| Page 1179 | National Parks Traveler

The summary of Representative Bishop's record in this article strikes me as being largely misleading. For instance it pairs "Opposed the National Landscape Conservation System" with "which would not create any new Federally-owned lands" - but is there any indication that Rep. Bishop's opposition to the NLCS has anything to do with whether it would create new Federally-owned lands or not?

Nov 4th - 20:18pm | Ron Saunders

Well, I'd like to say that I'm for all the great initiatives to insure that the wilderness stays wilderness and is to be enjoyed by all to it's fullest. But I can't. Because I, as have so many, have experienced the push that the environmental groups have brought about. I have always tried to be open minded and look at both sides of the issues with compassion for all involved.

Nov 4th - 15:39pm | Rangertoo

It is interesting to note that a major sponsor of the 1916 bill that created the National Park Service was Senator Reed Smoot of Utah. A Republican and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Horace Albright credited Smoot for his work in getting the bill passed. Smoot's house is a National Historic Landmark.

Nov 4th - 14:09pm | justinh

To TJM, Which means Americans own 65% of the land. It's wonderful that Americans have the freedom to access this great land. It's a great argument for American Exceptionalism.

Nov 4th - 12:43pm | TJM

Remember, the federal government already owns 65% of the land in the west.

Nov 4th - 11:35am | Rick B.

I'm ashamed that Hastings comes from my state. We have beautiful parks in Washington, as do most other states. These apologists for moneyed interests truly dismay me.

Nov 4th - 09:49am | Bob Janiskee

DEF, paying attention to the national park-related pronouncements and behavioral dispositions of high-level elected officials and appointees is something that we take very seriously here at Traveler. In this case, the relevant information has been available for years. It's a bit disingenuous for you to imply that we have acted in haste.

Nov 4th - 09:41am | tahoma

Representative Hastings is one of the worst examples of political meddling in park management. It's depressing to think someone with a 2% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters will Chair the Natural Resources Committee.

Nov 4th - 09:26am | DEF

Wow! That headline. Did that "committee" already tell you that? in only one day's time? That was really fast work.

Nov 4th - 08:56am | Lee Dalton

Excuse me while I go vomit.

Marine Wilderness at a Crossroads In Point Reyes National Seashore

Nov 5th - 11:30am | MRC

If I may correct one issue: Point Reyes is not the only marine wilderness on the West Coast, at least the Rocks and Islands Wilderness, south of Cape Mendocino exists since 2006.

Nov 5th - 09:26am | pkrnger

Point Reyes National Seashore offers great relief from the traffic and confusion of an over-crowded San Francisco Bay Area. The urgency to remove the Drakes Bay Oyster Farm will be dependent on the extent to which its operations constitute an ecological and aesthetic impact of significance.

Yosemite Nature Notes: Glaciers

Nov 5th - 09:19am | pkrnger

The series of professional-quality videos produced by the NPS in cooperation with the Yosemite Conservancy is outstanding and an effective way to reach out to a public who have not yet had the chance to visit Yosemite National Park. For those of us who have summited Mt. Lyell, this video brings back wonderful memories.

Nature's Rock Stars in the Spotlight on National Fossil Day

Nov 5th - 09:13am | Anonymous

My family really enjoyed our recent visit to Washington DC. My sons wanted to visit the Smithsonian Museum to look at the fossils. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that our visit was on National Fossil Day. My boys were able to talk with rangers, become Junior Paleontologists, and even find fossils that were identified by scientists and they could take the fossils home.

National Park Quiz 88: Potpourri V

Nov 4th - 21:37pm | Sabattis

Bob - I was tripped up by #11. Despite just having read some of Traveler's coverage of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I didn't always remember the names...

Nov 4th - 06:17am | Bob Janiskee

Which one did you miss, Sabattis?

Nov 4th - 06:14am | Sabattis

Yay, 11 out of 12 !

Nov 3rd - 13:59pm | Bob Janiskee

Alas, tis true. My national parks course is now open only to University of South Carolina students. I've deleted the course advertisement from all quizzes, past and present.

Nov 3rd - 13:42pm | Robert Daniels

The course sounds great, but you have to be a student at Univ of SC to enroll.

Add Cataloochee Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park To List of Reservation Sites

Nov 4th - 20:49pm | Sabattis

It will be nice to be able to reserve these sites in advance.... I just hope that the sites don't all fill up six months in advance, leaving no sites available for those who can't make their travel plans that far out...

British Columbia, Montana Officials Sign Agreement to Protect Glacier, Waterton Lakes National Parks

Nov 4th - 20:03pm | Boston DUI Lawyer

This is really good to see. I love seeing nature get protected and things being put into place to try and correct the damage that humans have already inflicted on this earth. I like that they are trying to preserve these two national parks, work on climate change effects and try to enhance renewable energy technology.

Oprah Went Camping in Yosemite National Park, But Will She Remain A Fan of the National Parks?

Nov 4th - 17:50pm | Anonymous

If you've heard Gayle's and Oprah's comments since then, it wasn't a pleasant experience and they won't be back. I always thought Gayle was the trooper between the two but she was more negative than Oprah. Oprah at least had a passing interest in fly fishing. But that's OK - less competition for my favorite campsite in Upper Pines.

Nov 2nd - 18:14pm | Anonymous

I feel like I've been waiting on this day for 15 years! Ever since Frank and I "discovered" the National Park System on our road trip around the country in 1995, we have been desperate for a celebrity like Oprah (oops! there's nobody like Oprah!) to take an interest and show the American people the incredibly beautiful natural treasures that we own.

Fall Into Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Kills California Woman

Nov 4th - 16:29pm | Anonymous

Does anyone have a picture of Charlotte? I know she was in Beverly Hills.

Help Ken Burns Chronicle the Parks

Nov 4th - 10:09am | Sylvia Taylor S...

Orson Burlingame, your grandfather, not your uncle, was my great grandfather. His oldest child from his first marriage, Helen Virginia Burlingame Taylor, was my grandmother. Her son, George Orson Taylor, was my father. I would love to know more about the family from the years in Tennessee and North Carolina.

A Major Overhaul at Ford's Theatre National Historic Site Raises a Few Eyebrows

Nov 4th - 09:15am | Gene Taylor

I would like to know when the adjoining tavern, (next to Ford's theatre) was demolished/done away with. Whilst visiting the theatre years ago, (as a boy scout) I was informed that Booth, and other actors/stagehands would slip next door thru a passageway for the occasional drink. Would this tavern not hold any historical significance ?

Climbing Fees Proposed to Increase at Denali, Mount Rainier National Parks

Nov 4th - 06:15am | Sabattis

Its good to hear that the Park Service is seeking a self-sustaining alpine climbing program for each of these Parks!

Gloryland Brings Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson Full Circle

Nov 3rd - 23:39pm | Janice

I too just watched Oprah's visit to Yosemite. I am ready to see Yosemite as well as the other great NP's in the world. I thought the Grizzly Giant was spectacular. It gave me chills when I saw it, I can only imagine seeing it in person, I would love to plan a trip in the coming year to go with my sister Gail and have a blast as did Oprah and her Gayle. Janice

Nov 3rd - 19:09pm | ttommy

Dear Ranger, I just watched the Oprah show. I grew up in this area all my life. My partner is African American as I myself am a Native American mix. I have tried to get him out into the park and he has no idea what it has to offer. I am going to show him this Oprah and see if I can change his mind.

How Might Fatal Attack By Mountain Goat Change Backcountry Dynamics in National Parks?

Nov 3rd - 23:25pm | Ivan Phillipsen

I consider myself a pretty experienced explorer of natural places, but I am guilty of having been too relaxed around mountain goats, deer, and elk. Boardman's death was a sobering reminder for me that any big animal is potentially dangerous (many smaller animals too!).

Nov 3rd - 01:12am | Richard

There is a blog circulating on the net that claims hazing of mountain goats by shooting bean bags and throwing rocks by park rangers exacerbated the situation in the park making the goats more aggressive. Is there anything to this? http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/716/503/585/?z00m=19906220

Reader Participation Day: Do You Love Fall Colors, or Spring Blooms?

Nov 3rd - 21:37pm | Cornell

In south Louisiana where I live, we don't get much in the way of fall colors and our wildflowers are more in abundance in the in the fall. However, getting back to your question, I believe that there should be a third choice, which is closer to how I feel: both.

Nov 3rd - 16:24pm | Jan

That is really hard! We are wildflower fanatics ( own a dozen wildflower identification guides) and have a life list, (just like birders). Fall color is incredible, as newly retired teachers we haven't been able to travel in the fall but northern Michigan and beloved Superior National Forest can not be beat.

Nov 3rd - 16:22pm | Jon Merryman

There's nothing more spectacluar than a single sugar maple tree in all it's fall glory.

Nov 3rd - 11:20am | Anonymous

Golly..... what a choice.......they both exactly fit my moods at exactly the right times....

Nov 3rd - 08:57am | Laura

Fall colors for sure!

Bird Nests and Closures Spurring Civil Disobedience at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Nov 3rd - 16:59pm | Anonymous

If the beach closures help the wildlife then it is a small price to pay to have some areas closed periodically for wildlife breeding. After speaking with several fishermen on the beach, and some in the tackle shops, I was initially left with the impression that the NPS and "environmentalists" were trying to eventually close all NP beaches on Hatteras to ORV's and pedestrians all the time.

Vet Removes Snare From Neck of Wolf in Denali National Park and Preserve

Nov 3rd - 15:18pm | XinCi

I like it. I think the same thing. If I catch whoever snared those wolfs I will make him/her wear a tight snare on his/her leg for a year(maybe not his/her neck, he/she might die that way)!Just looking at the poor wolf's picture make me want to find the moron right now!

To Drill Or Not To Drill For Oil Beneath Big Cypress National Preserve, That Is The Question

Nov 3rd - 15:17pm | Ken

I recently visited the area, there is a full blown oil drilling operation now.

Do You Know Where Stonewall Jackson's Left Arm is Buried?

Nov 3rd - 09:49am | d-2

some quibbles:

This Third Time Was Anything But Charming – SPOT Misuse At Grand Canyon National Park

Nov 3rd - 08:56am | JLA

Unnecessary calls for rescues are not a new thing by any means. The advances of technology have simply made them more frequent. I don't think that anyone in the SAR community has any issue with providing emergency response in a true emergency, even though true, life and death emergencies are many times caused by inexperience, lack of proper equipment and poor judgement.

Nov 2nd - 18:20pm | Anonymous

The range and depth of knowledge and the articulate points in this thread speak to the qualifications of all those who have commented so far. As for me, I lack back-country experience and have managed to avoid camping. My one qualification to contribute a comment to this thread is that I was recently evacuated from the Grand Canyon by a Parks and Recreation helicopter crew. I am a "touron".

Public Health Service Agrees to Operate Yosemite Medical Clinic

Nov 3rd - 04:42am | Bob Janiskee

Those hospital days are long gone, to be sure. Yosemite's medical facility has operated as a clinic since the mid-1970s and is not set up to keep patients more than about four to six hours.

Nov 2nd - 19:58pm | Lee Dalton

Way back a long time ago, Yosemite actually had a real hospital. Not very big, but a hospital nonetheless. My wife was a nurse there and our first daughter was born there with Dr. Avery Sturm welcoming her to Yosemite. Ah, memories . . . . .

Exporting "Rangering": Working To Help Nicaraguans Safeguard Rare Hawksbill Turtles

Nov 2nd - 22:54pm | Rick Smith

Kelsey-- Please email me at [email protected] so that I can answer your questions. Rick

Gary Everhardt: The “Right Man at the Right Time” on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Nov 2nd - 18:10pm | d-2

Gary Everhardt IS a gentleman. And, more. Despite having been Director, as superintendent Gary had a skeptical and healthy view of officialdom, and the restrictions by the Washington Office and OMB on communications with Congress.

Oprah Visits Yosemite National Park

Nov 2nd - 17:49pm | Anonymous

I have it on good authority that both the staff of Indiana Dunes, as well as a few of their partner organizations, have invited Oprah on many occasions over the past 10 years.

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