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"Adopt" A Bat, Help Yellowstone National Park

Oct 2nd - 13:22pm | stormy

I'm sure the YPF would be happy to receive your $10.00 donation, ask that they earmark it for the bat project & I bet they'd do that, too.  Unfortunately, not everyone is as altruistic as you are and want to 'get something' for their donation & it seems that the more someone can afford to donate, the more they want some 'bang for their buck'.

Oct 2nd - 12:10pm | Anonymous

Why don't they allow us to sponsor a bat for $10 and offer hundreds?  And skip the cutsey (expensive) marketing ploy and trust us to do it out of the goodness of our hearts rather than the opportinity to own a toy?  Classic YPF--catering to the rich.  There's a few of us poor folk that give a damn, too.

Mules In Grand Canyon National Park: Should They Stay?

Oct 2nd - 12:55pm | Rich Granberg

Don, I certainly appreciate your sentiments and the work you did on the ruins near the Black bridge.  The conversation in many circles and subjects often does not get past the I, me, wants missing the big picture.

Oct 1st - 22:07pm | Don Morris

Years ago, I was hiking down the South Kaibab trail very early in the morning (3AM or so) and I walked right into a standing pool of mule urine.  It was a bit dismaying, but it wasn't really that big a deal.  Indeed, with the perspective of time, it was one of the more memorable events associated with that project and that trip (stabilization and excavation of the small pueblo along the trail b

Oct 1st - 11:44am | Sophie

I wouldn't trade my mule ride down to Phantom Ranch for anything. If they want to cut cars from entering Grand Canyon National Park, cut down on the number of mule trains and hiking permits they can, but the park will just become even more exclusive.

Where Can You Enjoy The Best Wildlife Experiences In the National Park System?

Oct 1st - 20:59pm | Don Morris

Have any of you ever heard of Point Bennett?  It hosts a fantastic assemblage of marine mammals.  Something like 20,000 elephant seal pups are born there each year, and that is just one of the species which hang out at PB.  For sheer biomass,I don't think Point Bennett has an equal in the System.  You could walk for a mile along the shore and never touch the sand, if the critters, and federal r

Massive Restoration Effort Aimed At Improving Coastal Wetlands At Channel Islands National Park

Oct 1st - 20:50pm | Don Morris

Prisoner's Harbor is indeed "one of the busiest parts of the island" by local standards.  By more universal measures, it is a pretty sleepy place, espeically compared to the mouth of the Ventura River on the mainland, which is very busy, and which has waterfowl up the gazoo.

Sep 29th - 06:33am | DStaniforth

I was at Prisoners Harbor in April and I remember reading about how where I was stood used to be wetlands. Would be great to see it restored, but I wonder if birds would return when it is so close to the dock and one of the busiest parts of the island

Olympic National Park Ready for Wolves?

Oct 1st - 16:15pm | MikeElkDeer

I am a hunter and have brother who live and archery hunt in Idaho.  They have seen first hand the impact to elk and deer in the area that the introduction of the wolf has affected that State.  The last wolf killed on the Olympic Peninsula was about 1926, near Sequim.  What led to their demise, is that the wolves will not stay in Olympic Nat'l Park, they will move down into the foothills like th

National Park Road Trip 2011: Crater Lake Lodge

Oct 1st - 14:24pm | Anonymous

[color=#234786]http://www.craterlakelodges.com/Activities-1843.html[/color][/url]

Creature Feature: Feral Burros are "Equina Non Grata" in the National Parks

Oct 1st - 13:23pm | Anonymous

Readers need to rethink the native vs non-native dogma: Clearly far more damage has been done to both private & public land native vegetation by introduced cattle and sheep and the mismanagement of overgrazing especially during drought episodes. Consider just the spread of one exotic to North America: Bromus tectorum, cheat grass !

Sep 30th - 19:45pm | Anonymous

technicly speaking they evolved there and were re-introduced  and in that since native. the only thing which is harmed is people who want somthing to hate. removing burros is rong and illeagal, trust me I  majored in equinology(science of horses and donkys).

Update: As Historic Fort Monroe Moves Rapidly Toward National Park Status, Questions Cloud the Push for Preservation

Sep 30th - 16:44pm | Sheri Bailey

FORT MONROE IN THE YEAR 2161

Sep 30th - 12:37pm | Dennis R. Lee

I am happy to join Mr. Niewig in calling for President Obama to declare a National Monument at Old Point Comfort with the additional caution to the President's staff to fully brief Mr. Obama on the option proposed by professionals, developers and politicians. Mr. Obama must have a clear understanding of what the vast majority of citizens are calling for.

Sep 30th - 07:56am | S. Canepa

In my earlier posting I mentioned Mr. Nieweg.  That resulted in my receiving a very lengthy letter from him which was written either in defense of his comments above or in defense against what I said in my comments.    At this point none of that really matters.   The main question for all of us today, particularly for Mr.

Sep 30th - 07:42am | Robert Nieweg, ...

Mr. Janiskee, respectfully --  

Sep 29th - 10:03am | Lee Dalton

I know absolutely nothing about this issue and will probably never have a chance to visit Fort Monroe.  But as I read through all the comments above I was struck by the fact that even though there are some rather significant disagreements, the commentors remained civil and polite with one another.

Sep 29th - 09:03am | Steven T. Corne...

Ron Saunders's comment includes this: "There are those that want to develop everything they can and there are those that don't want anybody to develop anything."

Sep 28th - 21:28pm | Ron Saunders

Well, I've been away from this forum for awhile and thought I'd visit to see what was going on. Kinda figured Fort Monroe would be on the table. I can remember spying that Fort as I rode the ferry across from Norfolk as a youngster with my uncle Lannie Hogue (formally "Hog", but my Aunt would not marry him unless he changed his name).

Climber Who Abandoned Companion In Grand Teton National Park Cited For Disorderly Conduct

Sep 30th - 14:02pm | Ryan Stefani

I'm not willing to judge Shade so quickly. While I would have a hard time leaving my partner, if it was a toss up between a fairly straight forward retreat (which I would doubt if it includes the Valhalla Traverse) and paying for an unneeded rescue, I would likely bail.

Sep 29th - 22:11pm | Phil Briggs

I don't believe I'd go climbing with anyone that might be so cavalier about leaving me stranded on a route.

Sep 29th - 19:53pm | Matt M.

The guy is a jerk but a citation seems a bit much. It's not like he left before the chopper got there. I wonder what the rescuers were thinking when they saw one guy walk away and start rapping down the mountain.

Elk Hunter Using Wrong Map Cited For Illegally Taking Elk In Grand Teton National Park

Sep 30th - 12:31pm | Anonymous

Dear Anon-- Please provide specific proof of your statement that"..many hunters poach prime specimens inside park no-hunting or private boundaries" Actually I suspect you are simply "Anti-hunting" and have no real basis for that statement. Your accusation about park rangers is really obnoxious and untrue.

Sep 30th - 02:51am | Rick B.

Another reality is that mapreading - land navigation - is rarely taught or learned outside of the Scouts and the military. My guess is that - given how little we know about the particulars of this case - it's probably 50/50 between intentional poaching and can't read a map.

Sep 29th - 22:19pm | Lee Dalton

Anon, I sure don't know what rangers you're referring to.  Many I know spend hours or even days on horseback -- sometimes in blizzard conditions -- riding boundary patrol. You seem to have an axe to grind.  If you have legitimate complaints that you can document, why not blow a loud whistle?  Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is a good place to find help.

Sep 29th - 14:01pm | Anonymous

The sad reality is that many hunters poach prime specimens inside park no-hunting or private boundaries; they know that few rangers patrol beyond comfortable roads in their heated SUVs.  There are also park employees engaged in illegal hunting: this so--called "sport" (what chance does any animal have against today's weaponry ?) is devoid of any professional

Sep 29th - 07:46am | pauletteb

"Wrong map" my butt! I'm not buying that one for a minute!

Groundbreaking Of Elwha River Restoration At Olympic National Park Something To Remember

Sep 30th - 12:09pm | Anonymous

What a great thing!! Next is the dam  at Hetch Hechy-- then Hoover!!LOL

Yellowstone National Park Officials Need More Time To Complete Winter-Use Plan

Sep 30th - 11:22am | Rick Smith

I am proud of the park for doing what it said it would do. It listened to the public (some 60,000 public comments) and identified some areas where it can make a sounder and better decision.

Sep 30th - 10:26am | Matt M.

Lee, it doesn't sound like this was just the typical BS derailing this project. And I'm not trying to single out the IDT lead. I'm sure they did their best. I've only led projects perhaps 1/10th this complicated and controversial, so I can only imagine what they had to go through.

Sep 30th - 08:46am | Lee Dalton

Dan Wenk has a reputation for solid thinking.  This has been a politically charged bombshell for many years, and it certainly seems very wise to take whatever time and effort may be required to find not just a good solution, but one that is  excellent.

Sep 29th - 19:56pm | Matt M.

I'd be embarrassed if I were the project manager for this one. But I guess this is the kind of project few people would want to lead.

Climate Study Points To Much Warmer Summers, Less Snow, For Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Sep 29th - 22:13pm | Lee Dalton

Hmmm, Anon, is it really the dumbing-down of schools or is it much wider than that?

Sep 29th - 18:16pm | Anonymous

For all the science deniers and those who renew their memberships in The Flat Earth Society: (reflection of the Dumbing-Down of Americans via Public School system Failures) The heat for melting ICE must come from Rush L. GOP Hot Air  vs  CO2 greenhouse effect from humans burning fossil fuels for the last 160 years of Hawaiian Observatory CO2 Atmospheric Data:

Sep 28th - 22:57pm | ecbuck

Lee - I agree.  Thats why the closed mind has to go after personal attacks rather than address the issues.

Sep 28th - 21:42pm | Lee Dalton

Kinda hard to reason with a closed mind.

Sep 28th - 21:40pm | Rick Smith

I suggest that NPT readers stop arguing with ebuck because his mind is already made up and nothing is going to change it. Rick

Sep 28th - 19:39pm | ecbuck

Rich - not surprised that was your response.  Couldn't refute that it was a prediction and not a "notice", nor that the report authors had an agenda - ergo the personal attacks. Got bad news for you.  You didn't really win the UK lottery and that Nigerian really isn't going to send you $22 million dollars.  But - you can believe it if you wish.

Sep 28th - 18:05pm | justinh

I'd trust the National Academy of Sciences over the cultural polemics of popular discourse.  Given what Americans believe, if that is to be our new criteria for science, ecbuck, here are a few things to consider:  

Sep 28th - 16:54pm | Rick B.

Sigh. Moving along. Have a nice day on your flat earth.

Dinosaur National Monument Celebrates a Pair of Long-Awaited "Grand Openings"

Sep 29th - 21:29pm | Wulverine

Made it to Dinosaur in June full well knowing that the new VC would not be opened. All the rangers were nice but still disappointing. To make matters worse, the rivers were all too high for our little ones to be able to safely raft. Still, the visit to Dinosaur was worth the trip.

Sep 29th - 12:49pm | Anonymous

We happened to arrive yesterday just after the opening ceremony.  My son was the first Junior Ranger inducted in the new visitors center.   It's a great new visitors center, wish the new Quarry Exhibit Hall had been opened as well.  We'll just have to go back. 

Grand Canyon National Park Officials Release Stock Use Plan, Including Mule Ride Quotas

Sep 29th - 21:18pm | Anonymous

Dear Mr. Tough guy,

Reader Participation Day: What National Parks In Other Countries Are On Your Agenda?

Sep 29th - 15:31pm | erik b

I'll be visiting Teide National Park, on the Canary Islands soon.

Sep 28th - 21:44pm | Lee Dalton

I'll never be able to see all the wonders right in my back yard.  No need to go elsewhere.

Sep 28th - 20:12pm | Bill H

Will be visiting Khao Yai National Park in Thailand, a couple of months from now.

Sep 28th - 19:16pm | rdm24

On the subject of Mexico's national parks, I just found this article in the SF Chronicle! http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/09/28/mexico_natio...

North Carolina Wildlife Officials Thinking of Reclassifying Status of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Elk

Sep 29th - 14:23pm | Daniel

I believe in keeping the heard protect  for a couple more years. Our deer hunters here in NC hunt all thru the season and take up to there limit every year. Now look at the deer population versus the elk population. If you give out open season the heard wil be killed off within the first years or so.

Yellowstone National Park’s ‘Psychedelic’ Wolves: Using Thermal Imagery To Study Disease

Sep 29th - 11:36am | Mark Pearsall

Hi Judith, My name is Mark Pearsall and I am a graduate student in design at California College of Arts, I am doing a paper on speculative robotics and nature that incorporates themography, would you mind answering a couple questions for my research? I would greatly appreciate your opinion.

Land Acquisition Brings Completion of Backbone Trail Closer At Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Sep 28th - 19:18pm | rdm24

Now, if there was some way to connect this to the PCT through the San Fernando Valley, we could hike along almost the entire Transverse Range! Good thing they are planning the Rim of the Valley park unit.

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