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Senator Feinstein Offers Legislation To Protect Desertscape in and Around Death Valley, Joshua Tree National Parks

Jun 28th - 22:06pm | Curt Corum

So whats the latest with this proposal? What happened to the proposal that was passed by Bono?

Another Bear Killed By Hit-and-Run Driver in Yellowstone National Park

Jun 28th - 21:18pm | Anonymous

The problem is people speed in the park, especially locals, and feel like they are above the speed limits and laws. The speed limits are there for your protection as well as the wildlife's. I don't care if the bear darted out, Grizzlies are huge and unless you were speeding or not paying attention you probably would have seen the bear and had time to stop.

Jun 28th - 20:02pm | Cheryl Henry

I am sorry to hear about the bears. We were just there and saw several grizzlies as they seem to be very active right now. One did run out into the road in front of the car in front of us by Old Faithful, but it was moving very fast. Still, if you don't exceed the speed limit and are aware of your surroundings, both the animals and drivers are less likely to have an accident.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Crushed By Vehicle At Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Jun 28th - 20:47pm | Crotalus

Salvo Jimmy, You offered to sit out at the Point and camp/fish all night. How about sitting at the ramps all night? As far as your next point, the NPS can't ignore their own policies, so they are the same as law for the NPS.

Jun 28th - 20:29pm | Crotalus

Rick in Md, You have confused my post w/the one which followed it. The "report" is spin and distortions cherry-picked to support an a priori conclusion.

Jun 28th - 18:12pm | Salvo Jimmy

Re Park Service legal obligation. As indicated by Crot it's a policy decision which is not a legal obligation. And as far as I can determine, the state's "plans" do not include the measures in the consent decree (CD). Now the CD is law until it goes away next year.

Jun 28th - 13:41pm | Anonymous

Are you really defending Bush's environmental record?

Jun 28th - 12:55pm | Anonymous

Regarding the discussion of special concern species in North Carolina by previous posters.

Jun 28th - 09:17am | Salvo Jimmy

BTW Howie, some of us have tried to help. See my 6/26 post. We were shot down.

Jun 28th - 09:14am | Salvo Jimmy

Howie, I believe you are talking about the turtle. I was responding to Anonymus (see his 6.27 post) re protecting birds on the NC special concern list that are not on any federal list. Totally different issue.

Jun 28th - 08:35am | Howie

The fact that its ON the state protected list, does in fact mean it receives legal protection. Additionally, it is a FEDERALLY protected species. In either case, it can not be taken without a permit, and that permit is not like a game tag.. there are only certain circumstances where the take would be allowed.. and this wasnt one of them, nor was there a permit in place to take one. Period.

Jun 28th - 06:23am | Salvo Jimmy

Just to be clear where I'm coming from on special concern species. This is the definition from the NC ESA.

Jun 27th - 21:42pm | Rick in MD

Crotulas-

Jun 27th - 18:55pm | Salvo Jimmy

Sorry Anonymous, but policy is not law. How about provide the specific section of the NC code that has what you say about protection. Last time I looked monitor was the word used not protection.

Jun 27th - 15:35pm | Anonymous

North Carolina law says the NC Wildlife Commission has a duty to protect special concern species. Myers just ignored the law. Why? Myers is just a political hack for Senator Basnight and Dare County went to the Senator to tell the wildlife agency what to say. Myers is also not a biologist but built boat ramps and owes his job to Senator Basnight. The Park Service knows all this.

Jun 27th - 15:12pm | Salvo Jimmy

Crot I know perfectly well what NPS policy says, but it is overkill for what NC intended with their designation. Might be perfectly applicable in another state but not in NC.

Jun 27th - 12:41pm | Crotalus

Salvo Jimmy, Gordon Meyers doesn't establish park policy and park policy states: The National Park Service will inventory, monitor, and manage state and locally listed species in a manner similar to its treatment of federally listed species to the greatest extent possible. In addition, the Service will inventory other

Jun 27th - 10:35am | Salvo Jimmy

Ah, half the story Anonymous, and a bit of misleading spin.

Jun 27th - 07:47am | Anonymous

Hardam and Davis are ORV advocates. They are not biologists. The North Carolina state sea turtle management plan developed by biologists and turtle experts says leave turtle nests in place unless they are imminently threatened.

Jun 27th - 07:00am | Crotalus

Rick,

Jun 26th - 23:01pm | Rick in MD

Crotalus-

Jun 26th - 18:32pm | Crotalus

Rick in Md, The NPS relocates around 30 percent of nests from areas prone to washover and erosion. From their reports, the early nests do well, but if tropical storms hit (w/in 500 miles as they have in the last 3-4 years) late in the season, because of the man-made dunes and erosion, no part of the beach is immune to overwash from the surge.

Jun 26th - 18:06pm | Kurt Repanshek

Just a friendly reminder from the Traveler that while we certainly encourage comments, we really appreciate it when they're constructive. I think everyone -- folks on both sides -- agrees that the killing of the turtle was reprehensible and unnecessary.

Jun 26th - 17:51pm | Rick in MD

The focus and outcry of the enviro's should be focused on the NPS. Where is the outcry for their failure to move turtle nests laid in known overwash areas? It is sad what happened to this turtle but how does one incident lead to the need to ban all driving on the beach? To those who say folks are lazy who drive on the beach have clearly never visited the Seashore.

Jun 26th - 17:44pm | Anonymous

I visit Cape Hatteras Seashore often. A segment of the local population think they own our Seashore. They are full of vile and hatred and have no respect or interst in wildlife and nature, except for killing fish. ... I have heard they kick Park Service staff out of businesses.

Jun 26th - 17:28pm | Anonymous

@ Anonymous June 26, 2010 - 3:08pm There seems to be something missing from your post. Let me fix it for you: "The tourists are more responsible for the destruction of the beachs and wildlife. But we don't care if the levels of visitation are sustainable, just as long as we can take their money."

Jun 26th - 16:08pm | Anonymous

Accidents happen. I'm sure this wasn't done on purpose. And as for Hatteras's "ATTITUDE", we take care of our beachs. We Care for our wildlife. We care for our lively hood. The tourists are more responsible for the destruction of the beachs and wildlife. So before you make a snotty comment about our "attitude", why not come down and see how we handle ourselves.

Jun 26th - 13:22pm | Salvo Jimmy

I'm not saying there should be no rules. Driving between 2200-0600 is banned under the CD (consent decree) and the turtle was run over. Thus driving during the CD curfew without lights so as not to get caught was a likely contributor. But adding further driving restriction as many advocate will not likely help.

Jun 26th - 12:23pm | Anonymous

The people who did this were in violation of the consent decree, and while this may be the first time a nesting turtle has been brutally and intentionally killed, it is certainly not the first time that those on the pro-driving-on-the-beach side have broken the law because they don't like it when rules apply to them.

Jun 26th - 11:25am | Saddened

I have never posted here before, but the photo of the poor turtle truly sickens me. I have no sympathy for anyone complaining about beach closures and access.

Jun 26th - 10:16am | Anonymous

The "My right to drive on the beach trumps other species right to exist" contingent of the access groups are already accusing NPS staff of killing the turtle. http://forum.reddrumtackle.com/showthread.php?p=148902#post148902 These people are shameless.

Jun 26th - 07:12am | Anonymous

Jim It is pretty clear you know very little about Cape Hatteras National Seashore. There are very few access points to the beaches, let alone available parking, for beach goers. Driving is the only way for access many areas. Besides I guess it is perfectly ok with you for those of us with disabilities and can't walk long distance to be disallowed from enjoying the beach.

Jun 26th - 06:45am | Chris

@RangerLady

National Park Road Trip 2010: Into Nebraska on the Oregon Trail

Jun 28th - 18:33pm | Eugene E. Nelms

Very interesting travel log. I was born in Marysville and spent many hours visiting Alcove Spring just south of that town while I was growing up. That too was an important stop on the westward migration. In 1975, I followed the Donner Party trail from Alcove Spring to Donner Pass in California.

Odds and Ends From Around the National Park System

Jun 28th - 14:24pm | Adayak

great tip about joining the Yellowstone Association - you help give back and save money!

Segway Tours Being Demoed -- At $55 Per Person -- At Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

Jun 28th - 12:42pm | Matt W

Often times when I visit a national park, I do so for the natural beauty not intending to get a history lesson. However, it is rare that I depart without a greater appreciation of the rich history of the park (natural and cultural) and a desire to seek out more information.

Jun 28th - 12:30pm | MRC

Why don't they offer tours on bicycles? Duration, length and max speed of the tour seems perfect for bicycles. And no one needs a 30 min introduction into how to ride a bicycle, not to mention that they could be offered for a much smaller fee.

Jun 28th - 09:30am | Suzie

>The question lingering over this program, though, is whether those who sign on are doing so to check out the latest rage in personal transportation or to learn some history?< If the thrill of getting to ride a segway to tour historical places gets more pople interested, I don't see why it would matter in the end.

Spot Check Shows More Than Two-Thirds of Commercial Tour Buses In Yosemite National Park Have Problems

Jun 28th - 10:32am | Lee Dalton

Good. Tour bus companies vary widely in their operations and attention to safety. Unfortunately, probably the majority of them try to skirt proper maintenance and safety issues because the profit margin is so slim. This is a national problem and it's good to see someone getting serious about addressing it.

Mission

Jun 28th - 09:21am | Laural Bidwell

Thank you for writing about civility and enforcing some standards on your pages. I, for one, am entirely behind return civil behavior to public forems.

Yosemite National Park Planning Prescribed Burn This Week

Jun 28th - 06:02am | Phil1701

I saw the fire damage on my trip to Yosemite in May. In the midst of the beautiful valley,this is such a disturbing sight. Hopefully the park has learned the right lessons to prevent another fire blunder.

Trails I've Hiked: Far Below And Long Ago—Basin Creek Trail to Caudill Cabin in Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Jun 28th - 05:01am | Carl Robinson

Great story! Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway by Randy Johnson was the first hiking book I ever bought. I have done 60 or so hikes descriped in it. My girlfriend and I have made 5 trips down the BRP, but still have a lot left in the book to do. This includes Caudill Cabin. It was Randy's fantastic descriptions of Grandfather Mountain that led me to fall in love with the place.

Woman Dies in Fall From Angel's Landing

Jun 28th - 02:34am | MRC

@Globetrekker: Kids are great. They can do so much more than many adults believe. And you are not the parents of this kids and you don't know what they can do and can't do. I have seen 5 years old who could do Angels Landing and I've seen men in their 20s and 30s who should not even think of it.

Jun 27th - 18:14pm | Globetrekker888

I've seen it all. But one thing I never get used to are the IDIOT parents...e.g. negligent and abusive parents...whose selfishness to want to conquer Angel's Landing overrides being a good role model by carting small children and young teens 1500 feet up on that ridge. No GOOD parent would ever do that. And it does NOT make little Johnny a MAN to force him to go along.

Glacier National Park Visitor Pulls .357 On "Weird" White-Tailed Deer

Jun 26th - 15:09pm | Anonymous

There have been at least three known incidents of visitors firing hand guns at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the last month. It's becoming a very common occurrence in the backcountry.brib

Jun 26th - 07:01am | Anonymous

Maybe the animal was defending its territory. What right have we to chase an animal out of its own home?

Updated; Fire Burning in the Backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park

Jun 26th - 14:31pm | august west

I'd lived in the hills for over 13 years, half of them DRY. I hope your homes aren't in danger but then again, it's just one of the things you have to deal with when living in the mountains. Is the road to Glen Haven still open?

Jun 26th - 14:13pm | Anonymous

They are fighting the fire to Protect MY and MY NEIGHBORS HOMES. and I thank them for it.. Currently the Cow Creek fire is less than 4 miles from my home

Investigation Launched Into Grizzly Bear Mauling of Botanist Outside Yellowstone National Park

Jun 26th - 13:28pm | Kyrie Davis

I am more than a little disappointed at how this incident was handled overall. Mr. Evert had no business hiking into backcountry, where he KNEW there was a bear, without bearspray in the first place; he knew better. But, to have the bear put down as a result, was just plain wrong on all accounts.

House Republicans Say Interior Secretary's Proposed Snake Ban Bad for Business

Jun 26th - 12:11pm | bellalacobra

There is little I can say or do to change anyones opinion of this situation, however, I want to start off by saying that my Scaled Americans are the world to me. My whole life I have never been without a Burmese or a Reticulated Python, they have become my children and my best friends. I trust my "snakes" more than any human I know.

The Essential RVing Guide

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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.