You are here

Home

All Recent Comments

Traveler's Checklist: Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Jan 6th - 21:06pm | BChuck

Great info - I've got to get in better shape - at 51 yrs old, this cabin has fasinated me since the first time I saw it in 1975 (during a 375 mile bike ride on the BRP at age 17). I was planning on a June trek - is that a good time of year? Wanted to avoid too many bugs, and too many chances of falling in a stream. Thanks.

What Are The Top Issues Confronting The National Park System?

Jan 6th - 19:55pm | Ron Saunders

Not sure I follow that, Grizz.

Jan 6th - 17:45pm | Grizz

Over the years park attendance has been increasing. A large part of that has been possible because the number of people in the middle class was also increasing, including an increase of minorities in the middle class. But the trend now is for a massive movement of wealth toward the rich, corporations moving more and more jobs overseas.

Jan 6th - 17:34pm | Ron Saunders

Strange isn't it, when you are not personally responsible for repaying, sure makes it easier to spend. Our Government has been notorious for unnecessary spending. They study things to death, review it when its dead, hire consultants to investigate why it died, have overlapping agencies, Assistants to assistants who then have assistants, You know where I'm going with this.

Jan 6th - 14:45pm | George Orwell

No comment but Tim Geitner just announced that $14 Trillion in DEBT isn't enough.

Jan 6th - 13:37pm | Bman

Bureaucratic and regulatory overload that has lead to inertia. Even the simplest things seem to be in the too hard to do category. Leaders, decision-makers and managers that are far too risk averse and afraid to make even the simplest decision without having consensus. Too much CYA.

Jan 6th - 12:23pm | George Orwell

Just hire the best and allow those that got the positions realize they got it because of their own achievement and not diversity quotas. There's much evidence that opportunity is available for everyone given that one realizes that it's not a right but determined by their own efforts. That's a cultivation method I could embrace.

Jan 6th - 11:37am | Kurt Repanshek

Another Ranger and George, the reference to diversity in the workforce was not to imply rules or standards should be weakened in hiring, but rather that the NPS somehow find a way to cultivate a more diverse pool of qualified candidates system-wide in all fields within the NPS.

Jan 6th - 11:26am | George Orwell

I liked your comments, Another Ranger! You represent the thoughts of a broad swath of the middle ground that voted in November. It's so logical and fresh....it's threatening to many that embrace and have prospered in the disfunction :). Rock On, Rangers!

Jan 6th - 11:13am | Matt Stubbs

Why is there a need for more rangers with enviros wanting to restrict national park access to the non-handicapped, in perfect shape, adult only environment.

Jan 6th - 10:07am | Another Ranger

"* Employee recruitment. Surveys have shown that NPS staffing, overall, is tilted toward white males. If visitor diversity efforts are to succeed, it would seem that diversity in staffing is important, too."

Jan 6th - 09:43am | George Orwell

Barky has a great idea! "I so wish the entire NPS could be turned over to a public trust away from the federal government." I suggest not stopping at just the NPS turning away from the Federal Government. The implications are euphoric :):) !

Jan 6th - 09:12am | Lee Dalton

Wow, Barky (Submitted by Barky on January 5, 2011 - 6:17pm. ), you sure hit one on the head there! Although I have more confidence in NPS as now constituted, maybe your idea,

Jan 5th - 19:58pm | Anonymous

Employee morale. Lack of funding.

Jan 5th - 19:51pm | John Tymochko

Tear out every single paved road.

Jan 5th - 19:17pm | Barky

I see the biggest threat to be indifference. We have our new Congressional overlords, hell-bent on ruining the government, both in terms of perception ("the government can't do anything worthwhile") and literally through defunding darn near everything the government does (except prisons, the TSA, and war, it would seem).

Jan 5th - 18:02pm | Ron Saunders

"Anyway, this thread should be about how to make the parks better."

Jan 5th - 16:52pm | Tom Vaughan

"Untold stories" is the one that rings my bell, partly because it is so true and partly because it is potentially so easy to answer. Every park, and I mean EVERY park, has many stories to tell.

Jan 5th - 15:25pm | Ryan

Matt,

Jan 5th - 14:14pm | Anonymous

Fragmentation of ecosystems is the most obvious effect of encroaching development around parks that are inadequate to preserve mobile species. Of greater concern in the future will be the rise in the levels of poaching not imaginable today. Of wildlife and plants, of fossil resources, of minerals and archeological resources, anything that that can be sold.

Jan 5th - 13:04pm | Matt Stubbs

Bob, the one that comes to mind is the fact that an ORV rule was written and released to Washington for completion, but was never followed up on by the NPS and then the NPS sat around until a lawsuit in 2007. In this instance the NPS is totally responsible for this complete issue that is so hotly debated today.

Jan 5th - 12:35pm | Bob

I am struck by the fact that all of the challenges are caused by someone outside the NPS. Surely, there must be at least one topic where the NPS has made its own mistakes?

Jan 5th - 12:05pm | Ron Saunders

I concur with Matt Stubbs, and would add, that it is difficult to support additional funding to our National Park System when there is a contengent of people that would eliminate some of us from the equation simply because they do not understand or agree with our philosophy of life. I actually feel, at times, that they would just as soon eliminate people from the Parks altogether.

Jan 5th - 10:12am | Lee Dalton

Anonymous at 8:30 certainly brings up some very valid points.

Jan 5th - 09:49am | Dave Crowl

I see the main problem being Funding. I do not mind seeing the NPS growing and adding parks like they seem to do regularly, but it is hard to add parks with a declining budget.

Jan 5th - 09:30am | Anonymous

I have been a seasonal park ranger for the National Park Service for five years (working winter and summer) I have a B.S degree in Natural resource management and the Park Service has spent a lot of time and money training me. I have been trying to get a permanent job with the Park Service since before I went to college I have put a considerable amount of time and effort towards this goal.

Jan 5th - 06:40am | Lawrence J. Caldwell

The number one problem is that there simply are not enough National Parks. In addition to those units in the system that do not enjoy Park status, there are places in our country still not within the system at all. Regardless of all the other issues, the first step always has to be to get the treasured unit into the system. Then figure out how to resolve all the other problems.

National Park Quiz 90: Cold

Jan 6th - 16:57pm | Lee Dalton

Well, even without a heart, he, she, or it does produce some fun stuff. I always thought I was pretty well informed on park issues and trivia and everything else, but some of your quizzes and other challenges keep proving me wrong. So that had something to do with my being so touchy. On the other hand, I keep learning new things. I guess maybe even I'm not too old.

Jan 6th - 12:23pm | Bob Janiskee

Gosh, Lee. Your story has touched my heart. Whoops; I forgot. The quizmeister does not have a heart.

Jan 6th - 09:04am | Lee Dalton

I'm gonna cry FOUL! I would have had 12 correct except the question specified a "national park" so I dismissed Colorado NATIONAL MONUMENT from my thinking. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Jan 5th - 16:42pm | Bob Janiskee

Arizona's Agua Fria National Monument is an interesting site, for sure, but it's not in the National Park System. It's a Bureau of Land Management Property.

Jan 5th - 16:35pm | les taylor

Technically, yes. But Agua Fria National Monument in Arizona, translated means "cold water." Si?

Reader Participation Day: What is the Greatest Threat To Our National Parks?

Jan 6th - 15:30pm | lyndel meikle

Greetings Kurt I've been reading the comments about the greatest threat and although there have been many valid concerns brought up, each tends to exclude another. Since I'm in the NPS, I'd like to address this as a greatest challenge. Perhaps it is to hold on to who we are. That means making our Organic Act an organic part of ourselves. "Preserve, protect, provide."

Political Lineup For House Natural Resources Committee Sure to Produce Fireworks Over Public Lands

Jan 6th - 09:16am | George Orwell

I do appreciate the thoughtful arguments that National Traveler has facilitated!

Jan 5th - 19:18pm | George Orwell

There was definitely a middle that showed up at the Mid-terms last November. Some would like to paint them as not the middle but I believe they are and they are deservedly pissed. Even John Kennedy Democrats would be considered far right compared to the those that have been in power. :)

Jan 5th - 08:38am | Ryan

George, I wish we could find a middle, but I think the average person is a myth, they do not exist.

Jan 5th - 08:01am | George Orwell

Like I said, throw out the extreme arguments. Like to hear more from those in the center who carry the water for everyone.:):)

Interior Secretary Sets Aside 17 Fee-Free Days Across the National Park System

Jan 6th - 09:13am | AnonymousD

I agree with the point made by Sabattis and would like to take it a bit further. This is, let's face it, marketing of a sort, in the face of an ongoing economic downturn. But we need to keep the revenue stream at the parks, since Congress underfunds them, and maybe the way to do that is to entice more people to visit. And entice them in completely new ways.

Jan 6th - 06:09am | Sabattis

I do wonder, though, how this lost revenue for the Parks will be made up - since the Parks get to keep those entrance fees, doesn't waiving the entrance fees mean less money for the Parks?

Jan 5th - 15:43pm | Kurt Repanshek

Sorry, no mention of August 25...the date in 1916 when the National Park Service Organic Act came to be.

Jan 5th - 13:39pm | Ranger Bill

What about August 25?

Some Special "Sounds of the Season"—Hear the Songs of Humpback Whales Online

Jan 6th - 08:23am | Trilogy Whale W...

Adding to Skott's list: entanglement Education is a large part of what the sanctuary is trying to accomplish.

Medals Stolen From San Juan National Historic Site 18 Years Ago Found Buried at the Park

Jan 5th - 22:39pm | T Lopez

Great story! I think the medals found their own way back. They are not "about" history, they ARE history.

$1,000 Reward Offered In Connection With Crushed Loggerhead Sea Turtle at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Jan 5th - 18:20pm | Dario

I hope they will find (those responsible) and (they will be) punished for this... This comment was edited.--Ed.

We'd Like to Welcome the Glacier National Park Fund to Our List of Sponsors

Jan 5th - 14:38pm | Debra

Thanks, Kurt, it looks great!

Lease For Airport Inside Grand Teton National Park Extended

Jan 5th - 12:53pm | ED K

Just observe the TONE of this article: "the final Record of Decision .... URGEs stronger measures...." but there is no REQUIREMENT. The Approach from the south is VOLUNTARY. As one who has dealt with airports and airport management in the past, I assure you that the National Park WILL be destroyed, in order to facilitate the needs of aviation.

Snow-capped Mountains Offer a Different Look at Death Valley National Park

Jan 5th - 09:52am | RangerLady

The snow and rain can help the spring wildflowers, but it all depends on what happens in the spring. It could be enough rain and snow for the little fellers to pop their heads out of the soil, but if the rain stops and the temperatures increase then they will burn up before they can ever bloom.

Florida Officials To Install Panther Detection System With Hopes of Slowing Road Kills

Jan 5th - 09:25am | risa reneeAnonymous

My heart goes out to these causes that will help the wildlife and the preservation of our precious environment.

111th Congress Did Well When it Comes to National Park Wilderness, But It Could Have Done Better

Jan 5th - 07:20am | Josh

"For instance, neither Yellowstone nor Glacier have officially designated wilderness. Nor do Canyonlands, Voyageurs, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Big Bend, Grand Teton, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, or Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore."

Jan 5th - 07:13am | Josh

I think the end is near for some of the National Parks, including our Voyageurs National Park. People in the area are pushing to have it changed to a national wildlife area. I put a poll on my web site http://lakekabetogama.org pertaining to this issue and the results are overwhelmingly in favor of eliminating the National Park designation.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.