| Page 1491 | National Parks Traveler

I don't understand why I should "need" to carry a concealed handgun into a park. Why do my second amendment rights disappear when I enter a park? Anywhere that I go is a place that people with evil intent may also go, so why is there this illusion that NP's are completely safe? Hikers go missing and are found murdered every year.

Study Says Loss of Wolves Damaging Olympic National Park's Forest Ecosystem

Jul 13th - 09:36am | Anonymous

Need a better predator/pray balance...not control hunting! Keep the damn hunters and ranchers out of the equation and let nature do it's job.

Jul 13th - 08:07am | RicBarnett

Replace wolves with controlled hunting.

Another Black Bear Put Down, This One In Yellowstone National Park

Jul 12th - 17:01pm | little bear

Mother Bear is sick, so Father Bear saw no alternative but to seek food in other places, a forest fire destroyed their food source last year, and fishing is slow as well. Baby Bear is hungry and Mother is getting weaker. They said their goodbye

Jul 12th - 10:13am | Anonymous

Right on. If we have the money to build roads,home's, and park's in the wilderness, we should be able to protect the life of wilderness. This should be part of a permit to build. Thou shall not kill. Relocate,Relocate, as many times as it take's or keep people out, not the creature's. We can move a lot easier than they can.

Jul 12th - 07:48am | Mary Griffin

We went on vacation last year to yellow stone. It was in fact an awesome place and every one should see it. BUT I totally agree we have been moving in on nature and wild life...they were here first. While we were there, a woman was kicked out of the park because she was trying to get a picture of her baby on the back of a bison!!!!! People just don't get it.

Jul 12th - 07:34am | Pete

I agree, Fred. There are millions of acres in the surrounding areas of Yellowstone where humans would not pose a threat to this bear!

Jul 12th - 07:27am | Pete

I agree, Fred. There are millions of acres in the surrounding areas of Yellowstone where humans would not pose a threat to this bear!

Jul 12th - 07:24am | Jammin Pete H

I agree, Fred. There are millions of acres where humans would not pose a threat to this bear in the surrounding states. Keep on Jammin Fred! Pete

Jul 11th - 18:45pm | Loes W.

Hey Airport4, I paid good money for my University of Disney biology degree. With it I know more than the PhDs working in the field will ever know, and I can criticize the feds on whatever they do with bears, bison, chipmunks and aliens (they're not just in area 51 you know). Habituated bears are dead bears. Period.

Jul 11th - 10:23am | Airport4

Why not relocate the bear? 1. Bears come back, sometimes from remarkable distances. 2. Do you want a habituated bear in your back yard? Most folks don't. People need to get past the University of Disney biology degree.

Jul 11th - 09:25am | Shawn

Mookie, I agree with you that it all comes down to funding and or lack of time/manpower.

Jul 11th - 07:22am | Mookie

Fred, the answer is in Kurt's article: "Park officials say that based on the animal’s aggressive behavior, lack of fear of people, and its success at getting human food, the decision was made to capture and kill the bear."

Jul 11th - 07:19am | Betty H

A FED bear is a DEAD bear, why can't people learn this ?

Jul 10th - 21:18pm | Kurt Repanshek

Perhaps, just perhaps, the fuel cost comment was intended as sarcasm.

Jul 10th - 21:17pm | Anonymous

i hate to see any animal killed but if it can not be safely moved to another area away from people then i guess that is the only ansrew that will not endanger the rangers or visitors. the black bear is a beautiful animal but can also be deadly to the average visitor as a child in tennesse i saw a black bear tear the front door off my aunts house as if it was nothing.

Jul 10th - 20:28pm | Anonymous

You are out of your mind, the government spends Billions of our tax dollars every day and they can't expend a few gallons of gas. Get a life.

Jul 10th - 19:07pm | Anonymous

Because fuel costs too much these days.

Jul 10th - 18:27pm | Fred Miller

They captured the bear and then EUTHANIZED HIM ??? Why in heaven's name didn't they take him somewhere where he could be released ??

Should Yellowstone National Park's Elk Herds Be Culled to Fight Brucellosis?

Jul 12th - 08:45am | B Howell

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/07/12/opinion/guest/40-habi... Interesting letter to the editor from a very good group who seems to share my beliefs concerning wildlife and wilderness.

Man Bitten at Saguaro National Park by Gila Monster

Jul 12th - 08:19am | Anonymous

I have to agree, the guys a dumb***. Some people may think that you should give the man a break, WELL who is giving the animals a break??? I'm sorry for this homeless man that was off his meds( I'm glad the doctar diagnosed this for us). Perhaps in the future he will not listen to the gila monster when he wants to be his friend.

Jul 12th - 06:34am | Anonymous

I typed *MAY* not be mentally fit. There's a difference between MAY and IS. The statistics are there about the correlation between being homeless and having a debilitating disease such as schizophenia (which may be why the man got the impression from the gila monster that "it wanted to be friends").

Jul 11th - 20:14pm | Lone Hiker

Guess this is another case where a concealed weapon would have solved all the world's woes. Damn those wild animals are vicious!

Jul 11th - 11:52am | Anonymous

Anonymous: The NPS Morning Report (as stated in the post above and available to read on the NPS website) says he was homeless. Mookie: C'mon. Anyone who puts a gila monster on their shoulders because he thinks it wants to be friends *isn't* all there...

Jul 11th - 08:00am | Mookie

And how does being homeless equate to not being mentally fit? I know that there are many homeless people that have psychological problems and ailments, but don't paint the picture that if someone is homeless he must have something wrong him mentally.

Jul 10th - 16:44pm | Anonymous

How the hell do you know he was homeless?

Fire Restrictions Ban Campfires at Zion National Park

Jul 11th - 22:37pm | Marie

There is nothing new about this they always ban campfires in Zion usually May thru Oct. They also never allow fireworks in Zion. To me this is not news. Most parks in the Southwest have these bans this time of the year. Only a fool would light a campfire here in the Southwest during the summer.

There's A New Way To Come Up For Air At Mammoth Cave National Park

Jul 11th - 18:21pm | Norm Rogers

Wow! Great article and a great photo of the new tower. If I had a nickel for every step that we took on that old tower... Thanks for the post. It brings back a lot of memories.

Jul 11th - 17:09pm | Larry Matiz

Enjoyed your article on the new tower at Mammoth Cave (MaCa). I will enjoy running up and down those steps in a few weeks for a week of MaCa Restoration Camp the first week in August. We really don't run up and down the steps but it seems like it working down in the cave. You can check our our website at www.restoremammoth.com

Park History: Mammoth Cave National Park

Jul 11th - 18:15pm | Lonnie Meredith

I have family who lived in the Mammoth Cave Park territory before it was made into a park. I would like to see a map ot the area that would designate who owned parts of the land before the park was formed. I know that some sold the land to the park and some of the land was confiscated by emminent domain. Some of my relatives still live in Brownsville today.

Brown Bears Fishing at Katmai National Park and Preserve

Jul 11th - 14:43pm | Betty Peterson

The bears in the water are amazing. Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to get there this week end with two of our 11 grandchildren. Grandma Betty

Violent Deaths in the National Parks

Jul 11th - 10:17am | Frank N

"A gun in a US home is 22 times more likely to be used in an accidental shooting, a murder or a suicide than in self-defense against an attack."..........Gosh Fred, guess if you suddenly stop posting in January we'll know what happened!

Jul 10th - 17:39pm | Fred Miller

Point to ponder about a "gun-free" utopia: In 87% of rape cases, the assailant is UNARMED. The only protection the victim has is to kick and scream. I'm buying my wife a gun for Christmas. Don't tell her; it's a surprise!

Jul 10th - 16:37pm | Frank N

".....against all the proscribed rules, ALWAYS carried a Colt Model 1911 in his day pack." ".....I might be illegal when I carry my gun, but i"m going to carry it." ".....I am going to be illegal in national parks until they the laws are changed."

Will The Superintendent's Summit Chart The Path For The National Park Service's Next Chapter?

Jul 11th - 08:49am | Art Allen

Perhaps my comment needs a little more explanation. The situation that bothers me is that park management is overly concerned that there is not constant growth in visitation. To increase the numbers, it appears that park management is introducing many new intrusions and innovations that might attract visitors. Often, such changes adversely affect the resources.

Jul 11th - 00:03am | Mark E

Art Allen says:

Black Bears in Denali, Grand Teton National Parks Killed

Jul 11th - 03:25am | jimhiker

Good article and I agree with most comments. It is unfortunate that bears have access to so much easy human food and food waste, but the average camper/hiker really does not have a clue about the outdoors, nature, or survival. The bears do and they are very good at it.

Jul 10th - 21:45pm | Robert Amos

I was raised in the mountains of West Virginia and spent a lot of time outdoors. Even as kids we were taught how to treat nature and and animals. The problem with these [national] parks is that the people that usually visit them are from the city, and have no idea what they are doing.

Jul 10th - 17:39pm | jsmacdonald

I think someone really needs to look at the hiring practices of the concessionaires - an article last year gave all kinds of reasons for the shift from domestic workers to foreign workers during the summer (citing the length of the work season, a lack of interest by domestic workers, etc. - though I'd bet that most Americans think it's really hard to get a job in a national park).

Jul 10th - 15:17pm | MRC

Does Grant Teton still has eastern European college students as campground wardens, who neither speak enough English nor are trained how to pass the information on how important it is to keep food away from bears?

Comment Period Reopens on Whether National Park Visitors Can Arm Themselves

Jul 10th - 20:23pm | Samaya

"If you want to be safe, don't travel alone", is bulk. I should be able to travel alone or walk the streets of any city any time day or night alone if I so choose...and be safe. But of course I cannot and why? Because of muggers, rapists, murderers, etc. So who is free here?

Jul 10th - 20:11pm | Samaya

I am also a second amendment advocate. In addition, I am a woman and a concealed weapon permit holder. I respectfully disagree with you Sully and here is why.

Jul 10th - 19:32pm | Fred Miller

Cate - I'm also a nature lover. If you met me on the trail, you'd wouldn't know whether I was armed or not. After we parted ways, you'd probably think to yourself, "What a nice man". If you only knew. I feel sorry for you and your irrational fears. Good luck in our reality.

Jul 10th - 18:39pm | Anonymous

I am aware that guns can save lives, but they also take lives. I know that a lot of people like to say guns don't kill people, people kill people, but if the people didn't have guns there wouldn't be as many deaths.

Jul 10th - 16:05pm | Fran

The most dangerous thing you will ever meet on an isolated trail is another human being. As a woman that would love to prowl local trails on her own, I don't do it, because I live near Atlanta, and don't want to be a victim. Remember Meredith Emerson at Vogel State Park ? What about Jennifer Ewing on the Silver Comet Trail?

Jul 10th - 16:03pm | Cate

I'm a nature lover and really appreciate the beauty and serenity of our National Parks, but am now feeling that there's a lot of fear out there -- especially from those individuals who feel they need to take weapons with them when they are on vacation (and hopefully, relaxing).

Jul 10th - 15:19pm | Airport4

Everyone’s safety will be enhanced if certified concealed carry citizens are armed in the parks. Currently, a criminal can be pretty certain that any intended victim is unarmed. Take that certainty away and the opportunity to prey diminishes. For those gentle people who believe the police and or rangers can protect them; when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

Jul 10th - 15:09pm | Airport4

Exactly!

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