You are here

Home

All Recent Comments

Did the NRA Infiltrate Groups Opposed to Overhauling Gun Regulations for the National Parks?

Aug 9th - 14:14pm | Anonymous

Political Observer: I see that the letter was written on December 14, 2007 (sometime ago) and after counting the votes: it was 37 Republican Senators to 7 Democratic Senators. It looks like a party line vote to me. I'm sure it's political pull since it's an election year. I thank you for the information.

Aug 9th - 11:28am | Political Observer

There was a request for information on the 51 Senators who sent the letter. The link below will take to you the U.S. Department of the Interior website where a copy of the letter is posted. You will probably need to paste the link into your browser--not sure if the link will be active on the page.

Aug 9th - 10:16am | Anonymous

Political Observer: Out of the 51 Senators that signed the rule change (to carry concealed handguns) were they Republicans...and who were these Senators? Was this a strict party line vote and "not bipartisan"?

Aug 9th - 00:07am | Political Observer

While this discussion is entertaining I believe the matter of carrying concealed weapons in the National Parks has been settled in favor of those who want this right. Although there were 35,000+ public comments submitted (with about 95% of them in favor of adopting the new rule allowing concealed carry) I think the matter was really settled when a letter with the signatures of 51 U.S.

Aug 7th - 14:27pm | Ted Clayton

As FrankC observes: Mother Jones? Yes, they could conceivably produce useful information, but if one is serious about presenting a case, corroboration is going to be more than normally important.

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

Aug 9th - 12:09pm | Anonymous

I'm glad I visited and walked this trail when I had a chance to back in 2001. This is the second great american landmark to become a mere memory that I have had the privilege to see firsthand. The first was Cinder Cone and its associated lava flow in Lassen Park California, which I visited for the first time in 1980.

Aug 9th - 10:46am | Kurt Repanshek

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any arch in the park you can "walk over." Under and past, yes in many cases, but the NPS frowns on you walking over them.

Aug 9th - 10:30am | Anonymous

Kurt: Are all the arches at Arches National Park open to visitors to walk over? Was the Wall Arch open to visitors before the collapse to hike over? The geology of this special place amazes me with all of its beautiful and unique features carved in eons.

Aug 9th - 08:25am | Anonymous

thank God there are people in charge out there, that know its a natural thing, and not some nut who wants to coat all the arches with super glue so that the park remains the same forever. We are constantly evolving.

Park History: Wind Cave National Park

Aug 8th - 20:51pm | jack allen

first off i have been going to wind cave for 39yrs.,i do know a little bit about it..get rid of the prairie dogs as best you can,i was there last year,they have taken over custer park,and are eating their way to wind cave...less grazing for the elk and buffalo...duh....

How is Cape Hatteras National Seashore Faring Under Travel Restrictions?

Aug 8th - 19:34pm | JPierce

I would be willing to pay for a permit but there should be no quota. To me, the quota is the sticking point. At the very least, an unlimited permit system would reduce the number of joy riders who show no respect for the resource. The income could be used for additional park staff and additional protection for wildlife.

Aug 8th - 19:17pm | Jack

ANON, TRAM PROPOSAL...

Aug 8th - 15:33pm | JPierce

How would a tram be an improvement over simply allowing ORV access while still allowing for reasonable bird closures? ORVs are currently doing no harm so what would be the point in implementing a tram system? Here are just a few drawbacks to your idea: Someone has to run and maintain the tram. The NPS is already understaffed.

Aug 8th - 15:31pm | Phil G

Regardless of the issue with birds and turtles, there needs to be some sort of ORV permitting system. There are simply too many people out there sometimes, and if you make any public resource completely free, it will be abused until it is destroyed. A good, LIMITED beach driving system is probably acceptable but nobody wants to give an inch.

Aug 8th - 15:17pm | dapster

Anon, Thanks for responding. The parks do indeed belong to us all for input. No argument from me there. However, I'm a bit puzzled by your questions. Many folks believe that an ORV/SUV simply moving abouton the sand is detrimental. How would heavy equipment effect an area that many deem too sensitive for light vehicles? Diesel exhaust vs. gasoline? Tank treads vs. tires?

Aug 8th - 13:36pm | Anonymous

Dapster: They clean miles of beaches with heavy equipment in California and on the east coast beaches. I don't think it's a deep sand traction problem if we had tram system that was designed with special treaded tires and hooked up to a dune tractor. Just food for thought! Besides, I thought the National Parks belonged to all of us for in put...regardless of the issues.

Aug 8th - 12:19pm | dapster

*Sigh...* Here we go again. Many of you are making "armchair quarterback" decisions from 1000's of miles away, having never even set foot on Hatteras island. For shame, people! It's tantamount to me as an East Coaster telling someone how they should be running Yosemite, even though I've never been there.

Aug 8th - 11:44am | mrova

Yes, the closing have had a detrimental affect! I love the birds, the deer, the fish, and all the other critters! I have done all I can do to drive with care, protect the animals and environment, leave with more trash that I brought, and reported violators.

Aug 8th - 11:10am | Anonymous

As for the Anonymous that wants and answer to "Can someone give me one damn good reason why a well managed motorized tram system that fits well ecologically with the Cape wouldn't work?" HURRICANES, INSURANCE, LIABILITY, WHO SALL RUN THIS? Shall I continue. This again proves the point about the people who reject the idea tha man and beast can cohabitate.

Aug 8th - 09:38am | JPierce

Will someone please provide one scientific reason, backed by real data, to support the extreme closures dictated by the consent decree? I'm not asking for answers such as pristine wilderness, protected seashore, lazy fishermen, loud ORVs, blah blah blah. Give me one real reason to destroy a tradition that has been in place at Cape Hatteras for many decades.

Aug 8th - 09:16am | Anonymous

Can someone give me one damn good reason why a well managed motorized tram system that fits well ecologically with the Cape wouldn't work? Instead of being wall to wall with ORV's, we could have good spacial geography between acquired fishing posts...and with better visibility. We could have connecting cabs (like say ten light connected cabs to a jeep) to a good transporter...like in Yosemite.

Aug 8th - 09:03am | Anonymous

The true impact of the consent decree will not be felt until next year. The agreement was reached May 1st, after many reservations were already made. The increase in occupancy tax revenues quoted in the article is inflated by Dare Counties increased efforts to collect the tax from private homeowners, which is where the majority of the increase comes from.

Aug 8th - 08:05am | Anonymous

ATTN PHIL G and the REST of the uniformed:

Aug 8th - 02:09am | MRC

@Tommy Linday: It is sad to hear about your back and I wish you well. And I understand that you would like to go to remote places despite your condition and need an all terrain motorized vehicle for that. But please understand that your wish is unreasonable in a National Seashore.

Aug 7th - 22:59pm | Stephen C

Dr. Mike Berry speaks the truth here, unbiased! Go to Island Free Press also an unbiased editor and read the truth. Now, my turn to say a few things.

Aug 7th - 22:38pm | Eric D

Just so you all know, the new bridge allready has funds allocated for it from ncdot pending ongoing lawsuites from DOW, SELC and Audobon for public lands they think they own.

Aug 7th - 21:29pm | dapster

Phil G: Addressing your comments, sir, I say this: -How does the "link to a fishing message board" effect the content of an editorial written by a local journailst? Mrs. Nolan clearly defines both sides of the issue for consideration. Find the original article for yourself. -ORV access is written into the original charter of the CHNSRA. Read the above.

Aug 7th - 21:19pm | Anonymous

Tommy, I have back problems too and it's sever but I do walk and hike. It's part of the back therapy program. However, would you give up your ORV and take a convenient small tram system to your fishing destination at Hatteras, if such a system could be provided with good ecological planning and sound management?

Aug 7th - 20:35pm | Anonymous

The business and people should have know this was coming. just as we all know the Bonner Bridge will be gone over the next 5 to 10 years and they wont replace it because of the enviros. After the next Isabel plows thur the area and washes the road out for the 15 million times. the place is disolete its like a closer artic circle just not as cold.

Aug 7th - 20:35pm | Anonymous

Yeah well.....try walking the beach in 2 years when it IS CLOSED TO PEDESTRIAN ACCESS TOO!!

Aug 7th - 19:55pm | Eric D

Yep Phil, I did it, and and I'll bet ya want to know why? Well I'll tell ya. I did it for my kid. With all the negative influences our children are exposed to these days like MTV poluting their minds, peer pressures at school and general madness of knowing their futures aint as bright as ours were promised to us. Spending quality time with our families is more important now than ever.

Aug 7th - 19:09pm | Tommy Linday

You have no clue. I for one have degenerative back disease. For me and my 9 year old daughter to fish, I would need to walk 4 miles, carrying fishing equipment, umbrellas, cooler (No alchohol), etc. I guess you have never been to Hatteras island to make such an asinine comment. Check your premise, you, like DOW, Audobon, SELC obviously have an ulterior motive.

Aug 7th - 17:32pm | Phil G

Don't pay any attention to the above comments. This story was linked to a fishing message board and now they are all dumping their trash here. Cape Hatteras is a lovely place, but you don't need an SUV to enjoy it. Go out there and you will see hundreds of people driving all over the place.

Second Black Bear Euthanized In Yellowstone National Park

Aug 8th - 19:03pm | Kurt Repanshek

Ted, Thanks for the kudos, though without the depth and breadth of readers and their comments the site would be mono-dimensional.

Aug 8th - 15:08pm | Ted Clayton

Thank you Beamis - I appreciate your encouragement! I am a little red, and a little green, unacceptably liberal, and disgustingly conservative. But I've been handicapped & disfigured this way for a long time, and it doesn't really bother me much anymore. ;-)

Aug 7th - 17:08pm | Ted Clayton

Kurt asks: But what happens to the bears if they don't have the habitat protections of a national park? There are some parts of Yellowstone that are simply off-limits to humans so as not to interfere with grizzlies. Should more limits be instituted?

Rainbow Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 8th - 16:50pm | Anonymous

Wow! Waterfall! It's been so dry around here lately, I didn't realize there was anything other than a trickle! Thanks, Kurt.

What Suggestions Do You Have For the National Park Service?

Aug 8th - 16:00pm | Anonymous

Frank, The soap issue has come up in this park as well. Our Chief of Mantainence has said that it is because the bathouses are not public restrooms (unlike the VC restrooms) since you have to pay to use them, and thus, are not subject to the same rules/ideas/standards that public RRs are. The Super is looking into it, though.

Odes to the National Park Rangers Who Wear the Grey and Green

Aug 8th - 11:56am | Lone Hiker

Frank.....my point is more directed to the limitations in skill set that candidates bring to the table. You can only hire from the available pool of candidates, substandard as they may be, and the lack of intellectual development and presentation skills has nothing to do with the NPS, since to the best of my knowledge, they aren't in the business of either basic or remedial education.

Aug 8th - 11:13am | FrankC

Owen, You've made some great points here, especially about what worked in the NPS's "golden age" of interpretation. To answer your question, I feel both hiring and training are root causes for the decline in interpretive program quality.

Aug 8th - 09:45am | pkrnger

Frank, is the problem really one of recruiting subtandard employees, or is it the absence of training, auditing, and mentoring?

Aug 7th - 17:58pm | Random Walker

Here's to that Ranger just the other week, at the Camp Siberia Shelter in Olympic National Park who traded me honest to goodness to die for chocolate for a few hands full of GORP while the wind howled and the rain fell sideways.

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

Aug 8th - 11:17am | SaltSage236

I'm not sure that in extraordinary circumstances allowing hunters to help the NPS cull elk herds is such a bad idea. As a Denverite and frequent visitor to Rocky Mountain National Park, the elk are so abundant and unafraid of people that I've seen visitors walk up to grazing elk near a Trail Ridge Road overlook and pet them.

Creating Cape Cod National Seashore Forced the National Park Service to Think Outside the Box

Aug 8th - 10:48am | d-2

Bob - you make so few mistakes (and even the ones you make are provocative in the best way !), and your readers so much enjoy your pieces, my guess is you get 100% credit for everything you do for us.

Aug 7th - 14:02pm | Bob Janiskee

Since the "42" typo was only in the body of the article (the abstract correctly specified "47"), will you give me 50 percent credit? :-)

Aug 7th - 13:10pm | Joyce

As a point of correction - Cape Cod National Seashore is 47 years old. I remember going to visit as a day trip with my parents and siblings when I was a small child. I never realized it had only just opened just after I was born. Thank you for the article and reminding me of such a wonderful place to visit.

NPS Retirees Oppose Carrying Guns in National Parks

Aug 8th - 09:26am | Joe

Could be that maybe one of those fools who are permitted to carry, might just save your life one day.

Visiting the Parks: Yellowstone National Park's Shoshone Lake

Aug 8th - 09:25am | jsmacdonald

Thanks so much for writing about bats, Kurt.

“10 Best National Parks”? National Geographic, You Have Got to be Kidding!

Aug 7th - 14:53pm | SaltSage236

"10 best" lists are pointless and ridiculous because each park has its own virtues, purposes and meaning to different people.

NPS Snowmobile Plan for Yellowstone, Grand Teton Bucks Science, the Public, and Itself

Aug 7th - 13:35pm | Ted Clayton

There is a big difference between a vehicle that is being ridden or driven thoughtfully & considerately in the course of transporting oneself and achieving access, and a vehicle that is being used as a source of entertainment, in & of itself.

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.