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The Joys of Maintaining the Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Mar 26th - 08:48am | Anonymous

Loved the article...we need more like this in mainstream magazines so folks will become better informed on how the trails are maintained (and maybe be more responsible on the trails!). Reggie

Mar 26th - 08:16am | Jeff Hunter

Nice article Danny! Please give my best to Lenny and the rest of the folks a CMC. And thanks for your work on the trail!

Paintball Vandals Deface Petroglyphs at Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Mar 26th - 07:27am | Colorado Cowboy

How sad that an American would place so little value on his own heritage.

Mar 26th - 06:47am | Danny P.

Makes me sick to my stomach, throw the book at him.

Reader Participation Day: Should There Be a Moratorium On Additions To the National Park System?

Mar 26th - 00:33am | Jim Bob

we must take advantage of every opportunity to add to protected lands - even if we are not quite sure how we're going to pay for any management we may want for them. At the very least, protecting lands now will keep them as they are now even if we don't have any on-the-ground management.

Mar 25th - 18:21pm | y_p_w

Anonymous: @Y P W: National Monuments do not require Congressional approval to be established. However, they do require Congress to pass a budget to fund their operations.

Mar 25th - 18:20pm | rdm24

Hell no. Really? Are you serious with this question? I didn't expect to see such an anti-Parks idea floated on this website.

Mar 25th - 17:52pm | Anonymous

@Y P W: National Monuments do not require Congressional approval to be established. However, they do require Congress to pass a budget to fund their operations.

Mar 25th - 17:51pm | y_p_w

MarkK: And I agree with the poster who said that all $ collector for park entrances should go to the NPS and not into the general federal coffers. (I don't know how it is currently handled, but that makes sense)

Mar 25th - 17:51pm | Anonymous

Funds from entrance fees are allocated in a complicated formula depending on a set of criteria, but let's keep things simple: in the good 'ole days parks that charged entrance fees shipped all the money to the general treasury and could generally rely on Congress to fund park activities through the budget process.

Mar 25th - 17:10pm | MarkK

No responsible person (or government) should acquire things that they don't know how they will pay for. "Gee, there's a great little spot for a vacation home. But I don't have the money to pay the mortgage or the home owners association. I'll just buy it anyway."

Mar 25th - 14:09pm | y_p_w

RoadRanger:

Mar 25th - 13:18pm | RoadRanger

With the number of NPS units approaching 400 and around 3675 state parks (source: Wikipedia) in the U.S., the public sector is already addressing the preservation, use and enjoyment of a huge number of "park" resources. That said, I'm not ready to call for a moratorium on the creation of new national parks.

Mar 25th - 13:13pm | Random Walker

oopsy

Mar 25th - 13:12pm | Random Walker

I don't think that's the goal of those advocating for places like MSH to be transferred to the NPS. Tell me about it! Screw tourism, wilderness for wilderness's sake I say.. Crap, they have what, three roads slashed into it, had 3 damn visitors centers at one time. (Ya, I finished off a whole pot of coffee this morning..;-})

Mar 25th - 12:23pm | y_p_w

Random Walker: Nope, I support continuous acquisition, like in handing over Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument to the NPS as long as there is an agreement of no further development.

Mar 25th - 12:18pm | Anonymous

I think it would be ok for more land to be protected but that doesn't mean we need to make it into a drivable scenic route with luxury cabins and what not. Can't there just be parks that are only backpacking & hike through only? Do we need roads, and staff to oversee every park?

Mar 25th - 11:59am | Mike O.

Yes, I agree with the moratorium Idea. Write up the petition, I'll sign it. Include a provision whereas any and all monies taken in by the National Park System be used solely by the National Park System and are not to be collected by the Federal Government as if another tax to be divided up and a mere stipend returned to the Park Service which is clearly not enough.

Mar 25th - 11:58am | Random Walker

Nope, I support continuous acquisition, like in handing over Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument to the NPS as long as there is an agreement of no further development. ”Recreational development is a job not of building roads into lovely country, but of building receptivity into the still unlovely human mind.“ Aldo Leopold

Mar 25th - 10:33am | Anonymous

NO, NO and NO--in fact, we should be adding more sites and expanding existing units. In my opinion it's a matter of priorities, not a matter of lack of money per se.

Mar 25th - 10:29am | pkrnger

This is a tough call. If we delay including additional significant areas into the national parks system while we wait for budgets to stabilize, those areas may be lost for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, if adding new areas threatens the preservation and protection of existing areas, tough choices will have to be made.

Mar 25th - 10:27am | Anonymous

Maybe there should be more thought to having less infrastructure in the Parks. It makes sense to add them to protect from encroachment but we don't need to turn each of them into Disneyland.

Mar 25th - 10:20am | y_p_w

There's been some local support to make Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument into a national park, or to at least change its jurisdiction from the Forest Service to the NPS. It seems clear is that goal is to get better funding and perhaps better tourist facilities. However - it would probably just shift money and probably make it tougher on the NPS.

Mar 25th - 05:52am | Chris

Absolutely. If there are insufficient funds to effectively operate the parks we have, we shouldn't add more to the system. I'm amazed to see continual bills introduced (by both parties) to investigate the possibility of creating this or that historic site, thus stretching the NPS budget by another park. I even advocate "pruning" a few parks, as the Traveler puts it.

Mar 25th - 04:20am | Volpe

No one, government or individual, can go on spending money they don't have. One would think with the Great Recession that lesson would be have been learned but not for some. Parks are nice, politicians aren’t. Clean up the mess before you make another one, no additions.

Comments Being Taken on Proposal To Stop Importation, Transportation of Burmese Pythons

Mar 25th - 23:55pm | Alan Archambault

Dear USFW service,

Mar 25th - 20:29pm | Anonymous

All python and anaconda as well all poisonous snakes should be outlawed in the United States and make breaking this law a felony. [This comment was edited]

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

Mar 25th - 21:50pm | Bat

They won't be able to control the snake infestation until they can stop the new ones coming in. The Secretary should ignore these fools. Come on, 1.6-1.8 billion US is not "small business". It's BIG business, and it shows just how much the GOP cares about safeguarding our country's natural resources.

Mar 25th - 19:25pm | Mike G.

Ecosystems continue to evolve as new species are added. This has been true of the ENP since the beginning. It would be true even if the Burmese Python was never introduced. It's rediculous to call this evolution "devastation".

Mar 25th - 14:04pm | Square Grouper

Wow. I generally agree w/a lot the Repubs say but I'm so far off on this one its astounding. Maybe that's because I live in So. Fla. and have seen the devastation first hand. These snakes need to be banned everywhere except zoos and other places where professionals handle them.

Mar 25th - 13:30pm | Random Walker

I couldn't care less about a business's cash flow. This is about protecting Our Everglades National Park.

Mar 25th - 13:30pm | RoadRanger

Why can't Republicans support even the smallest victory for our natural environment? This is an easy one and they blew it. Could also be an example of the deep partisan divide infecting Congress these days. Regardless, this is another example of why I call myself a Jeffersonian Democrat.

Mar 25th - 12:33pm | Anonymous

Those people who sell snakes can raise them instead of importing them, and they can still make their money. There should be more creatures that should not be allowed here than just snakes.

Mar 25th - 12:13pm | Anonymous

What do you expect from a bunch of snake oil salesmen? (Sorry, I can't resist.)

Mar 25th - 09:09am | MikeD

There is an excellent National Geographic special called Python Wars that at least for me is currently available on Time Warner On Demand for those who want to watch it (for me it's under HD On Demand, which is all free). They followed park scientists and others trying to study the pythons in an attempt to understand them and find potential weaknesses.

National Park Mystery Photo 20 Revealed: A Door Knob At Scotty's Castle In Death Valley National Park

Mar 25th - 11:33am | Anonymous

Wow how cool I had the right place! I wish I had checked back before the answer was revealed, I might have gotten closer! Very cool photo, thanks!

Mar 25th - 08:22am | Anonymous

Of course you stumped everybody. When you siad 'it's not "Scotty's Castle" I thought you meant that it wasn't in Scotty's Castle. That sent everyone off track. Both Scotty's Castle and doorknob were guessed, so I think you didn't really stump everyone.

The New National Parks Index: 2009-2011 is Now Available Online

Mar 25th - 10:55am | Kurt Repanshek

Here's a link to the government bookstore: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/actions/GeneralSearch.do

Mar 25th - 10:44am | Tamalpais Trekker

Where can we purchase this?

Pine Beetle Outbreak Leads to Fewer Campground Sites in Rocky Mountain National Park

Mar 25th - 10:34am | Anonymous

I love how they try to blame this on climate change! Do a search on "climategate" "East Anglia University" "Author of IPCC Report says data record flawed" "University of Alabama Huntsville" Winter 2007-08 was one of the snowiest (100% of watersheds were at or well above annual average snowfall) ever in Colorado since they have taken records. Ditto 1993-1996.

National Park Search and Rescue: Should the Rescued Help Pay the Bills?

Mar 25th - 02:09am | Anonymous

Mike,forcing someone to pay for something twice is in fact extream and foolish ! When we pay taxes our tax dollars are supposed to be used for SAR services and similar activities which are best provided in a collective manner. Also visitors to our national parks are usualy charged fees,permits ect,which provide funds for SAR and other needed services.

Mar 25th - 01:47am | Anonymous

Thanks for your sensible comments Random Walker ! It is good to see that there are at least some people in this nation capable of forming a balanced perspective based upon values far deeper than a fixation upon financial issues. Sadly, money has become for many Americans,just as much of a limiter of freedom, as any invading military could ever hope to be !

National Park Mystery Photo 20: What Curious Thing Is This?

Mar 25th - 00:01am | Anonymous

Based on the size of the wood grain in the background, I suspect it's a metal casting used as a door handle, coat hook, or wildlife gargoyle decoration at a lodge I'm not rich enough to have ever been to. I'd bet on a deer against RW's fox.

Mar 24th - 21:48pm | optimus01

It looks like a mule deer with those ears. But I don't have a clue from what park it could be from. More than likely one out west, vs one in the east. That is my best guesstimate.

Mar 24th - 21:06pm | suki

I can see where Random Walker might guess coyote or fox, but those animals have their eyes facing forward. This animal's eyes appear to be on the sides of the face, indicating a prey animal, not a predator.

Mar 24th - 20:58pm | suki

O.K. So you didn't say no to my animal guesses, just to the locale. Next guess: Zion

Mar 24th - 20:54pm | Random Walker

Looks like a coyote to me, maybe a fox.. naw coyote, where I have not a clue.

Mar 24th - 20:40pm | Kurt Repanshek

Hmmm, very odd, very odd. No, not from Glacier, and no, not a coat rack from any lodge, affordable nor not. I'll be curious to learn if folks can see the full photo in tomorrow's answer.

Mar 24th - 20:37pm | tahoma

Kurt, I can see only the top & bottom strips, perhaps 25% of the total. Looks like a well-worn metal sculpture of a deer's head mounted on old paneling? Something like a coat rack in one of the classic lodges that only the few can afford?

Mar 24th - 20:22pm | suki

I would have guessed Brighty, too, since I can only see the ears. But when I look at the thumbnail image on the previous page, it seems to me that it looks more like a Mountain Goat-type animal. So I am going to guess that we can see this somewhere in Glacier?

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.