A recent article suggests that four representatives for Washington State would like to see the Mt St Helens Volcanic Monument moved from management under the US Forest Service to the National Park Service. The objectives of the Parks make more sense for the monument, but will moving the mountain from one cash starved agency to another cash starved agency make a difference?

The recent stories about the special uses of Alcatraz and the Charlestown Navy Yard have raised some questions not only about how the National Park Service manages its properties, but how we at National Park Traveler go about our work.

Camera in hand, adventure seekers are sharing their experiences in Yosemite National Park with the world via YouTube. Three videos here, hang gliding over the valley, a 3000 foot slackline attempt (like a tight rope walk), and a hike up Half Dome with hundreds of other folks. Of the three, the crowds at Half Dome give me the most chills.

One of the more popular posts on the original National Parks Traveler was about Dick Proenneke, a modern-day mountain man if ever there was one who headed off to Alaska in 1967 to live in the wilderness. I often learned that folks discovered the Traveler site by Googling for Dick. Well, now there's a Yahoo! Groups page dedicated to him.