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Have National Parks Become Passe?

Jan 24th - 17:27pm | Random Walker

A nephew is never without the "10 Essentials" since reading "My Side of the Mountain" Another watches "Animal Planet" worrying about the Panda's habitat. Santa gave nephew number 3 a copy of "My Side of the Mountain." He is researching Alaska for an adventure. A niece is scrambling up rock walls following (and scaring) mom and dad.

Jan 24th - 10:44am | Snowbird

Kurt, your comments are well taken and most sobering that it should provoke a response from every park lover in the United States...perhaps aboard. I agree, the vision of Stephen Mather has lost it soul purpose what the National Parks should be today.

Groups Fighting Road Building In Death Valley

Jan 23rd - 23:07pm | Ranger X

BGreen, I don't currently speak for the NPS, but I spoke with Ranger Charlie Callagan at Death Valley National Park who discussed the National Park Service's official position.

Jan 23rd - 18:22pm | repanshek

Hey, BGreen, swing and a miss. I can assure you that Ranger X and Alan are two different folks.

Jan 23rd - 18:16pm | BGreen

For those who desire to know more about Ranger X, and his personal exposure, education, and expertise regarding Death Valley biology and habitat... http://wolverines.wordpress.com/about/

Jan 23rd - 18:05pm | BGreen

Ranger X, Semantics and the Laws of this great land we choose to protect from exploitation are not "Meaningless mumbo jumbo." "The official policy of the NPS is to keep cars out of this area to preserve its wilderness characteristics." Ranger X, do you speak for the National Park Service?

Jan 23rd - 17:23pm | Snowbird

Hey Mustang Sally: You must shake your booties when you see trees. If you love plastic trees and concrete jungles stay at home in your smog filled backyard.

Jan 23rd - 17:15pm | Sally

Hey Ranger X: I LIKE the sound of motor vehicles...it adds to MY solitude, because when I can no longer hear it, I can compare the contrast between the two....

Jan 23rd - 17:09pm | RangerRichard

RIGHT ON BGreen!! Thanks for setting the record straight! We need more reasoned, intelligent minds like yourself on this blog!! Keep posting!

Jan 23rd - 15:34pm | Ranger X

"Old four-wheel-drive tracks crawl through Jail, Hall, and Surprise Canyons and into the park; these non-Wilderness corridors carve the area into four sections." http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=Surprise%20Canyon

Jan 22nd - 22:49pm | BGreen

Some education is needed...

Jan 21st - 21:20pm | Starr

WRONG...the parks belong to all Americans... jus watch...the handicapped will be granted permission to use motorized devices this year as per ADA which will supercede Wild Act...then bikes are gonna be allowed too....ya!!

Jan 20th - 15:51pm | Alan

Ranger X is correct. Give a motorhead an inch, and he'll take a mile. I just wrote a newspaper column about this (see http://lowbagger.org/lockout.html).

Jan 20th - 12:55pm | Ranger X

Starr, what are you talking about? These proposed roads are in a federally designated wilderness area. This is something everyone should fight.

Jan 20th - 06:30am | Starr

Figures...NPCA and Earth(non)justice losing even more credibility by fighting a battle they ought not fight....

Junior Rangers

Jan 23rd - 20:06pm | Snowbird

Ranger Richard: I think perhaps you must be smelling to much gun powder. With this President, all things are "disconncted", especially the war on terror...even his own party seems to be running away from him. I wonder why? And you Mustang Sally, are caught up in your own fear mongering. Relax and smell some pines for a change... instead hate blogging!

Jan 23rd - 17:25pm | RangerRichard

What a stupid comment, Snowbird! Do you really think the two are not connected? Who was it that said "all things are connected?"

Jan 23rd - 17:19pm | Sally

BECAUSE, Snowbird (DUH), you will no longer HAVE parks if we lose our freedom to those who wish to destroy western civilization! THINK!!!!!

Jan 22nd - 20:24pm | Snowbird

Random: Why can't the Bush administration abide by such a noble pledge and commitment...instead we have a sicking war that's tearing the shreds out of our resources and youth...and for what? Sick, sick and sickening!

Jan 22nd - 19:12pm | Random Walker

Proud card carrying Junior Ranger since '63 or there abouts here. On the back is the pledge: "I give my pledge as an American to save and faithfully to defend from waste the natural resources of my country - its soil and minerals, its forests, waters and wildlife."

Jan 22nd - 16:49pm | Snowbird

Ranger X: Need more good people like you out in the field doing this kind of work with are inner city kids, especially in the ghetto's.I commend you for your services with the Junior Ranger program.

Jan 22nd - 16:28pm | Ranger X

Thanks for highlighting the Junior Ranger program Kurt; I loved delivering programs for junior rangers. When I worked at Lava Beds, I developed a Junior Lookout program where kids of all ages got to learn to spot fires, learned about fire safety, and earned a badge and certificate. If you get to Lava Beds in the summer, take your kids and hike up Schonchin Butte.

Time For a New Public Lands Management System?

Jan 22nd - 14:24pm | Heather Flanagan

Being concerned about environmental issues, I was wondering if you knew about Sound Experience where kids and adults learn about the Puget Sound as well and how our choices impact the environment. I find that hearing about such programs guves me a little shot of hope so I thought I'd give you the link, too. Please take a look. It is a wonderful program!!!

Jan 19th - 04:34am | Jim Macdonald

Whoops...I sent the wrong link to my essay on privatization and the news... It's entitled: Projects stalled in Yellowstone - Privatization coming? http://www.yellowstone-online.com/2007/01/projects-stalled-in-yellowstone.html The link to the NCPA bit is correct.

Jan 19th - 04:32am | Jim Macdonald

I've written about this on my blog; http://www.yellowstone-online.com/2007/01/privatize-yellowstone-one-capitalist.html a day after writing about privatization based on the news that had been coming out:

Bracing For the America The Beautiful Pass

Jan 22nd - 11:32am | repanshek

Debby, you might try the Holly Springs National Forest or St. Francis National Forest. Or, without leaving home, on-line at http://store.usgs.gov/pass/

Jan 22nd - 10:30am | Debby Kelly

I work at Arkabutla Lake in Northwest Mississippi and have been searching for in our area that persons can purchase the America the Beautiful pass but have not been able to find any. Do you have any information as to where these can be purchased in the North Mississippi, West Tennessee area?

Death Valley Showdown

Jan 21st - 01:47am | BadTux

There was a road up Surprise Canyon usable by mule-drawn wagons starting in 1873, and it was usable by ordinary two-wheel-drive cars as late as 1984. It was (and is) a registered road in the Inyo County roads system, registered with the State of California as part of the Inyo County highway system.

Mary Wants More Private Funding--Updated

Jan 20th - 17:34pm | repanshek

Richard, you're absolutely right about the values of friends groups. My concern is what you refer to in passing -- so-called philanthropic donations that are really attempts to "influence policy or publicize corporate products."

Jan 20th - 13:59pm | Richard Abbott

When you talk about the dangers of private funding of parks, be careful to note that there is another kind of private funding of parks -- contributions by individuals and foundations that is purely philanthropic and does not attempt to influence policy or publicize corporate products.

Jan 15th - 10:25am | Jim Macdonald

The big problem with private funding, of course, isn't the funding, but the question of who controls the decision-making process.

Jan 15th - 09:59am | Snowbird

RangerX, dead right with a hammer hit hard on a nail!

Jan 15th - 09:47am | Ranger X

Alan, I lived half a mile from work and walked everyday. I drove to Fresno every two weeks for groceries, and the last time I did, I was in a bad car wreck and decided not to own a car for 4 years. Sure, I drove. But I wasn't taking money from Ford and then saying driving is bad, as all my managers did. I acknowledge my hypocricy.

Jan 14th - 18:58pm | Snowbird

Trista, who has lit the flame for more war and expansionism in the Middle East...and who is paying the heavy price for this blood shed and money? That's right...the middle class!...and what do we get in return from our President?

Jan 14th - 16:57pm | Trista

We DO need more private/corporate donors...with a very long war in progress with fanatics who wish us all dead, government funding is gonna be hard to come by. Good for Mary!

Federal Intervention Might be Needed to Stop Canadian Coal Mine

Jan 19th - 08:35am | Alan Gregory

Kurt, thanks for telling me of this. I just read the Missoula newspaper's coverage. I sense a lot of greed behind this proposal.

Poll Results: "Grand Canyon: A Different View"

Jan 17th - 20:24pm | Random Walker

“What if” (?)…“Spiderman” …? Okay I am right, you win; I do not like what ifs. Uhm… well you know, maybe if you would have used Silver Surfer instead. Thinking here, it is the GCA (Grand Canyon Association: enriching experience through knowledge) and not the NHA? From the GCA web site:

Jan 17th - 18:26pm | jersu

What if the Natural History Association (NHA) discovered that Spiderman comics sold really really well in their bookstore. If the point of the bookstore were to make as much money as possible, they would stuff their shelves with as many comics as they could find. The free market wins in this scenario, but the message of the park suffers.

Jan 17th - 16:19pm | kath

Every consumer who walks into any of the Grand Canyon bookstores has a vote. He can buy the Vail book and 'vote' for keeping it there or he can buy other books. If there are enough 'votes' or purchases, the bookstore will keep it on the shelf. If not, it will be on the clearance table pretty quickly and then discontinued.

Jan 17th - 14:13pm | Random Walker

Can we agree to disagree? Obviously judging any books "appropriateness" for any bookstore based on the books content, premise or theory is wrong.

Jan 17th - 13:05pm | jersu

Yes, banning and burning books is bad. But, can we agree that there may be books which are inappropriate for the Grand Canyon bookstore? Obviously books containing pornography or books with instructions for creating bombs would fall into this category.

Jan 17th - 12:59pm | kath

The bookstores are private businesses. They can and should be able to stock any book they please. The free market will determine what sells and what doesn't and by extension what the bookstore continues to stock and what it doesn't. I'm amazed at how many so-called liberals want to ban books.

Jan 17th - 11:06am | Random Walker

To disallow, ban, burn, prohibit, deny and or restrict a book because of its values, ideas, thoughts, dreams or beliefs is wrong.

EPA Critiques Yellowstone's Snowmobile Plan

Jan 16th - 11:10am | Snowbird

Let's see were the bottom line is when it comes to push and shove...I think the NPS will side even more with the snowmobiling industry. Corporate snowballing wins this one over the NPS... with much dire and unfortunate consequences to Yellowstones unique environment. The EPA has absolutely no teeth to their credibility or enforcement polices...thank Bush for that!

Jan 16th - 10:21am | Rick Smith

Kurt-- Isn't it nice to know that there is at least one Federal agency that is concerned about the adverse effects of snowmobiling in Yellowstone and Tetons? Too bad it's not the National Park Service.

Jan 16th - 09:29am | Jim Macdonald

Kurt,

Mount Rainier Repair Monies Found

Jan 15th - 10:16am | repanshek

I don't know, Jeremy, it might be nice to restrict travel on that road to hikers, bikers and equestrian. While it might prevent some from reaching those trails, I don't know why we must provide combustion-powered-access everywhere in the park system.

Jan 15th - 09:58am | jersu

I'm curious to know whether part of the money will be used to fix the West Side Road in Rainier. The road has been closed to automobile traffic for a number of years because of rock slides and flooding damage, which has been too costly for the park to repair. It had remained open to mountain bikers, hikers, and I think *maybe* even horses.

Jan 14th - 19:01pm | repanshek

Trista, could it be that you missed the point, which was why has the NPS been forcing parks to cut back if they've got millions stashed away that they can pluck when the whim strikes? Now, as I said in the post, perhaps there's a very logical answer to that question. And once the feds return from Monday's holiday I hope to get that answer.

God, Geology, and the Grand Canyon

Jan 14th - 17:50pm | Geoff Arnold

Two points from a non-American reader. First, the avoidance of the word "billion" is probably done to reduce confusion for non-US visitors: in many parts of the world a "billion" (still) means "a million million". Secondly, even though I don't think the website is at all misleading about the age of the Canyon, I was disappointed at the cursory treatment of the geological history.

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