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Traveler's View

Traveler's View: Fear And Loathing In Grand Canyon

Years ago when we published our code of conduct for comments, we said anonymous comments would be allowed because there obviously are times when whistleblowers want to shield their identity, when the topic is political dissent, and when the individual doesn't want his/her comments attached to the organization they work for. Now we're not so sure.

Traveler's View | Gagging The National Park Service, The Information Blackout In The Parks

As the partial government shutdown drags on towards its fourth week, so does the National Park Service's blackout on news regarding what's going on in the parks with most of the staff furloughed. When the government does get back to work, expect more than a few Freedom of Information Act requests filed concerning not just the decision-making regarding keeping the parks open, but what damage occurred.

Traveler's View: Interior Department Makes Rules Up On The Fly

With the Interior Department led by a recent oil industry lobbyist and the National Park Service by a past political appointee who overlooked environmental rules to please a billionaire, we're embarking on a new paradigm for managing the National Park System, one that includes changing the rules on the fly.

UPDATED | Traveler's View: Keeping Parks Open During Government Shutdown Is Bad Idea

Keeping most units of the National Park System open during the partial government shutdown is a bad idea, as accumulating human waste and garbage poses sanitation issues and some visitors are taking advantage of the lack of presence of rangers to do what they want, regardless of regulations.

Traveler's View | Bears Ears And Grand Staircase-Escalante Are Today's Hetch Hetchy

Early in the 20th century there was a fight over the fate of the Hetch Hetchy Valley at Yosemite National Park. Would it remain an amazing, waterfall-rimmed valley that so very well complemented the Yosemite Valley, or would it be given over to a reservoir to meet San Francisco's utilitarian needs? The battle for wildness, of course, was lost at Hetch Hetchy. Today the battle is being repeated in Utah, where wildness and sacredness at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments are being tossed aside not so much for utilitarianism as for profiteering.

Traveler's View: Politics Vs. Public Interest In National Parks

While the National Park Service Organic Act directs the National Park Service to be a guardian of the parks and the flora and fauna within them, politics don't always make that easy. Proof of that can be seen in Alaska, where the agency has done a complete reversal in trying to protect wolves, bears, coyotes and other predators from rampant hunting and trapping.

Traveler's View: Random Thoughts From, And About, National Parks

There really never is a dull moment when it comes to the National Park System. Not when there's a candidate for Congress saying Olympic National Park should be turned over to the state of Washington, when Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke praises the stabilization of a backcountry lodge in Glacier National Park but is mum on Grand Canyon National Park's leaky water system, and when the National Park Service looks the other way regarding its role not to interfere with natural processes.
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