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All Recent Comments

Mount St. Helen's National Park?

Apr 20th - 08:46am | kath

The NPS shouldn't spend too much money on visitor's centers at Mt. St. Helens. It's still an active volcano after all.

Apr 17th - 14:04pm | Glenn Scofield...

It would be a great idea for the NPS to take over Mount St. Helens. I know the Service is strapped financially, but if a place deserves NP status, it's certainly Mount St. Helens.

The Essential Acadia

Apr 19th - 08:35am | Andrea

Yes, and don't forget the Bass Harbor Head lighthouse, a year-round favorite of photographers.

Grand Teton Gets Go-Ahead on Transportation Corridors

Apr 19th - 06:33am | Jim Macdonald

You know, I biked all the way through Grand Teton and back last summer as part of my biker/hiker vacation through Grand Teton and Yellowstone. I felt about as safe as one can expect on those roads in Grand Teton and was happy that there was a shoulder at all.

Drought Conditions Putting Squeeze on Everglades

Apr 18th - 16:30pm | Alan Gregory

Right. Shortchange great blue herons. Great egrets. Snowy egrets. Little Blue and Green herons. Reddish egrets. And spoonbills. The hell with all the birds. We've gotta keep "growing!"

Segways To Invade Antietam--Updated

Apr 18th - 06:29am | Alan Gregory

What about motorized scooters? And skateboarders? And what about wagons powered by gray squirrels turning flywheels? But, hey, why not sell the naming rights, too? How about the ABC/Disney Segway Theme Park? And just imagine the millions the good NPS folks at Gettysburg could realize by also selling naming rights.

Apr 17th - 08:15am | kath

There's something about recreational Segway riding in a national battlefield that strikes me as inappropriate and disrespectful to the memory of those who died.

Of Bugs, Buzz Off, And Repellents

Apr 17th - 14:54pm | Insect Repellent

Have you ever tried any natural insect repellent products?

Shepherdstown--The Guest List

Apr 17th - 10:33am | YellowstoneJunkie

One can NEVER have enuf horsepower!!! Yeeeeaaahhhh baaaby!!

Apr 16th - 20:40pm | matt

Wow - that seems like a lot of horsepower for a sled!

Apr 15th - 22:51pm | YellowstoneJunkie

Yeaahh baby, this is what I'll be ridin' in Yellowstone this winter!!: http://www.brp.com/en-US/Products/SkiDoo/Showroom/MachZX.htm

Apr 15th - 22:46pm | Trish

Cabela's CEO is an invite, as well as Polaris and Ski-Do Corp....they were inadvertently left off the list.

Apr 15th - 22:24pm | Jim Macdonald

Alan, They weren't on the list because they've been exposed as pinko commie hippies... Still laughing, Jim

Apr 15th - 18:12pm | Alan Gregory

Wait a sec! I don't the CEOs of Kawasaki, Yamaha, Polaris, Ski-Do, etc. on the guest list. What gives? And how about those guys at Cabela's, the outdoors retailer that can't seem to build a new store these days without first getting a plethora of tax breaks?

Apr 15th - 15:21pm | Trish

Most parks have PLENTY of wilderness...more lodges, restaurants, etc. can and will be built in the frontcountry areas.

Apr 15th - 06:22am | Arthur Allen

Judging from the comments on this article, I wonder just who is reading Traveler's blogs. I thought it would be people who value the parks as important reservoirs of untrammeled, natural and historic resources, but it looks like the people who have commented want more development and commercial operations in the Parks!

Apr 14th - 21:57pm | Trish

I LOVE IT! We are finally getting our parks back from the environuts!!

Apr 14th - 10:29am | keepitreal

My husband and I are in our 60s and hardly hippies, commies or any of those other nice terms. We eat beef, and we have cell phones and iPods. But you won't see those devices when we're up in the Rocky Mountains or in the Grand Canyon. And we don't mind some unpaved trails. You want restaurants and concession stands and tons of paving? Go to Disneyworld or Six Flags or whatever.

Apr 14th - 08:49am | jr_ranger

Oh, and "Grandmother" Sally: I'm not too lazy to work for anything. tntrailhead.blogspot.com didn't appear on its own, you know.

Apr 14th - 08:37am | jr_ranger

I guess Mr. Gore (you know, the guy that used to be the next President of the United States?) is one of us "far-left greenies/envirowhackos" that want to leave a better, cleaner world for our children. The "Challenge" is starting to sound an awful like a fancy way to pander to the developers.

Apr 13th - 22:24pm | Matt

Don't you need utensils to eat gruel or couscous?

Apr 13th - 21:38pm | Rex

...oh yea, and we, the American public also want more lodging and restaurants...we don't eat gruel or couscous commie-food, we use UTENSILS and we like sleeping in BEDS....

Apr 13th - 21:25pm | Rex

"... Why are the tourism/recreation/concession interests being given an additional opportunity to provide their additional ideas and influence the way conclusions will be made?...

Apr 13th - 21:15pm | Sally

Sounds OUTSTANDING to me...maybe we can get some good corporate sponsorship in our parks...get the maintenance backlog reduced, get more interp and visitor services rangers hired, new vistor centers, better roads...you get the drift.

Apr 13th - 16:30pm | Jim Macdonald

I can't stop laughing.

Apr 13th - 15:50pm | Ranger X

I own an SUV and am a member of REI. I'm glad that my interests are being represented at the retreat.

Idaho's Bid For A National Park

Apr 15th - 21:50pm | matt

As incredible as SNRA is, it really is incompatible with being a "national park". Its current status seems to work just fine, no need to alter it just to make the NPS feel better.

Apr 15th - 18:08pm | Alan Gregory

Trish, you must be referring to the political hacks that infest the upper runs of the chain of command at the Interior Department these days. Perhaps you're thinking of Julie A. MacDonald. What's that you say? You never heard of Ms. MacDonald?

Apr 15th - 15:15pm | Trish

The NPS can't take care of what it has...why take more land and lock it up for envirowackos & bad-science scientists?????

Apr 14th - 22:12pm | Delawarians fo...

Kurt, before we focus on Idaho, let's try to make the National Park Service truly national and get a beach, river, historical site, something, for Delaware.

Sleeping Bear: Planning for the Future

Apr 15th - 20:03pm | theinnerlight

Too bad the interpretive division at Sleeping Bear Dunes is headed by a hack.

Apr 15th - 11:46am | Alan Gregory

Well of course the focus should be on conservation. That's why the finished product will emphasize recreation.

Mountain Bikers to Seek Access Through Listening Sessions

Apr 15th - 16:49pm | repanshek

Ellis, I guess for me it comes down to the simple aesthetics of national parks, being able to enjoy nature and the natural quiet of the landscape.

Apr 15th - 13:21pm | Ellis G.

I don't agree with lumping off-road cyclists with ATV, dirt bikes, and snowmobilers. These users burn fossil fuels, make a lot of noise, and generally cause heavy damage to trails. Any damage done by cyclists is comparable to that of equestrians and hikers. However, I agree with your point regarding the duty of the NPS to "preserve the landscape".

GM: Co-opting The Parks?

Apr 14th - 14:18pm | kath

"Old Faithful" on an automobile could turn out to be false advertising and not a name designed to appeal to men who don't want to be either old or .... Bad jokes, aside...you forgot to list the Toyota Sequoia, the Buick Rainier, and the Ford Ranger.

Memo to Mary: Call Julie Elmore

Apr 13th - 22:34pm | Darius

How do you know "her little project" is tainted and biased without having read it?

Apr 13th - 21:55pm | Rex

...School of the Environment and Earth Sciences... Uh, seems that her little "project" is somewhat tainted and biased...now I wonder what kind of questions she asked, and how did she ask them? I wonder what an ECONOMICS or BUSINESS major would find with the questions THEY could ask?

Apr 13th - 06:54am | J. Elmore

No, I did not publish my study. Probably should have published last year, but I thought there was interest at NPS leadership level and I was hoping the study was still under internal review. I'm happy to send anyone a disk of the .pdf version of my report. Just write to julia.elmore (at) excite.com

Apr 11th - 19:18pm | Jim Macdonald

So, is the inevitable response to this by some people that government has failed and that private industry can do better? I'm no fan of government (for reasons that have little to do with failure - perhaps, quite the opposite), but the conclusion some would draw would be even worse.

Apr 11th - 18:26pm | jr_ranger

The most depressing thing is that I'm wanting to get into all this mess after college. Makes me stop and think - am I setting myself up for failure? Is a career in the NPS really the best way to protect the parks? Talk about making me loose some confidence... Anyone know how to get in tough w/Ms. Elmore?

Poll: Winter Use in Yellowstone

Apr 13th - 22:16pm | Matt

Yeah, Kurt, this isn't scientific or legitimate. Next time you run a poll, make sure to get OMB approval and then have faculty from Northern Arizona Univ. administer it. I'll take my grain of salt and couscous now...

Apr 13th - 21:44pm | Rex

Your poll is far from scientific in that the majority of your readership is far-left greenies/envirowhackos...so I take it with a grain of salt...or couscous....

Apr 13th - 15:47pm | Ranger X

"How about "Nothing off-road except feet". That would seem fair to ALL!" Except for those without feet.

Apr 13th - 12:32pm | Jim Macdonald

For the record, I wasn't talking about mountain bikes. Current winter use policy in Yellowstone doesn't allow bikes on Yellowstone's roads.

Apr 13th - 12:27pm | ThatOneGurl

My problem usually comes when people try to include bikes in the 'no impact' category. Ya'll KNOW that mountain bikes do way more visual and environmental damage (drainage, ruts, delicate plants being destroyed) than sleds. That's why I always get bothered on this topic. How about "Nothing off-road except feet". That would seem fair to ALL!

Apr 13th - 09:20am | Random Walker

I am a motorsport enthusiast, love riding dirt bikes and sleds, but in a National Park!? There are to many acres of other public lands I find to play in that offer more of, everything....so I do not mind letting a little place like Yellowstone National Park be motor free. "....(not the old 2-cycle)" Wait a minute now!

Apr 13th - 08:57am | Jim Macdonald

Kurt,

Apr 13th - 08:43am | repanshek

Ah, Gurl, nothing surprises me these days. What might surprise you, though, is that I'm not one of your "we don't believe in motorized sports" people. In fact, several times I've wondered on these pages why the snowmobile industry doesn't move to electric 'biles. Prototypes have shown they're powerful, clean, and pretty quiet. It'd be hard to argue against them.

Apr 13th - 08:34am | ThatOneGurl

You mean your latest poll among other "we don't believe in motorized sports" people? Would it surprise you if you did the same poll and the answer came up "Mountain bikes are fine" or "Cross country skiing is the only way to go"? Of course your poll says "no motors"... do you think you're being read by a bunch of motorsports enthusiasts?

Rainier Announces Opening Schedule

Apr 13th - 21:49pm | Rex

Hat's off to the engineers and heavy equipment operators who worked very hard to get the Longmire Road open!!!! And the new VC at Paradise is going to be awesome!!

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