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Federal Real ID May (Not) Be Required For Park Visit

It is hard to imagine at this point, but in just over a year, under a plan developed by Homeland Security, you may be asked to show a special federal identification to enter a national park. I can understand the security need behind having a passport to enter the country, and I can understand the need for important background checks before entering a nuclear facility, but needing the same federal security check to drive through a park? Absurd! -- Note: important update added to original story

Centennial Projects: Do They All Prepare the National Parks for the Next 100 Years?

A $12 million jazz museum. Marketing the parks for a specific industry. Installing composting toilets. These are some of the centennial projects that the National Park Service believes will "add sparkle to America's 'Crown Jewels.'" Am I the only one wondering how?
Image icon Summary-of-Park-Centennial-Strategies-1.pdf

Blog Day 2007

Today is Blog Day. Never heard of it? Either had I until this morning. It's an opportunity for us to share some of our favorite websites that may not necessarily have anything to do with National Parks. Four of the sites I've listed cover some aspect of travel (both domestic and international), but I've thrown in a non sequitur just for fun.

Black Bear Put Down in Grand Teton. How Many Visitors Ticketed For Providing Food?

A press release from Grand Teton National Park arrived in my in-box this morning, informing me that a 6-year-old female black bear had been put down because it had become habituated to human food. While the release gave a pretty good history of the bear's short life, it never mentioned how many tickets have been written to park visitors and employees for making food available to bears in the park.