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Bush Administration Publishes Proposed Rule For Mountain Biking in National Parks

Dec 20th - 14:10pm | Olallie

Thank you, Kurt, for your reasoned comments on the proposed mountain bike rule. I agree that there is a place for bike use in the parks, ideally on old jeep roads such as the White Rim in Canyonlands, where conflicts with hikers are minimal. Possibly also on new, dedicated trails outside of proposed wilderness areas.

Dec 20th - 10:23am | Rick Smith

My goal as an NPS employee, supervisor and manager was to attempt to accomplish in every park to which I was assigned three fundamental tasks: preserve and protect resources; provide high quality visitor services; and to maintain productive relationships with park interest groups. Among those interest groups were the communitiies that surrounded the park areas.

Dec 20th - 09:24am | Kurt Repanshek

Ted, Wish I had more time to delve deeply into this, but all the fresh snow of the past few days is too inviting to ignore;-)

Dec 20th - 01:17am | Ted Clayton

Kurt I admit that 'local authority' is hardly a panacea for or protection against mismanagement. Blagojevich is not an aberration, but one of many symptoms in a long history of local-authority-gone-bad, in the Chicago & Illinois region. Louisiana has a reputation for harboring squalid corruption, shielding it behind 'local authority'.

Dec 19th - 21:15pm | Kurt Repanshek

Ted, with all due respect, I disagree that the discretion over park-specific activities should be given over to the local parks.

Dec 19th - 19:45pm | Ted Clayton

Zebulon,

Dec 19th - 14:04pm | Zebulon

There are some simple solutions to cut down on the user conflicts. Some places have instituted an even-odd day regulation for some more crowded trails. On odd days, horse riders can use the trail, on even days, cyclists can use it. Hikers can use it all the time, but also know what kind of other users they'll encounter.

Dec 19th - 12:12pm | BigEye Dave

I try to do it all: fish, hunt, bike, bird, photograph, sleep, eat, etc. What I recognize is that groups do not self-regulate and we tolerate idiots in the ranks. As a result I struggle with the mountain bike "issue" in the parks, particularly Yellowstone, in the event bikes are permitted on trails.

Dec 19th - 11:54am | Kurt Repanshek

Apology accepted, Zeb, not that it was entirely necessary. This can be a rough and tumble place from time to time;-) I do sincerely invite you to stick around and weigh in on some of the other issues when the mood strikes. There are some important ones out there.

Dec 19th - 11:29am | Zebulon

Agreed. Long day, short fuse, my comment was inappropriate. I sincerely present my apologies to Kurt. I had a longer reply typed, but an operator error erased it. :) At any rate, I am certainly an one issue type of guy, not that I'm insensitive to some of the other challenges that the national parks are facing.

Dec 19th - 10:13am | Ted Clayton

Zebulon, I'll even tolerate people who cherry-pick their one-issue agenda ... but start slinging the hate-accusation, putting on the hair-shirt and disdainfully looking somebody else's gift-horse in the mouth ... well, no.

Dec 19th - 08:38am | Kurt Repanshek

Zeb,

Dec 19th - 00:31am | Zebulon

Interestingly enough, my first reply was not posted. Did I hit a sensitive nerve with the bike hating webmaster? :)

Dec 18th - 22:15pm | Ted Clayton

Mountain bikers: yeah, they can be obnoxious. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's a transparent excuse to act like a pubescent male with esteem & identity issues. Be loud, crash, let the blood run, dry & crust (maybe smear some on the face). Revert to tribal rituals, in groups greater than two. I don't find them very likeable.

Dec 18th - 21:09pm | Anonymous

I am 58-years old. I have visited most of the national parks in my life, where I have hiked and camped. In the last year I have taken up mountain-biking mostly for its aerobic qualities after a heart attack. What I have found is that it is a wonderful experience in itself. I am not talking about the downhill daredevil type as seen in competition, but rather the easy trail riding.

Dec 18th - 21:00pm | imtnbke

You’ve heard of Big Tobacco! You’ve heard of Big Oil! Now there’s the menace of Big Mountain Bike taking over our precious parks! But not if we take a defiant stand against this nonsense. We're PRUDE: Public Retirees Unanimously Denouncing Exhilaration.

Dec 18th - 20:32pm | Zebulon

As usual on this website, as soon as cyclists are allowed to go ride trails in the national parks, the FUD comes fast and furious. Cyclists are just as entitled to enjoy the trails they pay for as other users. Cycling is an environmentally friendly activity that has no more impact than hiking and way less than horse riding.

Twenty Boats Destroyed by Fire in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Dec 19th - 23:50pm | Anonymous

Anyone have information about affected slips, or the section that caught fire

Dec 19th - 15:41pm | JimB

Given the time of night and year, the remote location, and the unusual challenges (and dangers) presented by a fire in a marina, the staff did an incredible job in this situation! Under the circumstances, it's amazing that they saved the majority of the boats.

Gun Rules for The National Parks: Will They Really Make It Easier To Pack in the Parks?

Dec 19th - 15:28pm | Ted Clayton

Kurt wonders: ... if this rule change really wasn't intended to be an economic stimuli of its own. In English & Spanish, right? Don't we have regulations for the mounting of signage? What do we do about buildings that don't offer proper mounting surfaces/structures? Rebuild them!

Dec 19th - 14:04pm | Kurt Repanshek

You know, I wonder if this rule change really wasn't intended to be an economic stimuli of its own. Think of all the signage that will have to be changed throughout the national parks: gun ban signs at entrances, at trailheads, etc, etc.;-)

Dec 19th - 13:48pm | Ted Clayton

Gary Slider said: [The law (18 USC 93) says] they must post the building if they don't want anyone carrying. You're right, unambiguously. Certainly, I see these postings when I go to 'real' Federal Builds & Courts, in the big city ... but I don't see them on many Park-buildings.

Dec 19th - 12:36pm | Gary Slider

Ted, I agree and I read the law that way also. I read it even if the building is posted I can still carry there if I have a permit/license that makes it legal for me to carry in the state the National park is located in. The law also states they must post the buildings. If they post them and they say it applies to those with a legal permit/license to carry is what we have to find out.

Dec 19th - 11:27am | Ted Clayton

Here is an easier-to-read copy of 18 USC Sec. 930.

Dec 19th - 10:22am | Gary Slider

You need to read the US Code below and especially (3)(h) The National Parks will have to post all their buildings except for the Park Offices which fall under the law as defined below.

Dec 18th - 17:48pm | Ted Clayton

Kurt said: In [the D.C. vs Heller] ruling the [Supreme Court] said the federal government was well within its rights to regulate where concealed weapons could be carried beyond the confines of your home. That's not really untrue guys, but there is some rather significant & extensive nuance involved that we may want to be careful to observe.

Dec 18th - 15:47pm | Ted Clayton

(I wrote this before other comments had appeared, and it is circumstance that I use some of the same examples as others. ;-)

Dec 18th - 15:33pm | Kurt Repanshek

LH, not sure what you mean about the folks at VNP skirting existing regs prohibiting loaded firearms. Their release outlined how the landscape will look once/if the new rule takes effect next month.

Dec 18th - 14:33pm | Lone Hiker

While I understand the intent Frank, automobile traffic is allowed and unfortunately even encouraged within the boundaries of the parks, whereas the current rules state that only unloaded firearms are currently "legal".

Dec 18th - 14:04pm | Anonymous

Does a person or a citiezen of these United States of America have a Constitutional Right to Self Defence or not? Does the same have the right to Arm oneself for Self Defence our not? Be careful People. To deny any constitutional right is a violation of US Code Title 18 Chapter 13 Section 242. Its there. Look it up.

Dec 18th - 14:03pm | Jimi Whitten

You might as well get ready for it in the parks, the new administration will lead an all out assault on the second amendment sooner rather than later. I would bet money that by the end of 2009, you won't be able to legally carry a weapon on a hunting trip!

Upon Further Review – Does the River Run Downstream?

Dec 19th - 14:31pm | Anonymous

People with this lack of experience should not be out alone ----- travel with others to gain knowledge before heading out alone.

An Ancient Road System Still Puzzles Us at Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Dec 19th - 14:14pm | Barky

Thanks for the article. I just visited Chaco Canyon in October, and was astounded. I still have a hard time understanding how such a large native population could seemingly thrive in such a difficult (i.e. dry & hot) climate. The ruins there are spectacular, the American version of Tikal. ===========================================

More Fishers Soon To Be On the Loose in Olympic National Park

Dec 19th - 13:28pm | Ted Clayton

First of all, it does seem like a very good idea, to focus on species-reintroductions that are less controversial & polarizing. The fisher is being used in this way in many places across the U.S.A, and it's a good thing.

Sen. Salazar Seems to be the Interior Secretary Pick For the Obama Administration

Dec 19th - 10:42am | Ted Clayton

Frank C., Although I am as wary as anyone of the weaknesses & foibles of Government, I don't see any unusual crisis at the moment, and feel no unique urgency to respond to their depredations.

Dec 19th - 00:07am | d-2

Frank C: I agree with you on ridicule and Alinsky: ridicule is the weapon of the weak. I don't really think Alinsky was a Marxist or had any kind of belief structure, actually. It seemed to me his value as a political thinker was understanding the power of organization, rather than Movements. He had no use for Movements.

Dec 18th - 17:47pm | d-2

Dear Frank C: reading suggestion: Saul Alinsky. Either of his 2 books. He is not a fan of "awareness" per se. He believes in organization.

Dec 18th - 09:06am | d-2

DEAR FRANK C: The issue in politics for you, for others, I submit, is being effective. That means either creating an advantage, or winning. Otherwise, what is the point, other than shaking your fist at the sky or some other form of self-expression.

Dec 17th - 15:51pm | JimB

Concentrating power in one person, a monarchical tendency, defiles the basis of which our country was founded and for which revolutionaries gave their lives. We wouldn't want to antagonize the monarch, because he might punish us or we might loose his royal favor. Frank C - I agree 100%. Unfortunately, that's tended to be the situation in recent years.

Nevada Barr’s Next Park Novel: An Unauthorized Preview

Dec 19th - 05:21am | Bob Janiskee

You have a good memory for places, Lepanto. However, Liberty Falling (book #7) was published in May 1999, nearly four years before Governors Island National Monument was established (on February 7, 2003, by Presidential Proclamation 7647).

Dec 19th - 00:12am | Lepanto

And, Bob: I may have to re-read it again, but in Liberty Falling, didn't she also get to Governors Island National Monument?

Dec 18th - 18:55pm | Bob Janiskee

Seven out of eight ain't bad, Molly. (As they say, any landing you can walk away from is a good one.) Does this earn me pick of the litter?

Dec 18th - 17:34pm | Thorpunious

I stumbled across your article and loved it--and quite a challenge it must have been to write a review of a book as yet not written! Your forecast was close, but slightly off course. The book is now written and submitted to the publisher! It is due for release in April 2009. As a source close to Ms. Barr, I can settle the question of where the number 15 Anna Pigeon novel will take place.

Updated: Salazar Pick For Interior Secretary Labeled a Failure

Dec 18th - 12:31pm | dapster

You betcha! Here's a link to a local newspaper, "The Island Free Press", which has covered all the NPS Negotioated Rulemaking Committee meetings: http://www.islandfreepress.org/CatBeachAccessIssues.html

Dec 18th - 10:08am | Ted Clayton

Thanks dapster! I did see a CHNSRA comment the other day as I refreshed on NPT, but have seen nothing in the news. Can you point me to a thread that will update me?

Dec 18th - 08:58am | dapster

If the radical leftist Suckling doesn't like the pick, then I guess I love it. The Wilderness Society and NPCA are definitely more in tune with the average, working American. Roger, I couldn't agree more. Just goes to show that the Radicalized Enviros can't win 'em all!

Dec 17th - 15:15pm | Ted Clayton

I read the Wikipedia entries for the Center for Biological Diversity, and for Kieran Suckling, and what I see is very close to a one-man enti

Everglades Land Bill Approved, But With a Caveat

Dec 18th - 09:26am | Ted Clayton

Ansley said:

Dec 18th - 07:33am | Ansley

I could not agree with you more. I am a sixth generation Floridian and have lived in Hendry county my whole life. I was at the meetings this week, and I must say I am DISGUSTED with our government. These seven board members had their strings pulled all week by our 'great' governor. They were conned into doing what they did with the promise of God knows what.

Dec 17th - 19:52pm | Ted Clayton

First of all, the price of the land is too expensive, even in good economic times. At $1.34 billion for 181,000 acres, that's slightly over $7,400 an acre, wholesale. Realistically, the price is acknowledged to be about $3 billion, or more. That's well over $20,000 an acre, in very large swaths. For cane field. I am tooo szzure!

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