| Page 1454 | National Parks Traveler

Yellowstone does not exist to support a small number of businesses in West Yellowstone. It is a NATIONAL Park. In fact, Yellowstone is more even than that. As the world's first National Park it is, and has been, a model that kind of belongs to everyone. There are people who would enjoy hunting in the park, or ATVing. Many folks could make money off of these activities.

Nov 18th - 14:50pm | jsmacdonald

Shelly,

Nov 18th - 14:25pm | Betty H

The Department of Interior has become a political stronghold and a disgrace to America. So what are we going to do now, spend many millions to once again do a scientific study and then ignore it ?!? I dearly hope that the President-elect has a plan to clean house in this Department before they manage to destroy all they have been entrusted to protect and save !

Nov 18th - 12:01pm | Anonymous

What the h*%# is a judge all the way back east in DC doing making this decision anyway? Shouldn't this be a LOCAL (Wyoming/Montana/Idaho) decision??

Nov 18th - 11:58am | Shelly

Fact is, there are businesses in West Yellowstone who have invested huge sums of money into their snowmobile fleets, not to mention the infrastructure to support the public who wish to enjoy the park in this manner.

Nov 18th - 09:51am | Anonymous

While not technically "overturning" Sullivan's ruling, this is clearly a slap in the face to that decision. I just can't see that Judge Sullivan would allow this to stand, though I guess it depends on whether the original plaintiffs want to press it. They certainly should.

Nov 17th - 21:17pm | Rick Smith

Bill Wade had this exactly right when he called the park's decision "unprincipled." It is hard to imagine that an agency charged with protecting and preserving the park areas of our nation would let such a decision by a superintendent stand, but I assume that is what will happen. As a former employee of Yellowstone, I am ashamed and outraged. Rick Smith

Nov 17th - 21:05pm | jsmacdonald

I figured this is what NPS would do, though I am surprised they are arrogant enough not to continue to push for adoption of the new temporary rule. It's pretty clear that this new (old) rule will be thrown out by Sullivan, and they had every chance to get the rule for lower numbers through.

Mammoth Cave National Park Produces Its Master Trails Plan

Nov 18th - 20:42pm | Sabattis

I second Jim's opinion, and I also note with approval that the final plan provides accommodations for all sorts of different activities, including hiking, horseback riding, and biking....

Nov 17th - 14:07pm | JimB

The increased cost is bound to be a concern for the park, but the best news I read into this story is the fact the park listened to the public, and ditched their preferred alternative and took a different approach after reviewing the public comments. That's a refreshing contrast to what what we've seen with some other agencies and at the Departmental level lately.

Keeping History Honest When It Comes to Sight Lines In Civil War-era National Parks Is Not Without Controversy

Nov 18th - 20:40pm | Sabattis

I think that battlefield preservation is important and worthy. Standing on the site of a battlefield creates a a different kind of connection with those who fought and gave their lives in that place. To that end, I think that it is important to preserve some sense of the original place as possible.

Nov 18th - 19:09pm | Kurt Repanshek

Perspective I think is necessary, both in what the NPS historically endeavored to do, and what one expects the role of today's military parks and battlefields to play.

Nov 18th - 01:53am | MRC

I don't really get it. What is the purpose of preserving battlefields at all? And more specific, why should they be preserved in the state of the time of the slaughter? Do people visit those places to remember the victims of the carnage? Why would anyone then want to preserve the sight lines of the artillery that ripped all those bodies to pieces?

Nov 17th - 15:05pm | dapster

Many sites in Virginia share the same quandry, as I believe others in the country must as well. After almost 150 years, the trees have returned with a vengeance! One in particular here in Richmond is the "Chickahominy Bluffs NBP" on the Mechanicsville Tnpk., (US Rt. 360), which was instrumental in the "Seven Days" battles, AKA the "Peninsula Campaign".

Nov 17th - 14:01pm | Bugsyshallfall

I think some clearing is ok and that only some areas of the battlefields should be cleared of non-historic plants if the area has limited other non-historic improvements or removed as well. In addition, not all of the trees have to be removed.

Nov 17th - 11:22am | Chip S

The battlefields have been preserved to educate us, the people who were not there. The park services try to make battlefields as authentic as they can. I can understand removing trees to accomplish the task. My family and I have gone to Gettysburg a few times, and I still get disoriented because I am not able to see the whole battlefield from every angle.

Nov 17th - 09:25am | Kurt Repanshek

Don, I'm afraid construction on a new visitor center isn't expected to begin before 2011. You can read more about Dinosaur in this post.

Nov 17th - 08:22am | Don R.

In July of 2006 my wife and I were vacationing in Colorado and Utah. We went to visit Dinosaur National Monument and found the building that covers the quary had been closed 2 weeks before we arrived. We were not happy but understood why after seeing the huge cracks in the foundation. Has there been any progress on reparing or replacing this building?

Director Bomar Extends Freeze on Fee Increases Through 2009

Nov 18th - 20:31pm | Sabattis

Of course, the letter from Senators Baucus and Crapo is nice populism, but doesn't show much understanding of economics. Our tax dollars go towards preserving and maintaining public lands, but ieach time a person visits a public land, he or she imposes a cost on the oepration of that land.

Are Yosemite National Park Officials Overlooking Safety of Curry Village Guests?

Nov 18th - 15:59pm | pkrnger

The problem is that although the risk of injury is quite small per person-day of residence at Curry Village, because of its year-round operation, the relatively high density of tent cabins, and the fact that rockfall has occurred during the crowded summer season, the occurrence of any such event above Curry Village is likely to result in injury or death to a few, unless cabins are relocated.

Backpacker's Most Dangerous Hikes: The National Parks are Well-Represented

Nov 18th - 09:49am | haunted hiker

If you are using casualty rates as your barometer for what makes a trail the most dangerous, then Zion's Angel's Landing and the Death Valley dune fields wouldn't make the cut. From a historical perspective, the Chilkoot Trail, aka "the meanest 33 miles in history," has killed hundreds of people. (Klondike Gold Rush National Park in Alaska).

Collapse of "Wall Arch" Proves Gravity Does Work at Arches National Park

Nov 17th - 20:25pm | Paul

A few folks asked about climbing on arches above...

Updated: Bush Administration: "A Legacy of Failure for Our Public Lands," Claims Congressman Grijalva

Nov 17th - 19:41pm | Rick Smith

Anon--

Nov 17th - 18:50pm | Anonymous

This report appears to be such a biased partisan attack that it is difficult to believe much of what is written. The bison population is NOT endangered . The National Bison Range in Montana maintains a herd size that is compatible with the amount of acreage it has for the population and has for years. My family has raised bison for over 30 years and started at a time when few were in it.

Fifty Year Ago Today, Warren Harding and His Buddies Conquered “Unclimbable” El Capitan

Nov 17th - 17:45pm | Random Walker

CAMP 4 Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber by Steve Roper .. is a fun read!

Nov 17th - 17:27pm | Rick Smith

Another fascinating look at the early days of climbing is in a book edited by Valerie Mendenhall Cohen entitled Woman on the Rocks: The Mountaineering Letters of Ruth Dyar Mendenhall. Mendenhall was one of the earliest and best American climbers who also happended to be a woman.

Nov 17th - 06:29am | Bob Janiskee

Claire: Thanks for putting us in touch with "Fun Climbs Around the World." It's a great website, and I very much enjoyed reading the posts you recommended. Older climbers fascinate me. How on earth have they managed to live that long?

Nov 17th - 05:00am | Claire Walter

My friend Sybille Hechtel, a "sandwich generation climber" (daughter of a Sierra climber and mother of an 18-year-old climber), has written about the El Cap reunion on http://funclimbsaroundtheworld.com/. Scroll down to her posts of Nov 7 thru Nov 13.

End of a Curious Era at Mount Rainier National Park

Nov 17th - 04:52am | Claire Walter

I'll give you odds that it won't be long before this weird but distinctive structure is mourned -- maintainenance headaches or no mainteinance headachces, energy efficient or not.

Nov 16th - 19:00pm | Dan

Ooohh, I hated that building. Long curving ramps from one floor to the next. No stairs, no elevator, so it was a minor hike just to get to the top. And the panoramic views? Nonsense, there were trees blocking the view of the mountain. Great view of the Tatoosh Range and Nisqually Valley, but that's hardly the point.

Nov 16th - 14:47pm | JimB

I hope the new building won't come with some of the maintenance headaches I understand plagued the "flying saucer," and the new one should certainly be more energy efficient.

Forever on the Mountain

Nov 16th - 23:33pm | Anonymous

I have a particular interest in your review since I am George Hall's daughter - the man who was superintendent in 1967. I remember that time well. Tabor made many significant errors in presenting his story - I have outlined the errors with the back up for each correction and sent it along to the author and his publisher. They sent along a nice thank you letter.

Do You Care About Energy Exploration Near Our National Parks?

Nov 16th - 15:41pm | JimB

To go back to the title of Kurt's story that started this discussion: "Do You Care About Energy Exploration Near Our National Parks?" My answer is "yes," and it sounds like quite a few others share that view.

Nov 16th - 12:16pm | MRC

Raser concentrates on geothermal electricity. There you run into the problem, that the national electricity grid is in an abysmally bad condition and the loss on the long-distance is considerable. High-voltage direct current could reduce the loss, but so far there are only two long distance HVDC lines, one between Quebac and New England and the Intermountain line between Utah and Los Angeles.

Nov 16th - 11:38am | Kurt Repanshek

MRC, I'm not sure your first comment is entirely true. Raser Technologies earlier this month cut the ribbon on a 10 megawatt geothermal plant in Utah. They've already marketed some of the electricity to some California communities.

Nov 16th - 11:08am | MRC

Geothermal energy is almost impossible to store or transport. So Yellowstone is simply too far out-of-the-way to use the geothermal options there effectively. Fortunately it is not necessary to drill the nations first National Park, as geothermal energy can be used at almost every place where there are deep (12.000-20.000 feet) aquifers.

Nov 16th - 10:25am | Bob Janiskee

Lone Hiker, you've been reading the crap I post on Traveler long enough to know that, if you want to kick my ass, you are going to have to pack a lunch, get a good book to read, and go stand at the end of a very long line.

Nov 16th - 10:10am | d-2

Dear Kath: -- On the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, it is wrong to think of it as a project to drill in only a tiny area. The fact is that the place they want to drill also happens to be the most sensitive part of the Range, right in the caribou calving ground.

Nov 16th - 10:06am | Lone Hiker

Damn it Bob, you stole my thunder by a matter of seconds. I'll get you for this........

Nov 16th - 10:03am | Lone Hiker

The electric hybrid is a joke, and certainly not the long-term solution to our energy needs. All these vehicles are doing is giving with one hand (slight reduction in petroleum requirements) while increasing environmental concerns over battery recycling / disposal, along with a disproportionate increase in the power required to recharge the cells every day or so.

Nov 16th - 09:45am | Bob Janiskee

Thermo, there's no question that there's a lot of high-quality energy that could be tapped in the Yellowstone caldera, and we might even get the high net useful energy yield you assume. But even if we could agree that it's ethically acceptable to use and abuse one of the greatest natural treasures on the planet this way, we'd still be running two risks of absolutely gargantuan scale.

Nov 16th - 08:43am | Thermodynamics

With all of the near surface thermal energy available, we should tap Yellowstone for massive geothermal energy development. It could power the entire western US and help to greatly reduce our fossil fuel consumption as well as provide additional electrical power generation we'll need for switching over to plug-in electric cars.

That Ringing Heard by Backcountry Visitors in Glacier National Park Wasn't in Their Ears

Nov 16th - 09:41am | JimB

Your question is an excellent one! Whether or not these bells in the backcountry would be considered "appropriate" today is a philosophical question, and involves the same opinions we see voiced on a lot of topics posted on the Traveler.

Nov 15th - 22:44pm | Anonymous

Pardon my ignorance, but why would the ringing of the bell be considered inappropriate?

Nov 15th - 20:36pm | Rick Smith

Bob-- Please do not mention "age". It is a subject I would like to ignore. Rick Smith

Nov 15th - 17:29pm | Bob Janiskee

Your age is showing, Rick. Yosemite's firefall was discontinued in 1968! Thanks for jogging my memory. I've got an article on the firefall in my "Gone But Not Forgotten" queue.

Nov 15th - 17:24pm | Rick Smith

Jim--

Greening the Parks: A Former Brownfield is Converted to a Lakefront Gem at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Nov 16th - 02:37am | Lone Hiker

I'm probably preachin' to the choir here Bob, as you're most likely aware of the fact that throughout much of the 1800's, the burgeoning "village" of Chicago was committing that very environmental holocaust by utilizing the Chicago River as their residential and industrial waste transport system.

This Park Wins the "Most Visits by a President" Award

Nov 15th - 19:51pm | marylander

The park was absolutely stunning this year for the fall foliage! We brought our kids and dogs for 3 weekends in a row to enjoy the leaves. The trails are easy enough for hiking strollers, too! Extra bonus

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