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DNA Tests Indicate Yellowstone National Park Elk, Not Bison, Most Likely To Spread Brucellosis

Oct 12th - 10:58am | Anonymous

Damn! What a sample size to conclude that elk, not bison, are the source of infection for cattle. You can also read about more trials that were done, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, and even fifty years ago that say the same thing as the trials that they conduct each year. Just goes to show how the dollars are being spent.

Oct 12th - 09:50am | Anonymous

Kind of distills the issue of livestock versus wildlife. The notion that ranching and healthy native ecosystems can comfortably coexist comes into question over this issue. So, which do you prefer to dominate the Greater Yellowstone?

Oct 12th - 07:25am | C.C.

I can't believe the comment from the state veterinarian for the Montana Dept. of Livestock. The debate over bison hazing stems from the Buffalo Field Campaign? REALLY? The Dept. of Livestock would like no one to be aware of the abuse of the bison!! I say, THANK YOU, to the Buffalo Field Campaign for their endless work to protect these animals. One day the hazing will stop!

Oct 12th - 07:12am | Anonymous

Every state in the nation has brucellosis-free status for cattle.

National Park Hospitality Association Wants More Lodging In The Parks

Oct 12th - 10:12am | Lynn

TO: y_p_w

Oct 11th - 21:03pm | Adam

This is the same boohoo is me rhetoric that concessioners have been saying since the parks were founded. That without the ability of their company to make money, then visitation will be low. But the fact is that those lodges have never catered to the majority of the visiting public, what average citizen can afford 200-300 dollar night stays?

Oct 11th - 00:08am | y_p_w

Lynn:

Oct 9th - 09:51am | Lynn

There are some really good responses to this article. My two cents is thus: I travel from Oregon to California's Yosemite National Park at least every 3 to 4 years. It used to be that campsites were easy to come by. Last year, we wanted to camp again in the valley, but there was nothing, and I mean nothing available for the whole summer months.

Oct 8th - 11:57am | y_p_w

Emily:

Oct 7th - 23:24pm | Emily

I'm from Upstate New York, and when I visited Yosemite National Park I flew in. I had enough stuff and paid enough fees without having to take all of my camping gear with me. Also, the climate there is much different from here, so I wouldn't know what to expect if I were camping there.

Ranger Confidential, Living, Working, and Dying In the National Parks

Oct 12th - 10:11am | NPS Resource Di...

If you really want low pay and crappy working conditions, come work for the NPS Resource Division at any western Park. No pay differential, hazardous work conditions, little support funding, long hours, no 20-year retirement, no permanent job security for most...it's awesome.

Easy Park Hikes: The Boardwalk Loop Trail at Congaree National Park

Oct 12th - 09:55am | Anonymously-Yours

that would be a nice thing to see.

Oct 11th - 15:24pm | Danny Bernstein

Congaree National Park is such a sweet, friendly park with easy flat trails. The folks at the visitor Center are so eager to see you and answer your questions. Check it out. Danny http://www.hikertohiker.com

More Calls For "National Park" Designations Across The National Park System

Oct 12th - 07:48am | Adam

Lawrence - Well said. Your post conjured up memories of canoe trips in the pine barrens with the iron-oxide tinted water that the vegetation has given a sweet iced-tea smell and taste (not that one should drink it...).

Oct 12th - 06:18am | Lawrence J Caldwell

I still vote for New Jersey's one-million acre Pinelands National Preserve. For the first time in my life I was able to witness the cranberry harvest this past weekend. I wish I could attach photos so all could catch a glimpse of this crimson delight. Happy Thanksgiving!

Oct 12th - 06:01am | DStaniforth

I visited Cedar Breaks National Monument in October 2008 and was amazed by it. It was the first stop on a road trip that took me to 16 "true" national parks in the southwest. There was snow on the ground and I spoke to an extremely friendly ranger who gave me a lot of information while she processed my credit card for one of the year passes.

Moving From Fall Towards Winter In the National Parks

Oct 12th - 06:29am | Bob Janiskee

Thanks for the suggestion, Anon. We've got a winter-themed series of articles in the pipeline, and perhaps we could add a list like the one you want.

Oct 12th - 06:19am | Anonymous

It would be nice to have a single listing of when the western National Parks close for the winter season. That would help in planning current and future trips. I appreciate your articles. They are quite helpful.

What's in the Water? Scientist Honored for Work at Crater Lake National Park

Oct 11th - 17:05pm | Jim Burnett

Ron - Thanks for the correction about the Mazamas grant and journal. Sorry about the error; I've made a correction in the article.

Oct 11th - 15:31pm | pkrnger

The suggestion by Larson and Geiger that phytoplankton may be responding to nutirent input from sewage seepage from Rim Village might not have become such a politically hot topic had it not been for the fact that the park had just been closed to the public by the CDC during the summer of 1975, due to sewage contamination of the park's drinking water supply.

Oct 9th - 14:23pm | Rob Mutch

Nice write-up Jim. Just one thing - The $518 grant was from the Mazamas (not from our group, the Crater Lake Institute (CLI)), a mountain climbing club based out of Portland, OR, and the article was published in their journal. William Steel, the father of Crater Lake NP, was a founding member of the Mazamas and this group had a strong impact on the park's early history.

Life On the Fire Lines in Rocky Mountain National Park

Oct 11th - 16:41pm | Ranger KT

What an awesome article!!

Oct 11th - 08:02am | Lee Dalton

Very interesting. Fire management seems to have come a long way in the last few years. But will someone explain what the Zion Wildland Fire Module is?

Staying Active In Congaree National Park

Oct 11th - 15:17pm | Anonymous

I live about 30 minutes from the park. It is a great place for backpacking and primitive camping. Great fishing. The Harry Hampton Vistor center is fantastic and if you ask at the counter, they will play an informative movie for you on the park in their little theater. The restrooms are clean and everyone who works or volunteers there are very kind and helpful. The trails are well marked.

Interior Secretary Signs Cape Wind Project Lease, Stresses Need for U.S. to Be Energy Independent

Oct 11th - 15:15pm | Michael Kellett

I think Secretary Salazar means well, but this is a big mistake. Some wind and solar proposed projects are fine. But many are nothing more than taxpayer-subsidized corporate boondoggles, using the fig leaf of "green power" to get them through the regulatory system with minimal review.

Oct 11th - 11:10am | Marco Garcia

Excellent move Secretary Salazar. I am so sorry that those rich folks are going to lose their view of the sound. My family lost our view of the mountains due to a construction project near our home. There are many wind projects currently being litigated in the Mojave desert that need to move forward also.

NPCA Offers National Park Phone Apps ... For Free!

Oct 11th - 09:22am | Dave Crowl

Hope it comes as a Droid app soon!

Scientists Gather to Discuss Yellowstone’s Future in a Rapidly Changing World

Oct 10th - 13:02pm | Lee Dalton

This is a challenge that will challenge even the most wise and gifted. But judging from the list of speakers, it looks like there are many gifts and wisdom at work here.

Reader Participation Day: Has Arizona's Approach To Controlling Illegal Immigrants Led You To Cancel a Grand Canyon Trip?

Oct 10th - 12:47pm | The Blue Collar Man

justinh We would love to hear from you, about your trip to any of those Parks, so we can find out if maybe you are the first person to get shot. Normal people would expect to use caution, since signs have been posted about potential dangers, and I think one is 80 miles inland from the border..

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Loses Two Staff to Plane Crash

Oct 10th - 11:45am | JG

Hey Anonymous, Save the generalist-tree-hugger-Ranger friendly lament for some other time. Friends were lost. Let's remember them, and not worry about the BS.

Oct 10th - 06:40am | Anonymous

The actual AP story says "National Park Service law enforcement officers [have died]". The NPS has changed for much that the news does not even recognize them as rangers any more. Just cops.

Oct 9th - 21:07pm | mvansickler@hot...

Please send info - Laurie was in my and my wife's wedding. We lost touch over the years but would like to send condolences appropriately. Laurie loved being a Ranger, and by all accounts that I was aware of was good at. It doesn't take much to search and see her name come up helping people and educating rather than just cuffing people.

Exploring Canyonlands And Arches National Parks By RV

Oct 9th - 14:10pm | George

The boundaries of Canyonlands and Arches reflect compromises in which several beautiful canyons of park quality were left out at the urging of county officials.

Reader Participation Day: How Many of the 392 National Park System Units Have You Visited?

Oct 9th - 10:12am | Nancy-Ann

My husband and I have now officially visited 201 National Park Units including 46 National Parks. For us, that means spending enough time in the park to really experience all it has to offer, camping when it is available, and writing a journal entry about our visit. We've also been to the Oklahoma City Memorial and American Memorial Park in Saipan which are not included in the 392.

Yellowstone National Park Eclipses Visitation Mark For The Year...Three Months Early

Oct 9th - 08:05am | ZEPHYR

Just think of how many more visitors the park would have had if AMTRAK served it directly as it did, once upon a time!

Oct 7th - 20:07pm | Zack

The Thorofare was nice and quiet when I was there in August!

The Rest of the Story – Tricky Clean-up at Crater Lake National Park After Car Goes Over the Edge

Oct 8th - 23:29pm | Anonymous

Crater Lake doesn't have any runoff. It holds the world's record for the clearest water in the world & doesn't have any streams or other water sources that feed into it other than rain water. It's a true crater surrounded lake. [Edited for gratuitous remark]

Sharpshooters To Begin Culling Deer in Valley Forge National Historical Park in November

Oct 8th - 17:50pm | y_p_w

Anonymous (October 8, 2010 - 2:27pm): Im i reading this right there going to pay someone to shoot the deer? why not charge hunters to do this and make a little money?

Oct 8th - 15:27pm | Anonymous

Im i reading this right there going to pay someone to shoot the deer? why not charge hunters to do this and make a little money?

Oct 8th - 13:24pm | Kurt Repanshek

All the meat is being donated to food pantries and food kitchens in the Harrisburg area.

Oct 8th - 11:56am | y_p_w

How are they doing this. Over at Point Reyes National Seashore, they've been taking out the non-native axis and fallow deer via helicopter.

Oct 8th - 10:42am | Anonymous

I think a lot of folks who read this would be a lot more comfortable if they knew what will be done with the deer after they are dispatched. 1000 deer carcasses would certainly be welcomed by homeless shelters and the like.

Oct 8th - 08:41am | Anonymous

While growing up in SE Pennsylvania, spotting an occasional deer was exciting. Now, since living in Valley Forge for 25 years I have witnessed the deer population increase to a level where they can be seen in large numbers day and night all over and around Valley Forge Park. And, at home, very little vegetation survives on my property due to their 'round the clock activity.

Oct 8th - 08:30am | Kurt Repanshek

Obviously I've written too many elk culling stories from Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Wind Cave National Park! Thanks for the copy-editing. It has been corrected.

Oct 8th - 08:24am | Anonymous

why does the subject say Culling "ELK"

Sections of Pacific Crest Trail Poached by Mountain Bikers; Could Problems Arise in National Parks?

Oct 8th - 17:46pm | Paul

A lot of trails where there are no bikes allowed get overgrown and then no one can use them.

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Closed until Further Notice Due to Wildfire

Oct 8th - 15:50pm | Patti Dammier

While checking the Hagerman web resources before my book goes to the publisher, I was saddened to read the news about the devastating fire and the damaged caused to the park. I had spent several days visiting the museum and the park area to complete a portion for a young person’s fictional story about horses and include facts about the historic fossils.

Catwalk Tours at New River Gorge Bridge Will Delight Some and Scare the Hell Out of the Rest

Oct 8th - 15:39pm | G. Cullop

It's open!! Did it yesterday. AWESOME!! http://www.bridgewalk.com/guided-nrg-bridge-tours.html

Dark Skies in National Parks Make It Easy to Spot the Space Station: Here's How to Look for It

Oct 8th - 13:22pm | David Smith

Bob - Thanks so much for the great story and links to the website from NASA - what a great partnership.

You Can Hear Them Now - Oregon Caves National Monument Upgrades Communications with the Underground

Oct 8th - 08:18am | Gaelyn

As a Ranger that worked at Oregon Caves I'm very glad to hear they've updated the old antiquated communication system.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

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.