| Page 1464 | National Parks Traveler

The visitor season is practically over at the Apostle Islands and therefore closing Manitou Island is relatively easy. Even in the middle of the season, however, we've found that most visitors coming by boat respect a closure sign, particularly when it explains that the closure is for their own safety.

Oct 3rd - 10:37am | Kurt Repanshek

Vince, Rangers do have the authority to issue warnings and citations, but they pretty much have to catch the violations in action. It is unfortunate that this bear managed to find a human-provided buffet, and you'd think rangers would be able to figure out who left the Spam behind.

Oct 3rd - 10:34am | Vince

people or bear problem the damage is already done. They closed the island they say ,so are they patrolling 24 hours to stop boaters from just dropping in? It's unfortunate but if the bear is backing trained wildlife mangers into outhouses what are the chances that some boating day tripper won't trigger an attack? I think that this animals future is in serious jeopardy.

Oct 3rd - 10:10am | Anonymous

Sounds like you have a people problem, more than a bear problem. Where did he get the Spam?

Lassen Volcanic National Park Gets Its First Purpose-Built Visitor Center, and It’s a Dandy

Oct 4th - 11:33am | JimB

Frank - Costs for actual operation won't be known until the building has been in use for a full year - anything at this point would just be a guess, and if those projections are available, I haven't seen them.

Steamtown National Historic Site Schedules Leaf Peeper Excursions in the Poconos

Oct 3rd - 16:25pm | Wayne

I almost grew up in Steamtown when it was in Bellows Falls. I used to climb all over the trains, my father has endless hours of 8mm film of trains. I've yet to make it to the "new" location but my father just returned from a trip there.

Oct 3rd - 15:44pm | Kris

Ouch! Does Scranton really look that bad from the outside? Seriously...Jersey City? We can't possibly be worse than that. It's not as hip as some places, but it's trying.

Oct 3rd - 07:46am | Kris

Northeast PA, specifically Scranton, has been known lately more for being the hometowns of Biden and Clinton and maybe for "The Office," but once upon a time Steamtown was it's claim to fame. As a local, I can see something needs to be done with Steamtown...it's a sad site, and very pathetic how it's barely noticed anymore.

Updated: Groups Claim Yellowstone National Park Officials Abdicating Responsibility Over Snowmobile Access Issue

Oct 3rd - 14:11pm | dapster

"The Park Service is asking Congress to manage the park and publicly telling they public they are going to shut down the park," says Kristen Brengel, who long has monitored the snowmobile issue for The Wilderness Society. "Basically they are saying they can’t do their jobs. They can’t manage and they can’t figure out how to allow the public in through their own authority.

North Cascades National Park – Forty Years on the Map, Seventy Years in the Making

Oct 3rd - 13:21pm | greg

It's a little tangential, but North Cascades was incredibly influential on the life and work of Jack Kerouac (before it was a National Park).

Oct 3rd - 12:47pm | Random Walker

Suppose I will have to forgive you (being that you are not from these parts :-)) for not mentioning my hero Harvey Manning who was one of the most influential and outspoken advocates in the fight to preserve and establish Our North Cascades National Park.

Brucellosis Solution: Kill All Elk and Bison in Yellowstone National Park

Oct 3rd - 11:34am | Frank N

Not to mention, when we are killing all these elk and bison, what exactly are the bears, wolves, mountain lions, eagles and coyotes going to be eating? My guess would be cattle. Then the demand will come up: we must kill all the predators! Soon the greatest intact temperate ecosystem remaining in North America will be no more. Only a memory. A story to tell our grandchildren.

Uranium Exploratory Drilling Near Grand Canyon National Park is Halted Pending a Full Environmental Review

Oct 3rd - 09:43am | Anonymous

To get a taste of the "Life and times" of this era of mining the S. Rim you might enjoy a personalize iMovie on Youtube.com/user/designsbydianne

Oct 1st - 05:03am | Ex-resident

Another environmental impact study? And who decided this? The person getting paid for the study? The Grand Canyon and all surrounding area for miles and miles and miles, have been environmental impact studied to death. All another study would do is keep the people with letters after their name in salaries.

Sep 30th - 11:59am | ssurasky

Finally, a clear win for proceeding the correct way, that is, performing due diligence environmental and public reviews before allowing potentially damaging and irreversible activities. Hats off to the organizations and individuals who took the legal action required to prevent the Forest Service from doing as they please.

Crews Remove Garbage From Marijuana Farms in Sequoia National Park

Oct 3rd - 08:57am | morgan34

Growing marijuana in a national forest is a total lack of consideration, the last time I checked marijuana was actually an illegal drug, these guys had a lot of nerve to do that. It makes you think about what they are really capable of.

Are There Really 391 Units in the National Park System? You Won’t Think So After You Read This!

Oct 3rd - 08:48am | chris2ferw1516

Not to be picky but....for #7, correct spelling: Frederick Douglass. We're used to having to correct. [Ed. Nice catch; it's been fixed.]

Oct 2nd - 07:42am | Rangertoo

Add one more category: Homestead National Monument of America. The only "National Monument of America'"

Oct 1st - 16:07pm | Bob Janiskee

Since the National Park Service doesn't know what a national park is, why should I be expected to know?

Oct 1st - 15:47pm | D Crowl

Bob, how many do you count?

Oct 1st - 12:10pm | Sabattis

In response to Dan, there are actually 20 National Monuments that are run outside of the Park Service – and they are run by a veritable potpourri of land agencies, including BLM, the Forest Service, the Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and even the Armed Forces’ Retirement Home.

Sep 30th - 14:51pm | Bugsyshallfall

Sometimes Just coming up a a name for a park can be a problem. For Example, At my Park, Boston Harbor Islands, its very name has become an issue. At first look, the park acts and feels very much like a National Recreational Area but it is called officially a National Park Area ( it is a Recreational Area legally), why?

Sep 30th - 12:19pm | Bob Janiskee

None of these non-NPS administered National Monuments are counted in the National Park System 391-tally, of course. Still, the administrative ambiguity does add an additional layer of confusion. Traveler is going to take up the topic of designation confusion in a future article. In this one we tried to stay focused on the count per se.

Sep 30th - 12:13pm | Dan

And don't forget the 'National Monuments' that aren't administered by the National Park Service. The BLM administers fifteen 'national monuments' in eight western states, and according the the BLM website, there are 'national monuments' that are administered by the Forest Service and the Fish & Wildlife Service as well.

Sep 30th - 10:38am | SaltSage236

Interesting about Charles Pinckney. From the day they first opened the place to the public in the early 90's, that park has been a staple of the local high school history class field trip circuit.

Sep 30th - 09:19am | MRC

All those decisions made sense at one time - at least for those who took them. The National Park System is not constructed, it grew to the way it is now. The ideas about individual parks and the system as such became entangled into what can only be described as Gordian knot. Maybe a sharp sword would be a useful tool for the next administration.

Singer Dolly Parton Named Ambassador for Great Smoky Mountains National Park's Anniversary

Oct 2nd - 22:29pm | Ryan

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I have always loved Dolly Parton's genuineness and coming from the heart her whole life. What a wonderful pick and a perfect choice. How many artists would write an entire album and donate the rights to a National Park? Beautiful. Even though it may be a few years before I can visit the area, I will get these wonderful souvenirs now!

How Far Should National Park Rangers Go To Safeguard Your Life?

Oct 2nd - 14:24pm | JimB

George summed up a key to many visitor incidents when he noted, "Despite all the warnings and instructional material about the dangers in the parks, we still have visitors recklessly approaching wildlife, climbing over barriers to the edge of cliffs and bluffs, and ignoring other danger signs." Those attitudes also relate to the previous post about life jackets and education.

Oct 2nd - 13:47pm | d-2

Excellent comment, wise words Mr. Anoymous. At the same time, life guards also have a place, and can warn the public in the event of riptids or particularly dangerous surf. Some public high-use beaches should have life guards, and parks should not have to choose between resource protection projects and an appropriate level of life guards.

Oct 2nd - 13:08pm | Anonymous

Until the National Park Service addresses the over arching questions "why don't visitors do what they know they should do" it will continue to struggle with visitor use management. Yes, the National Park Service mission is as much about managing the visitor as it is the resources. Understanding human behavior and treating the public like adults is an answer.

Park History: Yosemite National Park

Oct 1st - 23:20pm | Hobblefoot

I just returned from a trip to Yosemite NP. I spent 2 days hiking from Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, 5 days backpacking from Cathedral Lakes , Sunrise, Merced Lake, Red Peak Pass, & then down to the valley for 2 nights. My impressions are as follows; Tuolumne Meadows is a fantastic intro to the High Sierras and the hike from Cathedral to Sunrise was truly spectacular.

Viewing National Parks Traveler on Firefox 3.0

Oct 1st - 18:37pm | Kurt Repanshek

Frank, I'm hoping (hopeful?) that I've found a tech who can solve the problem by mid-October at the latest (might be sooner, but I've got travel that could delay things). Thanks for hanging in there....

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

Oct 1st - 16:05pm | hard fishing bi...

It would appear from the detailed statistics which are only gathered by site visitation, that a self proclaimed elit group can wander the shores within their private bird santuary at the expense of all others. Arrogance by elite components of any society has always spawned reprocussions.

National Park Quiz 22: Angels and Saints

Oct 1st - 14:40pm | Bob Janiskee

Nice catch, Griz. All these years I've thought that the church was in the Bronx! I've made the correction.

Oct 1st - 14:17pm | griz

In regards to question #8. While Saint Paul's Church is in New York state, it is just outside the boundary of New York City in the city of Mount Vernon, NY.

Fall Is A Great Season in Glacier National Park

Oct 1st - 13:32pm | JimB

Donna - A good reminder that weather is always a wild card on outdoor trips, and that's even more the case in the mountains.

Oct 1st - 10:58am | Donna Hull

We've had good and bad weather luck visiting Glacier National Park in the fall. In September 2004, we experienced beautiful sunny days. My husband returned last Saturday from a photography trip to Glacier. The weather was cloudy, rainy and snowy his entire visit.

Pruning the Parks: Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area Was a National Park for Just Five Years

Oct 1st - 10:02am | SaltSage236

The NPS apparently very much wants to keep Curecanti NRA, and currently has a plan out for public comment that would expand Curecanti and calls on Congress to officially designate the NPS manager of the public land surrounding Curecanti's three reservoirs. Curecanti, very likely Colorado's most inferior NPS unit, is managed together with adjacent Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Oct 1st - 08:11am | Rangertoo

Congress should complete this excellent decision and divest from the NPS Lake Meredith, Amistad, Curecanti, and the park formerly known as Grand Coulee NRA. The Army Corps actually has an excellent public recreation operation that can take some of these sites and the USFS the rest. Get the NPS out of managing reservoirs with little else to offer besides simple water-based recreation.

Oct 1st - 06:03am | Barky

It makes me wonder if other National Recreation Areas should be transferred to the forest service. The whole debate about recreation vs. preservation continues to rear its ugly head. Maybe recreation doesn't belong in the list of NPS missions and such areas should be transferred out. Just a thought. ==========================================

How To Buy National Park-Related Gifts Without Leaving Home

Oct 1st - 05:59am | Anonymous

New park ornaments have arrived at Inner Peace Designs. Zion and Death Valley National Parks were just added to the short list this American company produces. Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, and Crater Lake just to name a few others they carry. They must have a contract with the National Parks Service to do these. Very nice detail. Keep an eye out for these in gift stores in the parks.

Fall Into Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Kills California Woman

Sep 30th - 23:22pm | Anonymous

its been a year since this incident. has anyone heard anything about how her family is doing? I was an aquaintane of Charlotte's. I didn't know her very well but I've always wondered how her family is and if there was a memorial service for her.

A Florida Keys National Park? Good Conservation or Florida Bail-out?

Sep 30th - 14:54pm | Bugsyshallfall

Maybe, the area is question should be bought by the BLM and/or the State.

Grand Canyon Railway May Expand Rail Service to the South Rim at Grand Canyon National Park

Sep 30th - 10:30am | Ryan

We took the train at the end of June (2008). It was wonderful. My 82 year old Aunt, her niece and myself loved coming back to the Grand Canyon area via the train (instead of by car the first time we saw the canyon). It was clean, on time and a pleasure to ride. The live entertainment (wild west show before, singing cowboys on the way to the rim and the "robbery"

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