Plight of the Parks

Violent Deaths in the National Parks

During 2006, 11 homicides were investigated across the national park system. Two involved women who had been pushed off cliffs, one was a suicide, and one was the victim of a DUI accident.

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By Kurt Repanshek - March 4th, 2008 9:59am

64 comments

Poaching Trees from Redwood National Park

Illegal poaching of resources from national parks has a long, unsettling history. In Great Smokies, it’s ginseng poaching. In Petrified Forest, it’s thievery of fossilized trees.

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By Chance Finegan - October 22nd, 2011 11:20am

2 comments

Of Geologists, Paleontologists, And Science in the National Park System

Since boyhood I've embraced a vision of the National Park Service as an agency that not only cared for forested mountains, shimmering lakes, foaming cataracts, dusty trails and a wildlife menagerie that stretched from alligators to wolverines, but also as one with a science mission built around these wonders. How accurate is that vision?

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By Kurt Repanshek - March 2nd, 2008 7:53pm

12 comments

Carrying Guns in the National Parks -- Is This Being Fast-Tracked?

Interior Department officials, no doubt with an eye on the election calendar, are wasting no time in their bid to rewrite laws pertaining to carrying guns in the national parks.

DOI Gun Memo.pdf

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 29th, 2008 11:32am

7 comments

Would a Change in Gun Laws Be a Threat to National Park Bears?

Would a change in the national park system's gun laws pose a threat to wildlife? In Alaska, there are some concerns that brown bears at Katmai National Park and Preserve might appear too threatening to some gun owners.

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By Anonymous - March 8th, 2018 8:30am

18 comments

Western National Parks Contaminated By Airborne Heavy Metals, Pesticides

How do you like your fish seasoned? A little mercury, perhaps some DDT? That's what you might get if you eat fish caught in national parks in the American West.

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By Kurt Repanshek - January 9th, 2014 10:36am

7 comments

Critics: Changing Gun Laws in National Parks Would Open a "Pandora's Box" of Problems

Allowing national park visitors to carry loaded weapons would open a "Pandora's box" of problems, according to four groups hoping to build public opposition to such a change in park rules.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 25th, 2008 8:04pm

28 comments

Rangers Association Points Out Flaws In Secretary Kempthorne's Weapons Logic

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's rationales for potentially opening national parks to concealed weapons are "hypocritical in some cases and just plain wrong in others," according to the president of the Association of National Park Rangers.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 23rd, 2008 10:25am

8 comments

Dinosaur National Monument: Paleo's Not The Only Responsibility

Floating the Green or Yampa rivers through Dinosaur National Monument shows a side of this national park unit that is not reflected in its name. Indeed, fossils from the age of dinosaurs are the last thing that crosses your mind.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 22nd, 2008 9:33pm

6 comments

National Parks Conservation Association: Interior Buckled to NRA Over Park Gun Laws

In a sharply worded statement the National Parks Conservation Association accused the Bush administration of caving into the National Rifle Association in deciding to reexamine current regulations that prohibit the carrying of loaded weapons in the national parks.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 22nd, 2008 8:09pm

6 comments

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks