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Blue Angels Fly By Grand Tetons

Jul 27th - 23:01pm | Bob

I'm going to be up there in the Tetons in 6 more weeks and perhaps I'll feel differently about the Blue Angels making a couple of passes thru the park at that time.

Jul 27th - 20:10pm | Richard Young

Does freedom have a sound. Yes you got to make a stupid remark about the Navy and there sound of the engines noise. U.S. men have died all over the world to protect us and others. There sound is great. Did you know that thunder and lighting is louder than the Navy Jets? God made that noise too and the animals have heard it for many years and there doing fine.

Jul 27th - 00:25am | Evan

Interesting reading through this, I live in Jackson and yes I saw the Blue Angels do a flyby around 2:50pm Mountain time. We have a few flybys a year by the military mainly because the VP has a house here. The main concern of these flyby's is the safety of the people in the mountains, because the "sound of freedom" can cause rock debris and slides.

Jul 26th - 23:18pm | George Siewerd

While hanging out in Death Valley, on occasion an f16 will come over a mountain and buzz the valley floor. Although it is very exilerating to watch, I wouldn't want to see that happening on any kind of a regular basis.

Jul 26th - 22:20pm | Merryland

I've had the displeasure of seeing military jets fly through the gorge of Grand Canyon, fly under the Chesapeake Bay bridge, and through Misty Fjords National Monument in Alaska. It's disgraceful -- the same attitudes that brought us the military academy mistreatment of women over the years... there's no honour in such behaviour. It just demonstrates that these people can't be fully trusted.

Jul 26th - 22:14pm | Your Conscience

It is quite obvious that you were never issued a service number. And you never served.........You have no voice!! "Death to the West and all dangerous free-thinking peoples!" Signed, Your Komrads aboard the Al-Morton -Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, Kim Jung Ill, Mao Tse Tung, Idi Amin, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Jul 26th - 21:55pm | Jonesy

NO VOICE???

Jul 26th - 16:32pm | Anonymous

not needed in the parks, if they want to see the park, do it from the ground up.

Jul 26th - 15:31pm | HurlGurl

Must of been the later part of the 70's when I was standing atop Echo Rock on the side of Mount Rainier when out of no where a jet came screaming up Russell Glacier. Scared the crap out of me as I felt the sound push me around. I gripped the rock so as to not fall off the world. The pilot waved to me from the cockpit, I waved back.

Jul 26th - 14:30pm | Beamis

Where have you been hiding your head in the sand Mookie?

Jul 26th - 13:59pm | Mookie

Wow...if you really believe that only those who have served in the military have the right to voice an opinion? When did the fascists take over?

Jul 26th - 13:39pm | jsmacdonald

FYI, I also blogged (not web-zined) a bit about it. http://www.yellowstone-online.com/2007/07/sounding-off-blue-angels-blast...

Jul 26th - 13:25pm | Tom

It is quite obvious that you were never issued a service number. And you never served.........You have no voice!! SOG2 USS Morton DD948

Jul 26th - 12:10pm | repanshek

I'd be curious to learn how much this photo-op cost the Navy. Perhaps they could make a like donation to Grand Teton, which could use some extra funding. Beyond that, though, don't forget that there's a commercial airport within the park boundaries, so it's not the most quiet place to start with.

Jul 26th - 11:49am | Mookie

Does freedom have a sound? I don't like it...even with the throttles down, the sounds of the engines would still be powerful enough to disturb the wildlife. But I guess the Navy feels harming animals isn't as important than a stupid photo-op.

Mt St Helens as National Park?

Jul 27th - 20:53pm | Frank

From the USGS: "Dramatic eruptive activity in the Cascades has been rare so far in the 20th century. Until the recent eruptions at Mount St. Helens, the only Cascade volcano that had a major eruption during this century was Lassen Peak in California.

Jul 27th - 20:06pm | jersu

As far as the explosivity of Mt. St. Helens, it is smaller than that of other volcanoes that are presently inside of the United States. But, I think the original comment is correct, that since the United States has existed as a country, Mt St Helens has been the biggest.

Jul 27th - 19:56pm | Beamis

"This was the most momentous volcanic eruption on the continental United States in the history of the country." If I'm not mistaken the eruption of Lassen Peak on was equally powerful. Any vulcanologists out there know which was bigger?

Jul 27th - 18:10pm | Frank

Gifford Pinchot was going to step on a tarantula at Grand Canyon when Muir stopped him. What the %)#% are you doing! Muir said (heavily paraphrased).

Jul 27th - 17:26pm | Barky

Mt. St. Helens absolutely needs to be a National Park. First, there's just the overall beauty and remoteness of the site. Second, there's the preservation of an ecology in repair. There is a fascinating naturalist tale to be told at St. Helens: how the land recovers from trauma.

Jul 27th - 16:41pm | Beamis

Leave it the way it is. Less is better when nature has done most of the work.

Jul 27th - 16:32pm | Merryland

I personally don't think the Forest Service should be building lavish Visitor Centers. If it's worthy of a Visitor Center, it's worthy of National Park status. Either close the thing permanently and let people enjoy it without all the fuss of National Park status, or make it a NM and fund the thing. I was there a few years ago with my son.

NPT: Blog or Webzine?

Jul 27th - 18:15pm | Frank

we were refused some park information because we were "just bloggers" Sounds like the government BS bureaucracy machine. Keep up the good work. I've been critical of your "slant", as I'm far left on the issue of preservation, but you both are doing good work.

Jul 27th - 15:31pm | jersu

Thanks everyone for the comments. Without getting into the details, we had run into a situation where we were refused some park information because we were "just bloggers". As you all have found with the new website, and backed up with Kurt's statement in this article, we are really trying to build something beyond "just" a blog.

Jul 27th - 14:10pm | Art Allen

What's in a Name? "A Blogzine by any other name would read so sweet" Whatever you call it, NPT is hot. You have a lot of readers contributing their views on matters pertaining to parks and other public land management issues. Keep on Trucking. Art

Jul 27th - 11:24am | Snowbird

Kurt, you and Jeremy have created a important and informative appendage to understanding the critical issues facing our National Parks today (through your website). I have learned alot about the intricate aspects in how our National Parks are administratively run, ruined, raved and ranted over your website. Some of this stuff you would never find even in the back pages of your local newspaper.

Jul 27th - 10:07am | Andrea

NPT brings attention to parks and issues not covered anywhere else. Thank you for this important work! Oh, and I love Jeremy's videos.

Jul 26th - 11:31am | Anonymous

npt rocks. keep it up.

Jul 26th - 10:06am | haunted hiker

Kurt, As far as I'm concerned, you and Jeremy are doing a terrific job. This webzine pulls off a unique yet wonderful balance between visiting the controversies surrounding managing parks and visiting the beauty and "wonders" (pythons in the Everglades!) of said parks. As you know, even the best newspapers in the world make mistakes. Keep up the good work!

Parties in the Parks: Much Ado About Nothing?

Jul 27th - 16:21pm | Merryland

Watching, need to check your sarcasm detector and not take my comments too seriously every time (most of the time, but not every time). Sorry to hit your eject button... PS - Your name no longer applies... ;-) -- Jon Merryman

Jul 27th - 10:02am | Ron Tipton

These kinds of events raise questions of compatibility and appropriateness. National parks are our national treasures, deserving respect and treatment as such.

Jul 27th - 07:56am | Watching from t...

No Merryland the terrorists haven't won, the lies and propoganda about terrorists that is swallowed by the American sheeple has won. The very same outfit dropping bombs on Mesopotamia is the very same one in charge of the national parks. Why shouldn't they fly their jets wherever they want to? You act so surprised. It's a work in progress, if I remember your words correctly.

Jul 26th - 23:46pm | Brenda

"If he get impeached"...lol...you libs are so funni.... O.K., so then we have Dick Cheney as president! Yee-haw!...drop some bombs, babyyyyy!!!

Jul 26th - 22:01pm | Merryland

I guess the terrorists have won. We have to spoil our national parks just to keep up the recruitment effort. Very sad.

Jul 26th - 17:14pm | Snowbird

Anonymous, you didn't mean "Decider-In-Chief", I assume you meant grand Messiah-In-Chief. Anonymous, you forgot one thing, what happens if he gets impeached...your Messiah!?

Jul 26th - 15:53pm | Anonymous

"I never said the government is the best steward of land, but yes I am dead set against privatization." Leave it to Professor Macdonald to be as clear as mud.

Jul 26th - 15:27pm | jsmacdonald

Beamis, one of these days you'll learn the difference between an anarchist and a socialist. I never said the government is the best steward of land, but yes I am dead set against privatization. Actually, I have trouble seeing much difference between the two choices in your false dichotomy.

Jul 26th - 14:50pm | Snowbird

Beamis and Ricky, knock off the good old boy fly crap. Insn't silence suppose to be golden in the National Parks and not a air corridor for hot rod fly boy's? Ricky, if you get excited and go wee-wee every time you hear jet noise, visit Edwards Air Force base, or the local drag strips and get your charge...but let's keep silence golden in the Nationa Parks.

Jul 26th - 14:22pm | Beamis

Thanks for the visual Frank. A great and tremendous fireball it would be!

Jul 26th - 14:10pm | Frank

Take a look at this picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10619606@N08/907036905/ It's amazing! How can they fly so close like that?! Just imagine if they crashed in the back country! The explosions would be amazing!

Jul 26th - 13:47pm | Beamis

Since Mr. Macdonald is so dead set against privatization of any kind and believes that the federal government is the best steward for the national parks he'd better get used to the jets. They are part and parcel of the same outfit: the Executive Branch of the U.S. government.

Jul 26th - 10:56am | Rick

Hey Jimmy boy...that's the sound of freedom...your park wouldn't even exist without it. "Death machines?" You need to wise up...that is so over the top it doesn't need further comment...judging from your past comments, you are a real piece of work.

Time Running Out to Comment on Everglades Management Plan

Jul 26th - 23:56pm | George Siewerd

Growing up in N.J. and now living on the left coast I've seen to much of nature taken for monetary gains. I feel that if people can't hike or paddle ( in this case ) to enjoy the park without the use of power boats maybe the should stay home and watch it on the nature channel. The sky way sounds like it would be beneficial to the everglades.

Judge Tosses Surprise Canyon Lawsuit

Jul 26th - 17:46pm | Frank

Been up to Panamint City many times, but not after the summer of 1984. I don't understand why yer yappin about not being able to drive your ATVs into the canyon when you haven't been there in 23 years!

Jul 26th - 17:12pm | Packrat

To: Chair, California Desert District Advisory Council C/O Bureau of Land Management 6221 Box Springs Blvd Riverside, CA 92505 From: Packrat Subject: Panamint Valley, Surprise Canyon Date: January 29, 2003

Jul 26th - 14:29pm | Anonymous

If it wasn't a road, why was the "road" cherry stemmed in the Desert Protection Act of 1994? This is nothing but a BS response in bed with the eco elitists!

Jul 26th - 11:58am | NSBFRANK

I concur with OB's comments: There is most surely a road up Surprise Cyn. I suspect that the majority of people who claim that there is no road up Surprise Canyon to Panamint City have never been to the area.

Jul 26th - 09:50am | Original Bigfoot

The judge ruling the parties had no standing is not the same as the judge ruling that Suprise Canyon is a road, or no road. The judge merely felt that his court was not the place to make that decision. It is a temporary win for the "no-road" people, and delays any eventual final determination. But the story isn't over yet.

Bringing Color to the Public Lands Landscape

Jul 26th - 10:43am | Anonymous

The same arguments about race diversity on park staffs have been made about gender. And it is nearly always framed as an issue of unqualified women getting jobs that should have gone to qualified men. Sometimes there was even a suspicion that unqualified women were selected over qualified ones so as to prove the point that women could not do the job.

Just Another Snake Story

Jul 26th - 10:10am | haunted hiker

This photo is too much! Check out the smile on the ranger's face. I love it. A while back, I interviewed a couple who witnessed an alligator vs python battle to the death on the Anhinga Trail in 2004. Here's a link to the photo and story that appeared in the NY Times http://www.wildphotoguy.com/photoshoot.htm

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