Hope to see you back in the parks soon/Marcelle Shoop

Refreshing the National Park Service's press release website does not increase the frequency of new releases.

With a good percentage of the National Park System closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's getting more and more difficult to uncover news from across the system. It seems that many of the communications staff are not considered essential to come into the office, and so news is definitely moving slowly these days. 

And....there comes a point in updating the list of closures across the park system when there's seldom anything new to add. Of course, if this drags on much longer, the emergence of Alaska's national parks from winter likely will spur a new round of closure notices. If they are met with a corresponding flood of "reopening" releases from park units in the Lower 48, there could be a frenzy to overhaul the list of closures.

About Those Permits...

The spring escape my wife and I planned to the Needles District Campground in Canyonlands National Park was waylaid by coronavirus. We didn't catch it, but Utah health officials convinced the parks to close a little bit at a time, and the campgrounds were among the first to go.

When you have to try to land a campground reservation six months out, and succeed, you immediately begin counting down the months, then weeks, then days until you can pitch your tent where you want. Now the clock has been reset and the six-month wait is on again.

But it's also given me time to wonder if my backcountry paddling trip to Yellowstone will come off as planned? The permit application was mailed off in late March. But are the backcountry rangers who put the applications into the lottery "essential," or is there a large pile of unopened mail awaiting their return, which might not occur before late May?

(Still nothing new on the NPS press release site.)

Build That Parks Library

One thing a writer needs is research materials. Not being able to head out to a park definitely crosses field research off the near-term calendar. But you can never have enough books, and my recent trip to Everglades National Park (pre coronavirus closure and pre "shelter in place" directives), convinced me it was way past time to add Marjory Stoneman Douglas' masterpiece, Everglades: The River Of Grass to my bookcase. Being an Amazon Prime member, I looked forward to having the book before this coming weekend.

Then I read the fine print on Amazon's website: "We’re temporarily prioritizing the delivery of some items in order to serve our customers in need and ensure the safety of our associates. As a result, some delivery times are longer than usual."

Longer indeed. That two-day delivery has turned into three weeks, with anticipated arrival on May 4. Sigh.

Park Webcams

Not quite as bad as refreshing the Park Service news release website in search of news is surfing to various parks' webcams. Some, such as Yellowstone's West Entrance cam and Grand Canyon's South Entrance cam, are pretty boring. Pavement as far as the eye can see.

Head over to Cape Cod National Seashore, though, and you just might catch a sunny beach scene, the waves washing ashore and not a soul in sight. Of course, the webcams are fixed with a limited field of vision, so there could be folks hanging out.

Time things right and you can watch Old Faithful gush.

(Finally, a new park news release: Pavement repair work on paved surfaces at Carl Sandburg Home NHS will begin on Tuesday, April 14.)

More Gear?

Earlier this year, with that Needles trip on the horizon, I was mulling the purchase of a new tent. Something bigger than a backpacking tent, smaller than an RV. Something that you could set up rather quickly, and have enough headspace so you could almost comfortably stand up or sit comfortably in a camp chair. Big Agnes has what appears to be a great option...but with Needles off the calendar until fall, what's the point in getting one now?

(These are the questions that fill the time between checking for news releases and looking at park webcams).

Park Virtual Tours

Quite a few parks are promoting virtual tours. You can marvel at wildlife in Everglades National Park or watch park crews start fires in the sawgrass prairie to mimic natural fire, tour Clara Barton's house, or learn more about the ecosystems at Wind Cave National Park. If it's still cold where you live (we had snow today), you might want to spend some time soaking up the virtual warmth from Virgin Islands National Park's tour. You can find more virtual activities at this page. 

About Those Annual Park Passes...

A reader brought up an interesting question the other day: Will the National Park Service refund your fee or give you a new annual park pass for free if parks stay closed for most of the year? Anyone know? My guess is not.

What Is The Wildlife Up To?

It's spring, wildlife is out and about in the parks...but do they miss us? Do they feel more freedom without camera-toting visitors and tour buses on the roads? I asked Chris Geremia, Yellowstone’s senior bison biologist, about that.

“Has that changed how they moved, their proximity to roads? That’s a really good question, I don’t know the answer to that," said Geremia who, like many other National Park Service employees, is not considered essential these days and so not allowed into Yellowstone to check out bison behavior. Sounds like a worthy research project to me.

(Another new news release: Grand Canyon National Park seeks public assistance in vehicle burglary investigation.)

Definitely slow times in the park system. No worries, though, for on Wednesday we'll take you to Everglades National Park to see what's up with the Flamingo Visitor Center.