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The Yellowstone Precedent

Nov 12th - 12:40pm | Ed Wood

This is another example of this administration pandering to groups that oppose ecological restraint. It makes little difference what science say if it disagrees with the environmental terrorists of the Bush administration. Atypical example is "reducing fire hazards"by cutting older trees but leaving the undergrowth, which is where the fire propagates.

Glen Canyon NRA Officials Thinking Of Digging For Water

Nov 12th - 08:56am | Lone Hiker

Hey HH- Glad I could be of service. But let's say it was more of a heavy simmer than a rolling boil. I'll try harder next time.

Nov 12th - 08:09am | Pete K.

Science, history or RA management alternative issues may make for interesting conversation but dance around the issue of shoving accumulated silt out of a previously excavated channel. Which is all we are really talking about here. There are no sandstone cliffs involved. Only a salt cedar infested silt flat. Take another look at the photo at the page-head.

Nov 12th - 01:17am | Merryland

Kurt, an interview with the management at Chickasaw would be a good perspective to have here regarding the Rec Area vs. Park Service issue, and whether these areas really belong under NPS. They seem to have perennial problems with rowdiness, litter, boozefests, weapons, and the like, and I'd wager that it's a common thread among other Nat'l Rec Areas too.

Nov 11th - 21:19pm | haunted hiker

Whoa there Lone Hiker, I sure didn't mean to send you into Diabetic Ketoacidosis! But I sure love to get a man's blood boiling. Read carefully, I said science has a "history" of being "flawed." My point being that it doesn't provide all the answers and many of its conclusions become obsolete. I would never write off science, but I wouldn't but all my eggs in its basket either.

Nov 11th - 09:40am | Mondo

There are arguments on both sides of this fence...but one thing cannot be ignored by either side. The proposed Castle Rock Cut would SAVE LIVES!! That is one point that cannot be argued or ignored in all of this. Lives are lost each year by boaters having to navigate the "Narrows" at Lake Powell. Opening the cut would alleviate this problem.

Nov 11th - 09:16am | Forrest G Sharp

I agree with RRR's comments concerning safety, and economics ( saving money, time, and lives). There are more people using Lake Powell, on a yearly basis than all the wilderness areas of the whole west combined! I wish they would build more dam's up and down the Colorado River, not only for the recreational value, but for power generation that is clean and renewable.

Nov 11th - 01:38am | RRR

Moving some dirt and rocks around the bottom of the lake is not such a big deal. Doing so will save it's total cost probably in the first year. When the drought ends, (which it can in a single year), it's all covered with water anyway. Safety is also a major concern and such is a major concern for the NRA managers, the NPS.

Nov 8th - 12:45pm | Lone Hiker

science and research are also institutions which have a history of being "antiquated, fundamentally flawed, and needs constant revision Are you just attempting to throw off my blood sugar Haunted Hiker?

Nov 8th - 11:53am | haunted hiker

I say, parks are for enjoyment not preservation. I say, conservation is exactly the right word. I say, "wilderness" is wilderness; a park should be just that "a park." I say, science and research are also institutions which have a history of being "antiquated, fundamentally flawed, and needs constant revision."

Nov 7th - 18:17pm | haunted hiker

The NPS "preservation slant" is only how some interpret the Organic Act. I could argue that the NPS should have a "provide for the enjoyment slant." In fact, I can't find the word preservation in the Organic Act. Though I do find words such as "conserve" and "promote the use of."

Mountain Bikers Encouraged to Seek Access to Rocky Mountain National Parks

Nov 11th - 20:45pm | zack

Mack P. Bray, You said, "I was not aware that any for-profit, trail building businesses existed." In response, though supported by IMBA and a host of other groups, the Texas Trail docs are 501(c)(4) non-profit. Talon Trails are a for-profit organization that constructs a variety of trails, including hiking-only, depending on their customers' desires.

Nov 9th - 17:19pm | Bart

Frank:

Nov 8th - 20:21pm | Bart

Frank: I'll bet we don't disagree that much, except maybe in certain details. Re closures of facilities/trails/areas, I'll resist citing specifics since I believe I'll risk losing my anonymity, which I find I'm thoroughly enjoying!

Nov 8th - 11:39am | haunted hiker

Frank and I have disagreed on this before.

Nov 8th - 10:21am | MPB

I was not aware that any for-profit, trail building businesses existed. The fact that they exist says it all. This issue is nothing more than mountain bike creep.

Nov 7th - 22:20pm | zack

While I can definitely see the arguments made against biking, in the Big Bend's case in particular I think that a well-planned, environmentally friendly, sustainable single track trail is feasible. As it is not slated for the Basin, and as it is not slated for an area that sees a lot of foot traffic, I don't have a problem with it if done properly.

Nov 7th - 20:03pm | Lone Hiker

We all sure can think of plenty of ways to spend monies the NPS doesn't have now, can't we? Blasting a convenience cruise crater in Lake Powell, planning mile after mile of new bike and hike paths, hundreds of millions for a museum to house the "colorized" version of the NPS.

Nov 7th - 18:25pm | repanshek

Haunted Hiker, no need to convert, I love biking. Spent my vacation this summer doing it, as a matter of fact, and just returned from a 24-mile ride.

Nov 7th - 18:07pm | haunted hiker

Certainly not every park or every suggested route is appropriate for bicycle use, but "mountain biking in national parks" should not be demonized. Park managers/planners should be open to consider it as an appropriate use for dirt roads that are closed to motor vehicle traffic, an be open to the idea of allowing a small percentage of trails to be suggested mountain bike trails.

Nov 7th - 17:56pm | Michelle

Why not regulate each trail according to its appropriateness for biking? Seems to work on the carriage trails in Acadia and the mosquito-infested old roads of the Everglades, but it sure as heck doesn't make sense on the steep, narrow trails in places like Yosemite or Bryce. Ya?

Nov 7th - 17:51pm | Bart

How many people do you know who can recite the NPS Mission? I certainly can't. "...to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means..." An English teacher would have a field day editing the seemingly endless run-on sentence that describes the NPS Mission.

Nov 7th - 15:54pm | repanshek

Mark, you sound as if you know this topic quite well. Are you officially aligned with the mountain bike community?

Park History: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Nov 11th - 18:08pm | Merryland

Yeah, how many times can you say "I was just passin' through North Dakota when..."

Nov 11th - 09:33am | jr_ranger

Three cheers for TRNP! Like Merrylnd, I've olny been once, but I loved it! I've been trying to save money for another trip up there, but going from TN to ND isn't cheap..

Nov 10th - 06:31am | Merryland

Only been here once but it's still one of my favorite parks. Was moving the family from west coast to east and had the moving truck towing a trailer with the family vehicle on the back. I parked in the Cottonwood campground, pulled my bike off the top of our car, and spent the next day riding my bike throughout the park.

House Resources Considers Legislation To Increase National Park Properties

Nov 11th - 15:33pm | Bart

PS: Two books on workaholism: Work to Live: The Guide to Getting a Life, by Joe Robinson CrazyBusy, by Edward Hallowell

Nov 9th - 21:00pm | Merryland

No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

Nov 9th - 17:07pm | Bart

Frank: Maybe Ranger Butt-Crack was merely trying to present an appropriate option for the placement of a pen? We've all heard the old cliche. Government workers are lazy, worthless, shiftless. Good thing they have brooms to lean on, or else they'd all be horizontal.

Nov 9th - 13:56pm | parkaholic

Since you brought up the uniform thingy, I have a way to improve image and work accomplishment. It's also an appropriate response in light of the Veteran's holiday.

Nov 9th - 10:14am | Lone Hiker

I didn't know that there were plumbers doubling as rangers. That explains alot. Too much information Frank!

Nov 8th - 20:46pm | Bart

Goodness me, I can't believe Beamis or Frank haven't chimed in on this one yet! But...on to the next Simple Proposal:

Plague Suspected In Death Of Grand Canyon National Park Employee

Nov 11th - 01:25am | seth miller

i hope all of you who feel so inclined to report on one of few truly decent people, take into account the fact that people who will actually miss him, may be reading all of your garbage........and not caring to see a picture of kurt repanshek(whoever that is) when they are trying to research what exactly happened to an extremely good man,

Nov 9th - 20:40pm | Lone Hiker

I saw this on an episode of the old Jack Klugman series, "Quincy, M.E.", except the infection was initiated by a nest of decaying squirrels in a Native American burial ground, and it was mostly the local Native construction workers building a hotel / casino that were affected. Who says TV doesn't imitate real life?

Park History: Badlands National Park

Nov 10th - 12:42pm | Linda O'Neal

We travel to Wymong as often as we can. Each time, we visit the Badlands and twice have camped there. In addition to running water and toilets, there are showers, a General Store and even a play area for the kids. The first time, we camped in a tent; subsequently, we "camped" in their Camping Cabins which can comfortably accomodate four adults.

Nov 10th - 09:50am | MRC

It might be worth mentioning, that some of the most impressive scenes of the 1990 movie "Dances with Wolves" were filmed in the park. Particularly the early scene of a stagecoach driving through the prairie and the indian village at the river bend.

Nov 10th - 06:36am | Mary Beth Allen

I had the experience of visiting this vast land filled with, what ilooked like giant sand castles. It was truly unbelievable. If one can think of the history that has past though this unforgiving land, it is remarkable. From the dinosaurs to the early homesteaders, to our native Indians, to present day vacationers. I was awe struck.

Volcanics Pushing Yellowstone National Park Higher

Nov 9th - 22:10pm | Merryland

The Canyon Village Education Center has a nice exhibit on those ash volumes to help kids (big kids too) comprehend the size of such an explosion and the aftermath of the ashfall. I remember my geology professor in back in the fall of 1980 gave us each a small vial of MtStH ash to keep. I can't imagine having a whole yard full of it several feet deep...

Nov 9th - 12:38pm | jsmacdonald

One thing I heard Bob Smith say when I just happened to be in Canyon (on my hiker/biker trip) when the new educational center opened was that it's not possible to discern when the next eruption, if there is one, will be. One thing people seem to say is that because the last two eruptions had a consistent interval that this will have a consistent interval.

Nov 9th - 10:11am | Lone Hiker

Even more amazing are the people who purchase the properties. I admit to a certain wonderment (and lack of good judgement) about folks who desire "homes on stilts", precariously perched on mountainsides, just for the view! I've witnessed the results of mudslides carrying half-million dollar homes (25 years ago) into canyons in the Huntington Beach area.

Nov 9th - 09:35am | Anonymous

Lone Hiker, in the Mammoth Lakes area (not far from Mt. Whitney) of California, the continuous seismic activity around this part of the country, where past volcanic activity was once quite prevalent, doesn't seem to bother the local residents...million dollar ski chalets, expensive townhouses and condo's.

Nov 9th - 08:19am | Lone Hiker

gargantuan eruptions there 2 million, 1.3 million and 642,000 years ago. These eruptions were 2,500, 280 and 1,000 times bigger, respectively, than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens

Ghost at Blevins Farmstead; Excerpt From 'Haunted Hikes'

Nov 9th - 10:58am | haunted hiker

jr ranger, my people are from that area. And I agree with you, Big South Fork is a gorgeous sleeper of a park that deserves much more than 15 minutes of fame. But then that leaves more room for us while visiting, doesn't it? I spoke with Howard during my research, and I want to hear more BSF stories. I'll be in touch!

Nov 9th - 07:40am | jr_ranger

Bravo for shining the spotlight on the Big South Fork! There are many interesting tales to be told from up on the Plateau - just take a look at the different names of rivers...No Business Creek, Troublesome Creek, Parched Corn Creek, Bandy Creek (shortened from "abandoned")....the list goes on.

Park History: How Volcanics Sculpted Parts of the National Park System

Nov 8th - 19:40pm | Anonymous

Don't forget Pinnacles National Monument, south of the San Francisco CA area. From the park's web page:

Nov 7th - 21:26pm | Merryland

The bigger they are, the harder they claw...

Nov 7th - 19:55pm | Lone Hiker

I see you're up to date on the Native American lore Jon. Yup, hunting bears can be a dangerous undertaking. FYI- the would-be hunter lived to tell the tale.

Trekking to Dick Proenneke's Cabin in Lake Clark National Park

Nov 8th - 12:58pm | Jen

I spent this past summer in Alaska. Although I never made it to Proenneke's cabin, I read his books and was SO inspired!

Watching Wolves in Yellowstone National Park

Nov 8th - 11:32am | Jen

Merryland - you don't know how close you are to nailing the situation on the head! You can stop at any pullout, overlook or visitor center (my experience is in Rocky Mountain NP, Yellowstone NP, and Denali NP) and just stare off into space, and inevitably SOMEONE will ask what you see. I guess it's good that people are interested.

Rockefeller Family Turns Over More than 1,100 Acres to Grand Teton National Park

Nov 7th - 20:36pm | jsmacdonald

It's about freaking time. After using a front company in the 1920s and 1930s to swindle local landowners out of land in order to give Jackson Hole to the NPS, the Rockefellers then kept this land privately for themselves. But, don't get me started on this subject --

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