Parks in the News

Director Bomar: Let Science, Not Politics, Decide the Yellowstone Snowmobile Issue

The pledge by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and National Park Service Director Mary Bomar to let science prevail in national park management decisions is nearing its defining test. If science is not supported in Yellowstone, where else in the park system will it have the final say?

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By Kurt Repanshek - September 10th, 2015 4:50pm

13 comments

Groups Sue Cape Hatteras National Seashore Over ORV Traffic

Back in July I predicted that the managers of Cape Hatteras National Seashore would be sued for allowing off-road vehicles to navigate the seashore without a valid ORV management plan in place. Well, that lawsuit has arrived in court.

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By Kurt Repanshek - March 9th, 2008 6:39pm

20 comments

Yellowstone Bison Population Healthy; Montana Priming For Hunts

The bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is doing quite well, thank you very much. According to the summer count, there are nearly 5,000 bison in the park. Up in Montana, meanwhile, state officials are already planning this winter's bison hunt just north of Yellowstone.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 17th, 2007 4:56pm

9 comments

Park Service Now Interested in Adding Christmas Mountains to Big Bend National Park

Better late than never? Well, it might be too late for the National Park Service, which has reversed itself on showing interest in adding more than 9,000 acres of land owned by the state of Texas to Big Bend National Park.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 13th, 2007 11:24am

4 comments

Alaska Regional Director Responds To Outrage Over Katmai Preserve Bear Hunt

The Katmai bear video has been one of the most-viewed posts on National Parks Traveler, being watched more than 4,000 times in less than a week. It has generated anguish, anger and controversy. Against this backdrop, Alaska Regional Director Marcia Blaszak has taken a moment to explain the Park Service's viewpoint of how to manage the bear hunt in Katmai National Preserve.

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By Marcia Blaszak - October 12th, 2007 12:25am

35 comments

Visitation At Olympic National Park Up Nearly 16 Percent

A year ago some in Congress were greatly concerned that the national park system was experiencing an unhealthy decline in visitation. That's not the case this year, where visitor traffic is on the upswing in a number of parks.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 10th, 2007 9:12am

2 comments

Glacier National Park Is Not As Pristine As It Appears

Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier National Park and you're immediately struck by the alpine beauty of this national park. Shimming lakes, waterfalls that seem to dangle from cliffs hundreds of feet in the air, glaciers off which the sun glints. But appearances can be deceiving.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 8th, 2007 9:20am

2 comments

Bryce Canyon's Navajo Loop Trail, Closed by a Rock Slide in 2006, Is Reopened

It took more than a year, but crews at Bryce Canyon National Park have been able to reopen the Navajo Loop Trail, which had been closed by a rock slide in May 2006.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 7th, 2007 11:26pm

1 comment

Katmai Bear Hunt: Outfitter Says It's No Walk in the Woods

An outfitter whose clients at close range gunned down brown bears in Katmai National Preserve contends the hunt is not akin to "shooting fish in a barrel." And Jim Hamilton claims those who filmed portions of the hunt ruined the hunters' experience.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 6th, 2007 10:27am

23 comments

Biologists Count Fish In Olympic National Park's Elwha River -- Under Water!

In case you were wondering, there are more than 7,000 rainbow trout, not to mention 26 pink salmon, 215 bull trout, and 539 adult Chinook salmon in the Elwha River in Olympic National Park. Park officials know that because a team of snorkel-spouting biologists swam the river's 42 miles specifically to count the fish.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 4th, 2007 3:40pm

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