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10/22/2008 - 1:35pmIMBA: Not Every Park Suitable For Mountain Biking, No Interests, Currently, For Trails in Wilderness AreasThanks for the links. Definitely some interesting reading. As to some of your other questions/points: >>...why does NPT challenge only certain "recreation activities"? Why not challenge driving and lodges since those high-impact activities are provided elsewhere?>I don't think allowing mountain bikes on old fire roads in the backcountry is inappropriate; ...
10/22/2008 - 12:41pmIMBA: Not Every Park Suitable For Mountain Biking, No Interests, Currently, For Trails in Wilderness AreasPerhaps you could point out where those studies can be found, Zebulon.
10/22/2008 - 11:47amIMBA: Not Every Park Suitable For Mountain Biking, No Interests, Currently, For Trails in Wilderness AreasRichard, the box you refer to came from a page on IMBA's web site regarding frequently asked questions and wilderness areas.
10/22/2008 - 7:59amIMBA: Not Every Park Suitable For Mountain Biking, No Interests, Currently, For Trails in Wilderness AreasWhoa, that's an awfully big brush you're swinging, Dapster. I don't recall anyone saying that hiking is the only acceptable form of access to public lands. Indeed, as I've pointed out [i]numerous times[/i] there are thousands and thousands of acres on national forests and across the BLM empire where mountain ...
10/20/2008 - 4:17pmInterior Officials Planning To Make It Easier for Mountain Bikers to Gain Backcountry Access in ParksRe the NRA mention, IMBA posted the article, [i][b]The Fight for Trails -- What IMBA Can Learn from the NRA[/b][/i], on its website without disclaimer and without disowning it, after deliberately seeking permission to do so. What are folks supposed to think when they land on that page, that IMBA ...
10/18/2008 - 9:47amInterior Officials Planning To Make It Easier for Mountain Bikers to Gain Backcountry Access in ParksDave, unlike IMBA's track record on this issue, in which, once they got their feet in the door, they slowly expanded what they really seem to want from the National Park Service, I think the [i][b]Traveler's[/b][/i] position has been clear from the get-go, as I previously noted. That said, as ...
10/17/2008 - 8:18amInterior Officials Planning To Make It Easier for Mountain Bikers to Gain Backcountry Access in ParksDisingenuous? IMBA's track record in dealing with the Park Service and in the importance of single-track opportunities as outlined above is accurate to the best of my knowledge. Even Mr. Eller didn't challenge it, though he did challenge PEER's contention that the proposed rule would shield superintendents from following NEPA. ...
10/16/2008 - 6:30pmSurvey Predicts Change in National Park Gun Regulations Will Lead to Wildlife Shootings, Management ProblemsBeamis, Since Rick is a member of the coalition, and since you said, "What a CNPSR member has to say about this is utterly and completely irrelevant," I think it's pretty clear you implied that Rick's views were irrelevant. Beyond that, your argument can be turned around an applied to ...
10/16/2008 - 5:45pmSurvey Predicts Change in National Park Gun Regulations Will Lead to Wildlife Shootings, Management ProblemsBeamis, I'd say what coalition members have to say is highly relevant, more so than folks who visit parks once or twice or even a dozen times a year. And for someone like Rick, who spent more than three decades on the ground in the parks, I'd say his two ...
10/16/2008 - 10:14amSurvey Predicts Change in National Park Gun Regulations Will Lead to Wildlife Shootings, Management ProblemsCurrent policy allows you to transport guns through parks, but they have to be broken down and stored out of reach. There are, of course, exceptions in that some "national preserves" and seashores and lakeshores do allow hunting.
10/16/2008 - 9:57amNew BLM Management Plans Could Have Major Impacts on Utah National ParksOne of the problems with encouraging local protection is whether the local community's desires mesh with the values of the neighboring national parks. The gateway to Arches and Canyonlands is Moab, which rakes in quite a bit of economic development from the off-road vehicle community and doesn't want to see ...
10/15/2008 - 9:59amTrails I've Hiked: Half Dome, Yosemite National ParkSteve, For many folks this can be a 9+ hour hike, especially when you factor in time on top gazing around. I think I started at 8 a.m. and was back in the valley by 5 or 5:30 p.m. But, of course, it all depends on how fast of a ...
10/14/2008 - 4:46pmThe Lost Arrow Spire Highline in Yosemite National Park is a Slackliner’s Dream and an Acrophobe’s NightmareInteresting article, Bob, one that perhaps will raise a discussion about whether this a good practice/sport in the parks? The folks in [url=http://www.nps.gov/arch]Arches National Park[/url] have [url=http://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/climbing.htm]outlawed slacklining[/url]. I'm not exactly sure why off the top of my head, but it might have to do with protecting both an individual's ...
10/12/2008 - 10:46amImagine the Impacts of Climate Change on the National Park SystemRegarding Greenland's melting ice, in late August I was fortunate enough to attend a field workshop on climate change and the impacts to whitebark pine forests. One of the participants was Dr. Steve Running, a terrestrial ecologist from the University of Montana. As I noted last month in a [url=http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/08/climate-change-driving-new-forest-regimen-greater-yellowstone-ecosystem]post ...
10/12/2008 - 9:21amFirst Ladies National Historic Site Struggles to Attract VisitorsWhile looking at cost-per-visitor might indeed be a good indicator of whether you're getting the most bang for your buck, can we really use that yardstick when measuring the worth of places such as Yellowstone or Gettysburg? Are not some units of the National Park System invaluable in what they ...
10/10/2008 - 3:10pmRock Falls Close Curry Village Lodgings in Yosemite National ParkStephanie, They've reopened portions of Camp Curry. You can find some news at [url=http://www.yosemitepark.com/curry-village-rock-fall.aspx]this site[/url]. I'd suggest you call the concessionaire at (801) 559-4884 to get more information.
10/03/2008 - 9:37amApostle Islands National Lakeshore Not Immune to Bear ProblemsVince, Rangers do have the authority to issue warnings and citations, but they pretty much have to catch the violations in action. It is unfortunate that this bear managed to find a human-provided buffet, and you'd think rangers would be able to figure out who left the Spam behind. The ...
10/01/2008 - 5:37pm**** Viewing National Parks Traveler on Firefox 3.0****Frank, I'm hoping (hopeful?) that I've found a tech who can solve the problem by mid-October at the latest (might be sooner, but I've got travel that could delay things). Thanks for hanging in there....
09/27/2008 - 8:57amAppellate Court Upholds Lower Court Ruling on Development at Gateway National Recreation AreaBarky, Let's see, the Presidio has already gone done this road, jumping into commercial development with both feet; at Alcatraz they leased out the prison to Toyota for a [url=http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2007/07/parties-parks-much-ado-about-nothing]bash[/url] with alcohol and, some say, marijuana; at Boston National Historical Park they [url=http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2007/07/private-party-charlestown-navy-yard-doesnt-lack-alcohol]rented out the Charleston Navy Yard[/url] for a ...
09/23/2008 - 2:47pm"Hidden Fire" Continues To Burn In Sequoia National ParkNic, Not all Yellowstone fires are extinguished. The LeHardy fire that started earlier this summer north of Fishing Bridge was pretty much coaxed into the backcountry and allowed to burn there, although it was fought to prevent it from sliding south to Fishing Bridge.
09/22/2008 - 1:13pmMusings From Yellowstone National ParkFrank, You, not I, inserted "race" into the equation. I merely made an observation to diversity, with the unstated but understood (at least to me) implication of "cultural" diversity. I don't think there's any argument that Yellowstone is a beautiful setting. But who will protect that setting years down the ...
09/22/2008 - 8:44amMusings From Yellowstone National ParkGinger, My comments about diversity were not intended to put down active rangers, but to highlight a problem that the leadership of the National Park Service itself recognizes: There simply is not enough diversity in the agency. More diversity is needed not just to more accurately reflect America's population, but ...
09/17/2008 - 3:01pmIs Climate Change Driving A New Forest Regimen in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?Kelly, Thanks for your kind words. I am indeed planning more climate change pieces. I've several work-related projects tied to climate change, and you'll see the results on the [b][i]Traveler[/i][/b] at the appropriate time.
09/17/2008 - 2:57pmMountain Pine Beetles Chewing into Grand Teton National Park ForestsAnon, Having been gone for a week, I'm a bit late in responding to your questions. From my understanding, what's going on in Colorado is the same as what's transpiring in Wyoming and Montana. As I've been told, the lack of normal thinning does heighten the likelihood and impact of ...
09/17/2008 - 11:50amHow Did The National Park Service Err So Badly On the Yellowstone Winter-Use Plan?Ted, I would disagree that the groups you cite walk strictly in lockstep. While they are all in the same "lane," some certainly are more strident than the others when it comes to appropriate degrees of environmentalism in general and what's appropriate on public lands. As to the abilities of ...
09/17/2008 - 11:37amFederal Judge Blocks Recreational Snowmobiling in Yellowstone National ParkFrank raises an intriguing prospect, that of revising/updating the National Park Service Organic Act of 1916. His suggestion particularly struck me today as earlier I was listening to an NPR show about the presidential nominees and the U.S. Constitution and whether it is a static or living document, whether it ...
09/17/2008 - 10:35amHow Did The National Park Service Err So Badly On the Yellowstone Winter-Use Plan?Ted says: [i]People 'of a certain perspective' - environmentalism - have deluded themselves that only one special mental posture is 'right' for those entering the National Parks, and that all other are offenders.[/i] I think that's an awful broad brush you're using, Ted. I consider myself an environmentalist, but also ...
09/06/2008 - 7:44amYellowstone National Park Reporting Bullish VisitationI think we need to remember that while gas prices here are high, they're at least half of what the Europeans pay at home, so that alone is quite a savings for them. That, plus the weak dollar, has made American vacations -- and SUVs -- very affordable for them ...
09/06/2008 - 7:40amHanna Forcing Evacuations, Closures at Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout National SeashoresThanks for sharing the pictures, Dap. Helps put things in context.
09/05/2008 - 6:07pmBig Bend National Park: Is It Ready For A Mountain Bike Trail?Barky, Too big of a leap? See Yellowstone and snowmobiles, Pictured Rocks and Cape Lookout and PWCs, Big Cypress and off-road vehicles. I'm sure there are other examples, but that's a pretty good start.
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