Threats to the Parks

Ana through Wanda, This Year’s Hurricane Names are Ready to Go

NOAA forecasters expect a normal- to low-activity hurricane season this year, but you never know for sure. There are 21 storm names pre-selected for use in 2009.

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By Bob Janiskee - June 2nd, 2009 7:43pm

Creature Feature: Burmese Pythons Prowl the Everglades, and That’s Not a Good Thing

Breeding populations of Burmese pythons have been established in Everglades National Park and some other parts of Florida. Limiting the growth and spread of this ecologically disruptive, potentially dangerous invader will be a daunting task.

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By Bob Janiskee - May 4th, 2009 9:55am

24 comments

Creature Feature: Feral Burros are "Equina Non Grata" in the National Parks

Guys who holler “watch this!” just before they do something incredibly stupid aren’t the only jackasses in our national parks. We’ve got the real kind too, and where there are feral burros the habitat is degraded and native wildlife suffer. Cute though they may be, burros are unwelcome in our national parks.

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By Bob Janiskee - June 22nd, 2010 8:30pm

14 comments

Creature Feature: Meet the Asian Swamp Eel, "the Animal Equivalent of the Kudzu Vine?"

The Asian swamp eel is prolific, hardy, voracious, ecologically disruptive, and on its way to becoming the scourge of the Everglades. Is it already too late to stop it?

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By Bob Janiskee - April 4th, 2009 6:57am

12 comments

Climate Change and Coral Bleaching: Changing the Seascape of Virgin Islands National Park

Forget what you might have heard about polar bears being the first species to gain Endangered Species Act protection due to climate change. Two species of coral lay claim to that unfortunate distinction.

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 25th, 2010 2:51pm

National Park Mystery Plant 1: Will This “Lime-Green Cancer” Derail Everglades Restoration?

This virulently invasive plant, sometimes called the “lime-green cancer” and "the most dangerous plant in Florida," already infests some areas of Everglades National Park. If not controlled soon it might wipe out decades of ecosystem restoration efforts. Do you know what this nightmare plant is?

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By Bob Janiskee - December 20th, 2009 9:12am

8 comments

Why On Earth Would Anybody Want to Do That?

At War in The Pacific National Historical Park, vandals and thieves have desecrated memorials erected in honor of the more than 16,000 Chamorros and American servicemen who suffered and died on Guam during World War II.

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By Bob Janiskee - January 13th, 2009 8:42am

1 comment

Update: Will a “Chop and Drop” Strategy Rescue the Presidio’s Contemporary Art Museum Project?

Harsh criticism forced the Presidio Trust to rethink its plans for the new Contemporary Art Museum at the Presidio. A new "chop and drop" proposal emphasizes smaller, better located structures built largely underground.

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By Bob Janiskee - December 24th, 2008 12:54pm

6 comments

Petrified Forest National Park is Still Being Stolen One Piece at a Time

A decade ago, visitors at Petrified Forest National Park were stealing the park’s petrified wood at the rate of 12 tons a year. Warning signage, hefty fines, legal purchase options, and other countermeasures have done some good, but losses continue to mount.

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By Bob Janiskee - December 9th, 2008 6:48pm

8 comments

Lame Duck Bush Administration Hastens to Weaken Environmental Protection Laws

Fearing that Democrats may win the White House as well as strengthen their control of Congress, President Bush is rushing to eviscerate as many environmental protection laws as he can before the moving trucks arrive. Though undemocratic and unethical, the methods he is using are quite legal.

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By Bob Janiskee - November 11th, 2008 8:58pm

30 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.