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10/29/2009 - 8:07amBison Will Soon Roam Again at Tallgrass Prairie National PreserveYou call that boring, Kirby? When it comes to pegging out the bore-o-meter, nothing tops the 600-mile drive on the Interstate from Denver to Kansas City. I once had to tell a busload of tourists that there are lots of things to see on that stretch of interstate. As I ...
10/29/2009 - 7:05amBison Will Soon Roam Again at Tallgrass Prairie National PreserveI'm with you, Anon. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is way up there on my own personal list and I'm trying to figure out how I can manage a trip during one of two seasons -- either early summer (flowering peak) or fall (when some of the grass tops out at ...
10/25/2009 - 5:03amHow Does Your Congressional Representative Rank on Environmental Issues?Environmental protection ratings based on voting records don't provide a perfect yardstick, but they are a lot better than nothing. With each passing year, it becomes clearer that people should take environmental issues into account when deciding who they should vote for. I note with a complete lack of surprise ...
10/21/2009 - 6:58pmNational Park Mystery Spot: Standing Tall in the MiddleClose...... very close....., but not quite. Like to try to tighten it up?
10/15/2009 - 11:46amPruning the Parks: Castle Pinckney National Monument (1933-1956)RoadRanger, there were just too damn many Charles Pinckneys for my feeble neural networks to process. Let's give this thing a rest, OK? Well, maybe not yet. Wasn't the Charles Pinckney of Charles Pinckney National Historic Site the first cousin [i]once removed [/i]of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney? BTW, thanks for not ...
10/14/2009 - 2:27pmRare Motion Pictures Show Civil War Veterans at the 75th Gettysburg Battle Anniversary ReunionJohn, I hate that I can't be more help, but I'm afraid that I'm way out of my depth on this one. Perhaps one of the Civil War buffs who read these posts can help us out. I do hope that the information you need is archived somewhere.
10/14/2009 - 1:47pmCreature Feature: Meet the Asian Swamp Eel, "the Animal Equivalent of the Kudzu Vine?"Well, Wanda, if this thing is indeed a swamp eel as you believe, you sure don't want to release it back into the wild. The swamp eel is a [i]very [/i]unwelcome non-native species, and if we could wave a magic wand and get rid of it, we'd certainly waste no ...
10/14/2009 - 4:43amIt's Official: Picky Yosemite National Park Bears Prefer Their Meals in MinivansThis preference for minivans aside, Yosemite bears have always had their favorite models of cars. In the past (I don't know if this still holds true), Hondas and Toyotas were easiest to break into. Mother bears have taught their cubs how to peel open car window frames “like a banana.” ...
10/14/2009 - 4:13amIs It "Elitist" To Try to Visit All 58 National Parks?Those are sure enough gorgeous NPS units, Marcy, but both Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes are designated National Lakeshore, not National Park. There are four national lakeshores in all. The other two are Indiana Dunes (at southern end of Lake Michigan) and Apostle Islands (in Wisconsin on Lake Superior). ...
10/13/2009 - 5:16pmClimbing is Capped at Mount McKinley and Climbers are Left to Wonder What’s NextWould it be OK to put quotas on the trade routes, but not on the more challenging routes?
10/13/2009 - 3:38pmPruning the Parks: Castle Pinckney National Monument (1933-1956)Trying to put enough money together for such a project is a sobering thought, Anon, and any proposed use of the site would have to deal with the fact that it's a National Register listed property. I'm not at all surprised that Castle Pinckney is languishing out there in the ...
10/13/2009 - 3:05pmFrench Flyover is Prelude to the Upcoming Yorktown Victory Celebration As far as I can determine, the earliest celebrations were very small and very low key. The first formal Yorktown victory celebration, with thousands participating, was in 1824. Yorktown Day has been celebrated for over a century now, and the Yorktown Day Association has been in charge of organizing the ...
10/13/2009 - 2:23pmIs It "Elitist" To Try to Visit All 58 National Parks?@ Dave Harmon: Robin Winks was not only the first person to visit every unit of the NPS, he was also an extraordinarily gifted scholar, author, and friend of the national parks. For a sample of Winks' writing (commentary on the evolution and meaning Organic Act) , see this [url=http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Robin+Winks+&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=7&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalparkstraveler.com%2F2007%2F12%2Frobin-winks-evolution-and-meaning-organic-act]Traveler ...
10/12/2009 - 2:19pmTraveler's Checklist: Biscayne National ParkI hate that you missed out on those aquatic adventures, ypw. My own sad story is that I visited Biscayne en route to Key West and had no time at all for boat rides or snorkeling. In fact, I didn't get beyond Convoy Point, which is to say that I ...
10/11/2009 - 11:22amLost to Hurricanes, the Flamingo Lodge at Everglades National Park Will be Hard to ReplaceI'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Pauly. The Flamingo Lodge was [url=http://nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/03/flamingo-lodge-no-more]demolished last March[/url].
10/10/2009 - 4:39amWhen Visiting the National Parks, Look for Historic LookoutsThanks for the NOCA lookouts imagery. John Suiter's book [i]Poets on the Peaks: Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen & Jack Kerouac in the Cascades[/i] (Conterpoint, 2002) does an outstanding job of explaining how the splendid solitude of North Cascades fire tower duty helped shape the writing of the beat generation icons. ...
10/09/2009 - 8:21pmOh Boy! The Prospect Hotel! What Room Will I Be Staying In?That's right, Bat. Same S.O.B., different venue.
10/09/2009 - 6:14pmOh Boy! The Prospect Hotel! What Room Will I Be Staying In?Nice to hear from you Fred. Glad to know that you got the paint job finished before cold weather set in. BTW, I ran a painting contracting company while I was in grad school. We painted lots of old houses and apartment buildings that had been coated with lead-based paint. ...
10/08/2009 - 4:57pmClash of Viewpoints on Public Land Ownership and Protection Arrives in Congress in the Form of Red Rock Wilderness LegislationIn the photo the hoof prints are on the edge of the trail, indicating that the horse may have walked where the soil is less compacted and perhaps even fairly loose.
10/05/2009 - 10:05amBronze Spike Ceremony Marks Trail Completion at Whiskeytown National Recreation AreaCaliforniakayaker: For up to date information about new trails/segments and conditions, contact the park directly (phone 530-242-3400). To download a park map showing trails, visit [url=http://www.us-parks.com/whiskeytown-national-recreation-area/maps.html]this site[/url]. (There is also a HUGE (860 MB) pdf map of Whiskeytown at [url=http://www.nps.gov/whis/planyourvisit/maps.htm]this site[/url].) For Whiskeytown NRA trails information, visit [url=http://www.nps.gov/whis/planyourvisit/hiking.htm]this site[/url] and ...
10/05/2009 - 8:40amJudge’s Ruling on Drilling Noise May Bode Well for National Park Soundscape ProtectionCarel: I suggest that you get in touch with the NPS Natural Sounds Program. You'll find the contact information at [url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/naturalsounds/organization/]this site[/url]. Good luck.
10/04/2009 - 5:44amReader Participation Day: So, What Do You Think of the Ken Burns Film So Far?I couldn't disagree with you more, James. Film producers, playwrights, football coaches, musicians, park managers, and everyone else purveying a product or service (yes, even the people who produce this webzine) need the feedback that critics provide. Taken in the spirit intended, it makes you work harder and smarter. As ...
10/02/2009 - 1:12pmCreature Feature: Meet the Asian Swamp Eel, "the Animal Equivalent of the Kudzu Vine?"I'm not sure about the life span of the Asian swamp eel. Several of the sources I consulted say 8 to 12 years, but that would certainly vary with local conditions.
10/02/2009 - 4:04amJudge’s Ruling on Drilling Noise May Bode Well for National Park Soundscape ProtectionThere's been no final ruling in this case, but the preliminary injunction is certainly very encouraging.
10/01/2009 - 3:13amGloryland Brings Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson Full CircleA key consideration was the existence of racially segregated facilities in the national parks. Concessionaires were legally able to operate racially segregated facilities in the national parks until shortly after World War II. They were finally ordered to fully desegregate all park facilities in late 1945. (Federal Register, December 8, ...
09/30/2009 - 8:47amNational Park System Quiz 70: Bad#3 is definitely an eerie coincidence, tomp.
09/29/2009 - 4:18amSeasons Greetings!There is already a dual system, Ken, and that's not going to change. Locals will continue to use the traditional terms. But technical writers, because of their global perspective and international audience, will have to use use March equinox, June Solstice, September equinox, and December solstice. That's to avoid confusion/ambiguity, ...
09/28/2009 - 4:42pmNew Visitor Center Coming to Great Smoky Mountains National ParkCarole: Per the Great Smoky website: "For updated road and weather information please call (865) 436-1200."
09/28/2009 - 10:33amAn Analytical Look At The National Parks: America's Best IdeaI'll let someone else speak to the matter of Hot Springs, but I would like to point out these Mesa Verde facts. Mesa Verde's claim to national park status dates back over a century (Congress designated Mesa Verde a national park in 1906). The park is not only a World ...
09/23/2009 - 4:54pmReader Participation Day: What Aspect(s) of the National Park System Do You Want to Read More About?Digging out little known facts about our national parks is a [b]Traveler[/b] specialty, Jolene. I think you'll find a lot to like along those lines if you browse through "back issues." Do that and let us know what you think.
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