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What Not to Do with an Old Cannonball

Aug 29th - 18:16pm | Trisha

My husband way before we met found we believe too be an 8" cannonball with a fuse. I have recently been searching this item to actually determine if we are right and what we can do with it. It is just sitting in the garage and I am getting pretty worried being that we have 4 children and all the stories I have been reading. Any suggestions?

Reader Participation Day: Should Pets Be Given More Leeway in National Parks?

Aug 29th - 17:46pm | Anonymous

We have avoided the NPs because of the no dog rules, however we also want to take our two-legged children to the NPs. I have wondered why the nps doesn't require a "permit" to allow dogs on hiking trails. The park service could require proof of neutering and several immunizations before issuing the permit. I would be willing to pay a fee for that right.

Weather Conditions Continuing To Hamper Search Efforts For Missing Katmai National Park Plane

Aug 29th - 16:21pm | Anonymous

Thank you for your informative updates. It is much appreciatied. Two of my nephews were aboard this plane. Knowing the wisdom, strength and survival skills that they have, we are still keeping the faith that they are making it through this and bring Mason and Marco along with them. Much gratitude, CSW

Aug 29th - 15:42pm | Anonymous

Thank you very much for the update. Even though the rescue status has not changed, I am comforted knowing that the searchers are working hard and that the media is continuing to keep the public informed. I am keeping my hopes high with the thought of seeing my friend again.

Deterioriating Weather Conditions Affecting Search For Missing Plane at Katmai National Park and Preserve

Aug 29th - 15:33pm | Anonymous

I just found this site http://alaskasearchupdate.com - "This website is dedicated to delivering the most current news and updates on the search for Mason McLeod, 26; Neal Spradlin, 28; Seth Spradlin, 20; and Marco Alletto (Pilot), 47 aboard a float plane that took off from Swikshak Bay, Alaska and never arrived at its destination.

Aug 29th - 11:04am | Brandon

Both Katmai NP and your site haven't updated missing plane news since Friday. Can you provide any new information? Many of us from all over are praying and desperate for any news. Thanks!

Aug 28th - 18:15pm | Anonymous

Please keep posting news about this missing plane. friends and family will want to stay informed on this issue. Can't find any news on it posted in the last day or so. I'd really appreciate it. thanks.

What Should Gettysburg National Military Park Do With Its Empty Cyclorama Building?

Aug 29th - 14:48pm | Anonymous

The building should be torn down. It does not add to the surrounding land, but detracts from it. I disagree that just because a building is old that it should hold an historic significance. Sometimes things are just old and need to be disposed of.

Aug 29th - 14:12pm | Cornell

Let me get this right: demolition has been held up because the Cyclorama Building "is eligible for listing on the National Register". Under this rationale if a building has been around long enough, that should outweigh the reason for Gettysburg National Military Park.

Aug 29th - 12:33pm | Tim Zurek

Although the idea of preserving the building is a valid one and deserves some debate I feel that the core issue should be the restoration of the battlefield to its 1863 condition. Standing on the battlefield and being able to visualize those days in July of 1863 would be much more satisying with fewer obstructions.

Aug 29th - 12:20pm | DOCREP

“Renovate the building and install several hundred slot machines………… Give the new Casino some Competition” ;o)) How many dollars would it bring to NPS? Semper Fi Larry

Aug 28th - 15:47pm | Anonymous

The only historic thing is the land, not the building. Tear it down.

Aug 28th - 13:31pm | Anonymous

First time I saw that building I wondered why a holding tank from a wastewater treatment facility had been placed on the battlefield.

Aug 28th - 12:31pm | Metro DPS

I feel that the history of the place far out weighs the architectural history of the building. The grounds and adjacent parking lots should be restored to the 1863 appearance of Ziegler's Grove. If a group wants the building then THEY should pay for the moving of it not the tax payers.

Aug 28th - 10:02am | Dick

The building was built to house the cyclorama? The painting is now gone. I've been in the building and fail to see where it qualifies for any sort of historic standing. Tear it down.

Aug 28th - 09:38am | ecbuck

Maybe I missed something - but what were the arguments for keeping the building? Some building built in the 60's to hold a painting since removed hardly seems historic - especially in relation to the ground it is sitting on.

Search For Missing Plane in Katmai National Park and Preserve Has Covered 17,500 Miles

Aug 29th - 10:55am | Jeani

My sister is a Park Ranger at Katmai National Park. Here is the link to her blog. http://geo-travels.blogspot.com/

Aug 27th - 00:50am | Anonymous

Thank you for keeping us updated!! Neil is a good friend and we are holding everyone in our prayers right now!!

Reader Participation Day: Help Plan Our Special Fall in the National Parks Series

Aug 29th - 10:06am | Ranger KT

Any of the Southern Utah parks, for sure. And I think I already saw a vote up there for Guadalupe Mountains NP, which I will second!

Aug 27th - 05:44am | Sabattis

Gauley NRA has its dam-release days in the Fall, making it a mecca for white-water rafters...

Blind Hiker Trevor Thomas Tackles Pacific Crest Trail One Step At A Time

Aug 29th - 09:46am | tahoma

He's crossed the Columbia River into Washington state; go Trevor! http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/blind_hiker_trevor_thom...

Aug 29th - 03:37am | Whitnee

Hi! I just met you at the PCT Days thing... I was the one who walked with you to your campsite and told you where an outlet was... I'll never forget you, dude. It was an honor to meet you. You are an American hero.

Updated: NPCA Names Dirk Kempthorne to Its Board of Trustees

Aug 29th - 08:49am | Lee Dalton

Hmmmm. Thanks, Sabattis, for some good wisdom that some of us (me, at least) might have overlooked. This certainly is a time in America when we need very much to reach out and seek dialogue with others -- especially those with whom we might disagree. Thank you for correcting the jaded thinking of this old man.

Aug 27th - 15:14pm | Sabattis

I commend the NPCA for this move. The NPCA is sometimes criticized for being perceived as being just another arm of the Democratic Party. In order to succeed in its mission to enhance and protect the National Parks, it is going to take a broad-based coalition of public support, and forming that coalition is going to require building bridges across both sides of the aisle. I hope that Mr.

Aug 27th - 09:45am | Dave Crowl

Great article Kurt. It is good to keep eyes on the direction of this organization. It does make you wonder how much pressure Kempthorne had from the Bush administration and how much of his decision making was his own; Lets hope the past mistakes were not of his thinking.

Old-Fashioned Fun on Labor Day Weekend at Homestead National Monument

Aug 29th - 08:45am | Lee Dalton

I had the privilege of visiting Homestead in summer 2009. I had planned to spend maybe half a day there at most. But it was such a fascinating place with a friendly staff and visitor center filled with such intriguing displays that I was simply hooked and wound up spending an entire day. If the great air show at Oshkosh hadn't been beckoning, I'd have spent even more time there.

Cape Cod National Seashore to Celebrate Summer With Free Concert, "The Shore Thing"

Aug 28th - 22:57pm | J Nelson K

WOW . . . Found this page via Google. Timing is everything. As a songwriter myself, my co-writer and I have just put the finishing touches on a tribute "Cape Cod (Summer Song)" now released and available on iTunes.

Teach Your Children Well...When it Comes to Hiking in National Parks And Elsewhere Outdoors

Aug 28th - 19:47pm | Monica

It is always a lot of fun watching kids grow-up with an appreciation for the outdoors. Hiking with the kids is a great activity to nurture that! So, whenever we have free time, hiking or camping is always the best family bonding.

Stamps Inspired By Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Debut on September 1

Aug 28th - 19:36pm | Cornell

My wife and have visited Hawaii Volcanoes NP twice, the first time as part of a group and second time on our own. We saw the i'iwi from the dining room at the Volcano House during our second trip. The park has volcanoes, a rain forest, and what I guess you would call a scrub brush areas. It is a park well worth visiting and should not be missed if you're going to the Big Island.

Wolverine Photographed in Rocky Mountain National Park

Aug 28th - 17:29pm | Clay

Some friends and I had one of these cross our trail early moring on July 13, 2010 at 13,000 feet while climbing Mt. Elbert. It was too fast for the cameras, but the facial features, fur color contrasts and the tail are a dead giveaway.

Aug 28th - 17:25pm | Clay

Some friends and I came across one early morning July 13, 2010 at 13,000 feet while climbing Mt. Elbert, got a good look but it was too fast for the cameras. The tail and facial contrasts are a dead giveaway though.

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Closed until Further Notice Due to Wildfire

Aug 27th - 21:28pm | Ron Mastrogiuseppe

Our friend, the Late Paul Fritz, of Boise, was the keyman for Hagerman Fossil Beds NM. as well as ONE of several CO-FOUNDERS for Redwood NP, a Park borne in Controversy. Paul also served as Landscape Architech for Crater Lake NP during the Redwood NP Struggle. So, One person can make a positive difference. THANK YOU PAUL FRITZ.

Donate To a Good Cause And You Could Wind Up with a Log Cabin Near Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 27th - 17:31pm | Claire M. Walter

Great cabin but alas, really far from Colorado.

Aug 27th - 08:24am | Amy Rollins

That is awesome. I am going to buy some tickets right now. Hope I win

Aug 27th - 07:43am | Danny Bernstein

What a great cabin. And you can't beat the location. You could float down Deep Creek every day next summer. Danny www.hikertohiker.com

Careless Camper Leads to Small Fire in Grand Teton National Park

Aug 27th - 17:14pm | Jan

I certainly do hope that this individual is fined by the federal magistrate. Thank goodness this fire was small. Thank you firefighters!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Turning to 240 Volunteers To Help Reduce Elk Herd

Aug 27th - 16:33pm | Randy C

Priscilla,

Need to Cull Elk in Theodore Roosevelt National Park Points To Larger Problem Across National Park System

Aug 27th - 15:09pm | olderguysrule

This is a note to the reply sumitted by Lee.

Aug 27th - 12:49pm | Lee Criswell

The National Park Service has also previously implemented elk-culling operations in Rocky Mountain National Park. They employed professional sharpshooters to perform the culling operation, with a lottery to distribute the resulting meat, after testing to exclude chronic wasting disease, free to the public. Approval was granted to remove 100 cows from the RMNP herd. Elk are NOT stupid, however.

Aug 27th - 09:39am | Kurt Repanshek

Lee, technical woes that we didn't notice turned off the comment option on the NPCA-Kempthorne story. We typically encourage comments on each and every one of our stories. If you ever see a story with no comment option, please contact us immediately so we can correct the problem.

Aug 27th - 09:26am | Lee Dalton

Once again, politics trump good sense. But I guess this is a better situation than the alternative pushed by President Cheney -- privatization of our parks.

You Can't Always, or Fairly, Blame Technology For Visitor Woes in National Parks

Aug 27th - 14:56pm | jessstryker

The comment about cameras being dangerous is one few of us think about. I've been photographing National Parks for many years and have had some success with obtaining great and unique photos. But those photos have come at times at a risk, possibly very close to an unacceptable risk a few times. I've had a number of close calls in trying to get that "special shot".

Two Countries, Two Parks

Aug 27th - 14:55pm | Susan Hansen

This is a beautiful photograph! I have been in Glacier National Park but have never been to Waterton Lakes National Park. Regarding your blog on the missing floatplane in Katmai N.P., I suspect that the floatplane is under water either in the Shelikoff Straits or in some lake. I used to work there many years ago. ...a sad situation.

Running Dry, a Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River

Aug 27th - 13:46pm | Lee Dalton

And for years it has been known that in summer heat, six inches of water evaporate from all of Lake Powell's surface. That, they say, is enough to handle all the water needs of Los Angeles for a day. Then, downstream, how much evaporates at Lake Mead and so on?

Aug 27th - 10:31am | tahoma

Many years ago I happened to share the elevator accessing tours of Glen Canyon dam with a federal hydrologist. He claimed that one gallon out of three of Colorado River water entering the reservoir ended up seeping into the sandstones under the Navajo Reservation!

Aug 27th - 09:37am | Lee Dalton

Sounds like this Waterman guy is just another of those environmental wackos who just doesn't understand what America is all about. It's simply unAmerican to suggest that we actually conserve or apply real stewardship to the land around us.

Fall Into Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Kills California Woman

Aug 27th - 11:03am | Anonymous

Charlotte is buried in Santa Barbara

Sky-High Ginseng Prices Boost Illegal Harvest in Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 27th - 07:09am | a true american

What gets me is ... Wonder how many private parties have lost their Land Because Our Government took it from them. To make a park. And the next thing is its federal land ..Ok who owns the government.. The people. This means it is public land set forth for the people of this country to use and enjoy. So we the people own this land. If sang is dug and replanted it hurts nothing.

Becoming A Junior Ranger At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 27th - 02:23am | Flygresor

Wonderful picture.,Hannah looks so confident. Parents should get familiarized with the different activities for their children. And as they say, "childhood is the best that life can offer" and if that's the case, they should not miss being a Junior Ranger.

National Park Service Sets Meetings For "Rim of Valley Corridor" Special Resource Study

Aug 27th - 00:52am | Anonymous

This is a great idea. The Rim of the Valley Corridor is long overdue.

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