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Popular Swimming Area At Capitol Reef National Park Closed Due To Dangerous Conditions

Oct 29th - 20:41pm | Roma

I got a letter from the Park letting me know that the waterfall as of Oct. 24 is now open so you can walk down and take nice, beautiful pictures of the waterfall. I hope that we can swim there next year. Have a great winter, I hope we don't have any accidents on the road or in the park.

House Oversight Committee Looking Into Point Reyes National Seashore's Handling Of Oyster Farm Future

Oct 29th - 20:17pm | Anonymous

Kurt, The incrimination you speak of sounds like it came directly from the commercial fishing lobbyist propaganda. This is not mom and pop being picked on by big government. It is an individual who considers himself above the terms of the original agreement.

Oct 29th - 13:09pm | Anonymous

A thread that runs through so much of the conversation here and on the national level is an assault on the private sector.  Bad, bad people that have nothing but the most evil intent. I've been watching it for years creep into peoples psyche.

Oct 29th - 10:42am | anonymous

Can I apply for an oil search permit in Point Reyes?? Miss Feinstein I'd like a 40 yr lease pleaseLOL

Oct 29th - 09:20am | Anonymous

Those who love wilderness don't want to it commercialized. The Drakes Bay Oyster Company has had a sweet deal, paying almost nothing to take over remaining 7 years on a 40 lease granted to the previous owners of the operation with terms stating the the land would be restored as wilderness thereafter.

Oct 28th - 15:43pm | Anonymous

Environmental groups across the country continue to point the wealth of peer-reviewed science that exists on adverse ecological impacts from mariculture operations. What is amusing about the rabid pro-oyster cult of Point Reyes is their singular dismissal of it all and immediate damning of the draft EIS.

Oct 28th - 14:22pm | Kurt Repanshek

Good catch, Hayseed. You're right, it should be 2005. I've made the fix in the copy.

Oct 28th - 14:14pm | Hayseed

Check your dates, Kurt. Lunny bought Johnson's Oyster Co. some years before 2007, perhaps as many as five (i.e., 2002). I don't have the exact date that Lunny took over, but I know it was quite a bit earlier than '07.

Oct 28th - 12:23pm | Anonymous

The oyster farm smear campaign against the Park Service has backing from wise-use anti-environmental groups and commercial interests who want to further commercialize our public lands and seek to overturn the Wilderness Act. This is federally designated wilderness. Period.

Updated: Man Missing In Rocky Mountain National Park's Snowy Backcountry Found

Oct 29th - 19:40pm | Anonymous

As one that appreciates "transformational moments," I am sure Andy has had one and will be better for it.  As for some that have posted, I can only hope that they are blessed in the same way:).  Every year the great majority of those seeking challenging experiences are rewarded and become better people every time they try.  There are some that do not survive.

Oct 29th - 19:00pm | Julia Lund

We so appreciate Rick B.'s comment above, and those of all the positive and caring people here.  And our daughter, Julia, was also greatly helped by Rick's comment, and wrote hers before reading his.  Andy was released from the hospital today, is flying home tomorrow, and we'll be picking him up at the airport.  What a joy that will be, to hug our son and brother, whom we thought we'd never see

Oct 29th - 18:03pm | Julia Lund

And to those of you who think before you speak, thank you. :)

Oct 29th - 17:58pm | Julia Lund

How dare you say my brother isn't worth it. The money that was spent to save a person's life doesn't even start to compare to the millions of dollars that is spent each day to murder millions of babies everywhere. My brother is my best friend. He has one of the most beautiful souls and he is worth every cent that was spent to save his life.

Oct 29th - 15:10pm | Rick B.

Thanks, Mr. Lund. Glad your boy turned out OK.

Oct 29th - 08:35am | Dick G

Well there you go--- a father grateful for someone saving his sons life-- that's good enough for me. God bless those with the guts and compassion to save a life. We all do foolish things when we are young--

Oct 28th - 22:04pm | Dale Lund

   I am Andy Lund's father.  Andy knew of the coming storm, but thought he would be back down before it came.  We went through the worst time of our lives this past week, and are so thankful for the heroes who saved him.  I am sorry that you don't think our son is worth the money spent on rescuing him.  I would consider our tax money very well spent if it had to go to the saving of your life.

Oct 28th - 15:12pm | Matt M.

Thanks, Kurt. I know NPS code is ROMO, but I'm happy to by non-NPS!

Oct 28th - 13:25pm | michael

Hold on a minute to all those who said some variation of "mistakes" happen. I think the first comentor was exactly right re: "breaking every rule of backcountry/hiking..." This is not a case of someone who slipped on a trail and turned an ankle or got lost on a wrong trail.

Oct 28th - 12:57pm | HAG

Bravo to all additional memos and god bless all whom serve. Safe traveling to all, MOVING ON.Back to the trail.

Oct 28th - 12:44pm | Anonymous

To continue with Lee's post just our interest in getting out into the wilds where we CAN'T (or may not) have all the answers to every situation and are challenged to deal with things is surely part of the allure and the rewards.  There are places that humble EVERYONE and that in itself is a pretty good payoff, well, if you survive:).

Oct 28th - 12:36pm | Lee Dalton

Someone once asked Daniel Boone if he had ever been lost.  Boone is said to have thought for a moment and then replied, "No, but I sure was bewildered a few times."

Oct 28th - 11:03am | Rich S.

People are not perfect.  They make mistakes and get into trouble in the backcountry due to a variety of reasons, including inexperience, poor judgement, carelessness, injury, weather, or wild animals.  This applies to everyone who goes into the backcountry regardless of the amount of experience they have.  Even the most experienced hikers get into trouble.

Oct 28th - 09:51am | Matt M.

I'm glad they were able to pull him out of there, and I'm trying hard not to wish that whoever left the first comment someday makes a mistake and needs someone to help save their lives. I'm not going to do that, because I'm fairly certain they're not worth the effort. As for SAR, the RMNP folks are as good as they get. [The code for Rocky Mountain National Park is ROMO. Ed.]

Oct 27th - 23:00pm | Rick Smith

Park Ranger command-control Divisions emphasize Search & Rescue Operations at taxpayer expense so they, the Law Enforcement Division may dominate all other park budgets thus justifying their existence and demand more an ever-growing budget. Oh, let's not place any responsibility

Oct 27th - 21:23pm | Rick B.

Rough crowd in this hall. [and I agree - kudos to the SAR team for job well done]

Oct 27th - 21:22pm | we need to do b...

This story brought to my attention that there is a lot of snow already in the Colorado Rockies. Did you know that in Oregon it's dry as a bone. And, there are hundreds of jets hired by California, Nevada and Arizona water and power companies flying over OREGON CONSTANTLY. THEY ARE GEOENGINEERING, sending our storms to the Colorado River basin. How do they do this, you ask.

Oct 27th - 21:01pm | HAG

 As usual the SAR team responded as they always do, TOP NOTCH. Your the best. I can tell for those whom are worried over tax $ that many of these teams work as volunteers and love every minute of it in hopes that volunteering to help others will encourage others to do the same.

Widow of Man Mauled By Grizzly Sues Federal Government For Wrongful Death, Negligence

Oct 29th - 18:54pm | Wm Bova

I assume you are the same Mr. Smith @Examiner and don't see my post where you allow comments, so I will guess you don't like to be critiqued.

Oct 29th - 16:01pm | zenon

Let me see if I understand this correctly.  The study team followed the limited protocols as written by the Gov't Agency except for one thing - they didn't wait for the bear to become completely ambulatory and left with the signs. If they had waited another 15 minutes or so till the bear was up and around and then pulled the signs they would have followed the limited protocol in place, no?

Oct 28th - 18:53pm | HAG

Well lets see. put food in a tree to attract a grizzly bear in order to tag and track it. Have we learned nothing. Habituating,hello and drugs. we all need to wake up. Of course its to  late for this family. God bless the Evert's

Oct 28th - 15:08pm | Anonymously yours

the body was found directly under bait that had been left hanging from a tree... ample proof right there of negligience.

Oct 28th - 13:07pm | Anonymous

Stupid logic pauletteb. If you don't want to get shot by thugs stay inside your home?  Same logic...The bear should have been killed and if the research team violated protocol at the expense of a man's life then they should be held accountable. 

Oct 28th - 11:38am | pauletteb

Oh, please! Although I'm sorry for this woman's loss, I think her case is ridiculous! I'm afraid the government will settle, though, which will only encourage more frivolous lawsuits. If you don't want to risk encounters with wild animals, stay out of the woods!

Oct 28th - 09:56am | Matt M.

Tough story. It sounds like the grizz researchers may have been a bit negligent.  Was waiting with the bear until it woke up standard procedure that they chose to ignore?

Oct 28th - 09:54am | Dave Smith

The government will settle this out of court because a trail would severely damage the credibility of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service grizzly bear recovery coordinator Chris Servheen.

Battle Mounts Over Off-Road Vehicles at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Oct 29th - 14:58pm | rosa

wow controversial subject. I just visited your beautiful island of hattaras and love it. I never seen so many birds in one place (pea island).

125th Anniversary Celebration for Statue of Liberty Blends History and High-Tech

Oct 28th - 16:55pm | Valia

Happy 125th anniversary, Lady Liberty! In light of the Statue's 125th anniversary, I decided to calculate its value in scrap copper and the results are shocking: http://bit.ly/vEmKgf

Oct 28th - 01:04am | stan chaz

It is a fitting tribute, on Lady Liberty's 125th Anniversary, to have the hardy participants of Occupy Wall Street "standing watch" a few miles north, across the harbor. If Lady Liberty could talk, I'm sure she'd tell them: Thank You..for keeping the torch of liberty burning brightly; Thank you..for helping to renew the freedoms and ideals upon which this great country was founded.

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

Oct 28th - 16:11pm | Throcky...

  The ecological damage that burros do pales in comparison to what people do... Remember the song, "Pave Paradise and put up a parking lot"? Look what happened, when we took the habitat away from the deer population?? Thounands of automobiles are paying for that event..

Camping and Woodcraft by Horace Kephart

Oct 28th - 13:42pm | Tish Desjardins

What a nice article about Horace Kephart, Danny!  I enjoyed reading his book, "Our Southern Highlanders" a few years ago, too.  

2009 in Review: Abolished National Parks Were Highlighted in Park Pruning Series

Oct 28th - 10:26am | Bob Janiskee

Thanks, NSL.  If you want to read about all of the abolished national parks, click on Traveler's SEARCH button and type in the keyword "pruning".  For example, you'll find the Shadow Mountain article at this site

Oct 28th - 09:59am | NSL

Wow!  What a treasure trove of information.  While I knew about places like Mar-a-Lago, Father Millet Cross and Flaming Gorge, I was surprised to read about the Kennedy Center and virtually every other site listed here.  No info on Marble Canyon; I was under the impression it was absorbed into an expanded Grand Canyon National Park back in the seventies...?

Sagamore Hill, Home To Theodore Roosevelt, To Get $6.2 Million Renovation Next Spring

Oct 28th - 09:25am | Kurt Repanshek

Your tax dollars at work, Joe, through the Park Service's budget.

Oct 28th - 09:18am | Joe Pagliaro

It states in this article about the cost of the renovation of the Summer White at Sagamore hill will cost 6.2 million dollars. Where does this money come from?  Is it donations from the American people?   

Trails I've Hiked: Bechler River Trail In Yellowstone National Park

Oct 28th - 08:52am | Janes

Most interesting, Kurt. Nicely written.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Gets Approval For Elk Management Plan

Oct 28th - 06:59am | Danny Bernstein

The reintroduction of elk has been a great boon to the Cataloochee Valley. It has doubled the number of visitors in this hard-to-reach area. After the cows figured out that they had to protect their young from bears, the numbers of elk went up. They are now at Oconaluftee, creating traffic jams there as well. But that's OK. Visitors in a National Park should not be in a hurry.

Reader Participation Day: Is The Current Level Of Visitation To National Parks A Concern?

Oct 28th - 06:56am | Danny Bernstein

I wonder how many people visited Disneyworld and Disneyland this past year. Have their numbers gone down? Somehow I don't think so. And talk about crowding. Danny Bernstein www.hikertohiker.com

Oct 27th - 19:35pm | Lee Dalton

Owen, the key to it all is cooperation between those whose businesses depend on the park and the park. Zion's success came about because the park's management reached out to the community of Springdale and the community reached back.  It has been a winner for everyone.

Oct 27th - 18:25pm | Dick G

Owen-- I agree with you-- being in Yosemite valley in the summer during a weekend is a real nightmare with all the cars!!

How Many Tourists are Too Many in the Yosemite Valley?

Oct 27th - 21:58pm | Anonymous

How about AMERICAN TAXPAYERS have a priority in visiting the park? Yosemite Valley is full of foreign tourists, who occupy space, while Americans, who supposedly own this NATIONAL park have to enjoy the leftovers. It's time to establish a quota for the number of non-US nationals who can visit--run a lottery for them, or whatever.

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