Recent comments

Aww, man, now I'm hungry. My son and I are in the neighborhood in late August -- now I need to make a stop for BBQ...
I'm sure it's better than park concessionaire fare any day...

-- Jon Merryman

Anonymous,
Thanks very much for coming back with a constructive comment. Your questions about park funding are key to the purpose of this website. We have been trying to answer the same questions every week for the last couple years. I have a very strong feeling that our National Parks should be funded entirely through taxes. Federal taxes have been the only 'fair' method of funding federal programs for 200+ years. But, as you point out, the infrastructure of some parks are crumbling, and they are left in a position where they must think creatively about making money by any means necessary. The point I think this article claims, is that this method of fund raising ultimately defeats the purpose of a public park.

It is worth asking, are all private events at a park wrong? I'd say no. Closing the Charleston Yard for Laura Bush probably has more to do with security than it does private fund raising, and I don't have a problem with that. But, closing the Yard for a private wedding is, in my opinion, exclusionary of the public for the sake of profit, which is wrong in a park operated on public funds. As stated in my earlier comment, I believe the museum event I attended probably was appropriate, because it had more to do with a shared professional outreach than partying in the Yard. But, I'm sure there are folks which would disagree with my position.

Yes, the "Kennedy liberals" comment is offensive, and does nothing to contribute to the discussion. It was added as a retort to the Cheney comment, which was at least related to the article. I considered both to be political criticism which is a little different than describing another commenter as a 'jackass' (the comment that had been deleted).

Seeing how this current administration has used the Department of Interior and particular, the National Park Service, for a test case of outsourcing jobs and slashing the budget to the point where the departments can barely operate, how else are you supposed to fix parking lots, leaking roofs, and broken computer equipment than to do a little creative fundraising?

I agree that this is not a big deal. I have been to events at the Navy Yard that weren't open to the public and where alcohol was served. And I'm just Joe Schmoe.

Even if it was "Kennedy liberals" using the facilities for a price, why is that a debatable issue? Are "Kennedy liberals" not allowed to rent out properties for an event? Not too long ago, Laura Bush was at the Navy Yard for a ceremony that was closed to the public. Does that mean the "Bush conservatives" get the same mirror held up to them?

Anonymous,
I've deleted one of your comments and edited another. This is a forum for open debate, not name calling or unnecessary profanity. Your thoughts are welcome, but the personal attacks are not.

If you've read the article and the comments you'll understand that the debate here is not whether alcohol was being served illegally, but whether the entire event was appropriate on our nation's protected landscape. I'll take it from your criticism's you believe the event was entirely appropriate and that an examination of such events on Park Services managed lands is not needed. Thank you for sharing.

About a year and a half ago, I went to a private party at the Charleston Navy Yard in Boston, and even consumed alcohol! I think the circumstances of my event were quite different than the party described here. I was an attendee at the American Association of Museum's annual conference. The evening event was an opportunity for professionals in the museum industry to see first hand the working relationship between the National Park Service and US Navy, experience the interpretive programs, and wander through the visitor center.

The event was catered, and included two drink tickets per person for beer. There were signs and polite officials which made sure the beer and food did not travel into the museum exhibit area. Everything was quite orderly.

I think the difference between my event and the event described in this article is that my museum's event was intended to be educational in nature, while the McKesson event appears to be a corporate party next to a cool lookin' old boat (Old Iron Sides). I'd imagine that the paperwork for the McKesson event included plenty of provisions for educational opportunities to match the requirements necessary for renting the facility, but with alcohol abuse and police intervention, in practice the event turned into something entirely different.

I was recently in Zion. I believe that the shuttle bus system has generated the most remarkable change in a park experience that I have ever seen. Remember the bad old days? Cars bumper to bumper in Zion Canyon--thousands of them--all looking for one of the very few parking places. The Canyon was choked with vehicle emissions. The roads were unsafe for pedestrians and people on bikes. Crossing the road was like running across a freeway. It was noisy. The whole thing was a nightmare.

Now, the Canyon is free of vehicle traffic except for the shuttle buses. People on bikes and on foot are everywhere. It is quiet. The air is clean and emission-free. I kept asking myself, "Can this be the Zion that I once knew?" It was reassuring to look up at the canyon walls and realize that yes, it was the same place, only radically changed for the better. Congratulations to the park managers who had the courage to push for the shuttle system. Only a few parks have such systems. As Ranger X says, more should.

Rick Smith

Actually Snowbird I know all the people involved and they are 100% Kennedy liberals, only this time no one died.

My wife, her daughter and I went out the middle of June to backpack from Olympic Hot Springs to the Hoh Rain Forest via Appleton Pass and the High Divide. Or so we thought! We ended up just doing 4 days in the Quinault River Valley. The snow up on the peaks was plainly visible. And the streams were really flowing. Another time I guess.

Old growth giant sequoias receive most moisture through snow melt. If the snow pack in the Sierra Nevadas continues to decrease as scientists predict, old growth sequoias may cease to exist. Their species will continue around the world, but humans in the coming centuries, may not be able to visit 3000-year-old trees. I can't say that I have much hope on the global warming front, especially given the International Panel on Climate Change's recent findings.

Over the years I've developed a distaste for these sort of stories, particularly since the magazines try to do them year after year and so are forced to come at them from different angles and so you begin to wonder how valid they are.

What's the definition for "Best Driving"? Is it the most scenic? The most extensive? I'm not sure any park can match the Grand Loop in Yellowstone for driving. It leads you through geyser basins, along the brink of an incredible canyon, and through rolling countryside cut by rivers and studded with elk, bison, pronghorn and the occasion wolf.

As for Best Climbing, why did they leave out Yosemite, Grand Teton, even Zion? And what's the difference between "Best Trekking" and "Best Hiking"?

All parks have their own incredible attributes. I guess the only good thing I can say about NG Adventure's piece is that it gets people thinking about all the possibilities out there.

I have to agree with Teddy Roosevelt NP in North Dakota. Found some cougar footprints at the North unit, and while riding my mountain bike quietly around the South Unit scenic loop road, I surprised tons of large mammals as I rounded every corner - bison, pronghorn, mule and white-tail deer, an elk too. After all those ungulates I expected a moose was gonna be next! And that was on the paved road. I imagine hiking on the trail would have been even more amazing. Bison bumble their way through the campgrounds at night, coyotes howl, snakes slither, prairie dogs watch your every move... highly recommended... i can't tell you the feeling of rounding the canyon corner on a bicycle only to see a monstrous bison standing in center of the road. I climbed up on a rock and just watched as he took his sweet time moving on to something more interesting than me.

-- Jon Merryman

The Park service does not need to put the cable up in a wilderness. Since they have, it encourages the action of climbing half dome. Since they encourage it, they should require harnesses and clippin onto the cable. Anything less is criminal.