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11/12/2009 - 8:26amCollecting National Park T-Shirts: The Passion and the PainThe first park-related t shirt that I remember was the ubiquitous "Go Climb a Rock" shirt peddled by the old Yosemite Park and Curry Co. It spawned a host of copy cat shirts like "Go hike a Canyon". My most prized park-related t shirt, no longer wearable, was created by ...
11/04/2009 - 7:58amReader Participation Survey: What Was Your Most Fascinating National Park Interpretive Program?Two summers ago when I was volunteering at the Ranger Museum in Yellowstone, I attended an evening program at the small camground at Norris Junction. The topic for the evening had to do with the history of Yellowstone NP. The seasoal interpretive ranger giving the talk was also a concert ...
10/21/2009 - 7:49amInvestigation Of Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent Finds Cybertracks to Pornographic ImagesD-2 is correct in regard to the case at Cuyahoga. I wonder if one of the differences in the YOSE case is that the headquarters of the Foundation is in San Francisco. Tollefson would not be in the same close proximity to his successor as Latschar would have been. After ...
10/15/2009 - 2:24pmReader Participation Day: What Epic Treks in the National Parks Are on Your To-Do List?We flew through Gates of the Arctic NP and landed at Summit Lake, above the Arctic Circle. We then hiked for 5 days along the N. Fork of the Koyakuk River on a trailess route. At the Gates of the Arctic itself, we picked up two small rafts and floated ...
10/07/2009 - 4:18pmLodging in the Parks: Tioga Pass ResortWhen I worked in Tuolumne in the 70's, the resort was famous for its pies. I am glad that Kurt says that they are still good. Rick Smith
10/02/2009 - 9:41amU.S. House National Parks Subcommittee To Consider Red Rock Wilderness Act LegislationWow, Anon, that's pretty harsh. All those of us who support designated wilderness are saying is that there ought to be a small portion of the American landscape that is free of mechanized recreation. In my own state of NM, the BLM manages 13.4 million acres, the USFS, 10.2 million ...
09/26/2009 - 4:52pmAnother Cellphone Tower OKed for Kings Canyon National ParkKurt-- Maybe we have lost the following: 1.) A bit of self-reliance. If we know that a trained SAR team is just a cell phone call or a SPOT message away, it changes the character of a wilderness trip. We no longer have to rely on our own knowledge, skills, ...
09/26/2009 - 9:04amReader Participation Day: What Aspect(s) of the National Park System Do You Want to Read More About?Some of you may have read [i]Off the Wall,[/i] which is a summary of all the deaths in Yosemite since its creation. There is even a chapter on the deaths involved in building the dam at Hetch Hetchy. In the foreward to the book, Mike Finley, former superintendent of Everglades, ...
09/26/2009 - 8:53amIt's Official – Senate Confirms Jonathan Jarvis as Director of the National Park ServiceGood for you, Anon. His appointment has thrilled many of us retirees, also. We wish him the very best in his run at the NPS's new director. Rick Smith
09/25/2009 - 9:11amThe National Parks: America's Best IdeaI love this piece. It makes one think about some very important things. Los Angeles Times Big Picture blog Thursday, September 24, 2009 10:18 AM PDT Is Ken Burns a secret propagandist for socialism? Patrick Goldstein on the collision of entertainment, media and pop culture I wasn't planning on DVR-ing ...
09/23/2009 - 7:55pmTraveler's Gear Box: When You Need To Stop Bleeding Fast....Asoul-- If your patient is conscious, it is always good to ask him/her to what he/she might be allergic. Most people have a fairly good idea about this. I never even give anyone an aspirin or a excedrin without asking. Most of the products that Kurt mentions are safe for ...
09/21/2009 - 8:51pmCape Lookout National Seashore To Mark 150th Anniversary of Lighthouse This FallI suggest you send this information to the Superintendent of the park. You can use the contact information you find at www.nps.gov Simply click on Cape Lookout and go to "contact us." I am sure the park's historian will want to talk to you. Rick Smith
07/29/2009 - 3:41pmLet's Start a Tradition: "Thank a Ranger Day"Craig W-- Was it Ken Patrick at Pt. Reyes? Rick Smith
07/29/2009 - 3:36pmReader Participation Day: What's Your Favorite National Park Trail?If you all don't mind, I would like to nominate another trail as special. This is the old Teddy Roosevelt trail into Rainbow Bridge. Roosevelt went there before visiting a park for a president was a photo op; he just wanted to see the Bridge. Finding the trail head is ...
07/29/2009 - 8:07amReader Participation Day: What's Your Favorite National Park Trail?I like the Subway in Zion. It requires a bit of map reading and compass work to get to the start of the trail. You then descend into a narrow slot canyon. In part of it, there are two fault lines that run parallel down the middle of the canyon. ...
07/28/2009 - 7:36pmGreenpeace Activists Face Slew of Charges For Their Stunt At Mount Rushmore National MemorialGee. Bob, just when I was beginning to enjoy it. Rick Smith
07/26/2009 - 8:14amAre Our National Parks No Longer for the People?John Lison-- Thanks for your insightful comments. I will be returning to Yellowstone next week to serve as a volunteer in the Ranger Museum at Norris Jct.. I too find the vast majority of visitors to be inquisitive and respectful of their parks. And, the ranger staff--both protection and interpretation--that ...
07/21/2009 - 3:13pmAre Our National Parks No Longer for the People?Frank C-- My "elevated status" with the NPS started with ll seasons as a seasonal ranger in Yellowstone. So, I was not quite as elevated as you infer that I was. I am sure that on some days, I wondered about the stupidity of park visitors or became fed up ...
07/20/2009 - 1:52pmAre Our National Parks No Longer for the People?D-2-- You are too polite to Beamis. He is mostly wrong. Most park people are the opposite of what he claims they are: they are polite, usually well-informed, and have the visitor's back most of the time. I almost laughed out loud when he talked about young rangers coming out ...
07/16/2009 - 8:04am52nd Annual Bat Flight Breakfast at Carlsbad Caverns National Park on July 18, 2009I went to three of these when I was the superintendent of Carlsbad and Guadalupe (the two parks were managed by a single superintendent in those days. Now Guadalupe has its own superintendent.) While seeing the bats leave the cave is a regularly interpreted event during the summer, watching them ...
07/11/2009 - 12:00pmJon Jarvis Finally Nominated to be Next Director of the National Park ServiceComing up through the ranks as he has done, Jon has the chance of being an excellent Director one who will be sensitive to the needs of the field, yet with enough experience to find his way through the political thickets. I am fearful that his confirmation hearings won't get ...
06/13/2009 - 8:01pmShould the Jackson Hole Airport Lease Extension Wait for Safety Audit?Amen, D-2. This is pure Wyoming pork at the expense of a great national park. Rick Smith
06/10/2009 - 8:19pmNational Park Lodging Concessionaires Creating Their Own Stimulus PlansKurt-- I am interested in your comment that you are in favor of "lopping off some units and looking for efficiencies from top to bottom across the system." The problem with that kind of statement is who is going to do the lopping? What you miight consider "lop-worthy" I might ...
06/09/2009 - 12:43pmTrail Jogger at Glacier National Park Walks Away from Encounter With Two GrizzliesKurt-- I might not call him an idiot, but I think the adjective "foolish" applies. Springtime in Glacier means bears with cubs. I would not run any trail in that park during this time of year. Another adjective that applies is "lucky." Ray Bane's comments are right on. Rick Smith ...
06/05/2009 - 1:19pmRunning Lava Falls In Grand Canyon National Park: What Would Major Powell Think?When Grand Canyon's current superintendent, Steve Martin, was a young river ranger there, the NPS patrolled the river in oar-powered rafts. At one time, I believe they even had a dory. Too bad those days are gone. The management of the Colorado does not REQUIRE motorized boats, but it is ...
06/01/2009 - 3:03pmNo Sign Of Missing Hiker In Grand Canyon National Park, Search Being Scaled BackI am reminded of the preface to the book [i]Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite.[/i] The author of the preface said something like, "this isn't a book about death; it's a book about life." His point was that we learn from the mistakes of others. Recounting the tragedies that occur ...
05/31/2009 - 8:33amWhere in the World is Paul Fugate?Sorry, Anon. We were working from memory since neither of us has access to the NPS or police files. I am sure you are right and I apologize for the mistake. Please be assured that it was our error, not an error on the part of either the NPS or ...
05/29/2009 - 5:25pmSenate Loads Credit Card Bill With Amendment to Allow Loaded Weapons in National ParksAh, Frank C., you're back on the gun issue, slippery slopes and all. Please admit that people can disagree with you. That's what this forum is all about. You get your say, Ray Bane gets his, I get mine. Is that an example of the domino theory? Rick Smith
05/29/2009 - 10:03amTraveler Checklist: Yellowstone National Park"5. Check out the Museum of the National Park Ranger near the Norris Geyser Basin. Located in the original Norris Soldier Station near the entrance to Norris Campground, this museum offers exhibits that depict the development of the park ranger profession from its roots in the military traditions through early ...
05/29/2009 - 9:36amTraveler Checklist: Yellowstone National ParkAsk Suzanne to provide an extra seat in her office because I want to complain about it also. Rick Smith
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