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National Park Visitation Debate -- Here We Go Again

Feb 11th - 19:21pm | Barky

I have a hard time envisioning reduced attendance at the parks. Seems to me that yes, a lot of teens are hooked on video games, but it also seems that a lot of young adults are also hooked on adventure, rock climbing, hang gliding, surfing, snow boarding, and other outdoor activities.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Feb 11th - 14:34pm | Mookie

I've visited Bryce several times, but never in Winter. That photograph is absolutely stunning, and makes me want to get on the next flight to Utah before the snow melts!

U.S. Sen. Coburn Runs Poll On Whether "Concealed Carry" Should be Allowed in Parks

Feb 11th - 12:53pm | Sam K.

Art, you say: the fact remains that the right to own firearms and to use them in self defense is enshrined in the Constitution.

Feb 11th - 11:53am | Art

The right to own and carry a firearm is a Constitutionally protected right. While a leftist judiciary has sought to infringe on that right by imposing limitations, which only law abiding citizens respect, the fact remains that the right to own firearms and to use them in self defense is enshrined in the Constitution.

Feb 11th - 11:02am | JoeSF

Frank

Feb 11th - 10:37am | Joel

Sorry Bill, You must have misread..."There is no such thing for private citizens to obtain a National Concealed Carry Permit" is what I actually said. I would love to get my hands on a National Concealed Carry Permit. Just no such thing.

Feb 11th - 10:36am | JoeSF

For those of you who do feel unsafe in National Parks, you can thank in part the willful disobeying of federal law by sanctuary city governments that have encouraged millions of illegal aliens to flock across our borders. The result is mountains of trash on our federal lands and crimes of all types in our parks and elsewhere.

Feb 11th - 10:23am | Frank N

In the old west everybody carried a gun. We all know how safe that made everybody! In old Chicago, everyone carried a gun. We all know how safe THAT was. Even today many victims of violent crime are carrying guns at the time, or have guns in their homes or vehicles. Some people end up shot with their own gun.

Feb 11th - 07:04am | Nbar

II own a handgun and carry it in my RV. I do not have a CCW and I do not carry the weapon on me but I have on my property and legal or not there it will stay. It is protection from an intruder only. I see no need to carry a concealed weapon in a National Park. Let's face it if you are carrying concealed for protection from animals, a handgun is only going to make them mad.

Feb 10th - 13:54pm | Jim M

I agree with you Joel that we're probably talking about a very small number of people that would be carrying guns in National Parks if it were made legal, and I do believe that most gun owners are quite responsible. My problem with a change in the law and what I was emphasizing in my letter to Sen.

Feb 10th - 12:47pm | Rick Smith

Gee, Bill, I have visited scores of national parks, all without a weapon, and believe I have retrieved my investment. I assume you could do the same. Rick Smith

Feb 10th - 10:46am | Mookie

I've always said Senators can't add correctly...no wonder they can never find enough money for the NPS.

Feb 9th - 21:48pm | Bill Roberts

I must have missed something. Joel seems to imply some one suggested there was a national CCW permit issurer out there somewhere. Have no idea if he was referring to my comment in my statement that my CCW permit should be recogniized in a NP anywhere. and not just in the 32 states for which I am licensed or recognized as legally authorised to carry a concealed weapon.

Feb 9th - 19:27pm | Peter

Some of the comments are just plain insane throughout the gun articles on this site. Think the whole way through society and how human interactions work. Just because you keep the ban on guns in national parks doesn’t mean you’d all of the sudden be defending yourself against a rock or knife or any other object. You can’t count on a bank robber to have a firearm permit.

Feb 9th - 15:45pm | Joel

I don't know how the point gets missed on every story that comes up about guns. There are an extreme minority of citizens that actually posses a "Concealed Carry Permit". There is no such thing for private citizens to obtain a National Concealed Carry Permit. In some states it's regulated by the local sheriff's office. In other states it requires a written explanation.

Feb 9th - 10:08am | Jim M

I know that some readers on this website are going to say I'm naive because I feel safe in National Parks without a loaded gun, but here's the note that I sent Sen. Coburn several days ago:

Feb 9th - 09:17am | Barky

Internet polls are the lamest way of either finding public opinion, or of making decisions. Senators should know better.

Feb 8th - 20:28pm | Bill Roberts

Don't think the bill goes far enough. It should supercede state laws to the point where it allows CCW license holders (concealed weapons licensed holders) from any state to carry a concealed weapon in any NP. Under the current proposed bill, as I understood it, would permit the Republik of Kalifornia to enforce it's laws over federal laws. Something is not right with that picture.

Help Ken Burns Chronicle the Parks

Feb 11th - 12:10pm | repanshek

John, Sounds like you have some great footage. While the deadline was last August, you might try to contact the folks at WETA in Arlington, Virginia. Good luck!

Feb 11th - 11:59am | John Correia

I have 8mm film of our family's trip to Yosemite National Park in the Summer of 1954. What's intersting about this film is that while we were there Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and crew were filming scenes form their 1954 movie the Long Trailer. You can clearly see Lucy in this film (from a distance) you can't miss her red hair.

Cycling at Haleakala National Park Given "High Risk" Rating

Feb 11th - 09:50am | Kath

I really hope that the NPS doesn't ban bike tours down the Haleakala road. This trip was the high point of our trip to Maui. Our tour company and our tour leader gave very clear and graphic warnings of the need to keep the bike under control, and pointed out the places where people had been killed.

Feb 10th - 14:48pm | Somewhere in SD

I am truly deeply sorry for the loss of the person who died riding down Haleakala. I too have done this ride down the side and it was awesome!!! Our instructor was very thorough and very safe and I too look at it as one of the best experiences I had in Maui. I think that it is sad that you can no longer experience such an awesome ride!

Feb 10th - 07:40am | Bob Janiskee

NOW they tell us! When Sandy and I took this bike ride down Haleakala in 1992, it was a lot of fun and seemed quite safe, even for us relatively inexperienced riders. Some pretty slick advertising had enticed us to sign on for the bike ride -- and get out of bed to board the the shuttle van at a god-awful early hour.

NPS Retirees Oppose Carrying Guns in National Parks

Feb 10th - 18:53pm | Anonymous

What about that young girl what was brutally murdered while walking the Appalachian trail a few weeks ago? The animals are not what I fear while transverse the back country, it’s the two legged critters I don’t trust. I am a gun owner and CCW licensee, but I don’t hunt . My creed is , “don’t kill it or bother it, unless you fully intend to eat it”.

Feb 7th - 17:03pm | Anonymous

Arguing that people have an absolute right to carry guns because of the second amendment is absurd. There are, and always have been, many places, federal, state, local and private that have prohibited (and do prohibit) loaded weapons besides our National Parks. I doubt that loaded weapons were allowed in the Constitutional Convention, for that matter.

Feb 7th - 12:46pm | Anonymous

As a hunter and supporter of the National Park Service, I see no point in changing the firearm rule. The amount of visitors I see every year in Yellowstone and Grand Teton get too close to wild animals on their own accord are not deserving to protect themselves with a firearm.

National Park Service Claims to Have Added New Map Feature to Web Sites

Feb 10th - 10:48am | Mookie

I have to say that the NPS has upgraded their website in the past 20 months or so, from horrendous to almost mediocre. There's still lots of improvement they could do, but they are trying. Adding the maps is a huge help, even if they aren't topos.

Feb 9th - 20:36pm | Gary Robb

Sorry-- I just noticed that all parks DO NOT have the maps. Check out Valley Forge as an example of one that does.

Feb 9th - 05:57am | MRC

Could any of you print the maps into a file? I got an "unknown error" each time I tried. I'd prefer to to se that feature, as I can edit the map then much better than on paper.

Feb 8th - 20:54pm | wonderly00

It is a really great feature. Before--and still--the way to find maps was under "Directions," which was not as clear as a link to a map on the front page. It did take me a while to find the link, though, since it blends in with the rest of the page.

Feb 8th - 20:53pm | repanshek

Hey, thanks for pointing it out, Anon. Not sure I like the color coding...it blends in too well, but I sure like the feature.

Feb 8th - 19:21pm | Anonymous

It's in the green banner displaying the park name at the top of the page. I really like this feature, thanks for pointing it out.

Mt Rainier from 20,000 Feet

Feb 8th - 14:37pm | jersu

yep ... 737 (i was on Southwest, which is all 737) and I was flying to Salt Lake. I've been on that trip a couple of times, and I really like the route it takes over the state of Washington ... Fly-by Mt Rainier, continue through central Washington (over the wine country), then exit the state somewhere near the Tri-Cities. If the weather is clear, lots of good scenery to see.

Feb 7th - 01:00am | Anonymous

Great shot...were you on a 737 and where were you flying to?

Venturing Into the Backcountry of the National Park System

Feb 8th - 11:41am | Dave O

The front county is just a place to register, get some last minute supplies, and bump into hordes of people and traffic. The backcountry is where the real beauty & excitement are at!

Feb 6th - 20:44pm | Steve Sergeant

If you ever want to plan that Kings Canyon trip, let me know. I'll find a club or a non-profit to take you there who'll be just as qualified as a commercial guide service, minus the luxury fee. (Who knows, I might even be the leader.)

What Are Your Priorities For the National Parks?

Feb 7th - 10:30am | Frank N

I agree, Paul. The purpose of the National Park Service is not to create recreation. This is the Mission Statement of the National Park Service:

Feb 7th - 07:48am | Clara

To Anonymous on February 5th - Amen! You said so eloquently what I would want to say, including the remark in the final parentheses.

Feb 6th - 20:56pm | Barky

Yeah, guns are one of those "flame bait" issues that simply distract us from the real problems. I'd like to see the following:

Feb 6th - 15:57pm | Ron D. Schulze

The Congress needs to strongly OVERRIDE the President on this issue, and FULLY FUND the National Parks. And put an old fashioned "Kaibosh" on the NPS's control and superceeding authority to spread it's nonsense! Yes, they need to remain in authority, but with Congressional oversite and greater limits tothat said authority. And what the heck is with the entrance fees being so high?

Park History: How the National Seashores Came to Be

Feb 7th - 10:17am | gordman

This place is heaven on earth, it's the perfect refuge far away from the "real" world. I have a great passion for boating and I find it wonderful to see there are so many possibilities for boating here. I have great memories with canal holidays.

Modeling Mesa Verde National Park With Lasers

Feb 7th - 07:15am | Bob Janiskee

This technology can produce amazingly accurate documentation of our civilization's key landmarks, enabling us to reproduce them in the event they're destroyed or severely damaged by natural catastrophes, terrorist attacks, vandalism, or whatever.

Feb 6th - 19:26pm | rscottjones

They did some laser scanning of rock art in Agua Fria National Monument (BLM_managed) last year. I haven't seen the results, but the researcher said that it could detect depth changes up to a fraction of a millimeter.

U.S. Senator To Make Bid to Allow National Park Visitors to Carry Guns

Feb 6th - 20:09pm | repanshek

OK, this will be my final two cents on this topic as I believe, as someone previously pointed out, that it's been debated ad nauseam.

Feb 6th - 19:22pm | Art

So, Kurt, let me get this straight. If Sen. Coburn had been an abortionist, and boasted of having murdered 4000 babies, you would understand his desire to allow guns in the National Parks, because abortionists naturally tend toward violence?

Feb 6th - 18:38pm | JoeSf

Kurt, I am a life member of the Sierra club and a member of the NRA. I support National Parks and the Second Amendment. Are you suggesting that one negates the other? The legislation does say that state law will govern firearms in the park does it not? This is hardly unrestrained access.

Feb 6th - 17:48pm | Anonymous

People should read up on Teddy Roosevelt. Traditional American liberties, like law abiding citizens carrying guns, are not incompatible with conservation & a love of our national parks. The real irrationality is coming from people who are hysterical about guns, but never about protecting innocent people from criminals. You cannot take some freedoms away without losing many others.

Feb 6th - 14:39pm | repanshek

Don, If the NRA put as much effort into actually supporting the parks, rather than seeking unrestrained access with its weapons, think of how wonderful the parks could be. As for Senator Coburn, I find it curious and perplexing for a doctor who boasts of delivering more than 4,000 babies to want to increase access to weapons.

Climate Change and the National Parks

Feb 6th - 17:35pm | repanshek

Yes, here in the Rockies we're having a heckuva snow year. Can't recall a year in the past 14 that can match this year's accumulations.

Feb 6th - 17:29pm | waterlvr

Actually, check out the latest reports on the snow. From what experts are saying, Lake Powell may reap the benefits of increased snow this winter. They’re forecasting that the snowmelt will raise the water levels and open Castle Rock Cut. This will be great for boaters as they'll be able to get around the lake quicker. My family has been visiting the lake for years - this is very exciting!

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