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Heavy Rains and Flooding from Hurricane Ike Remnants Left a Mess at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Sep 30th - 09:11am | MRC

Cooperation between the NPS and State authorities is possible. Probably the best example is Redwood National and States Parks in California. There three State parks (dedicated in the 1910s) were connected by Redwood National park in 1968. In 1984 the administration was put together and now the Parks are led by a superintendent from the NPS under shared jurisdiction.

Sep 30th - 06:21am | Anonymous

I just read your articles concerning the confusing counting methods of the NPS, and the Hurricane Ike damage at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. I thought I would share some thoughts and information with you.

Sep 26th - 08:28am | Bob Janiskee

How true, and how sad. Congress' failure to seize the initiative at Indiana Dunes back in 1916 is all the more frustrating -- and ironic -- when you consider that, in that very same year of 1916, a national park was established on Maui and the Big Island in the faraway territory of Hawaii.

Sep 26th - 08:03am | Hoosier

Bob - When Stephen Mather first proposed this site for inclusion in the National Park System in 1916 he called it Sand Dunes National Park. That name would be too confusing now because of Great Sand Dunes NP. But, other names such as Lake Michigan Dunes NP, Marquette NP, or Calumet NP would work. And yes, I think it should be a national park.

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

Sep 30th - 08:18am | Bob Janiskee

Not much to see at Snee Farm, dapster. The Charles Pinckney NHS has been described as a sham (I find it hard to disagree) because it has so little to do with Charles Pinckney and has NO Pinckney era structures. This park would be very high on my list of parks to abolish the first chance we get. How that park ever got established in the first place is still something of a mystery to me.

Sep 30th - 08:16am | Rangertoo

To really understand this issue you have to really understand how the National Park Service operates: not like a single government bureau, but like a fast food franchise. Each unit is part of a larger organization that sets basic standards and practices. Beyond that, each franchise manager (park superintendent) interprets the corporate programs to fit local conditions.

Sep 30th - 08:00am | dapster

Bob, Thanks for the clarification. Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is not in Charleston harbor; it's well north of Charleston just off US-17 and not far from Boone Hall Plantation.

Sep 29th - 17:48pm | Barky

Thanks for a good article on a pet peeve topic. I had to put a disclaimer on my own blog because I couldn't figure out where the 391 unit count comes from. ================================= My travels through the National Park System: americaincontext.com

Sep 29th - 16:26pm | Bob Janiskee

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is not in Charleston harbor; it's well north of Charleston just off US-17 and not far from Boone Hall Plantation.

Sep 29th - 15:32pm | dapster

SaltSage is correct: By the way, Charles Pinckney NHS is also administered by Fort Sumter, but there's no sign anywhere announcing that it's a unit of any other park.

Sep 29th - 14:32pm | SaltSage236

About Fort Moultrie:

Sep 29th - 14:25pm | SaltSage236

The National Park Service isn't the only agency guilty of toying with the public's perception of what is and what isn't an agency's unit and merrily confusing people.

Sep 29th - 14:15pm | dapster

Interesting article. Just goes to show how absolutely confusing the whole system has become. I know of one misplaced "Recreational Area" designation in the whole works, but anyone who has read my past posts knows my stance on that.... I find this one the most curious, since I've been there on several occasions:

Sep 29th - 13:17pm | Lepanto

Another intriguing thought-piece by Bob!

Winter Storm Uncovers 19th Century Shipwreck at Cape Cod National Seashore

Sep 30th - 07:55am | SBL

Nice written post. It is really hard to imagine things. We had a same incident near SBL.

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

Sep 30th - 06:58am | Anonymous

I think a distinction needs to be made between Seashores and Lakeshores that are isolated from urban areas, and NPS areas like Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore that is an urban park. the Indiana Dunes area has been attracting users for well over a century, primarily from the greater Chicagoland area, all seeking the beautiful beaches, and swimming in Lake Michigan.

Trigger-happy Man Shoots Another Rustling in the Brush

Sep 29th - 21:12pm | JimB

To follow-up on the analogy of licensed vehicle drivers to CHL holders, one of my major concerns is the fact that in many states it is much easier to obtain permit to carry a concealed deadly weapon than a driver's license.

Sep 29th - 16:24pm | Anonymous

Guns and booze don't mix well anywhere.... Nor do cars and booze. Bashing CHL holders for this incident makes about as much sense as bashing licensed drivers everytime a drunk unlicensed driver hurts someone.

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

Sep 29th - 17:47pm | Barky

Ooof, a tough issue. Of course, I'm sure no one in Florida is trying to profit off a real estate scheme. That's soooo unlike South Floridians :dripping with overwhelming sarcasm:. Realistically, not many of these islands can sustain much development. That's just a simple fact. Not that there aren't Americans living in unsustainable places....

National Park Quiz 5: Biggest This or That

Sep 29th - 13:46pm | Dave C

Fascinating stuff, love reading these quizzes! If you're into NP trivia, visit the county highpoints website, and click on the National Parks and National Monuments sub-pages. www.cohp.org

Appellate Court Upholds Lower Court Ruling on Development at Gateway National Recreation Area

Sep 29th - 12:35pm | d-2

I hasten to say I agree with Barky that the leasing idea with Wassel is a good idea, but I think NPS should have (IE: get congressional approval) explicit authority to use historic leases to displace public use of prime park assets. I agree that Ft. Hancock is a bad example, and is not a good precedent to use on other parks.

Sep 28th - 11:13am | Anonymous

We need some context here. We are mixing apples and oranges, and there ARE some scary issues presented by the various cases Kurt has raised:

Sep 27th - 22:00pm | Barky

Kurt, I hear what you're saying, but your dream of a Congress that fully funds the NPS, or of taxpayers willing to pay more in taxes to fully fund government projects in general, is a dead one. The NPS has no choice but to allow commercial use of these facilities whenever prudent.

Sep 27th - 11:55am | Rangertoo

With all due respect to MRC, the NPS has a lot more than 2 decomissioned military bases. Cape Cod and Acadia have substantial military bases. Santa Monica Mountains, Indiana Dunes, Gateway, Golden Gate, and a host of other parks have old Nike missile bases, heck, the entire park of Minute Man Missile is a former military base. And that doesn't count all the historic forts.

Sep 27th - 11:15am | MRC

Let not confuse one time events (Alcatraz and Boston) with long term commercial use of historic buildings. Two times now, decommissioned military complexes were handed over to the NPS: Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook and the Presidio of San Francisco.

Sep 27th - 09:57am | Kurt Repanshek

Barky,

Sep 27th - 08:10am | Anonymous

I can tell you that as a national park superintendent I am planning on a similar project in my park. It is either that, or watch the historic buildings collapse. We cannot afford to maintain them and they will soon reach a condition where they will have to be torn down for safety reasons alone. Park managers are doing the best they can with what they have.

Sep 26th - 22:25pm | Barky

Setting aside the funding questions, which are troubling to say the least (but pale in comparison to all the other waste & graft existing in the federal government today), I actually don't have a problem with commercial development in Fort Hancock.

Yellowstone, Grand Teton Officials Searching For Snowmobile, Snowcoach Solution

Sep 29th - 09:50am | jsmacdonald

Let me say this about jobs because a lot of people don't have the opportunity to visit Yellowstone in the winter and so are lost in the fog of the rhetoric. If you go to the gateway towns, like West Yellowstone, you will be astounded by the high percentage of businesses that are closed for the entire winter, even during the height of snowmobile season.

Sep 29th - 07:59am | MRC

How did your parents and grandparents get to the lake, if "you cannot access these areas in a reasonable fashion" without a gas burning engine? Forget your snowmobile, take out the cross country skis and follow the family tradition.

Sep 28th - 20:10pm | Anonymous

I do live in this area and a big part of being able to ride in the parks is accesibility to the lakes for ice fishing. My family has been fishing on Jackson Lake for over 60 years....it is a big part of our family bonding and traditions. My grandfather fished there, my parents, my kids and hopefully my grandkids. You cannot access these areas in a reasonable fashion without snowmobiles.

Bear #399, And Other Grizzlies, Are On the Prowl In Grand Teton National Park

Sep 29th - 03:47am | Anonymous

My daughters and I watched this bear and her cubs this past April and videoed them all, from a safe distance of course. Our video like so many others is now on YouTube. I just read today that she has kicked the cubs to the curb so to speak. The three young bears are on their own while their mom searches out a new mate. Let's hope the three kids don't get into any trouble.

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

Sep 28th - 15:02pm | JimB

It's been a long time since I worked at the Grand Canyon, but even then vehicle traffic was a challenge. The train is certainly a great way for people to visit the park and leave their vehicles elsewhere.

Sep 28th - 07:11am | Bob Janiskee

Thanks, Darrel. This must have been a fairly recent decision. The GCR was still using steam locomotives seasonally as of spring 2006.

Sep 28th - 00:07am | Darrel

Not mentioned here is that the Grand Canyon Railway has decided to end their steam locomotive operations and stay with only the diesels.

Sep 27th - 23:04pm | Marylander

I love trains, this one included! I am all for adding another train to the schedule. I've personally ridden this train numerous times and have always had a great trip. I'd highly recommend this train ride to anyone and with a 3rd train it will provide more access for people to enjoy it! I hope they approve the proposal.

Sep 27th - 21:08pm | Merryland

We did this trip a few years ago with the kids in the month of March... the kids loved it, and you definitely don't need a vehicle once you get to the South Rim. When I worked at Grand Canyon there were trees growing up through the rotting RR ties. Glad to see it brought back to life, especially if it cuts down on the number of zanies looking for a parking spot.

Sep 27th - 19:03pm | Steve Rugg

Sharon and myself had a chance this summer to ride the train from Williams to the Grand Canyon, it was a memorable trip. I just hope the new owners are aware of the treasure that they have in it's people especially one.

Floods Washing Across Big Bend National Park

Sep 27th - 21:36pm | Merryland

Once again, mother nature wins. Yet, we'll continue to rebuild and sandbag and rebuild again. We're like little ants with littler brains. Looking forward to visiting Galveston Island National Memorial and Seashore someday too.

Backcountry Volunteer Survives 100 Foot Fall While Canyoneering at Zion National Park

Sep 27th - 21:26pm | Merryland

I'm curious as to what other canyoneering experiences anywhere else in the western hemisphere are comparable (or better) than Utah. Strange you chose to single out the "lower 48" but didn't expand that further. If it's a secret, I'll understand. For a long time I didn't tell many (if any) people about the hidden spots at Escalante.

Sep 26th - 22:55pm | Canyon Rob

This is a great reminder now how many times you have gone down a canyon you always have to be paying attention.

At Statue of Liberty National Monument, Save Ellis Island, Inc., Works to Restore Ellis Island’s Time-Ravaged Buildings

Sep 27th - 21:20pm | Merryland

I think the key to these sorts of renovations succeeding is when the final product is actually put to good use, rather than having a giant shell of a building that people come to simply gawk at. And the use of the building(s) should be a good fit with the history of the place. It seems like both those things are at least being attempted here, so kudos to all involved.

Sep 27th - 09:10am | Sabattis

I'm also very interested in the new plans for the "Peopling of America Museum" at Ellis Island. This seems to be a rare instance in which the National Park Service is getting it exactly right. The story of Ellis Island is important enough that I think that few people would blink if the National Park Service just stuck to that story at Ellis Island.

Sep 26th - 10:22am | Bob Janiskee

My eyebrows went up too, d-2, when I saw that SEI had, on their official website, alluded to a 10-15 year time frame for completing the renovations.

Sep 26th - 09:46am | d-2

Thank you, Bob, for this important piece. It will be interesting to see if the NPS and Save Ellis Island, Inc., will be able to restore all the structures on the south side of Ellis Island.

Pruning the Parks: Shoshone Cavern National Monument (1909-1954) Would Have Cost Too Much to Develop

Sep 27th - 09:16am | Sabattis

Poverty Point presents a particularly interesting case in the parlor game of "delisting." Without Federal management, it would certainly be a prime candidate. On the other hand, the US has recently put Poverty Point on its "Tentative List" - which is the first step towards being promoted to UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

A Section of the Appalachian Trail Designed for Wheelchair Access Opens in Vermont

Sep 26th - 18:43pm | Merryland

It's not an anti-disabled perspective that I'm attempting (albeit poorly) to express, it's a "stop trying to improve nature and stop spending money on something we'll just have to spend more maintenance money on later" perspective. Believe me, when I see people parking in handicap spots that have no right being there, I'm in their face (politely of course).

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: It's Really About the Islands

Sep 26th - 09:34am | JimB

I'd second this recommendation as a park to put on a list of great visits. My wife and I had the chance to spend several days at Apostle Islands last summer, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Big Cypress National Preserve: Is More ORV Access In Bear Island Unit Wise?

Sep 26th - 09:01am | Ken

Well as a camping enthusiast I value the natural spectacle that is the great outdoors in all her beauty. But I don't think ORV users are to blame entirely for the condition of the trails. Even the smallest rut in the mud turns into a disaster when a terrential downpour is thrown into the mix. Personally, I feel the ORV trails should only be available during dry conditions.

Update: At Grand Canyon National Park, an Abandoned Uranium Mine Must be Cleaned Up

Sep 26th - 05:33am | Bob Janiskee

The yellowcake that the Orphan Mine produced was indeed intended for America's Cold War nuclear weapons program, not nuclear power production. I revised the article and removed the reference to nuclear power production. If you'd like to dig deeper into this subject, see Michael A.

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