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The National Park to Park Highway

Jan 10th - 12:09pm | Kathy

It was done in 2010.  Here is the first page of the blog, a very interesting read ... http://nationalpark-to-parkhighwaytour2010.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html

Check Out Photographic Exhibition Celebrating Shenandoah National Park

Jan 10th - 12:03pm | rjohnson

What an awesome shot by Chase Schiefer. One of my favorite memories from Shenandoah was a similar situation. I was standing on the summit of Hawksbill on cool late summer day looking north to Stony Man with an isolated rainstorm immediately below. The cloud clung under the peak with silver curtains of showers falling into the watershed of East Hawksbill Creek.

Jan 10th - 06:11am | DStaniforth

I love Shenandoah National Park. One of my favourite times on the Appalachian Trail is when you have to hike through this great place

Should Phone Company Be Allowed To Raise 80-Foot Tower Inside Glacier National Park?

Jan 10th - 09:26am | Anonymous

The tower has nothing to do with cell phones. No where in the article does it even say anything about cell phones. It is needed to improve the internet availability and speeds for the greater St. Mary area.

Jan 10th - 08:50am | ecbuck

Sorry the "illegal per day" comment was supposed to be under the border story- "House GOP Expected to Resume....."

Jan 10th - 08:18am | ecbuck

Real simple - Fine any employer $1000 per illegal per day when caught employing an illegal.  Poof. The problem would be solved.  Unfortunately, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats want to see it happen.

Jan 10th - 08:11am | ecbuck

I agree with you on the cell towers but could you define "gross consumption"?

Jan 10th - 07:44am | Anonymously yours

absolutely not. I think "cell phone free zones" is a great idea and the federal and state parks could be the last valiant stand on that point. Besides, cell phone users already tax park rescue services to the max with their frivolous and/or irresponsible calls for help - in the parks that do have service. Ban SUV's while you're at it as a statement against gross consumption :-)!

Everglades Coalition's Priorities For 2012 Include Better Water Conservation, Land Acquisition

Jan 10th - 09:06am | Dick G.

Kind of sounds like another meeting about having another meeting again. I live in Florida and have yet to see any significant "on the ground "work done to restore the glades. maybe I haven't seen it though??

House GOP Expected To Resume Push To Exempt Border Patrol From Environmental Laws Across National Parks

Jan 10th - 06:47am | Borderman

Conservative?  Could it be Liberal that we have this problem to begin with?

Jan 10th - 00:35am | jjedit

During the past three years I've enjoyed volunteering at some of America's most beautiful and valuable resources. None is any more valuable nor beautiful than Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I spent six months at ORPI last winter (2010-11), and found the cooperation of the Border Patrol, park law enforcement, local police and state police satisfactory.

Jan 10th - 00:20am | Barbara G

I guess everyone has forgot about the wildlife cams  in mountain parks bordering the Mexico border that showed long lines of illegal aliens following trails through the parks until they reached one of the roads that criss cross the area to meet up with their ride into town.

Jan 9th - 10:05am | anonymous

I've said before that Congressman Bishop is the flip side to the same coin that has unreasonable environmental idol worshipers as his counter.  You live in that world and Bishops are what you get.  Having a little (a lot is needed) concern for the whole country including the parks as a whole would seem to be what's needed.

Jan 9th - 09:02am | Lee Dalton

The attacks on ORPI's wilderness by Cong. Rob Bishop are just one small part of his declared war on federal land ownership -- and especially wilderness -- in the west. Bishop won't be satisfied until all federal land either has an oil well on it or has been privatized and handed off to ownership by powerful development interests. (I know

Traveler's View: A Time To Pause In the Parks

Jan 10th - 06:38am | anonymous

Be assured that many outside the NPS community are mourning Ranger Anderson, also.

Jan 9th - 21:07pm | Yount's Mule

At 1pm Pacific time we will sit quietly and pray for ranger Anderson, her family and park family

Jan 9th - 20:43pm | justinh

Great piece, Kurt.  Thanks.

Jan 9th - 14:00pm | Rick B.

The title of this article is "A Time To Pause". I'd sure like to see the issue-driven rhetoric PAUSE long enough to mourn this public servant.  All expletives of emphasis deleted here prior to posting. 

Jan 9th - 13:13pm | ecbuck

Julie, Do you think only carrying in parks is a terrible idea or just carrying at all?   If the former, why should the parks be any different.  If the latter, why do you think we should ignore the constitution.

Jan 9th - 11:00am | Julie Trevelyan

Excellent, balanced post, Kurt. Thank you for that. As for all the comments here and all over the internet about laws not stopping criminals--well, obviously not. This would be why they are called "criminals." Seems to me that's a very silly point to make.

Jan 9th - 09:08am | Anonymous

Kurt, I commend you for a very well written article that expresses much outrage as well as deep compassion for Ranger Anderson and her family regarding her brutal untimely death. Such a tragic waste of human life that had so much to give to the world and to the national parks.

Jan 8th - 22:36pm | Lk

This is a really sad incident, but I would like to remind the author that homicidal criminals dont tend to follow gun laws.

Jan 8th - 22:33pm | y_p_w

ecbuck: BTW - what is a "military-caliber" weapon? A 38? 9mm? 45?.  I'm pretty sure that Kurt meant a military-style weapon that few people would ever need for hunting or normal shooting sports.

Jan 8th - 20:26pm | Rick Smith

Thanks for a balanced look at this issue. What we should concentrate on is memorializing the committment to public service that Ranger Anderson and her husband demonstrated. RIP Rick

Jan 8th - 13:27pm | Rick B.

Thanks for the thoughtful piece, Kurt.

Jan 8th - 13:00pm | ecbuck

"they have too many loopholes and allow too many military-caliber weapons to land in the wrong hands." Loopholes?  The only undebatible fact is that criminals will get the guns no matter what the law.  Heck - they can buy them from our government (Fast & Furious). BTW - what is a "military-caliber" weapon?  A 38? 9mm? 45?.

NPCA Opens Office In St. Paul, Minnesota

Jan 9th - 19:01pm | Anonymous

I agree about the Stillwater bridge

4-Year-old Dies in Fall off South Rim of Grand Canyon

Jan 9th - 18:39pm | Anonymous

Accidents happen every day and this one wasn't because the parents did something wrong by losing sight of their kid because if you saw a parent looking for their kid at Wal-Mart or woodmans you wouldn't go on and on about it you would just brush it aside and go on with your life. The only thing

Interior Secretary Salazar Withdraws 1 Million Acres Around Grand Canyon National Park From Hardrock Mining

Jan 9th - 18:39pm | ecbuck

"Maybe they should put a moritorium on any new mining until a certain percentage of clean up on previous mining is complete." That's right, we'll just turn off the lights for 20% of the country until those mines are clean.  Or maybe we'll mine and burn coal instead.  That should do the job.

Jan 9th - 18:36pm | Lynn Cruz

Hip, Hip, Hooray!  Finally some positive news!  

Jan 9th - 13:25pm | David Crowl

Sounds like, if you are worried about lost jobs from future mining, you could put a lot of people to work with the clean up of abandoned mines. Maybe they should put a moritorium on any new mining until a certain percentage of clean up on previous mining is complete.

Yellowstone National Park Extends String of 3-Million-Visitor Years

Jan 9th - 12:30pm | Kurt Repanshek

So no constant backing up/pulling forward to boost the counts, Stormy;-)

Jan 9th - 12:27pm | Stormy

Thanks Kurt! Now I know what an 'inductive loop counter' is.  It appears to count every time a vehicle passes over it.   

Jan 9th - 12:06pm | Kurt Repanshek

Stormy, Rather than try to explain the protocol myself, I've attached as a PDF the Park Service's explanation for how they count heads at Yellowstone. Not sure it's an exact science, but it puts things in the ballpark.

Jan 9th - 11:57am | Stormy

That's alot of people!  I do have a question as to how the count is done.  For example, we visited YNP for 3 weeks in 2008 entering through the west entrance.  However, we went in and out of the park through the various entrances at least 5 times during that stay visiting Teton, Cody, & various other places.

Wilderness At Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: A Challenge To Manage These Days

Jan 9th - 12:16pm | anonymous

Lee:  Appears to me your points of discussion were very clear and I responded in kind.  "Destroying the Wilderness" or protecting the borders seems to be the choice you present.

Jan 9th - 12:10pm | Lee Dalton

Anon, you are adding things to my comment that aren't there, nor were intended to be there.  It's that kind of rhetorical distortion that makes sensible discussions virtually impossible these days.  What I was pointing out is the fact that there are many other ways of solving the problem without destroying the wilderness. How about suggesting some solutions, instead?

Jan 9th - 11:59am | Markus

We visited OPC NM in May 2010 - one of the most remarkable parks we've seen so far. A visit is strongly recommended. On Ajo Mountain Drive the only other car around was a border patrol vehicle. Such true loneliness is hard to find nowadays even in NPS sites.

Jan 9th - 10:15am | anonymous

So, Lee, what you are saying is to allow the drug and human smugglers to freely mix with the citizens that might like to experience our Wilderness and not intercept the illegal activity until they reach I-10 or would it just be more environmental friendly and less confrontational to just make I-40 our Southern Border?

Jan 9th - 09:00am | Lee Dalton

The attacks on ORPI's wilderness by Cong.

Year's First Ascent of Half Dome Shows How Scarce Snow Is In Yosemite National Park

Jan 9th - 11:52am | Owen Hoffman

A similar view can be approximated from the air.  Last week, while flying from Oakland to Phoenix, a view of the High Sierra reveals little snow and mostly exposed granite rock.  I hope this apparent warming trend and drought will not persist.  The major metropolitain and agricultural communities of much of central and southern California are highly dependent on the Sierra snow pack for year-ro

Winter: A “Secret Season” in the South’s Loftiest National Parks

Jan 9th - 11:06am | rjohnson

Thanks D.K.—

Traveler's Checklist: Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Jan 9th - 09:06am | HREpp

Hi Danny,

Statue Of Liberty's 125th Birthday Feted, Then Lady Liberty Was Closed For Renovations

Jan 9th - 08:49am | Kurt Repanshek

Good catch, Clint. Obviously, we were involved in too many team sports growing up;-) It's fixed now.

Jan 9th - 08:33am | Clint Carbon

     With all due respect, I believe the word "teaming" describing "shore", should be spelled "teeming" -- two Es as opposed to the "EA" duo that appears in your text.  It makes more sense with the "EE" spelling, and I believe that if you check it against the original text, you will find it as I suggest.

Recalling What Winter's Supposed To Look Like In Yosemite National Park

Jan 9th - 04:34am | Preston Filbert

"Supposed to look like" may be the wrong phrase; how about "usually looks like"? Who are we to put a judgment on the earth?

National Park Service Reviewing West Virginia Site For Possible National Park and Preserve

Jan 8th - 22:47pm | Anonymous

Agree entirely.  If this idea does go anywhere, be sure to stay tuned to public comment periods so can comment and strongly oppose. Wilderness and NWR are the most protective uses of federal land and largely what we now have. A national park must by law promote much more human activity and will destroy these areas.  Leave it as is, those who take the time and effort already do so.

Can Blackwater Falls Area of West Virginia Support A National Park?

Jan 8th - 17:09pm | Michael

Everybody wins with the multiple use policy for the land proposed for this national park. A national park can end up shutting down hunting and proper managed timbering; bring on the spector of eminent domain for local residents, and the possible reintroduction of wolves onto land already overrun with coyotes.

National Park Road Trip 2011: Yellowstone National Park Lodges, Part III

Jan 8th - 16:28pm | Jeff

Do the Pioneer Cabins have the coffee makers as well?  Is the Frontier Cabin much better than the Pioneers?

Memorial Service Set For Mount Rainier National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson

Jan 8th - 11:29am | Kurt Repanshek

Art and Tahoma, folks at Mount Rainier say [email protected] is the correct email address. I did double-check how it's embedded into the story, and it looked like there was an extraneous "_" at the end of the address. I've removed that, so try it again.

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