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Groups Sue To Overturn Removal of Greater Yellowstone Wolves from Endangered Species List

May 29th - 18:56pm | Mickey

I think that is terrible and horrible to watch or see no animal should be treated this way and you know humans are animals to so its like they are killing family a part of who you are! Its discusting

Reader Participation Day: Do You Send National Park Postcards?

May 29th - 15:30pm | Anonymous

I used to send a lot-not so much anymore-mainly because I don't even know the mailing addresses of many of my friends or relatives anymore-contact is via email, social media or occasionall phone.

May 29th - 12:36pm | Kurt Repanshek

That was quite thoughtful of your mother, Stormy. Sounds like a wonderful present of memories!

May 29th - 12:08pm | stormy

yes, we love to send postcards. One Christmas my mother (who had saved up the cards from various places) gave them back to us in a lovely album. We had such fun re-reading them & remembering our trips.

May 28th - 15:42pm | y_p_w

murphy: I send postcards that I print myself. I take photos and make them into postcards of the NP. I've looked at many postcards and the pictures just don't look like what I've seen in the park so I make my own. You can't really tell the difference, at least thats what I'm told.

May 27th - 12:25pm | RangerLady

Since I work in the parks, I always send postcards from the park I'm currently working at. My family loves to see where I'm currently working and it's always a big thrill for my grandmother who doesn't do anything electronically.

May 26th - 14:16pm | murphy

I send postcards that I print myself. I take photos and make them into postcards of the NP. I've looked at many postcards and the pictures just don't look like what I've seen in the park so I make my own. You can't really tell the difference, at least thats what I'm told.

May 26th - 10:52am | y_p_w

The postmark can be important too. It adds to the effect. I remember sending postcards of Arches NP from Moab. I probably should have had them hand-cancelled if possible. When I saw some of them I sent to friends (and myself) I was a little bit shocked that they were postmarked with Provo, UT on them. The same thing went for postcards of Zion NP I sent from Springdale.

Three Florida Panthers Killed In Three Days By Vehicle Collisions, One in Big Cypress National Preserve

May 29th - 15:13pm | Katladie

Pls slow down drivers. There are not many true Florida panthers left. One had kittens and I hope they are found. There were 3 and this would help the population grow if found alive. There is no need for rushing in this area. You will get to ur destination, pls slow down and keep a watchful eye while driving! The cats thank you.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Dispute Places Birds, Turtles, and Humans on Small Strip of Sand

May 29th - 10:35am | RangerLady

I do wish you luck. At Chincoteague NWR (Assateague) they have banned dogs entirely, again, because people cannot follow the rules. There was a man in Shenandoah who refused to listen to rangers when he was told to put the dog on a leash. The dog ended up chasing a rabbit and going over the edge.

May 28th - 08:30am | dapster

Thanks, RangerLady! Pictures don't lie..... I see the kind of behavior you describe as well. I have always wanted to go to the Pony Swim, but have stayed away simply because of the zoo atmosphere that you describe.

May 27th - 16:12pm | RangerLady

Those were great examples dapster. I often saw the same thing on Assateague, people crawling under the ropes to go get a closer view of the baby plover. On Pony Swim day (God that was torture!) I started counting the number of times a person walked past the "Do not walk on dunes" sign and finally lost count just past 100...and that was in 30 minutes.

May 27th - 15:31pm | dapster

Ron, I plan to do all three this weekend! My wife has given the proper permissions to make the meeting, now we'll have to see if our son me gives his clearance to go as well. So many sandcastles, so little time.... Hope to see you and our other pro-ACCESS friends there! dap ***************************************************************

May 26th - 18:42pm | Ron Saunders

Dapster, Sure hope you get on the beach with a pole and a cool one this weekend. We both could use it. Better yet, if you're going to be stopping in at the ncbba meet, I'll buy you one. Look me up. I'll be there. Ron

May 26th - 11:32am | dapster

Dear Miffed, At least we know what to call you now! Thanks for clearing that up for the group. In large part, see what my good friend Wheat had to say, as he states it better than I ever could. Otherwise, I’ll take you to task on some of your other key points that were directed specifically to me, such as:

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Beaches Among Country's Best

May 28th - 17:53pm | Shellback

There has never been a nest crushed by an ORV. The only chick ever run over was by a Park Service vehicle. As of now the famous Cape Point is closed to everyone not just the ORVs. The only people allowed on the beach is Park Service personnel who monitor the birds. One of the best fishing spots on the East Coast is closed for THE BIRDS.

Is There A Thaw Coming On the Three-Year-Old Freeze on National Park Fees?

May 28th - 14:45pm | Jon

Whoa Big Fella! Way too serious. I realize that National Parks and Disney World are apples and oranges. My comments were directed to Volpes question and were intented to make the point that if people are willing to pay what they pay to visit Disney, then fees are not the influence on visitation that his question seems to presume. Thats all, no need to read more into them.

May 28th - 13:47pm | Mark

Wait…. The reply above, suggesting a comparison in costs of National Park entrance fees to those at Disney World begs for a deeper review. Hopefully this poster is not a member of the National Park Service or one of its concessionaires.

May 28th - 08:06am | Jon

It costs a family of 4 about $220 per day to enter Disney World. How many vist every year? It would cost the same family of 4 $25 to enter Yellowstone or Grand Teton for 7 straight days. $20 for 7 days entrance at Yosemite or Acadia. American National Parks are a bargain!

May 27th - 18:48pm | Kurt Repanshek

Anecdotally, one could argue that higher fees are an impediment to visitation. If you look at last summer's entrance-fee-free weekends, a number of parks reported substantially higher visitation. But you also have to remember that one of those weekends was Father's Day weekend. And weather can impact visitation, too.

May 27th - 12:13pm | Volpe

Would raising fees reduce the number of visitors? Is there any history of that?

Updated: Two Ice Climbers Die in Fall Into Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

May 28th - 10:54am | Anonymous

How sad-- but how could you ask for a more beautiful place to leave this world??

May 26th - 20:23pm | Anonymous

Peace be with them and their families. And I thank SAR people (everywhere) for the great job they do -- no matter who they are rescuing or, sadly, recovering. They too put their lives at risk, in the service of others.

May 26th - 18:12pm | KGB

These were 2 great guys doing what they loved. RIP fella's, you will be missed.

May 26th - 15:18pm | jim.hiker

Climbing has huge risks associated with it whether it is rock, mountain or ice climbing. It is very sad that the young men fell as they did and their families, friends, and others will miss them dearly.

May 26th - 14:58pm | Anonymous

ditto on rich and now's not the time to talk about taxes or who's paying what for what we all pay taxes too. two young men died for god's sake!!!

May 26th - 13:17pm | y_p_w

My understanding is that the rock is rather crumbly because of exposure to geothermal activity, which gives the rock that yellowish hue. Apparently the occasional steam vent opens up in the rock. It's not supposed to make for very good climbing conditions, and of course it's prohibited in lots of areas. I suppose ice climbing comes with certain risks.

May 26th - 12:32pm | MikeD

"[H]iking and climbing in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is prohibited... but not including, the Silver Cord Cascade drainage."

May 26th - 10:42am | Deb

My heart and prayers go out the the families and friends of these 2 young men. You concern me Rich that the first mention in your comment was the financial cost of their recovery. I won't repeat some of which has already been said above, but where is your human compassion. Enough said.

May 26th - 10:40am | y_p_w

Just as an aside, there are some extremely well-known and well-respected members of the ice-climbing community. Wasn't Yvon Chouinard extremely influential in the field of modern ice-climbing techniques and equipment?

Problems Lead to Helicopter Evacuations of Climbers Off Mount McKinley in Denali National Park

May 28th - 10:14am | Bob Janiskee

This strikes me as a highly unusual incident, tahoma. While selfish jerks abound in certain places (Wall Street leaps to mind), they are seldom found alive on mountainsides. Let's hope that this particular one remains on her side of the Atlantic.

May 28th - 10:02am | tahoma

Maybe this recently evacuated climber who was greeted with a legal citation should have also gotten a bill? http://www.adn.com/2010/05/19/1286141/attitude-sickness-halted-denali.html

May 28th - 09:22am | Kurt Repanshek

Brad, In general, we all pay the bills. The Park Service doesn't generally charge for rescues. Mike, two of the park's more distinguished volunteer docs died in a climbing accident last June: /2009/06/roped-together-climbers-die-fall-mount-mckinley-denali-national-park-and-preserve

May 28th - 09:13am | MikeD

Volunteer doctor? So does Denali have some kind of volunteer doctor program? That would be an interesting article itself to interview one of them.

May 28th - 08:41am | Brad

Just curious, who pays the bill for these rescues?

Tracing The Postage Stamp-Sized History of the National Park System

May 27th - 21:14pm | Anonymous

I had a realtive in the department of the interior when the parks stamps were comissioned and I have the origional photographs that the stamps were cropped from. I was wondering how to find out the value of the photos. the origionals had people in two of them that were omitted from the stamp. the stamp of hover dam was an artists depiction and not a photograph of the site.

90 Years On, Dr. Michael Frome Continues To Lament The State of the National Parks

May 27th - 20:46pm | Tom Wylie - Coyote

After my first comment, I thought I should illustrate Frome's influence on me. At the Vail Conference, he said, "National parks cannot be all things and still be national parks".

May 27th - 19:54pm | Tom Wylie - Coyote

Michael Frome's life is indeed one worth celebrating. I stand with Rick Smith in saying that Michael was "one who spoke on behalf of the parks and programs of the National Park Service, not on behalf of the agency itself." There were three men whose writings taught me that as a park ranger, my highest allegiance was to the national parks.

House Republicans Say Interior Secretary's Proposed Snake Ban Bad for Business

May 27th - 16:47pm | Anonymous

Funny how the snake breeders want to quote their "science".. bull. The vast majority of snake shows and dealers want to sell you the newest color morph, offering nothing for conservation breeding or any science to save endangered species. So if they actually cared about wildlife and habitats, it would be new.

Republicans on House Natural Resources Committee Complain About Northern Border Problems

May 27th - 09:14am | Anonymous

I am speechless. Be sure to leave an opening in the fence for all the deer and elk that Republicans like to hunt to migrate back and forth.....

May 26th - 13:16pm | Jon

Obviously, those pesky Canadians would just tunnel under any fence. How deep would that fence need to go?

Luxury Lodging in Our National Parks

May 27th - 07:33am | dlmatz

We have stayed at Jenny Lake Lodge twice now in the past 10 years. I am definitely on a budget but I set aside the money knowing that we are going to stay in a terrific lodge in a fantastic national park - Grand Teton. It is well worth the penny pinching.

Environmental Groups Cite Public Treasures Threatened By Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster

May 27th - 03:40am | Ray Bane

I watched the first oil come ashore on the beaches of Katmai Nat. Park in 1989 and observed the subsequent clean up efforts. That experience taught me the hard truth of an oil spill in an ocean environment. Once the oil is in the water it is out of human control. Booms, skimmer ships, chemicals, beach remediation, etc. are almost always failures.

May 26th - 18:18pm | Barky

This is a friggin' disaster. Un-ruddy-believable. Now testimony is percolating up (ok, bad pun) about an argument between BP and the owner/operator of Deepwater Horizon about safely shutting down the well just the day before the accident. This is going to turn into a corporation or one of its highly-pressured subcontractors cutting corners on safety for the sake of profits.

Underwater Archeology Projects in Outer Banks Parks Address Intriguing Questions

May 26th - 21:50pm | joe2

I also wonder why these subs are so important that we need something else in place to protect them. There are laws on the book that could be enforced if anyone cared to enforce them. Why do we need a new

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Adds A Nearly 43-Acre Farm To Its Landscape

May 26th - 18:19pm | Barky

Saint-Gaudens is such a beautiful little site. It's a great place to stop while leaf-peeping through New Hampshire. Take your mom, she'll love it. :-)

Senators Pushing to Rollback Fees for National Parks and Other Public Lands

May 26th - 13:07pm | Jon

Not all visitors to National Park units are tax paying Americans. Large numbers are from other countries. How do they pay their share? Not all NPS units charge fees. Even with the current fee program and funds staying within the NPS system there is still a hugh maintenance backlog, due to lack of funds, agency wide.

Common Southwestern Native Plants, An Identification Guide

May 26th - 12:47pm | John Byrne

1. National parks may have initially been established because of “scenic quality” but that should not be what uniquely distinguishes them today.

National Park Mystery Photo 23: Who Slept Here?

May 26th - 09:21am | Kurt Repanshek

Right you are, David, and a close second to Howie. Tomorrow we'll provide a few more details for the rest of the readership.

May 26th - 09:17am | Howie

I believe that's the bed Stonewall Jackson was in when he died at Guinea's Station, VA.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

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

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.