| Page 1205 | National Parks Traveler

I was the manager of Brooks Lodge from 1981-83 and during those years sometimes a plane would go missing for a few days and then turn up with all aboard safe. Weather conditions would deteriorate, or there would be a mechanical problem, and the pilot would prudently decide to just land somewhere and wait it out, or sit until found.

Aug 24th - 11:14am | Robert Morin

I worked with Neal and Mason on the maintenance team at Brooks Camp last summer and know that you couldn't have two more competent survival persons in an emergency situation than these two men. We are all hoping and praying for their safe return to King Salmon. And thank you Ben for the added information.

Aug 24th - 01:30am | Ben Jones

I have a lot of faith in Neal, as he is one of my best friends in the world, to have survived anything that may have happened and to be able to handle any situation that has arisen. He is as outdoorsman as they come and fortunately there was a weeks worth of supplies on board that are there for them while waiting for rescue. I wait anxiously for the good news that they have been found safe.

Aug 24th - 00:18am | akfisheagle

what's his name? I can find out for you. I live here and work for search and rescue on a volunteer basis. I know the people here and will get you the info you need. Scott

Aug 23rd - 16:24pm | tomp

N9313Z from: http://www.adn.com/2010/08/22/1419913/plane-with-4-on-board-missing.html As is everyone else, I'm hoping for the best.

Aug 23rd - 14:43pm | Anonymous

Is the tail number of the plane known?

Aug 23rd - 08:39am | pkrnger

I wonder over time how many NPS'ers have lost their lives in small aircraft accidents, and how many of these have been in air travel in Alaska?

Reader Participation Day: Help Plan Our Special Fall in the National Parks Series

Aug 25th - 07:34am | Lee Dalton

Zion, when the cottonwoods along the Virgin River turn gold and the weather cools to gentle warm breezes instead of blast furnace hot.

Aug 25th - 05:04am | stuttgartgirl

Capitol Reef in Utah is one of the most overlooked parks, but one of my favourites so definitely deserves to be included as does Glacier in Montana, another favourite.

Should Katmai National Park Replace Its Swikshak Patrol "Cabin"? One Picture Should Answer That Question

Aug 25th - 07:01am | Anonymous

How I wish now that it was not approved as the search for my friend Park Ranger Mason McLeod continues. He was one of the rangers sent to tear down the old cabin.

Another SAR in Alaska, This One for Day Hiker In Denali National Park and Preserve

Aug 25th - 06:40am | Connie Hopkins

Hiking alone is never a good idea and I hope this has a happy ending for his family's sake.

Aug 25th - 06:40am | Connie Hopkins

Hiking alone is never a good idea and I hope this has a happy ending for his family's sake.

Elk Population Growing at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 24th - 23:37pm | Anonymous

I hope Hunting is allowed someday. If you want a species to survive, start managing them...

Becoming A Junior Ranger At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 24th - 21:44pm | Matt Wolf

My son (6) and I had a recent similar experience. He especially loved doing the tree identification and was getting good at it.

Aug 24th - 08:44am | Neil Bernstein

We're proud of our Junior Ranger!

Aug 24th - 07:22am | Anonymous

My husband and I were volunteer campground hosts in Smokemont CG in GSMNP in 2000 & 2001. It was always a thrill to watch a new Jr Ranger being sworn in. Great story!

Experts Have No Idea Why Grizzly Bears Rampaged Through Yellowstone Area Campground, Killing One

Aug 24th - 19:52pm | One_of _the_Joggers

Hi RangerLady,

Updated: NPCA Points Out Threats to Grand Canyon National Park in New Report

Aug 24th - 16:10pm | haunted hiker

The situation at the Grand Canyon is not as alarming as this sounds. The canyon will out last us. The river corridor issues has been around since the Glen Canyon damn was built in 1966. Some native species are benefiting from exotic species like tamarisk.

European Rabbits Facing Death Sentence at San Juan Island National Historical Park

Aug 24th - 12:52pm | Rebecca Barnard

Help us fight this. It's inhumane and ridiculous to kill off a 130-year-old self-sustaining population for the sake of grasses that haven't been there for hundreds of years. The foxes are starving and the eagles are leaving since the rabbits were gassed in April 2010. There are hundreds remaining.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Turning to 240 Volunteers To Help Reduce Elk Herd

Aug 24th - 10:46am | wg

Priscella;

Aug 23rd - 18:10pm | Anonymous

I am also a female hunter and, although justified, I consider this a rather unjustified spending of National Park funds...yes they could have rounded them up and moved them elsewhere, like the areas around Yellowstone that have suffered decimation to benefit a wolf population out of control (another animal that needs to be hunted and now is listed again), or other areas but in the end, the only

Aug 23rd - 11:12am | rks_nd

Well, Priscilla, there is a regular hunting season for elk in and around the park, but not many people are successful, mostly because of the tough terrain. And with the worry of chronic wasting disease, which is transmissable to other animals such as livestock, the only options is to have a mass hunt to decrease the numbers.

Aug 23rd - 09:05am | Priscilla Feral

What a wrong-headed, mean-spirited massacre of animals who should benefit from a natural system in all National Parks. That's the least we can offer elk, deer, coyotes, wolves and others when federal and state wildlife agencies act like apologists for hunters whose license fees are channeled into those departments.

Traveler Readers Invited to "Test Drive" Prototype Website For Birding in the National Park System

Aug 24th - 10:01am | Tom and Carol Sykes

Access issues aside (when will this ever be fixed!), pertinent birding information web access for a particular park would be helpful if: 1. Lists are up to date. So many checklists in parks are based on old sightings and contain spelling errors or outdated common names.

Aug 24th - 08:07am | Kurt Repanshek

Maggies.mom, You could be encountering one of two problems. 1) If you're using Internet Explorer 8, it could be a compatibility problem that can usually be resolved by clicking on "compatibility view" under the icon "view pages."

Aug 24th - 07:55am | Anne H

The links at the species pages I checked weren't working, eg, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and eNature. Since the content at your pages is limited, having these work will be very helpful. I'm assuming you're linking to www.allaboutbirds.org at Cornell or possibly to each individual species account.

Aug 24th - 06:59am | Maggies.mom

If you want an immediate comment - the page I am looking at right now (www.nationalparkstraveler.com plus the invitation) has a problem with readability - both the announcement text and the reader comments are showing up so wide that they protrude into the green band at right. I am sure this is not your intent.

Aug 23rd - 23:56pm | Cornell

It gives both too much and not enough. (a) too much: The scientific name and the order are not necessary. Most birders carry one or more bird guides which give the scientific names.

Aug 23rd - 19:25pm | Kat

Looking forward to getting a look at it when the website is cooperating. One question from the get go...will it be available in mobile web format? I'd probably be a lot more inclined to use it in the field if I can access it from my iPhone, like I can with field guides and other bird related websites.

Aug 23rd - 15:33pm | tomp

Folks-- The science.nature.nps.gov server is back up. I'd appreciate suggestions on the prototype. When we make a production version of this (available for all NPS units), it will be hosted on a different, allegedly more reliable server.

Aug 23rd - 09:52am | tomp

Yup; Welcome to my life. All of science.nature.nps.gov (the I&M website) is not responding. I'll politely ping the IT folks. I apologize, folks.

Aug 23rd - 08:47am | Kurt Repanshek

Yep, the system certainly seems to be off to a bad Monday morning start. Hopefully it'll come back to life soon (7:46 a.m MDT).

Aug 23rd - 06:54am | Danny Bernstein

The NPS website must not be awake yet, this Monday morning (7:50 A.M. Eastern Daylight time). I can't seem to get to the websites sited inthe article. Sounds very interesting. I'll try them again later. Danny http://www.hikertohiker.com

RV Accident in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Injures 6

Aug 24th - 08:54am | Anonymous

Hello, we are on the way to the Park when the accident happened. It was Birthday Aug. 23 and Just a road trip through the Smoky when the accident happen. But we are glad that nobody got hurt really bad. We have fun though in the Oconaluftee Island Park Museum and the Gem Mining in Ruby gem.

Aug 24th - 07:58am | Danny Bernstein

Hi folks - I was at Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Smokies when the accident happened. Yes, it is inconvenient for other visitors but it's part of visiting a public area. You can't control everything. We tried our best to keep the visitors busy and seeing other parts of the park.

Aug 23rd - 21:36pm | Anonymous

I'm glad that people didn't get life threatening injuries and they were cleared from the accident side. But removing that RV in the middle of the day and totally blocking the way to the Blue Ridge Parkway was very annoying.

National Park Road Trip 2010: Return to the Beginning

Aug 24th - 07:44am | Connie Hopkins

You go David!!

National Parks Road Trip 2010: Across Wyoming

Aug 24th - 05:57am | Mercedes

I'm sure you had such a wonderful trip. Road trip is also one of my plans for my kids this summer but I was not able to get long vacation from work. Hopefully, next year we will be able to pursue that plan. My kids are already excited about it.

Reader Participation Day: Acadia National Park, or Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Aug 23rd - 22:48pm | toothdoctor

My two cents is for Acadia. While I have been to both, and enjoyed them each immensely, there was just something beyond words about my experience in Acadia that makes me want to return on a more regular basis.

Ask A Ranger. Violence Is Nothing New To The Blue Ridge Parkway.

Aug 23rd - 22:29pm | David Fifer

Mr. Codrea, from your comment I'm not sure if you're aware that there exists two general types of National Park Service Rangers: law enforcement (known as Protection Rangers), and non law enforcement rangers (interpreters, guides, maintenance personnel, etc).

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

Aug 23rd - 17:14pm | Anonymous

If this is for illustrative purposes only, where is a factual map, or do they even know yet which lands to grab?

Civil War Battlefields To Share $1 Million For Land Acquisition

Aug 23rd - 11:29am | Catherine

Could you add a link to the American Battlefield Protection Program, the NPS department that administers this part of the Land and Water Conservation Fund? http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/index.htm

August 20-21 Marks 100th Anniversary of the "Big Blowup"

Aug 23rd - 10:11am | tahoma

For the outline of the heroic story of fire crew leader Ed Pulaski's desperate retreat to a mine tunnel refuge: http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2010/08/idaho_trail_honors_...

Judge Tosses Personal Watercraft Rules at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Aug 23rd - 10:01am | Dave

> Dave, to say you left less of a trace than the sea kayaks is a bit of a stretch Maybe :-). But there were 40 of them milling around and beaching them on the sensitive shoreline.

District Court Upholds Designation of Critical Winter Habitat for Piping Plovers Along Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Aug 23rd - 09:20am | Ron Saunders

This is for Anon and anyone else that may be interested. With reference to my prior statement about Mr. Rylander, concerning the desire to "see him get his bell rung", I have posted a clearification on the Frank & Fran Fishing Forum where the statement was originally made.

Olympic National Park's Hoh Rain Forest: The Video

Aug 23rd - 05:30am | Anonymous

Peggy Thompson's work is some of the finest naturalist photography extant. You should definitely check out some of her other pieces on YouTube including the phenomenal book entitled Portraits of the Living Tao that she did with author Stephen Kaufman. She has a profound eye for beauty that is rarely captured by others. She is without doubt one of our better spiritual artists. She knows...

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