. The weather was crystal clear all day, the pilot remarking it was one of the clearest days he could recall in his many years of flying in Alaska.

Nov 15th - 20:19pm | Leland22

We took a flight out of Talkeetna in late August 2006 in a twin engine plane.The size of the mountain is unbelievable. The radar showed us to be 10 miles from the mountain and it looked like we could touch it. It was a clear day which made it all the more exciting. I would highly recommend it and, unlike Bob, would do it again-weather permitting.

Nov 15th - 19:42pm | anonymous

Twin engine planes simply mean that you are twice as likely to crash. Oh, and for the post above mine, they still do detour fly-bys of the mountain on the way to from Fairbanks/Anchorage, if the weather is nice. Enjoyed one this summer in an Alaska Airlines 737.

Nov 15th - 12:04pm | Tom Stoa

A number of years ago (well before the September 11 paranoia set in) I was on a United Airlines flight into Fairbanks. It was a beautiful and perfectly clear early evening, and Denali was out in its full splendor. Rather than just fly past Denali, the pilot decided to circle it so we could get a complete view of the mountain. Then he circled it again, just for good measure.

Nov 15th - 11:48am | Anonymous

We visited Alaska for our first time in May, 2010. We had the fortunate opportunity to take a flight seeing trip of Mt. McKinley with Talkeetna Air. We did about 45 minutes of flight seeing and also landed at base camp. I must say, it was one of the most incredible experiences I've had in my life.

Fatal Fall from Angels Landing in Zion National Park

Nov 15th - 21:43pm | y_p_w

Half Dome style cables wouldn't work. It's not a single hump like the 400 ft Half Dome climb, but a lot of little ridges. I found that a lot of the gaps where there aren't chains aren't so bad, but there are some chained areas that are scary.

Nov 15th - 18:57pm | Anonymous

In my opinion they should either get rid of the chains and make the hike more dangerous therefore less people would do it or instead of chains have cables like half dome does. The chains don't really allow you to tie yourself in safely and the gaps in the chains lead to undue risk.

Nov 15th - 14:21pm | Anonymous

We just came back from Angels Landing. It's an breathtaking place to hike. I had my hiking boots and friend of mine had a pair of sneakers. He is afraid of heights and wisely and courageously decided not to continue to the summit. There are many basic things needs to be considered to hike the place like this one: Some people could get dizzy at high altitude.

Trust For Public Land Helps Improve Carbon River Entrance of Mount Rainier National Park

Nov 15th - 12:30pm | Anonymous

Wow! That means that those of us who freely access the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest via Forest Service Road 7810 to access the Cayada Creek area and Summit Lake Trail will be locked out! Great news! As far as I can see this unhealthy free access takeover of our public lands is out of control! What great progress!

Lame-Duck Congress Has Plateful of National Park-Related Legislation To Consider

Nov 15th - 12:02pm | Jon Merryman

HR 3726 in the Virgin Islands... gotta love government-speak. Submerged lands?

Nov 15th - 11:15am | Anonymous

Here's hoping Harriet Tubman NHP (at least New York if not also Maryland) comes to fruition. Also money to acquire lands within Petrified Forest NP.

Nov 15th - 10:55am | Jill

That truly made me laugh. I suddenly had an image of park rangers greeting people at the borders, offering friendly pamphlets and maps. And personally I've already imagined myself living the rest of my life in a tent, so why not? :-)

Nov 15th - 09:23am | MikeD

The North Country Trail Association is also waiting for a reroute bill to pass that would officially reroute the trail. http://www.northcountrytrail.org/insight/?p=1160

Nov 15th - 05:45am | Anonymous

While it would be great if Congress would pass some of the pending park legislation I would settle for them doing their most basic and fundamental task.... passing the FY 2011 appropriation bills!

Nov 14th - 20:51pm | Sabattis

Another important one is H.R. - 1376 to establish the Waco Mammoth Site National Monument.

Nov 14th - 17:29pm | d-2

I hope the Congress can get its act together and pass an Omnibus Bill incorporating an array of these bills you cite, Kurt. It would be such a relief if we saw an end to the efforts of some Members of Congress to destroy the ability of Congress to act when needed. Time to be patriots and protect the most important places in America.

The Winner of the 2010 National Historic Landmark Photo Contest May Surprise You

Nov 15th - 11:20am | Mary Kay Nelson

Congratulations! We at VisitRainier.com are very proud of our park. We love to share its beauty and wealth of recreational opportunities with the world. Your photo says it all. Thank you for doing your part to capture the essence of everything that is magical and wondrous at Mt. Rainier National Park. We salute our forefathers for protecting this region for the generations to come.

Nov 14th - 17:04pm | Jane S

What a breathtaking photograph. Interesting too, that sky of periwinkle blue.

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