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Entrance Fee Revenues Dipped Slightly in 2010 Across the National Park System From 2009 Levels

Jan 29th - 16:13pm | Steve Nelson

Glacier NP had free admission when I was there in August, 2009. There seemed to be a slight uptick in visitors in the Many Glacier area, but it's hard to say if the free admission was the cause or the weekend with relatively good weather.

Jan 29th - 10:29am | Sabattis

I was particularly struck by this comment: "Parks that are not near population centers, were less likely to see any increase on the free days. This is likely explained by the fact that the cost and effort to get to the park outweighed the incentive of the free days." It strikes me that this is so-self-evident as to almost be non-controversial.

Jan 28th - 14:09pm | Mac

Free days are part of the inroad strategy necessary to help former nonusers of the wild and natural landscape to gain a sense of ownership/partnership in preserving their own health as well as the health of our land.

Jan 28th - 14:03pm | Mac

II suspect that some of the reduction in entrance fees may have resulted from decreased use of personal motor vehicles in this recession, as well as the ever-mounting gasoline prices.

Jan 28th - 10:24am | Dave Crowl

Personally I do not like the free days idea. On one hand it may encourage someone to visit a park that has never done so in the past or allow someone who cannot afford to. On the other hand it can make the crowds large and parking tougher. I would be mad if I had planned a vacation in advance and then had to deal with extra crowds.

State of Wyoming And One of Its Counties Again Seeking Permission To Sue Over Yellowstone National Park Snowmobile Limits

Jan 29th - 12:58pm | y_p_w

Uh - the Federal government restricts free enterprise all the time. One needs a permit to operate tours in NPS areas. There have been limits placed on the number of mule rides in Grand Canyon. A company hasn't gotten approval for Segway-based tours of Yosemite.

Jan 29th - 10:14am | Anonymous

THERE ARE CERTAINLY ALOT OF BUASED OPINION HERE. THE SNOWMOBILE ISSUE WAS PRETTY WELL QUIETED WITH THE ADVENT OF THE 4 CYCLE ENGINE RESTRICTION. THERE ARE CURRENT LIMITS THAT RESTRICT TO THE USE OF "CURRENT TECHNOLOGY" FOR SNOW MOBILES. WHAT RIGHT DOES THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE OR ANY OTHER BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT HAVE TO RESTRICT FREE ENTERPRISE? THE PARK WAS RESERVED FOR THE PEOPLE....

Jan 29th - 09:35am | Lee Dalton

Thank you, YPW. That was an interesting map. I wonder if some lobbyists back then had anything to do with setting some of the park boundaries where they finally wound up?

Jan 29th - 01:32am | Anonymous

couple of points I would like to make about snow machines in the Yellowstone Park.

Jan 28th - 23:57pm | y_p_w

Lee Dalton: Could it be that Mother Nature played a big role in determining road layout in the park? Didn't early park people like Hiram Chittenden pretty much follow the line of least resistance when surveying roads? After all, a mountain pass is pretty hard to move.

Jan 28th - 14:46pm | Lee Dalton

Could it be that Mother Nature played a big role in determining road layout in the park? Didn't early park people like Hiram Chittenden pretty much follow the line of least resistance when surveying roads? After all, a mountain pass is pretty hard to move.

Jan 28th - 13:47pm | Mac

Remember that Yellowstone Park staff has had to wear respirators at times because of the snomobile pollution. That pollution alone is reason enough to severely regulate the motor use of a National Park.

Jan 28th - 13:20pm | y_p_w

C.C. The park does not belong to Wyoming. I'm sure they take in quite a bit of tourism revenue from Yellowstone. Peace and quiet should rule over the noise of snowmobiles.

Jan 28th - 12:30pm | Anonymous

But I can certainly see the frustration of the county on this point- on the one hand, snowmobile use is being limited becaue there's too many causing too much harm, but the county can't get involved in the court case because they don't have enough snowmobiles going into the Park. You may not think they should win their point, but don't they have a right to present it?

Jan 28th - 10:07am | Lynn F.

Yellowstone is not about snowmobiles! It is about nature and the animals that live there. I agree with C.C. Yellowstone doesn't belong to Wyoming, it belong to the Untied States and to us all.

Jan 28th - 07:53am | C.C.

The park does not belong to Wyoming. I'm sure they take in quite a bit of tourism revenue from Yellowstone. Peace and quiet should rule over the noise of snowmobiles.

Reader Participation Day: How Would You Cut the National Park Service's Budget?

Jan 29th - 11:55am | long term seasonal

A look at our local National Park (Redwood) shows outrageous expenditures for both facilities and staffing. This park is basically locked behind numerous gates. NPS has no campgrounds and very few trails to it's name here. In an unholy alliance with the State of California Parks this "Park" is the epitome of pork barrel projects and over staffing.

Visiting Dry Tortugas National Park: The Logistics

Jan 28th - 20:22pm | Ruth and Chip

We are going in April and plan on camping....this is our 3rd trip to the Keys and the first time we will make it out to Dry T. We can hardly wait. Tks for your informative article.

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

Jan 28th - 14:17pm | JohnT

I ride mules, I hike, I swim, I explore in a 4x4,I enjoy the outdoors in many ways. My choice is not based on the cost of the enjoyment. Rather it is based on the enjoyment and the experience. I don't begrudge anybody that wants to walk or ride, but I do begrudge it when they feel that "Their" opinion or choice of mode of transportation is the only one that is right.

Jan 28th - 12:10pm | Rich Granberg

The argument that has been used is that mules are responsible for all the trail damage. The denial that erosion and the lack of trail maintenance over last 60 years does not support the public's interests (or the resource). It would seem that erosion had nothing to do with the formation of the Grand Canyon, LOL!

Men Who Allegedly Poached Deer In Yosemite National Park Were Cornered By Their Own Records Of the Hunts

Jan 28th - 13:45pm | Ziggy

Chad made mistakes but, it was his Honesty and cooperation with the authorities that led to the multitude of charges. There are a number of maps for yosemite. On one map he would be legal and the other not. everyone of Mr. Geirlichs' kills were border line. there was no criminal elemant to the crime. once again the authorities with no compassion threw him to the wolves.

Democrats Introduce "Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act" To Help Wildlife Cope With Climate Change

Jan 28th - 13:36pm | Mac

By the way, I am here to discover the fate of this legislation, so that if it failed, maybe it can be reintroduced.

Jan 28th - 13:34pm | Mac

Bird migrations need food stops. increasing monoculture doesn't give them that. Surrounding lakes with houses and resorts has long been a problem for birds and wildlife in the upper midwest.

Jan 28th - 13:25pm | Mac

The Wildlands Network, run by biologists and concerned citizens, looks at the possible lands that can be used for healthy continuance of our native plants and animals, who need ground connections to keep from inbreeding, and extincition.

Jan 28th - 13:13pm | Mac

THe difference between accurate counting - science - and one person's intermittent and biased observations, is monumental. ornithologists have relatively accurate information, as does Wildlife dpeartments of federal and state government. That is their job.

Trickle of Documents Highlights National Park Service's Mistakes In Hubbell Trading Post Investigation

Jan 28th - 13:03pm | Dr. Charles Mitchell

The ultimate recognition for Bill Malone is, that if John Lorenzo Hubbell was to have picked his replacement --it would have been Bill Malone. I'm sure that as Mr. Hubbell "looks down" from his spot atop Hubbell Hill, he must be heart broken and enraged to see what the park service and WPMA have done to his post.

Reader Participation Day: How Far In Advance Do You Plan Your National Park Escape?

Jan 28th - 11:46am | y_p_w

Anonymous (aka Steve Nelson): I would think that the big western parks with the Parkitecture lodgings are harder to get and require more lead time and planning.

Jan 27th - 20:57pm | Anonymous

For my last 2 trips to Glacier, I made reservations at Many Glacier in January for August in 2009 and August/September 2010. For my trip to Yosemite in March 2000, I made a reservation for the Wawona in November 1999. The Yosemite people called and said sorry, we are cancelling the reservation in Wawona (groan) but we have a cabin for you in Curry (yippee)!

Jan 27th - 04:07am | DStaniforth

I have a long term plan for visiting parks in the future and a rough idea for what I want to get out of them. Once I have some time off work organised I figure out how many days I have to spend and then look at an area I can potentially visit and plan days within that.

Jan 26th - 21:12pm | y_p_w

Of course a lot of need for advance planning depends on popularity of the location, how much lodging there is inside/outside the park, and time of year. It might also matter what one wants to do. NPT had a recent article on the limiting of mule rides at Grand Canyon NP, which generally requires reservations.

Jan 26th - 17:31pm | Lee Dalton

I usually make one or two trips to YELL every summer without any real advance work. By getting to the park VERY early in the morning, I've never failed to find an open campsite at Norris. But there have been some squeakers.

Jan 26th - 11:15am | y_p_w

I've done a trip that included Yellowstone less than five months in advance. I had to wait on schedules and didn't get my first choice for cabins in park since they were no longer available. We even adjusted our schedule once, getting a cabin at Roosevelt to avoid driving to West Yellowstone late at night. That took a little travel agent experience; someone in our group used to be one.

Capitol Reef National Park: Winter Solitude & Silence

Jan 28th - 01:49am | Emilia G.

That 'Waterpocket Fold' is truly intriguing, and as you described it as 'winter solitude and silence, I think this is the best place for couples to go hiking, and recollect to strengthen relationship. And when hiking, avoid cotton when choosing your clothes, it accumulates moist easily,and when it gets wet, it takes too long to dry. Happy trails!

How Do You Move a 25-Ton Cannon? Dry Tortugas National Park Found an Ingenious Answer

Jan 27th - 21:01pm | Joe in N. Calif.

Sorry about that, when I first viewed this, none of the comments from Dec. showed for me. I love it when the internet makes me look like an idiot.

Bush Administration Plan to Remove Wolf Protections Draws Criticism

Jan 27th - 07:32am | anonymous

The Bambi Syndrome is live and well. The extremes in arguments are apparent, also. We are a part of the food chain (just walk down the grocery store isle). Also, [the woman**] outside Chignik, Alaska last year became part of the food chain after being killed and eaten by a pack.

Jan 27th - 06:22am | Anonymous

so cute the 1st time i saw em

Trails I've Hiked: The Smokemont Loop Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Jan 27th - 05:58am | TnHiker

Very nice write-up about this little-used trail. I'll add that the last bridge you mentioned happens to be one of the oldest commercially-built bridges in the Smokies. The platten affixed to it reads that it was constructed in 1921.

Updated: Walmart Drops Plan to Build Super Store on Historic Parcel of Wilderness Battlefield

Jan 26th - 22:31pm | RoadRanger

v_p_w's point about scale is an important one. The Walmart site is on 20 acres--some of it already developed-- of a proposed 1000 acre mixed use development north of VA3 and west of the Wilderness Run. With so much property involved it's puzzling why the effort by the parties involved to find a suitable alternative location was unsuccessful after a near three-year effort.

Jan 26th - 21:07pm | CHUCK

The Waltons will go down in history as representing the true meaning of greed, slavery of the people of the world, and the destruction of independant business and freedom ! ! !

Jan 26th - 12:21pm | y_p_w

I don't believe that Walmart actually owns the land. I thought it was redevelopment land; does anyone know who owns it? I doubt that the land itself is going to be donated. It sounds as if the county is eager to have it developed, although the scale seems to be the main issue. I saw video of the location, and there are already small strip malls, although not huge big box stores.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Project Sends Teddy Roosevelt's Papers Into The Digital Age

Jan 26th - 19:33pm | Valerie Naylor

Theodore Roosevelt National Park started this partnership with Dickinson State University in North Dakota, which is just 35 miles from the park. We are very pleased to be a part of it. The digitized documents will be useful to the national parks and their employees and visitors, but also to the world.

Jan 26th - 15:01pm | Sharon Kilzer, ...

The work being done at Sagamore Hill is part of a larger project to digitize the papers of Theodore Roosevelt, undertaken by the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University (ND).

House Natural Resources Committee Plans Keen Oversight of National Park Service, Other Land-Management Agencies

Jan 26th - 18:43pm | anonymous

Be grateful for Rob Bishop, it could be the rapture! Hey, it just might be :):)!

Jan 26th - 17:22pm | Lee Dalton

Rob Bishop is coming! Rob Bishop is coming! Lord help us all . . . .

Jan 26th - 15:56pm | Keeper

Those guys and gals with the chaps and dusters in the Canyon have been reduced by 75% so for the cultural and living history that won't be experienced there won't be anywhere to go but up. A correction (good term) is going on. Hope we all land somewhere that's rational and based on REAL facts and not bias (selfish). Bring it on :):). Respectfully, K

Jan 26th - 15:32pm | Jack Burns

This ain't gonna be good for the land.

Jan 26th - 14:58pm | Rick Smith

Keeper-- I spent a part of Monday, the 24th, meeting with the Regional Director and his senior staff plus a group of superintendents who are part of an advisory team for the RD. I think you would find a refreshing change in the leadership of the region. I don't think it is going to be business as usual in the IMR. I am optimistic that things are going to get better quickly.

Jan 26th - 10:55am | Keeper

I'm thinking that there are many including not just a few in NPS that will welcome oversight reviews in the Intermountain Region activities. A shining light on the darkness would be encouraging, really, hard to do well but would be REFRESHING.

The Gate Lodges Of Acadia National Park: Rockefeller's Little Castles

Jan 26th - 15:46pm | Anonymous

Hello there..... I grew up at the Brown Mountain Gate House in the 1960's and 70's. My father was Roy Stamey, a park ranger at Acadia of course. I cherish the memories growing up there. I will never experience the beauty again in my lifetime. My fathers job as a ranger really influenced my life. When I read this article I started crying. oh well thats how life is.

National Park Mystery Plant 16: One of a Pair

Jan 26th - 12:55pm | Bob Janiskee

Eric and Anon 11:44 got it right. See tomorrow's Traveler for the answer and an explanation of the clues.

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