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Is the Old Faithful Area At Yellowstone National Park Visitor-Friendly?

May 10th - 15:06pm | Anonymous

oops, them were "bears", not "ebars", that cause closures at Yellowstone.

May 10th - 14:14pm | Anonymous

Mike-- Do you know how many roads, campgrounds, and other facilities at Yellowstone NP have seasonal closures for grizzly ebars and other endangered/protected wildlife?

May 10th - 10:50am | Anonymous

There's an old adage: If it ain't broke, don't fix it! That should apply here also.

May 10th - 09:07am | Lee Dalton

It's a lot more visitor friendly than the old days (prior to 1970) when the main park road ran through the geyser basin just about where people now sit on benches to watch Old Faithful erupt.

May 10th - 06:27am | Mike Metzgar

I hope a protected or other non-endangered bird decides to build a nest between Old Faithful and the Old Faithful Inn. Perhaps a 1000 meter closure around the nest will show the absurdity of the NPS attempts to protect the bird and turtle species at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area. I can't wait to see a closure of that magnitude at the Statue of Liberty, Mt.

Is There A Need to Have the Government Promote National Parks?

May 10th - 15:04pm | Anonymous

I agree with the sentiments of NPS not spending money on advertising or promoting, but allowing others to do so.

May 10th - 12:14pm | Anonymous

Until we get adequate staffing to take care of the people already coming, we should not be spending money on advertising to get more visitors to come. Ranger numbers continue to drop-many visitors complain about never seeing a ranger in the parkon their visit. We have been mandated to increase education and youth programming-but with no extra staff to do it-something has to give.

May 10th - 09:15am | Lee Dalton

In a time of seriously serious budget deficits, every dollar should be spent not on advertising, but on maintaining and operating our parks. Local chambers of commerce already do a fine job of free advertising.

May 9th - 17:47pm | Volpe

Let each person discover the park system on their own, don't promote it because more people mean more problems. Keep the parks maintained and make them as available as they always were and let the natural flow of visitors prevail.

May 9th - 16:27pm | Meg

Please, if they're going to do publicity, keep it confined to the lesser-known parks. Many of them do not get the attention they deserve, and everyone already knows the big parks.

May 9th - 12:52pm | Random Walker

IMHO it is not the job of the Federal Government to promote Our National Parks. It is ours, to share Our National Parks with our children and our neighbors children, with the future.

May 9th - 12:39pm | criznach

Chris testing too.

May 9th - 11:09am | Kurt Repanshek

Testing, testing.

Native Plant Sale to Benefit Santa Monica Mountains Fund

May 10th - 12:10pm | R L Miller

Thanks for the heads up! Rancho Sierra Vista has a nice little demonstration garden.

The Way We Used To Describe And Enjoy National Parks

May 10th - 09:12am | Lee Dalton

There was a time once when English was a flourishing language and even fairly common people were well educated. Probably won't be long until our park pamphlets are written in texting code. Cya ltr - don't B l8

Environmental Groups Ask Feds to Require Reduced Pollution from Four Corners Power Plant

May 10th - 08:46am | Harris

I live in the McElmo area near Cortez and the amount of pollution and smog here "when the wind is right" is unbelievable. Most of the Native Americans on the reservations do not profit from these plants and do not want them there. I never had respiratory distress until I moved here. I had no idea it was so bad.

Plague Kills Many Prairie Dogs and Black-Footed Ferrets in Grasslands Near Badlands National Park

May 10th - 04:30am | Jered P.

What makes this a biologically significant issue today is that for over 80 years, the prairie dog has been viewed as the enemy of domestic cattle in the West, and this was based on a notion that the prairie dog would compete with domestic cattle for available forage in a fixed (fenced) area.

8-Mile-Long Multi-use Path Opens in Grand Teton National Park On Saturday

May 9th - 14:42pm | Adrienne W.

I've been riding the trail from Windy Point pullout to Bradley-Taggart parking lot and back for a week now. I love it! I ride a trike, slowly (I'm 70) and wear bright colors. I would ride farther but the trail still is snow-covered a bit north of the B/T lot. The Park swept the winter gravel off the trail last week.

Ever Try Cycling Your Way Through Denali National Park And Preserve?

May 9th - 14:19pm | haunted hiker

I biked part of it in 2001. After cycling the 414-mile Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay I didn't have it in me to do the entire 93 miles but we did ride out to Wonder Lake. I'd encourage a bike-packer to do this route. I'm glad to see the NPS encouraging thru-biking that road.

Hazing of Yellowstone National Park Bison, A Controversial Rite of Spring

May 9th - 13:10pm | Stephany

Funny, how would GYC know? They are not in the field with the buffalo. They get their information from Buffalo Field Campaign. It's calving season for buffalo, so there's always pregnant mothers, newborn calves, or mothers in the throes of giving birth that get caught up in hazing operations. Injuries occur all the time, but none were reported last week.

May 7th - 22:22pm | Anonymous

Montana Ranchers...the Mafia of the west. First they want to shoot the wolves, now they want to chase the Bison away. You know what fellas you run a business and there are no guarantees in business. Learn to adapt to the changing market conditions like every other private business owner does. Besides your product has contributed to the wide spread obesity in this country.

May 7th - 15:28pm | Anonymous

How much of the land in question is private land and how much of it is leased by the ranchers from the federal government? I've read that much of the ranchland in the west is actually leased for a relatively small amount of money. If this is true, it seems to me that the bison should remain there. Can anyone shed any light on this situation?

May 7th - 14:23pm | Anonymous

The brucellosis problem has been in Yellowstone for almost 100 years. When you have a program that is ruled by committee, nothing ever is solved. Millions of dollars are being spent, each year on "fun" projects to provide papers for graduate students and doctoral candidates. You should take the time to read some of the data and papers. Real tax dollars at work.

May 7th - 14:01pm | Barky

People just like to torment "lesser" creatures. It's in our nature. Only through selective culling of our own herd will this scourge be eliminated. [Before people freak out, I'm just trying to make a sardonic point.]

May 7th - 07:09am | C.C.

This animal abuse~no other name for it! APHIS has also started an unnecessary "testing" procedure on bull buffalo that recently resulted in two bulls being shot. The creatures need to be left alone to follow their natural migration path without hazing. Tax-payer dollars being spent to have helicopters chase buffalo~seriously, what is going on in Montana?

Fans of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Being Asked to Contribute Ideas to Lakeshore's Future

May 9th - 12:44pm | Nick

An official clothes optional beach on Lake Michigan definitely has my vote! It would draw a large and respectful crowd to the area. That may not come to mind naturally to park administrators not into the nudist or naturist lifestyle but I'm sure it would create a financially profitable niche they would not regret.

May 8th - 19:10pm | ken

I live in Michigan and I agree with every comment and point favoring a clothing optional beach.I definately would vacation a town that had a C/O beach

May 5th - 20:39pm | Anonymous

I agree with all the comments and support the idea of a section of the beach designated as clothing optional. I would use it more. It should definitely be implemented.

Updated: Drilling Rig Disaster Could Send Oil Spill Into Gulf Islands National Seashore

May 8th - 22:35pm | the Bat

Well, BP's containment box scheme failed. Big tar balls are now washing up on Alabama beaches, and the oil is spreading east to Florida. The danger to the ecosystem is imminent. All this political bloviating is childish in the face of such a colossal disaster. It's nothing compared to the lickin we're about to get from Mother Earth. And she won't care whose fault it is.

May 8th - 07:49am | AnonymousJ

I know there are a lot of Republicans out there who are slow-thinkers and the thought of high speed rail is just too much for them to get their minds around, but isn't it time to at least THINK about railways for freight and commuting without the attempt to consider it getting shouted down by the party of NO?

May 8th - 07:40am | AnonymousJ

n an attempt to move the stalled climate change bill - stalled by Republicans - Obama signaled (which isn't anywhere near an incessant "drill baby drill" mantra) that he would allow drilling 50 miles off Virginia PROVIDED coastlines are protected which would include conducting studies of the mid-atlantic outer continental shelf and determining not only the quantity of potential oil and gas reso

May 8th - 07:25am | AnonymousJ

That wouldn't be a bad idea for you to do. (1) In 2003, Bush wants to "fast-track" drilling in Alaska and the West Coast and eases regulations in addition to allowing the oil industry to monitor itself. (2) In 2008, he makes a proposal to congress to lift the OCS drilling ban & when they vote his proposal down, he lifts the drilling ban by executive order.

May 6th - 08:49am | Anonymous

I live in mary esther florida, I've lived near the ocean my whole life, from the florida keys to west palm beach... it seems like some kind of propaganda is going on... official sources are saying the water is fine, the truth is it is better hidden being more mixed with the water as it rises 5000 feet... 2 days ago a small pocket of well mix oil and water flowed into the inter coastal...

Tamarisk, aka "Salt Cedar," A Thirsty Scourge Of Western National Parks

May 7th - 14:49pm | MRC

Obviously not everyone takes tamarisks so lightly. Even if they don't take as much water as previously thought, they still are choking out native species. And very few birds nest in tamarisks, their leafs seem to compose slower than willows and cottonwood, and so on.

May 7th - 09:24am | haunted hiker

"Plant removal techniques range from use of herbicides and bulldozers to biological controls such as insects. Once the invasive plants are killed or removed, effective restoration depends on replacing them with plant species that meet the specific goals of the planned restoration..." This is playing God. And sounds like the log line for a horror/scify movie.

Reader Participation Day: Has Arizona's Approach To Controlling Illegal Immigrants Led You To Cancel a Grand Canyon Trip?

May 7th - 13:45pm | y_p_w

AZ Lisa: y_p_w, I don't understand your point.

May 6th - 01:08am | AZ Lisa

y_p_w, I don't understand your point. Back to the original point, I'm disheartened that I probably won't get to see the beautiful mountain islands in southern Arizona again. It is beautiful...like a grassy savanna with mesquites and cottonwoods dotting the hills and high mountains in the distance. ***SIGH****

May 5th - 17:56pm | y_p_w

AZ Lisa: The illegal immigration fuels the horrific activity of the drug smugglers and coyotes that prey on both the immigrants as well as Americans that get in their way. Of course I won't let American illicit drug users or employers of illegal labor off the hook either. But the coyotes and drug smugglers are the scum of the earth.

May 5th - 15:34pm | AZ Lisa

Rick, Wow! That's cool. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I always wondered about that and I'll look into it. However, the fact that National Park Rangers have a more dangerous job than FBI agents and that National Parks along the Mexican border are the most dangerous still stands. Lisa

Obama Administration Indefinitely Postpones Scoping of Off-shore Oil Lease Proposal for Coastal Virginia

May 7th - 02:11am | Ray Bane

The Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 should have taught the nation a lesson; once large volumes of oil are released into the ocean it is virtually impossible to effectively influence its movement, recover more than a tiny fraction of its mass or to prevent it from contaminating lands and resources along whatever course it may take.

Join a Covered Wagon on the Santa Fe Trail near Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

May 7th - 02:11am | MRC

The huge wagons were introduced on Santa Fe Trail after Mexican Governor Manuel Armijo introduced a flat tax of 500 USD per wagon in 1839. The traders obviously reacted by building bigger wagons. Official Nuevo Mexico was deeply concerned about their economy after the border was opened for trade after the constitution of the independent Mexican state in 1823.

May 6th - 18:51pm | Anonymous

Historian Mark Gardner did a comprehensive study of wagons used on the Santa Fe Trail. Conestoga wagons were definitely used on the trail. Wagon makers in Missouri started making large freight wagons that, like a Conestoga, could carry around 5-6000 lbs of goods. Mark's book is a must for anyone who wants information on wagons on the Santa Fe Trail.

Yellowstone National Park Access Through East Entrance Scheduled for Friday

May 6th - 18:27pm | Kurt Repanshek

Don't forget to pack your down jacket....;-)

May 6th - 18:18pm | Meg

Thanks for the information. We'll be in the park on May 14th [g].

Woman Dies in Fall From Angels Landing At Zion National Park

May 6th - 16:19pm | Rivk

I'm in awe of anyone that has the courage to climb AL. I'm very fascinated and also scared to death of heights, the pictures are truly breathtaking. While I have no desire to climb AL, I fully appreciate others that are able to do these daring acts. The freedom to experience our country's National Parks is what they were protected and proclaimed for.

Watch Your Step....

May 6th - 10:56am | Kurt Repanshek

Dave, I liked the Roosevelt shot, as well. Wish Muir was more recognizable. Regarding folks with image problems, as noted by Steve above, if you have the latest version of Internet Explorer, you likely can solve the problem by clicking on the "compatibility view" button under the icon "view pages."

May 6th - 10:37am | Dave Crowl

The picture on the link are awesome. I thought the one of Roosevelt on horseback is worth looking at. Thank you for the pictures.

The World's Top Ten National Parks

May 6th - 03:54am | A. Clarque

I haven't been to North America yet (neither South America) but I stayed for few months in South-East Asia. I have to say that this region is truly incredible ! I spent some time in 3 national parks: Bako national park and Mount Kinabalu national park (this one listed as world heritage site) on Malaysia Borneo and Bromo national park on the island of Java – Indonesia.

Civil War Buffs, This Photo Contests For You!

May 6th - 03:37am | Patty Hankins

I would encourage anyone who considers entering this contest to fully read and understand the contest rules on what rights you are granting CWPT when you enter the contest.

National Parks Rimming the Gulf Coast Watching, Waiting, and Preparing For Oil Slick

May 5th - 19:14pm | Barky

people have no idea how damaging this will be. Because oil is basically already decomposed to it's simplest form, it's not gonna go anywhere anytime soon, and things will not have a good time growing in it. It literally is like paving over the ocean.

The Essential RVing Guide

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