You are here

Home

All Recent Comments

Grand Canyon National Park "Short Haul" Operations

Aug 18th - 12:50pm | Rodman Muller

Very happy to hear that all the stranded rafters were rescued safely. I was on the trip with Western River Expeditions with a group of 28 people from Hawaii on the same date and time. We noticed there rafts were tied up at the gorge of Havasu Creek. Because of the recent storm we were concerned about a flash flood in the narrow gorge that they were hiking in.

What's the Solution For Cape Hatteras National Seashore?

Aug 18th - 12:24pm | Ted Clayton

SamsDad, I am taking the liberty of posting one your pictures of the Cape here. If you rather I not, let me know and I will remove it/replace it. Waiting your permission, I'd also like to use your 2 images in my page with the distorted SELC image.

Aug 18th - 12:18pm | Rangertoo

The same arguments regarding the "need" to access a beach by vehicle because it is too far to walk could be used to justify roads in any park. About time! Some parts of the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Death Valley are a long way from a road. We need a road into the Grand Canyon and I think the Bright Angel Train can be reasonably widened and opened to ORVs.

Aug 18th - 11:43am | dapster

A picture taken on the Memorial Day/4th of July/Labor Day holidays ANYWHERE will show maximum human density. To say that the SELC photo taken was of an average day would be an outright falsehood. The picture is clearly out of scale, with the vehicles too tall for their width. Intentional or not, it is what it is. Many folks have seen said picture and believed it to be an every day occurence.

Aug 18th - 09:23am | SAMSDAD

http://forum.reddrumtackle.com/showthread.php?p=103427#post103427 (copy and paste to the browser you choose)

Aug 17th - 22:59pm | Stephen C

Go to islandfreepress to read the truth. Look for Dr. Mike Berry's comments.

Aug 17th - 22:56pm | Stephen C

I do not think some of you know what is actually going on here even though you have visited recently. 1. The 08 restictions included pedestrians. No you could not walk on the beach without facing a $5000 fine/imprisonment and more beach closures. this was done by a federal judge without public/park input.

Aug 17th - 15:08pm | Ken Cooper

First of all, that picture of the crowd at Cape Point is testimony to the popularity of the greatest fishing spot on the coast. It's a big attraction, and only accessible by ORV for most people. It's several miles from the nearest paved road, and the sand is very soft and difficult to walk in. What you can't see is cut out of the picture.

Aug 17th - 14:48pm | JohnAB

It seems to me that a recurring theme in the use of public recreational space in general, and National parks and recreational areas specifically, includes a battle between people who want to use machines in their recreation and those who do not.

Aug 17th - 13:05pm | longcaster

S. please stop exadurating. Yes it is Oregon Inlet north side (Bodie Island Spit). The fact that it is an Inlet would mean there are currents and tides flowing back and forth to the sound. Tell us more about these drownings. Just by chance was the symbolic fence run down blocking retreat from an unusual high tide by just a couple of feet? Or, was it run down by civil disobedience?

Aug 17th - 12:53pm | longcaster

S.R., please stop exaggerating. An inlet is where the tide and current flow into and out-of the sound. Just when was a beach user drowned from swimming in the inlet, not in a "rip current"? The swimmers I have seen have been on the calmer sound side by the bridge. Please list the the what's, whens, who's of these many dog bites.

Aug 17th - 11:39am | Tim Sacksteder

What country/state is CHNSS in ? The correct name is CHNSRA, and for those that are clueless the RA stand for RECREATION AREA,not reserve area. As far as the supposed endangered species there are none on CHNSRA. Both the plovers and turtles are threatened,not endangered.

Collapse of "Wall Arch" Proves Gravity Does Work at Arches National Park

Aug 18th - 11:53am | Anonymous

I ca't get enough of Arches - since childhood over 50 years ago - and it personally offends me to see people scurry up the Double Arch area as if by climbing these landmarks they nhave somehow mastered them...how arrogant and impolite to our Mother.

Aug 18th - 08:37am | itstybitsy

We stayed in the Devil's Campground the night of the collapse. During the night I thought I heard thunder. But it never happened again. Then early that morning, my family and I hiked the Devils Garden Trail (in 107 degree heat!) and came upon the collapsed Wall Arch. At this point in the morning, park rangers were only just being alerted to the collapse.

Grand Canyon National Park Rangers Working to Rescue Stranded Colorado River Rafters

Aug 18th - 11:48am | Kurt Repanshek

I've got a request in for a list of the 16 stranded rafters, but haven't heard back yet. Not sure if a larger list of all those on the river will be available, but I'll inquire.

Aug 18th - 11:45am | Anonymous

Where will a list of all registered river trips - companies and private - be listed so verification can be made that all have been located and/or rescued?

Aug 17th - 21:12pm | Margot Jones

Steve Schmidt was rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Is there a list of those rescued and those missing?

Aug 17th - 20:32pm | Anonymous

Thanks to the dedicated park service professionals, helicopter pilots, Coconino County officials and the others who put their lives on the line to protect and save those who find themselves in life-threatening situations. Your dedication and skill are appreciated and admired. Thank you!

Toyota's Donation to Yellowstone National Park: Corporate Greenwashing, or Good Partner?

Aug 18th - 09:37am | jsmacdonald

Riches in Yellowstone amount to plowing buffalo off the northern road in the winter, grooming the other roads for snowmobiles and snowcoaches (the rich rubbing the backs of the rich), and a budget to slaughter and haze bison, build overly large visitor's centers (now called education centers) - so if it were up to me, I would be glad to give the money and cars away. But, alas ...

Aug 18th - 08:51am | Rangertoo

I see no problem with the dontation. What concerns me, and as I have written about here before, is this is yet another example of the have and have-not park system that is developing. Yellowstone has the largest budget of any park (but not the most visitors). Plus, it takes in millions more from fees.

Black Bear Attacks Child at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 18th - 07:36am | Brendan in TN

Unfortunately these things tend to happen. What i'd like to know is, where were the parents when this happened?

Is It Time to Overhaul the National Park Service and the National Park System?

Aug 18th - 07:32am | Michael Kellett

Canaveral National Seashore encompasses more than 57,000 acres.

Aug 17th - 22:05pm | Merryland

Glad some of you are finally agreeing with me. From a post I made back on August 5th, 2007 (Setting Precedents in the Parks):

Aug 17th - 18:37pm | Michael Kellett

I disagree that other types of agencies or management systems can't do better than the feds.

Aug 17th - 17:37pm | Kurt Repanshek

Frank, One comment re the Oregon state park system, which you know way better than me. I had one encounter with Oregon's state parks oh, about six or seven years ago, long enough that I don't remember which one though I think it was inland of Sixes. I was astounded by the garbage and soiled TP that someone half-buried.

Aug 17th - 17:14pm | FrankC

Just one more post on this thread. "And they especially need to stop claiming that other types of land agencies or ownerships would do a better job of protecting these lands -- that's demonstrably false."

Aug 17th - 14:33pm | Michael Kellett

If anyone doubts how highly politicized the NPS has become, check out this graph showing the establishment of NPS units by type and year. You'll find that far more NPS sites were created during election years (to curry favor in home districts in the hopes of reelection).

Aug 17th - 12:10pm | Michael Kellett

National parks are far from pristine, and the NPS has played a major role in facilitating their degradation.

Segways in the National Parks: Do We Really Need Them?

Aug 18th - 02:44am | andy m

To introduce a few things about myself, i have been backpacking, rock climbing, ice climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, and road biking for the majority of my life. Everywhere from Yosemite to Chennai (formally Madras in India). I love tossing on my pack and walking off into the woods for a week or two as often as possible.

Aug 17th - 12:45pm | An individual w...

I'm observing more and more Cynicism, people who think with their subjective view is the right one makes me wonder if they think this planet and other lives on it are theirs to dictate. These parks are for all, not just the ones with the preconceived notion that what they think the parks are for. We need to quit trying to dictate what others should be doing.

That Booming You Hear in the Skies Over Yellowstone National Park? It Soon Could be the Sound of Artillery

Aug 18th - 01:14am | Chuck

I am always amazed at how the US Government forgets that there are several branches, at least one of which should be willing to do the job as part of the training we pay for anyway. I was in the army and trained at Fort Sill, OK which is the UA Army Training Location for Artillery. The tax payer pays lots of money for training its artillery troops.

Decisions on Controlling Elk in Theodore Roosevelt, Wind Cave National Parks Likely to Linger Into 2009

Aug 17th - 23:54pm | Ted Clayton

Jon, I expect that we will see many more carnivores, and perhaps with a delay, the full complement of major carnivores/omnivores, most everywhere. But I doubt we'll get there by throwing Fluffy to the wolves. Instead, we'll get there by hunting & killing 10% of the wolves, grizzlies, cougar and black bears each year. Roughly.

Aug 17th - 22:45pm | Merryland

Someday we'll finally realize that the introduction of more carnivores into the ecosystem is the only long-term answer that will work. Yes, Fluffy and Mr. Ed are part of the food chain too.

How is Cape Hatteras National Seashore Faring Under Travel Restrictions?

Aug 17th - 23:43pm | Stephen C

The trollys were tried a few years ago on one of the NE beaches. I can not recall but a google search should find it. I have also seen where the same enviro-groups have played the same game on Assateague. They just changed the bird from plover to something else.

Summer Slump? Lodging Deals To Be Found At Shenandoah National Park

Aug 17th - 23:33pm | Ted Clayton

I visited the NPS Stats Olympic Park page, and the monthly visitation report shows us up 15% from last year. I was a little surprised, but it's understandable.

Should the National Park Service Drain the Capitol Reflecting Pool to Save Birds?

Aug 17th - 23:03pm | Merryland

Take a walk around the pool sometime and try not stepping in goose guano. It's a sickening experience. I walked with my daughter to tell her about the MLK speech and she asked if it was this stinky back then too. Come to think of it, Forrest Gump's eventual wife Jenny waded through that pool of water and later died... way before her time. It's true! We must drain the swamp!

Fort Donelson National Battlefield Commemorates the North’s First Major Victory in the Civil War

Aug 17th - 22:38pm | Merryland

Donelson also has a beautiful bald eagle pair that nests very near the fortification area on the water. A nice eagle foto I snapped last Spring, perhaps 50 feet from the Hal Jesperson foto above, is currently on my blog's header image (http://homeschoolrangers.wordpress.com/).

Remnants of Golf Course Being Removed from Rocky Mountain National Park

Aug 17th - 22:09pm | Merryland

Hip Hip Hooray. Now take out Yosemite's pathetic 9-hole course too!

Will Second Century Commission Succeed With Its National Parks Assessment and Recommendations?

Aug 17th - 21:37pm | Ted Clayton

Jim, Yes, it's true that NPCA really only made my radar in recent months, with the start of the new firearms regulations comment period. I'd seen them in a blip here 'n there over the years, but never focused in. I don't have a detailed appreciation of the outfit, and could have painted them a little crudely.

Aug 17th - 20:29pm | jsmacdonald

Ted, I agree with you overall point, but I don't agree with your characterization of NPCA as a green/left organization, certainly not on one pole of society. As a left person myself, I only wish it were the case that NPCA were outside the mainstream. For the most part, it's been an advocacy unit for the National Park Service, not really a left organization.

Aug 17th - 19:51pm | Rick Smith

Beamis--

Aug 17th - 17:51pm | Kurt Repanshek

I saw the article. And I think it's a valid concern, under the "keep quiet if you want to continue your upward movement in the NPS" genre.

Aug 17th - 17:39pm | Kurt Repanshek

Beamis, I think you don't hear active NPS rangers raising their voices not because they're frightened but rather because 1)They'd prefer to keep their jobs and any chance of upward movement and 2) I believe it's actually against the regs to do so. That said, it would be nice if some, under the cloak of anonymity, shared their thoughts on some of these issues.

Aug 17th - 17:14pm | Ted Clayton

Barky, Nah, the NRA isn't backing the new commission. The NPCA is. There's nothing wrong with the NPCA ... there's nothing wrong with the NRA - and there's everything wrong with both. Each sets itself up to speak for a slice of the American people ... each slice at the far opposite ends to the political spectrum from the other. And that's fine.

Aug 17th - 16:20pm | Barky

Ted, where did you get the idea the NRA is backing the commission? I couldn't find that documented anywhere, do you have a link to any evidence? Also, what is wrong with the NPCA?

Aug 17th - 11:56am | Ted Clayton

The challenge facing a Commission underwritten by the National Rifle Association to study the future of our Parks would be that the NRA is known to bring a specific & strong bias to the table.

MSNBC’s Top 10 National Park Lodges List Draws Curmudgeonly, but Gentle Criticism

Aug 17th - 21:06pm | Lone Hiker

I agree that the lodges are reserved well in advance almost year round.

Saguaro National Park Officials Considering Use of Microchips To Slow Theft of Namesake Cactus

Aug 17th - 13:57pm | Ted Clayton

This chip-technology is called RFID, Radio Frequency Identification.

Visiting the Parks: Petroglyph National Monument

Aug 17th - 13:15pm | MRC

Wikipedia has the original map in full size at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/PETR_map1.jpg - on the NPS web site there is only an edited version with lower contrast: http://www.nps.gov/petr/planyourvisit/images/brochuremap_1

Aug 17th - 12:47pm | Ted Clayton

There is a nice NPS map of Petroglyph Nat'l Monument on the University of New Mexico website; go there to see a larger version. The page also mentions Native-related issues pertaining to the monument.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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.