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Justin, were do I Google to see the humans that have been killed by those dead animals? His statement is typical of the eco-hysteria. And if there is a problem with plastic in the ocean - the problem isn't the plastic - its the idiots that put it in the ocean. There are many ways to safely recycle or dispose of plastics. We don't need to abandon their vast benefits.

Dec 17th - 14:13pm | justinh

Anon, If you just GOOGLE "animals killed by plastic bottles," you'll find a large number (and variety) of websites that give stats on the hazards plastic, including plastic bottles, pose to wildlife.

Dec 17th - 12:36pm | T Lyons

I worked for the cooperating association at the Grand Canyon for the summer of 2011. We voluntarily stopped selling disposable plastic water bottles and began to sell low-cost refillable green bottles.

Dec 16th - 20:25pm | Dandy

Simple solution all disposable containers should have a deposit on them at least 25 cents then they would be picked up or not thrown away. How about this- would you rather step on a broken glass bottle or plastic? I am not buying two dozen drinking bottles at 2-3 dollars each.. No you can't get just one and refill it, their is no place to refill,

Dec 16th - 17:35pm | Anonymous

The announcement by Jarvis leaves the PWB ban at Grand Canyon as clear as mud (as usual) and shifts the focus from him to IMR director Wessels and the new grca superintendet. As I read the documents, the acting park superintendent made it clear to WASO and IMR back in June that the park did not intend to implement the PWB ban at Grand Canyon (that had been scheduled by superintendent Martin be

Dec 16th - 16:07pm | Anonymous

"Plastic in the environment is killing us all. How many thousands of sea animals die each year from eating plastic? How many humans become ill from eating these same sea animals?" Pray tell Richard. How many of each?

Dec 16th - 01:57am | Richard James -...

Allowing bottled water to be sold at national parks is like allowing beer to be sold at an AA meeting. Plastic in the environment is killing us all. How many thousands of sea animals die each year from eating plastic? How many humans become ill from eating these same sea animals?

Dec 15th - 18:53pm | Anonymous

I rarely will buy an overpriced bottle of water. I mean, really. If you want to talk about cost..... If you can buy a bottle, there is likely to be running water, either in washrooms or drinking fountains. Refill my reusable. More cost effective for me, better for the environment. Win/win.

Dec 15th - 18:09pm | d-2

1. The Director never said he agreed with Coca Cola and reversed the Grand Canyon bottle ban program. He said he wanted to review it. That seems to be exactly what happened here.

Dec 15th - 15:48pm | Anonymous

Parks have been around longer than those plastic bottles of water have been sold. So, visitors can just go back to doing what they were before PBW existed. Why is this a problem?

Dec 15th - 11:43am | Anonymous

Dec 15th - 11:11am | k d g

Hi- I'm an NPS superintendent. I think it was a good decision. Signed, NPS superintendent

Annual Count Shows Huge Decline In Yellowstone National Park Elk Herd, But How Accurate Is It?

Dec 20th - 11:31am | reality22

"Wolves do not take prime age animals" What a farse! In an 8 day span wolves kill 3 highly pregnant prime aged collared cow elk from the highly studied clam lake elk herd in Wisconsin! Close to half the animals in this herd wear monitoring collars. Wolves are the undisputed cause of death. Early on in the introduction Dr Anderson said that we would have 500 animals by 2004. That was befo

Mark of the Grizzly

Dec 20th - 11:22am | Kerry Gallivan

Excellent book. I picked it up in the Kalispell, MT airport after an extensive backcountry hiking trip in Glacier NP where we excountered three gizzlies. A must read if you're at all interested in these amazing animals!

Rare Motion Pictures Show Civil War Veterans at the 75th Gettysburg Battle Anniversary Reunion

Dec 20th - 08:18am | Lee Dalton

How many people who look at this will realize that William Henry Jackson, shown in the first photo, is the man who accompanied the Washburn expedition into Yellowstone and took the photographs that helped make Yellowstone the world's first national park?

Dec 20th - 01:31am | Anonymous

It's not likely. The Veitnam Veterans of this country are getting older now. I have seen them pass a lot. I work for the VA and my heart is touched by every single veteran in need, we do what we can to help and have fought battles to improve the quality of care for them (red tape, nonsence). I am a part of that organization, the Local AFGE 2401.

Dec 20th - 01:19am | Anonymous

I work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. I had a really rough day today....I am a former Marine and combat veteran. I don't think I have room to complain, but be thankful for the veterans I serve every day. It's humbling to see these men who never received anything for their torment. I reluctantly accept anything I get with humility.

Information Sought In Case of Deer Poached At Monocacy National Battlefield

Dec 20th - 07:56am | JLA

Concerned,

Dec 19th - 22:34pm | Anonymous

Visit: www.saveblackwater.org

Dec 19th - 19:06pm | anonymous

Don't make it a National Park .

Dec 19th - 17:24pm | Anonymous

If portions of the Monongahela National Forest and West Virginia State Park & Forest Lands become designated as the new Appalachian Highlands National Park, this tragic poaching story will become a weekly incident case for the NPS. West Virginia must have over half its hunters behaving as nightly

Dec 16th - 17:01pm | Concerned Taxpayer

That you can contact F&W (state) for retrieval. No you can no longer retrieve an animal that dies in the park. In the past you had to contact the Park Service (Federal) and they would determine if you could go in and how far. It was up to the individual as to how far he would let you look for a wounded animal and even if you could enter the park.

Dec 15th - 21:04pm | Venison

This is terrible to see happen. I hope those who were involved are caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law!

Dec 15th - 16:21pm | Anonymous

It is legal to retrieve legally shot deer outside the park that then run into a national park. All people need to do is call the park, obtain permission, and trail the animal with no weapons.

Dec 15th - 16:15pm | anonymous

Concerned: I believe you might be right. I don't know why but the Fast and Furious deception came to mind (although an unreasonable connection I realize). Jumping to conclusions on this from what's been released does allow those that have a particular bias to express it. More factual details, please (on everything one hears from the press).

Dec 15th - 15:24pm | Concerned Taxpayer

Based on the information here there is no indication the deer was shot in the park, only that it was found in the park. It could have been shot outside the park and died inside the park. Hunters would not be permitted to enter the park to retrieve the deer. If these are the facts then it is a shame it was illegal to retrieve. Normally a poacher would take the horns, especially a 12 point, s

Dec 15th - 12:42pm | Steve F in MD

This is just senseless thrill killing. Shoot an animal and leave it on land where it is clearly illegal to hunt. the bag limit for deer with a firearm in MD is 12. With such a generous limit why shoot and kill one only to abandon it. I hope they're proud of themselves.

A Potpourri of Suggestions For Visiting The National Park System This Winter

Dec 20th - 07:39am | Don Morris

I would suggest more than watching an "archived dive program" at Channel Islands National Park. While the park is always tricky to visit, before long the plants will be blooming, and the islands are already green. Keep an eye on the weather, because storms do visit the area and impede travel, but the very best weather in the park are the intervals between storms.

High Water Table, Wetlands Causing Flooding At Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Dec 19th - 12:39pm | doesn't matter

Everyong is making this an ORV issue like everything else there. It is an access for everyone issue. Some of us do not drive on the beach so this is my two cents about it.

Vail Resorts, Long Synonymous With Skiing, Expanding Into National Park Concessions

Dec 19th - 11:33am | David Crowl

I have camped in the RV park at Flagg Ranch a couple times and would recommend it to anyone. I really enjoyed the full hook ups and the great location between the parks. Hopefully it will only improve with the transition of vendors.

Supporters Of a Mount St. Helens National Park Want National Park Service To Study That Possibility

Dec 19th - 09:07am | DStaniforth

I agree that Mount St. Helen's is a wonderful place. I visited it briefly in June and thought it was gorgeous. Truly a worthy addition to the National Park system

Dec 18th - 00:49am | Meg

Mt. St. Helens should be a national park, but not because it'll help the economies of the gateway communities. That is not nor should it be the primary (or secondary, or tertiary) purpose of legislating new national parks. Mt. St. Helens should be a national park because it's an incredible place. Period.

NPS to Package Three Lodges on the Blue Ridge Parkway Under One Concessions Contract

Dec 18th - 09:25am | Danny Bernstein

I'm so happy that there's a chance that the lodge at Doughton Park has a chance of reopening. I'm even happier about the coffee shop. One of the best stops on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Danny Bernstein www.hikertohiker.com

Reader Participation Day: Rewrite a National Park Warning Sign

Dec 17th - 18:52pm | Renee L. Sloan

Enjoy driving your cars, trucks and vans On the freeway, interstate—all over this land; But in the park, remember all vehicles are banned. Bring along your favorite tome; Read, relax, feel free to explore and roam But please leave furry friends at home.

Dec 15th - 15:05pm | Rod Torrez

Bears are fast becoming an issue at Bandelier in the summer, and people are getting far too close to them to take pictures... your first picture clicks the bear starts grunting, huffing your first picture...last

National Park Service Falls in "Best Places To Work" Rankings

Dec 17th - 17:54pm | Anonymous

The National Park Service is an organization in decline due to poor priorities and decision making at the highest levels. Management reflexively blames the budget, but the NPS is a lavishly funded organization. Their budget has increased by around 50% since 2000. Obviously costs have increased since then, but not at that level. The problem is that instead of using that money for basic park

Echoes of the Cold War in the Tropical Warmth of Everglades National Park

Dec 17th - 14:26pm | Gerald R. Simons

I was at the site located near Red Creek, 183rd st and at that time there were only tents. The only perminant building was the mess hall. one paved road in front of the barrack tents was paved to the outhouses. Orderly room was a tent as well as the showers. We The tents were built on a frame with screens and a plywood floor.

Mountain Lion, With Its Feast, Leads to Closure Of Dinosaur National Monument Campground

Dec 17th - 02:40am | Bob

Indeed, similar to bear encounters, but never "play dead" in a mountain lion encounter. Carrying EPA-Registered Bear Spray in mountain lion territory is always a good precaution. Bear Spray has repelled attacks of many species, including Puma concolor (mountain lion, cougar, panther, etc., depending on where you are hiking--they're all the same cat).

Dec 16th - 13:02pm | Grammy

Sounds similar to bear precautions. Thanks for the info.

BASE Jumpers Cited For Illegal Leap at New River Gorge National River

Dec 16th - 10:26am | AnonymousD

If one of them had landed in the river and needed rescue, emergency personel would have to put their lives at risk to save them. Then there is the outside chance they land in front of a train and the psychological impact on the operator of that train.

Dec 16th - 00:30am | y_p_w

The essentially NPS stopped allowing BASE jumping after there were some problems in Yosemite. It wasn't necessarily the danger, but apparently that the jumpers had no concept that leaving trash behind wasn't OK, or that they thought driving through foot trails was better than hiking to the top. After it was made illegal, there have been several fatalities.

Dec 15th - 18:40pm | Anonymous

BASE jumping isn't illegal as long as the jumpers have permission. These jumpers did not an as such were breaking several laws. The danger to themselves is not the issue. As the article stated, the river was flowing at an extremely high rate. If one of them had landed in the river and needed rescue, emergency personel would have to put their lives at risk to save them.

Dec 15th - 17:13pm | Anonymous

Why is BASE jumping illegal? Were these people doing anything that would case harm to others or would cause negative reprocussions? I am not a BASE jumper, but I could see if I was only allowed to legally play soccer one day a year, you'd have a hard time keeping me from breaking those rules too.

Spectacular Lava Show At Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Dec 16th - 09:27am | Kurt Repanshek

Roughly 4 miles...each way!

Dec 16th - 08:56am | Anonymous

"Visitors who do not want to hike out to the ocean entry" Just curious... how far of a hike is this?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Receives a Generous and Timely Gift

Dec 16th - 08:00am | PauletteB

Wonderful news! And thanks for the reminder to renew my Friends membership!

Congressman Dusts Off 1913 Law In Battle To Get Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy Valley Drained

Dec 15th - 12:46pm | Anonymous

I've visited Hetch Hetchy and IMO it looks like a tailings dump. I must be missing something that John Muir and others saw or see in the place. I love parks but cannot understand the fuss over HH.

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