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Woman Dies in Fall From Angel's Landing

Jun 10th - 21:36pm | thomas moreau

My son had just turned 5 years old when I took him up Angels Landing. He ascended and descended the entire climb all by himself. I stayed close with a rope tied around my waist and attached to him, tied around his waist with bowline knots. We just chatted all the way up and all the way down. I remember and intense conversation about Star Wars on the way down. Was a hike I'll always remember.

Jun 10th - 07:37am | Dan Thacker

My good friend became the most recent casualty on Angels Landing. I am still in shock and mostly numb. After learning more about the trail, I was amazed at the number of accidents that have happened there. I am an avid outdoorsman although not a hiker. Are these statistics "common" among climbing trails in the western U.S.? What could be done to reduce these stats?

Jun 8th - 23:41pm | Joni Goldstein

I got the news today my brother and family were hiking this place and he and my neice walked ahead of the crowd they were with because they were going to slow..and all i know is he slipped on a rock or something and moumentim grabbed him as he started to fall and plummented or fell off..today is june the 8th and from the news i heard my brother who is a athletic man fell and they couldnt find his

How Much Cell Phone Coverage Does Yellowstone Need?

Jun 9th - 23:05pm | Sally

HEY! I'm all for "Old Faithful, brought to you by Verizon" as long as it means more funding for the park! To all those tree-huggies and greenies who are technology challenged, get over yourselves...cell phones are here to stay...how about a little "tolerance" and "diversity" for other points of view, libbies??

Jun 8th - 15:53pm | Marcus L

With the cost of satellite phones (either via rental or purchase) affordable to most anyone who wants to get one, the debate over cellphone towers is a somewhat moot point. Delaying the introduction of cell towers to national parks is a temporary fix, one which those rude enough to yak on their phones will eventually overcome.

Global Warming Changing the Face of Some Parks

Jun 9th - 16:22pm | campos do jordao

Oi, pessoal gostaria de apresenta o nosso portal de turismo sustentável para a cidade de campos do jordão, criando alternativas de um turismo totalmente novo e amigo da natureza, não deixem de apreciar e criticar nosso trabalho, obrigado o endereço do portal é www.camposdojordao.inf.br

Bison to be Moved Back to Yellowstone Today

Jun 9th - 06:26am | Jim Macdonald

Update: The Montana Department of Livestock has said they will possibly be shipping some bulls to slaughter, saying the facility that NPS has set up isn't adequate for bulls (so, kill them - even if bulls don't transmit brucellosis).

The Growth of "Amenity Fees" In the Parks

Jun 8th - 11:53am | SteveSgt

I think charging fees for stuff like this has the psycological effect of making "our parks" into "their parks." If, as a tax-paying citizen, I have access to a public commons, then I think of it as something I share. If I have to pay a fee to use it, then it becomes "their's" -- they being whoever is collecting the fee, or seems to be in authority.

Sen. Thomas' Death Costs the National Parks an Advocate

Jun 7th - 11:22am | Snowbird

Senator Thomas, reminds me bit of the former congressman of California, Pete McClosky...a strong advocate of the National Parks and avid conservationist. Sen.Thomas will be remembered as one of the few republicans that gave the National Parks adequate support and attention.

Big Cypress: Wilderness or ORVs?

Jun 5th - 10:13am | George

When NPS opened the parks to snowmobiles 40 years ago, it was said they would have no impact. Now we know better, and the Yellowstone case shows it can be difficult to curtail an established motorized use. NPS should also be thinking about the impacts of growing ORV traffic at Big Cypress, because that's where the biggest impact comes in.

May 29th - 09:24am | Shannon Esteno...

Protecting the Addition Lands, one of the largest tracts of rapidly vanishing landscape, is essential to ensuring the long-term health of the greater south Florida ecosystem.

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Jun 4th - 21:15pm | SteveSgt

Wow -- a teaser ad. Should we be starting a "buzz" about whatever new features or redesign you have planned?

Yellowstone Bison Gain Reprieve

Jun 4th - 19:56pm | Snowbird

Jim, your historical perspective of Yellowstone is quite accurate. Prior, to the white man's settlment to Yellowstone, the U.S. second calvary was sent into the park to curtail any potential violence from the native Indians in the area (from 1879 to 1881, the Nez Perce upraising and the Bannock Indian problems in the Mammoth region).

Jun 4th - 16:42pm | Jim Macdonald

There were a few whites settling in the area before the official park. They generally weren't farming. They set up makeshift hotels, they offered to sell healing in the hot springs, at Mammoth. In the early years of the Park, some squatted.

Jun 4th - 16:33pm | Snowbird

Geez Sally, please do your homework before you go rambling off at the mouth.

Jun 4th - 16:27pm | Sally

Yeah, they live off tourism, (including those "EVIL *snicker* snowmobiles" tourism) but I garandamnteeya those same people would put private property rights above a government land grab... ...and you are wrong, whites settled the area before the park was born.

Jun 4th - 15:32pm | Rick Smith

Hey Sally--One small correction: Yellowstone was a park (1872) before many people other than American Indians were farming or ranching in the area. I suspect that most people living around the park would be horrified if Yellowstone ceased to exist.

Jun 4th - 12:32pm | Sally

Hey jr ranger...I got news for ya...most of those farmers were there LONG before Yellowstone was made a park...their grandfathers or great-grandfathers fed the building of this great nation with their ranching or farming.

Jun 3rd - 09:46am | Snowbird

Kurt, your blog "Yellowstone Bison Gain Reprieve" is a excellent piece of commmentary on the bison issue in Yellowstone National Park. Well researched! I wonder what approach the Craighead Institute would have on this issue...probably advocate more open space for wildlife and less human intrusion. Less cowboy influence and more open range is the key to this poor animals demise.

Jun 3rd - 04:48am | jr_ranger

Build fences?! What are we going to do - fence in the park?!! Farmers who live near a national park need to understand what that entails. If they don't like it, they can move - I'm sure there's a developer that would pay big bucks for some land near Yellowstone. Talk about death knells to NPS...

Some Thoughts on Park Visitation Trends

Jun 4th - 09:06am | Anne Mitchell ...

What a great piece Bill Tweed wrote, with a very interesting take on the long relationship between tourism, the tourism industry, and the National Parks. Thanks, Kurt,for finding and sharing this!

Off The Well-Worn Path: Great Basin National Park

Jun 4th - 04:52am | jr_ranger

Great Basin was my park of the week a few weeks ago - you can read my take on it at http://tntrailhead.blogspot.com/2007/05/park-of-week-great-basin-np_18.html Hehehe - I actually got to a story before Kurt! Score!

Jun 3rd - 17:45pm | Bobt

Wow! That pic in your post is Wheeler Peak in The Great Basin National Park? I had no idea. I kept wondering about Great Basin and just kind of thought that it was flat lands desert type of landscape. I am moving it up on my list of places to visit. Thanks for bringing more attention to it. Bob

Yellowstone's Snowmobile Public Meetings

Jun 1st - 22:03pm | Sally

Yeah but as everybody knows, most of those folks makin' statements have the time to go to the meetings 'cause they don't have jobs!!! The typical lazy liberal either there on their own accord or being paid a pittance by some envirowhacko organization!

Yellowstone's Killing Fields

Jun 1st - 19:57pm | Jim Macdonald

Montana and the Park Service announced today that these buffalo will not be slaughtered but will be trucked back to Yellowstone (at least those that come back after the last hazing operation).

May 31st - 13:53pm | phillip

Apparently ranchers and politicians alike and the so called enviorimental-conservations activist have all lost their minds.Simple solution herd the bison back into the destinated area,or simply allow nature(god)to do his work.test the bishon and come up with an anitidote.merly by the time a solution is so called figured out there won't be no more catte,bison,elk,wildlife in general or even human b

May 31st - 07:36am | Sally

Hey Jimmy...they are ANIMALS.... I say agin...Yeeeeeeee-hawwwww! Round 'em up, rawhide!!

May 31st - 03:21am | Jim Macdonald

update on story: There's been a delay in the slaughter. Of course, that means that they'll try hazing one more time, as if hazing is all right, leaving us happy that at least they're not dead. What a hopeless charade. I can't feel good about any of it.

May 30th - 23:00pm | Sally

Yeeeeeeeeee-hawwwwwww! Round 'em up cowboys!! Buffalo steaks!!!!

May 30th - 19:26pm | Snowbird

This is clearly a policy to appease the so called happy rhinestone cowboy types and there gun loving buddies. Remember, a happy hunter is some one with a huge gut pile. Enjoy your slaughter!

May 30th - 19:05pm | matt

Ah, the brucellosis boogeyman strikes again!

May 30th - 15:57pm | Jim Macdonald

Much of this has been precipitated by the discovery of brucellosis in a herd of cattle in far off Bridger, Montana. The entire herd of cattle is to be destroyed. No one believes that bison caused this. Of course, the slaughter might have happened anyhow since bison are still outside of Yellowstone's boundaries after a certain date.

Centennial Initiative-Natural Resources

May 31st - 19:25pm | Snowbird

Action speaks louder then words! Will see!!

Park Overflights: A Problem Out of Control

May 30th - 23:02pm | Sally

Hey birdie...listen to the wind whisper thru your ears!!lol....

May 29th - 20:03pm | Snowbird

I thought that beautiful and sacred places like the Grand Canyon are lessons to be learned that "silence is golden". I miss the whisper of the wind!

Park Concessionaires Growing Desperate for Workers

May 28th - 11:07am | Jim Macdonald

Judy, this is about seasonal workers for the private concessionaires in the park. This story has me absolutely irate for a million reasons. When I cool down from that and my 96-mile bike ride, I want to say more.

May 28th - 09:07am | Judy

I have always wanted to work in the Park Service. It is not a livable wage.

Glacier And Waterton Celebrate 75 Years as a Peace Park

May 26th - 19:41pm | Snowbird

It's a shame that we don't have more international parks dedicated to world peace...especially after what's happening in Iraq and in the Middle East. Maybe this can all happen in 2008!

Some Thoughts on the Centennial Initiative

May 25th - 07:37am | Anne Mitchell ...

This is a great piece -- sensible and measured yet ambitious and inspiring. Let's hope it gets read widely!

May 24th - 12:52pm | Julie Fanselow

Kurt, Thank you for this report and a wish list for the parks. As an Idahoan, I'd be pleased to see that our former gov might go down in history as one of a few (very few) bright spots in an otherwise disastrous administration. Then again, we know how to grow interior secretaries here. See: Andrus, Cece.

A Dearth of Posts?

May 22nd - 12:27pm | retreadranger

Go, Yanks! Nice to see A-Rod popping another one into the stands last night. Will be interesting to see how much of a boost Clemens provides to their pitching staff.

Climbing Rainier: Not for the Meek

May 20th - 19:49pm | Juno888

I thought this mount everest, this all nice post i love it/.

May 19th - 22:14pm | PODO

Great info, thanks a lot!!! I wish I will have such a writing skills.

Fall on Mount McKinley Kills Two Climbers

May 20th - 08:10am | Nat

Two more died in an avalanche while climbing Mt. Barrille. Article in the ADN. http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/8903007p-8802964c.html http://www.adn.com/front/story/8902915p-8802831c.html

Back on the Lewis and Clark Trail

May 17th - 17:11pm | Nick

Interestingly, at least a few of the books that would have been pulled and shredded would have come from the bookstore at Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail headquarters. Glad they found an amicable agreement.

Acadia Is Streaming

May 16th - 09:33am | Jeff Blaylock

Big Bend National Park offers an RSS feed of its recent news: http://www.nps.gov/bibe/photosmultimedia/newsfeeds.htm You can see it in use on the Big Bend Chat community home page: http://www.bigbendchat.com/index.php

Channel Islands' Eagle Cam

May 15th - 09:16am | tom

It's definitely worth waiting to see the eaglet. When I tuned in one of the parents was milling about, blocking the view of the eaglet -- which did look like discarded fuzz in the middle of the nest. Then the fuzzball came to life and started moving around. Amazing stuff.

Don't Stand in the Way of NPS and Its Logos

May 14th - 19:06pm | matt

Back when I was going through USFS FPO training, the Special Agent liked to tell story about how someone in the city was renting an imitation Smokey Bear costume for birthday parties and other events. Someone rented the costume for a party in a town park, apparently got drunk and behaved somewhat inappropriately.

May 14th - 13:00pm | Claire Walter

I wouldn't have imagined this particular scenario, but why am I not surprised by the general wrong-headedness that seems to accompany almost every government decision these days? Elected/appointed officials are loose cannons more often than not, while the bureaucrats become increasingly bureaucratic.

May 14th - 11:56am | retreadranger

I saw this article this morning, by way of the NPS retirees' listserv, and commented on my own blog. It's a sad day when the Service seems to be more interested in "protecting its intellectual property" than in promoting awareness and appreciation of park resources.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.