This has been one of the most newsworthy years in recent memory for the National Park Service and the parks. There’s finally a Senate-confirmed director at the helm, billions of dollars are flowing into the parks for a variety of projects, wildfires chewed through Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Lassen Volcanic national parks, lakes Powell and Mead are shadows of their former selves.
Editor Kurt Repanshek, Kristen Brengel of the National Parks Conservation Association, and Phil Francis of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks discuss some of the top news events in the parks in 2021.
Comments
In 2022 I really hope the management at Rocky and the NPS would visit the Beaver Meadows entrance between 8:30 and 9 am if they continue to use the same timed entry scheme used in 2021. Those who have permits for Bear Lake before 9 am are forced to endure those who do not have have any permits. Multiple times we had to wait 25 minutes to get through the entrance due to the line of cars wanting to get through the entrance before the 9 am cut off when permits are needed for their entire park. Not to mention the park does not have enough staffing to cover the entrance gates before 9 am. Finally after enduring the long wait, we started entering the park at the Fall River enterance with our Bear Lake permit as the drive from the Fall River entrance took less time than the wait at the Beaver Meadow entrance.