Recent comments

No. This isn't a real question. It's not a real question because it doesn't have an answer, and Hare poses the question without even attempting an answer. It's meaningless drivel, mindless mumbo jumbo.

Diversity. Diversity. Diversity. Diversity. Diversity. Diversity. It's a mantra. If repeated enough, it doesn't need to be defined and assertions need no factual backing from scholarly research.

I was "diversified" out of a job at SEKI. My boss, a Hispanic woman, wanted to "diversify" the staff, so she hired a Hispanic woman for my position. On a return visit, I attended the new employee's hike; it was one of the worst interpretive programs I'd ever seen. Her first stop lasted 25 minutes, and she confused the words gravity and mass. I overheard some visitors complaining, and many--myself included--left after the first stop.

A male Hispanic volunteer the same supervisor hired had a record of sexual harassment, and his bad behavior continued. He had to be fired.

Diversity for the sake of diversity is a joke. Hiring people solely based on their race is unconstitutional and a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

You're not speaking of diversity being a variety (which is the definition of diversity) of visitors, because there is a huge variety of visitors in parks. Again, hang out in the Zion VC and you'll hear French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and other languages spoken. You'll hear Americans speaking regional dialects, you'll see old and young people, and People from all over the world visit and bring their unique experiences and cultures.

No. The diversity mantrics focus exclusively on race--skin color--and when percentages don't match up, they cry racism.

Such race consciousness, in my opinion, is a form of racism.

And both of these "problems" pale in comparison to true threats to national parks: climate change, invasive species, environmental degradation, and excessive development.

my son and i where there on may 20 and may 25 of 2007 we climbed upto scouts' landing just below angels landing and based on the amount of people going up and down, the time of day and the wind chose not to finish the climb up to angels' landing. other people made a similar chose and when either on or backdown. if someone chooses to continue due to a bad decision that is their chose and the have to be helded accounable for it not the park. as forest's mama said "stupid is as stupid does"

You should have been there for this...I was. I am a resident of the area and was told I could not walk down the Pier (which I do every night) by someone in a yellow shirt. I spoke with one of the Park Service officers and they told I could still ultilize the park even with this event.

I don't mind the Park Service having weddings and small events but to try and close that section of the Navy Yard so some private organization can have a PARTY! Heard rumors that the Park officers should have arrested more people.

If you consider the border parks in Arizona alone, sure, there are deaths in the National Parks every day.
The Morning Report on the NPS site is a good source if you want your daily dose of morbidity.

http://home.nps.gov/applications/morningreport/

-- Jon Merryman

I wish there was a better shuttle system in many of the national parks. I think that the use of car actually restricts your freedom when you visit the park. For example, if you go hiking, you always have to come back to the point where you left your car. Rather than walking 5 miles to some place and then 5 miles back on the exactly same trail, I would prefer walking for 10 miles on the trail that would take me from one shuttle stop to another.

To be able to see the beauty and grandness of this totally awesome park I would ride with anyone.The spectacular wiews ,wildlife,flora and fauna are a very special part of my life experiences.People need to understand that everyone is in the parks for the very same reason,be you a hippi,yuppie,or any other thing you want to label people.If we are to respect Mother nature and all Her glories,you first have to have respect for yourself and everyone else.Being a self proclaimed Harley riding hippie,I am also the mother of three fine grown men,the wife of a very fine man for thirty years,a career woman for one of the biggest class one railroads in the country,and a very interesting person you would probably enjoy chatting with if you so chose to.Maybe we will be on the same bus ,I have some nice stories about my visits to the parks across this great nation of ours,I would enjoy hearing about your adventures,maybe we will sit together on the bus and become friends.

Ruth, read between the lines what so called PhD is advocating...consume...consume until your hearts delight. I'm not alarmist, nor do I live in a cave like FOX NEWS would like to peg us who truly believe that Al Gore is on to something that is rational and potentially forthcoming in disaster. What's your beef? When Dr. Jensen from NASA speaks on global warming he dosen't appear to be a alarmist, but speaks quiet candidly on some rather convincing evidence that global warming is man induced...and I don't think he lives in a cave. This third world BS on the economy, is another example of the scare tactics by the right wing bloggers and right wind frantics. Your quote, "sure, we are all better off with less pollution"...well, let's really do something about it, and keep informing the American public that less carbon use is better for the environment. Did you ever check the rates of respiratory diseases in Los Angeles lately, especially among the young childeran and the elderly...there alarming high...now that's something to be deeply concerned about. Agree!? Yes, were all inter-connected to the environment but in the most unhealthy way...just take a real look Ruth instead of being an ostrich with your head buried in a right wing sand hole.

Mr. Renault, I assume you refute NASA's indepth and extremely conscientious work on global warming...especially the brilliant work done by Dr. Jensen at NASA (remember how the goverment tried to stifle his work). It appears since Al Gore's successful documentary on global warming: An Inconvenient Truth, the heavy hitters for the polluting industries are desperately trying to label his film as bogus science. Nonsense, the worlds leading climatologist (and most) agree with Mr. Gore's assessment of global warming. Your probably one of the very few that disagrees, and most likely works for a company that pays you well to say the opposite...just like the tobacco companies. Public opinion will not be swayed by the oil companies, the utility companies, and the mining companies to think differently, despite the millions of dollars to distort the real truth about global warming. I agree, we have no control over the climate, but we have control over are heavy consumptious life stlye...not more this and more that. But less is better!? Agree? Besides, what's wrong in taking are foot off the gas pedal a little bit so that we ALL can breathe better.

Cmon now...we still know so little about the dynamic system that is our global climate....
So what caused "global warming" before the last ice age? Cars?
Our global climate has for the history of the planet changed many times in both directions...what we are going thru now is a natual uptick in temperatures...it could just as easily head the other direction tomorrow...next week...next year, and WE have no control whatsoever over it.
Any of you who are old enuf to remember, scientists were sounding the alarm over "Global Cooling" back in the 70s...we were all gonna FREEZE to death!
As far as the Sequoias go, they have tolerated much...if they die off, other species will replace them...don't get all sick with worry.
"Acid rain", the "population bomb"...I don't know if I have enuf fear left in me...

Roger Renault
PhD
Climatology

Yes I agree with ya Kurt it is a great gateway town. I was there in May and it had not changed too terribly much since I had last visited way back in 1981. I worked a summer in Yellowstone, at the Lake, and my friends and I always headed for Montana on our off time to re-supply or make merry. Jackson was just not an option, even back then, because everything was way more expensive, somewhat snooty and not worth the drive for the paltry shopping options. The same amount of driving northward to Livingston or Bozeman was a much better trip and Montana is such a much more laid back and Old West type of place than the Jackson Hole area. Dick Cheney and rich Hollywood phonies has only made it worse.

I think a good article for a future post would be to rate the gateway towns. I personally like West Yellowstone, Springdale, Torrey and Holbrook (great dinosaur statues and the Wig-Wam Motel). Everyone seems to deride Gatlinburg but if you're needing a good dose of roadside tackiness there's no place better this side of Las Vegas to get your fill.

Enjoying the new website. Thanks for your hard work and efforts.

Yeah! one point for Snowbird!!

Why isn't this comment edited? I find this highly offensive.