| National Parks Traveler

Why can't the park use pre-fab construction? That way a lot of the assembly could be done off-site. Building sections/components or perhaps even entire structures (depending on size and weight) could be air-lifted in. Seems like this would limit on-site impacts and reduce the number of helicopter trips.

Mar 22nd - 08:15am | Lee Dalton

That photo looks a lot like photos of Appalachia. Peace and quiet and tranquility in wilderness is necessary and good and great and all that . . . . but in a time when NPS is strapped for dollars and personnel, a few days of using power tools in a wilderness area won't destroy the place completely.

Understanding Mountain Lions at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Gets A Boost From New Lion

Mar 22nd - 08:14am | JimB

Albert – You raise some important questions. Although attacks by mountain lions on humans are rare, they do occur, and it's important to be prudent in areas where these large animals occur.

Mar 21st - 17:28pm | Albert

I hike at this trail almost every other Sunday & this Sunday me & my dad went deep into the forest & saw a dead deer carcus. I was kinda scared but kept going & then saw mountain lion scat on a rock. So i hiked back to the car alone because my dad wanted to keep going. Shortly after he followed. I wonder if we kept going we would have encountered a mountain lion?

Jon Jarvis Questioned During His Confirmation Hearing On Snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park

Mar 22nd - 08:13am | Anonymous

Fundamentally, this is an emotional issue. As an avid primitive wilderness user, I dislike motorized equipment in the backcountry as much as the next, but in light of newer technologies, the scientific defense is weak.

Repair Work to Start This Fall on Many Glacier Lodge in Glacier National Park

Mar 22nd - 06:56am | Connie Hopkins

While the Old Faithful Inn is our family's favorite lodging, the Many Glacier Hotel is #2! There's nothing like sitting on the deck overlooking Swiftcurrent Lake as the sun sets. You're likely to see bears as well as moose from there!

Updated: Alaska 'Gunners' Wipe Out Wolf Pack From Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve

Mar 22nd - 03:15am | OnTheYukon

"The wolves simply have no where to go....." Thank you, Paul Hester. That about sums it up.

Mar 20th - 08:31am | pathfinder22

I find it encouraging that most of the comments are questioning the "rightness" of how the Dept. of the Interior, which does set the policy that FWS/FGS must follow. I have talked with Federal officials and Idaho state officials before the wolves lost their protection, i.e Endangered Species List early last year, in what is esssentially all of the lower 48 states, with a few exceptions.

Mar 20th - 07:42am | Anonymous

I will be calling the governor of Alaska in the next few days to voice my outrage regarding these precious wolves. They will pay dearly with their karma.

Mar 20th - 05:15am | ontheYukon

@Anonymous 3/19: "...yesterday was a pretty somber & sobering day for NPS natural resource scientists. Don't expect to hear from them; NPS wants all communication through the official spokespersons not a bunch of loose cannon scientists.

Mar 20th - 02:03am | ontheYukon

@Art Greenwalt: I kind of like your hard-a$$ed approach! Most of all, your last post, about the numbers, really hit home. The biologists will tell us that for a pack to really succeed, there needs to be an alpha male and an alpha female. If both of those are gone, then you have a family of pups who haven't been trained and will probably have a hard time surviving.

Mar 19th - 21:59pm | Anonymous

I think that it is good and a fair decision that you cancelled your plans to vacation in Alaska! I just hope that you also e-mail or write: the Alakan Senators, House Reps & the Visitors Bureau as well. Thank you for acting upon this. =^..^= We need to preserve the wealth and health of our Nation for ALL populations! Not just HUMANS!

Mar 19th - 19:36pm | Art Greenwalt

Our Dept. of Fish and Game is taking bids to produce a series of short videos "explaining" the virtues and necessities of aerial hunting. (riiight...)

Mar 19th - 19:19pm | DD-393

Does anyone really think that this was an accident? They will say, "Gee, oops," look at the floor and make empty promises that it won't happen again. Then, as soon as the NPS officials walk away, they will congratulate themselves on a job well done and make preparations to do it all over again.

Mar 19th - 14:50pm | Anonymous

I also canceled my alaskan summer vacation! I will be spending my tax refund in Las Vegas...just like Obama told me not to.

Mar 19th - 13:21pm | William E Hardy

The Governor was, in fact, notified of the decision regarding our trip cancellation. And to those who term our views as those of "bleeding heart Liberals", thank you. I will not protest the labeling; rather I proudly accept it. Someone has to arise & declare the views of those who refuse to accept the value of nature as short-sighted.

Mar 19th - 12:25pm | Anonymous

Between the extermination of this collared pack of wolves and McCain & others introducing congressional end-runs around the EIS & planning process for managing low-altitude flights over Grand Canyon just a couple of weeks before the release of the EIS (the result of 10 years of hard, careful work), yesterday was a pretty somber & sobering day for NPS natural resource scientists.

Mar 19th - 11:57am | Art Greenwalt

BTW, if you check the online edition of the game regulations you will find that at the same time this aerial hunting is taking place in this region, the Board of Game has been careful to still allow non-residents to hunt for trophies.

Mar 19th - 11:48am | Art Greenwalt

Mr. Hardy...I applaud what you have chosen to do. About the only way the wolf and bear extermination in Alaska is going to be stopped is either by economic means such as what you are doing or by federal intervention (which is so slow by the time it happens there won't be any wolves left).

Mar 19th - 11:40am | Art Greenwalt

DKWells....

Mar 19th - 11:32am | Art Greenwalt

MB....perhaps in your comment about "letting Alaskans manage their own wildlife" you really meant to say "let the handful of wolf-haters tell the rest of Alaska to shut up".

Mar 19th - 11:15am | ams

There's a lot of difference between the "predator control" done in Alaska and the folks who go out to hunt and provide food for their families. I'm a big fan of hunters who are respectful of the animals and the environment and work to understand the natural balances required. The Alaskan DFW seems to do neither.

Mar 19th - 10:49am | Ranger

Cowards, fun kills including collared wolves be monitored, and why? So there are more animals left to be killed by sport hunters. [This comment was edited.]

Mar 19th - 10:34am | Bob Janiskee

Come on, JerseyTomato, let's be fair. Methodical slaughter conducted by paid executioners can in no way be said to resemble sport hunting.

Mar 19th - 09:43am | JerseyTomato

This is so upsetting, especially since there was an agreement in place. There's something wrong with people who kill for "fun." The New York Times just had an article that shows evidence that people who abuse animals (and I think hunting for sport is abusing animals) often go on to attack humans. think about it. Most hunters I know tend to be bullies to begin with.

Updated: Is Big Brother Heading for Yellowstone National Park's Backcountry?

Mar 22nd - 00:18am | Owen Birr

Monitering wild, free-roaming animals is just not possible with surveylence equipment. A wolf pack has an average range of 50 miles. A bear can travel 8 miles a day in search of habbitat or food. That would be alot of cameras! Not only this, but at the expense of the public. Charging a fee should not be at the top of the priority list for National Parks.

Big Bend National Park Offers A Drastic Change From Vistas This Easterner is Accustomed To Seeing

Mar 21st - 20:35pm | Anonymous

We just got back from our Spring Break visit to Big Bend. It is simply 'Awesome'! We had a great time. It did get cold at night but wonderful weather during the day. We hiked to see The Window, that was beautiful.

America The Beautiful Federal Lands Pass: How's The Revenue Flow?

Mar 21st - 17:33pm | Cindie

I hate buying the "seven day pass" when all I have time to do at most parks is drive through in a day...

Cavallo Point: New National Park Lodging in Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Mar 21st - 13:10pm | Mike Painter

From the rates, it's seems pretty clear that average Americans won't be staying here. And that's too bad, since it's a "national" park/recreation area. :-(

Pruning the Parks: Platt National Park (1906-1976)

Mar 21st - 12:11pm | Bob Janiskee

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one, Bruce.

Mar 21st - 08:56am | Bruce Noble

As I sit in my warm computer room next to my cat named Platt on a cold, blustery spring morning in southern Oklahoma, it seems appropriate to take a few minutes to comment on this article. While my job as park superintendent at Chickasaw NRA (formerly Platt NP) undoubtedly gives me a certain bias, I must take strong exception to the interpretation offered by Mr. Janiskee.

Mar 20th - 10:19am | Anonymous

Haven't seen Ferris--will check it out. Also Chickasaw someday, I hope.

The Changing Range of Light, Portraits of the Sierra Nevada

Mar 21st - 11:36am | Lee Dalton

I'm looking forward to seeing -- and perhaps purchasing the book.

NPCA: Independent Review Shows Wolf Population Goals Too Low in Washington State

Mar 21st - 09:54am | Kurt Repanshek

Rod, I hadn't heard mention of that target population tally of 300 to 500 wolves, but that seems both contrary to what the DEIS mentions and highly unattainable if delisting would occur with 15 breeding pairs.

Mar 20th - 23:29pm | RodF

It is misleading to write that the State's Draft EIS Wolf Conservation and Management Plan sets a "population goal of 15 breeding pairs". It sets a minimum benchmark for delisting from sensitive status of 15 breeding pairs (corresponding to a wolf population of 75 to 150). WDFW mentions a "target population" of 300 to 500 wolves in its public meetings.

Mar 19th - 18:10pm | TLM

You say "some scientists" - when the number is 2 (out of 3) in the peer review. It would be nice for once to have factual reporting on the wolf issue instead of bias in the media.

Mar 19th - 14:43pm | MikeD

Yes here in Wisconsin we have a wolf population that's gone way up and hunters are complaining about it a lot, claiming that it has helped decimate the deer population, although that seems to be a questionable assertion.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Recruiting for "Elk Bugle Corps"

Mar 21st - 09:36am | Danny Bernstein

Hi: I was an Elk Bugle Corp volunteer last year. It was a blast! I roamed the Cataloochee Valley, talked to a lot of visitors and even encouraged some to walk the one-mile to the Woody House. But most importantly, our job was to keep visitors away from the elk.

Reader Participation Day: If Cost Were No Object, Which National Park Would You Visit?

Mar 21st - 08:52am | Jet

I am going to Alaska this August and going to Denali so I would have to choose Katmai which at this time I will not be able to fit into my trip.

Mar 20th - 21:26pm | Bat

Denali would be first on my bucket list, but I would jump at the chance to climb Katahdin again. It was a spiritual experience.

Mar 19th - 13:52pm | GMan

I've worked for the NPS for 30 years now and have visited many of the different park units throughout the system. Theodore Roosevelt, Great Smokies, and Big Bend are some of my favorites. But if I had a shot at an all expenses paid trip I would have to go for a motorcycle tour of Ireland's six National Parks - with a visit to Glenveagh NP and the Derryveagh Mountains the #1 stop.

Grand Canyon National Park Officials Want To Keep Mule Rides in the Canyon

Mar 20th - 12:27pm | haunted hiker

AZ Hiker,

Mar 19th - 14:45pm | AZ Hiker

I feel mule rides should continue but with a recognition and lessening of their impacts. I have hiked both South Kaibab and Bright Angel numerous times and the Mule waste is an issue. Given the volume of mules on the trail we are not talking about a few droppings but large piles of dung and pools of urine.

Violent Deaths in the National Parks

Mar 20th - 07:28am | Anonymous

Interesting how you think. As a husband and father....and person who knows a lot of male and female individuals, I know that if you only gave guns to women, crime statistics would shift...that is if most women wanted guns. My wife and I both stay armed, but we know this is just a last ditch method of defense, and the key to its value is the fact that we don't appear armed.

The Next Director of the National Park Service Will Be....

Mar 19th - 19:18pm | y_p_w

Benny Rambo: I am offended by the website for the Kingsley Plantation on Fort George Island in Florida. I was viewing the area for my coming vacation, when I clicked on Things to do, and it stated this: Visit a plantation where enslaved men, women, and children of African descent labored and the plantation owner sought to make his fortune.

Mar 19th - 18:34pm | Benny Rambo

I am offended by the website for the Kingsley Plantation on Fort George Island in Florida. I was viewing the area for my coming vacation, when I clicked on Things to do, and it stated this: Visit a plantation where enslaved men, women, and children of African descent labored and the plantation owner sought to make his fortune.

Mike Snyder, Intermountain Regional Director for the National Park Service, Opts for Retirement

Mar 19th - 15:37pm | Cicerone

Snyder deserves no "sweet deal." The trite saying, "What goes around, comes around," is appropriate, but in Snyder's case it's only come to fruition about ten years too late. Good riddance! There may be hope for the NPS yet.

Group Calls For Boycott on Alaska After Game Officials Allow Wolf Trapping Near Denali National Park

Mar 19th - 15:24pm | Isa de Luca

Thanks William, for your support to the wolves. I also wrote protest emails to Gov.

Living History Program At Joshua Tree National Park Takes You Back to The 1940s

Mar 19th - 14:16pm | AZ Hiker

Just took the regular tour on Wednesday. It's an interesting look at the Keys family's life in Joshua Tree. Highly recommended!

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