Recent comments

  • Lyle Laverty: A Threat to the Parks?   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Bush appointed him. I'm pretty sure that's an automatic guarantee that he sucks.
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    My comments were not meant to offend. Sorry if they did. I'm not a forum flamer by nature. And in all my posts (if you read them) you would see a willingness to meet "you" half way. All I read in response were the typical adjectives that are used to mount an counter argument against "us" mountain bikers. I also apologise for misunderstanding the source of this blog and your profession. I do love parks. Why wouldn't I? I just want to enjoy too in a manner in which I choose. Not you. So you're correct we won't agree. So be it. I did go to IMBA website and didn't see the "screaming bikers" picture there. It is, however, the cover picture on the nps.gov website for the Hawian Trail use article of course. I luv marketing. Also my "coach potatoe" was not a reference to you personally but to the usual supporters of land use who never actually use it but "feel" better knowing that others aren't allowed to use it either. I have actually witnessed this in action. Elderly voters organizing against expanded land use by mountain bikers because "bikers" will "chew up" the trails. And finally the "run over" comment. I mean it. I might not. ;-) Take care.
  • Privatization Lives Under the NPS Radar   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Thanks for the great info about Gateway NRA...
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Jees,Debri81-- Cut Kurt some slack. He does this because he loves parks and thinks they are important. The only thing that sustains him is the dialog that his blog generates. Most of that dialog is pretty good natured, even when people disagree. Too bad yours isn't.
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Sigh. First of all, I created this blog to spur discussion and debate of national park issues. You and others are more than welcome to toss in your two cents, as you've certainly done. I don't claim a monopoly on right and wrong; I invite discussion to encourage different views, for only through rational discussion can we reach rational decisions. Secondly, this blog is not taxpayer supported. Not one taxpayer penny goes into it, so I'm not sure where you got that idea. I do not work for the federal government. And what's with all the "couch potato" talk? It takes a lot more sweat, effort and desire to hike 20 miles with a 45-pound pack on one's back than to pedal that far. As I said before, it's not likely we're going to see eye-to-eye on this issue. But then, isn't that the beauty of living in this country?
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Simply put you see the hikers as being good and righteous and mountain bikers as invaders. Why? Because shoes came before bikes? And mountain bikers "screaming" down into hikers who have to be nimble. Please. Always the worse case scenario. How about looking at this way: Some mountain bikers descending into some trudging hikers who refuse to give way. I see it far more dangerous for the bikers. The hikers are the obstacles not the bikers. But that's me and that's you. Can't a hiker bring "species" into undesired areas? How many forest fires have mountain bikers started? I bet the hikers have the edge in that category. Camp fire litter? Trash on the trails? Heck, look at the top of Everest. It's a dump from hikers who discard their garbage once it's use is finished. Want me to find more? How about the same rules for all. Courtesy. Give humans more credit for getting along and problem solving. At most maybe some downhill trails next to hiker specific trails would need to be creating. And we would do the work. Your using this space to promote your views and only your views without conceding that there are other views that are valid and just. We taxpayers support your way of life. In my world you are overhead. You provide no income to support yourselves or this country yet you want to dictate policy. You’re using this space provided by taxpayers to promote your propaganda. Step aside and let us decide how we want to use the lands we paid for. We won’t destroy the world. In fact, we may save it for future generations. The couch potatoes you seek support from will not. See you on the trials some day. I'll try not to run you over as I scream by.
  • Ranger Academy Suffering From Loss of Experienced Instructors   6 years 3 weeks ago
    I graduated from the Ranger Academy at the Santa Rosa training Center in 2006 and had Captain Michael Foster as an instructor for several different classes. He was one of my favorite instructors as he has a large body of experience and genuine compassion and interest in the training of the rangers.

    However, my experience was not entirely congruous with Captain Foster's article in that my scenario training did include the extensive use of firearms.

    One scenario involved a report of a woman attempting to break into a building with a crowbar. The nature of the scenario necessitated responding with our weapons drawn and arresting and removing concealed weapons from the suspect.

    Other scenarios where we drew our sidearms involved a suspicious person with a knife and a search of building for robbery suspects. We also participated in felony vehicle stop scenarios, during both night and day, that required the use of firearms, including the shotgun.

    Outside of scenario training, we had other forms of training involving the use of firearms. We had extensive instruction on the range, training with both sidearms and shotguns. Along with many other tactics, defensive tactics training taught us weapon retention and felony arrest procedures, both involving drawn weapons.

    We trained with the F.A.T.S., or Firearms Training Simulator, which puts the trainee into a multitude of real-life situations and forces him or her to make instantaneous decisions whether or not to use deadly force.

    Perhaps the most realistic training involving firearms was the live-fire simunitions training. This involves the use of a real sidearm fitted to fire 9mm "paint" round while responding to various scenarios including hostage situations and armed and intoxicated park guests. During these scenarios, we actually "shot" the actors playing suspects.

    I did not write this response to undermine Captain Foster's concern for the quality of training for the rangers. I wrote it to clarify the instruction I received at the Santa Rosa Training Center during my time there, which was overwhelmingly positive.

    Andrew Douglass
    andydouglass@gmail.com
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    We could bat this topic back and forth for days, perhaps weeks, but it doesn't appear as if we'll see eye to eye on it. I do think, though, that you should look more closely at what IMBA wants, for they do indeed want to cut new single-track trails in the parks. And I have yet to see a plan from them as to how they would control biker-hiker traffic on dual-use trails. Do you implement an odd-day, even-day schedule, and if so, what do you tell backcountry hikers who don't look at that schedule before they leave the backcountry? Can you imagine a group of three or four hikers with 50+-pound packs on their backs rounding a corner to see a group of mountain bikers screaming down on them? Are they supposed to nimbly leap out of their way? I agree that wouldn't be an every-day occurrence, and I also would agree that most mountain bikers are courteous. But I've also found myself jumping out of the way of them. Too, how do you keep bikers from riding into designated wilderness, which is off-limits for bikes? Do you restrict bikers to front-country trails just a few yards off roads? Would the biking community like that? And would every park do as Hawaii Volcanoes did for that test event last August and require that rangers check bikes and gear for invasive species that bikers might carry into parks? These are just some of the issues that revolve around the current push by IMBA to gain more access for mountain bikes in national parks. I'm sure there are others.
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Wow looks like you had your coffee.. LOL Let's only talk about mountain bikes. I'm not here to support vehicles with engines. That's another conversation that I'm not interested in being part of. First things first. If it were up to me, I would have the more land "protected" and not given up for development. I would also allow exploration by approved methods of those lands. Hiking, snowshoeing, cross country sking, mountain biking etc. As noninvasive as possible. But also allow usage of the land. Paved trails? For mountain biking? That's not mountain biking. Rail trails are for those people. Which is also cool but off topic. I’m for anything to get people outside and exercising. All we mountain bikers want is equal access to the hiking trails. No money need be spent. We know the common rules of trail courtesy even if our hiking brethren do not. Do not heap mountain bikers in with dirt bikes and ATVs using terms like “mechanical devices” when it comes to governing (controlling) trail usage. We are not noise generating, smoke spewing, oil dripping and nature destroying threats to nature. Well we do hoot and howler on occasion. I can agree that more trials do not need to be cut. In fact, we would prefer it that way. Dual access to existing trails is all we would like. I seldom see hikers on these trails anyway. Why not have them being used by someone? It is unfortunate that Antietam National Battlefield and other historic "hollowed" ground is being (an has been) overrun by development or to simply further developed to increase business which the NPS is also guilty of. As a lover of American History I find it a shame that most Americans take for granted what was fought for by past generations. But all of that is also another topic for another day.
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    At Point Reyes N.S. you can mtn bike for miles on a dirt road until a sign says wilderness area, which is 1/4 mile from the ocean. But if there is a fire, they take big tankers on those roads and cut trees so they can get to the fire. Which has more impact? Which belonngs in a wilderness? Why is it even wilderness when you can view boats plying the waters, and bbq grills at the campsites?
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    I feel there are plenty of opportunities out there for mountain biking without the need to further cut trails in the national parks. As I've written many times on these pages, the national parks landscape covers just 84 million acres, while the BLM and Forest Service landscapes combined encompass more than 450 million acres. By and large, a good chunk of those 450 million acres are managed for multiple use, while the 84 million NPS acres are not. And as I've said, there are numerous mountain biking opportunities already in national parks, ranging from the 103-mile-long White Rim Trail in Canyonlands and the 45 miles of carriage paths open to mountain bikes in Acadia to the old dirt roads of Mammoth Cave and the single track in Whiskeytown NRA. Why the need to cut more single track? If you say, 'Great, let's cut more mountain bike trails,' where do you stop? Segways, which are being allowed in Antietam National Battlefield this summer, rely on a trail footprint no bigger than a mountain bike trail. Should we provide paved trails for them? If so, how do you manage the traffic of hikers, mountain bikers, Segways, et al? Do we need separate trails for each type of use? The folks in Yellowstone seem to think snowmobiles don't pose a significant environmental impact to their park's environment; should we cut snowmobile trails through Yellowstone's forests and across the Hayden Valley for them? And that picture you didn't like? That was promoted by the International Mountain Bicycling Association, which went to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park last summer in a bid to further mountain biking in the parks. IMBA designed the trail; its 'ambassadors' are those pictured racing down the trail, kicking up the dust. I fear that's the type of picture that will be repeated across the park system if IMBA has its way. The national park system today is facing pressures from so many different angles. Mountain bikers want increased access, so, too, do snowmobilers, personal watercraft owners, equestrian groups. Cell phone companies want to erect cell towers in the parks. Gateway communities want more recreational opportunities in the parks. Developers are building subdivisions on park borders. Give in to all these interests and the national parks I fear will lose the luster they've struggled to hold onto for nearly a century. Give in to all these interests and what will the park landscape look like in another 50 years? What will your children and grandchildren see? An overcrowded city park? A landscape so overrun by this group and that group that it's no longer the magnificent place it originally was set aside for? Hyperbole? Perhaps a bit. But why take the chance when there already are so many other areas for these uses and when the national parks are, in large part, a limited edition?
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Why wouldn't you want more usage? More enjoyment? As our children grow more sedentary, you suggest reducing park usage. Why not cross country skiing trails too? Public use and or land closings are one of the biggest topics of the mountain biker community. So, for someone like you (I assume) works in the great outdoors it is no hardship. You have an abundance of woodland. In fact, you may even take it for granted. I am also fortunate that in New England we have an abundance of open public woodland to exercise in. Usually. I hear this is changing rapidly with public lands going private. As is the case with Federal lands. Correct? And again with the speed comment. I notice that the picture you choose was of people going down a fire road dust kicking up in the air. Not a "fair" picture of what mountainbiking is about. Most "downs" consist of the trials you worked so hard to climb. Yes, naturally you do travel faster downhill than up but when the only thing between you and a tree or a rock is a over priced piece of polystyrene you tend to rely on controlled descents not speed. Is erosion your point? Disturbing wildlife? If you want to have more support for more land reservations then more people need to see and feel what nature is all about. Not watch Discoery Channel for there dose of the outdoors. Who are the best ambassadors of the outdoors? The ones who actually make use of it. Expand the usage.
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Debri181, I think you're missing the point I was trying to make. I have nothing against mountain bikes. There are two in my garage, right next to our two road bikes, and they all get good workouts on a regular basis. And you're right, speed isn't in the equation when one is pedaling up a mountain. But it certainly comes into play on those downhills. The point I was trying to make is that there are plenty of opportunities inside and outside the national park system for mountain bikers, and that I don't see the need to cut any new single-track trails in the parks.
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    I find it amusing that the terms "thrills" and "speed" always seem to be (mis) used by the earthy-crunchy, self-serving sector of our society. Obviously, you have never pedaled up a mountain on a bike. Speed doesn't enter the equation. Especially when we need to carry all our survival gear on our backs. If you want to protect the environment then the best way to do that is to get the most people out there to see and appreciate it. In addition, not dictate how they should accomplish this based on your opinion. Allowing greater usage will do accomplish this. In addition, you won't find a better ambassador’s for protection of the wild than a mountainbiker. From over ten years of experience, I have found we do not litter, as our walking brethren tend to do. It's hard to hold a 64 oz. slurpee cup while "speeding" around nature beauty. And the comment about scaring deer away is ludicrous. I have come upon countless deer, bear and all forms of natures creatures on my bike that I would have never seen had I not had this great, healthy outlet. It has always amazed me the superior mentality you pedestrians have. Somehow sitting in your recliners thinking that nature has been protected by not using it rather than using it. Mother Nature will do far more damage to itself than bike tires will ever do. and your attitude about it's protection.
  • NPCA Applauds Air Pollution Legislation   6 years 3 weeks ago
    your the best i love you
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    I think mountain bikes can be compatible with National Parks. Leave No Trace ethics have limited the impact that hikers have on the environment. I think the same principles could be applied to Mt Bikers. Education is the key. Should every park and every trail be opened to mountain bikes? Of course not, but many parks can and should support bikers. How can we say that the rock or ice climber is having an acceptable thrill will the mountain biker is not? Everything we do in and to our environment has a cost. The question we must answer is where and when is the cost worthwhile.
  • Ranger Academy Suffering From Loss of Experienced Instructors   6 years 3 weeks ago
    I want to thank those who have responded to my article. Responses have convinced me that we can work together to enhance the SRJC Ranger Academy. We can build on the strengths of the current program and open a discussion on how to further improve it. If you have any comments or concerns related to seasonal ranger training, please forward them to me ASAP. It is my hope that this discussion will lead to a positive, open dialogue to ensure the program fills the needs of every student and benefiting parks.
  • How Much Will it Cost to Attend A Campfire Talk?   6 years 3 weeks ago
    In a related vein, see this article in the Sunday WaPo: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042801230.html
  • Mountain Bikes and National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    As an avid mountain biker (one who logged over 2000 miles of mostly single-track one short summer on the west slope of the Colorado Rockies, riding on weekends!)I agree that there are plenty existing trails and we don't need to be building more trails in NP's for mechanized traffic. I also hike plenty and really enjoy -- no, crave -- the solitude of remote, hikers-only trails. Some things need to remain as untouched, untrammeled, and slowly-traveled as is humanly possible. Mountain-biking is fun but participants need to realize that they do have unpleasant impacts on other trail-users. By the way, I encountered numerous herds of elk in the backcountry of Colorado while riding. In fact, biking is often quieter than walking, to the extent that a rider can really surprise both hikers and wildlife, and not in a pleasant manner. Nothing worse than looking over one's shoulder constantly for that speeding bike...
  • Ranger Academy Suffering From Loss of Experienced Instructors   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Dear Micheal Foster, By way of introduction, my name is Jeff Clemens. I read your article and as a former Park Ranger felt compelled to respond. I have found that the Ranger Academy offers excellent training and education. The Instructors are very professional and committed to their students. In addition, my experience with the current Director has been very positive. I have had opportunities to help teach at the Ranger Academy and have been very impressed with the quality of the program as well as the quality of the graduates it produces. I am employed by Sonoma County and have worked with many Park Rangers who have come from the Ranger Academy. Rich Crumely, Bill Trunick, Tiffany Wolvek, James Macmillan, Scott Bolin, Matt Moore, Jonathan Umholtz, Becca Feickert and Mike Chiesa, just to name a few. These Individuals have represented themselves and their Department with the highest standard of professionalism. I can only assume that this is due to the educational program that is currently offered by the SRJC RANGER ACADEMY. Many thanks to all of the people who have contributed to developing this program. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions. sincerely Jeff Clemens.
  • Audiocast #3 : Haunted Hikes in the National Parks   6 years 3 weeks ago
    Enjoyed this interview.
  • Ranger Academy Suffering From Loss of Experienced Instructors   6 years 3 weeks ago
    As a graduate of Santa Rosa Ranger Academy at Two-Rock training center, it is dis-heartening to learn of the dismissal of those instructors. In my heart, Bill Orr, is not only my instructor on how to become a Park Ranger, but a friend. His vision of Windsor Acadmey has inspired me to become what I am today and forever will be, Grey and Green through and through. Learning from instructors that live the National Park way and is part of the National Park Family, is what made Santa Rosa Ranger Academy the leader in seasonal training. Having instructors that help you to learn about the Natural, Cultural and Historical Resources is what Rangering is about. I wish I was more eloquent in my writings, maybe even putting some serious thought into this, I could probably come up with a book on the subject. The easiest way for me to sum it up is to ask the Powers That Be, "Take a long hard look at Park Ranger Bill Orr."
  • My Mentor   6 years 3 weeks ago
    To Steve
    I am sorry about your Dad. I knew your Mom and Dad. We were living there when your family moved there about 1980 or so. I hope we were supportive when your Dad was diagnosed with cancer. I have good memories of the park but also sad ones. I think there was just too much politics and strife. The stress on my husband's health was too much. I used to miss the Park Service family and it was hard to let go. Good memories and sad ones too. I think the stress of the park affected me also and I am sorry I was caught up in the strife and I look back and don't like the person I was. It bothers me when I see some of people we met over the years who were problems keep climbing the ladder. Maybe they are better people now. I am a better person without it.
    Tell your Mom hello and I think of her whenever I look at the cross stitch she made me.
  • How Much Will it Cost to Attend A Campfire Talk?   6 years 4 weeks ago
    Only after a dozen or so folks called, Natural gas wells planned for the Chaco Canyon area was put on hold. I have found that all my state gov type folks do listen and even respond to an individuals concerns and I do not believe this distracts from the issues in any way. Getting together with family, neighbors and other concerned citizens is important. One person taking action, being out spoken and following through in all ways possible is the responsibility of every American Citizen. Remember, We The People are the government. IMHO
  • How Much Will it Cost to Attend A Campfire Talk?   6 years 4 weeks ago
    Jim Macdonald, I hear you and appreciate the dialogue. Sorry I can't do much about home rule in DC! JLongstreet