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The Yellowstone Precedent

Nov 22nd - 21:02pm | Anonymous

Excuse me anonymous, Bill Clinton did plenty for the National Parks and the environment, by far allot more then Bush, such as the:Implementation of the Executive Order 12898 for Environmental Justice, signs into law to protect the Escalante Canyons in Utah as a designated National Monument in1996, outlines a initative for quieter flights (noise abatement) over the Grand Canyon, signs the Oklaho

Nov 22nd - 13:15pm | Anonymous

I don't think that the Bush administration coined the phrase "Fear and Smear". It may have origionated with ties to the DNC and was shoved down the American peoples throats by the media. I can't recall Clinton doing anything environmentally significant outside of his last 60 days in office.

Nov 21st - 21:12pm | Anonymous

Oh, my god! It's Dr. Gerald again...Mr. Ph.D.!. Not hate my man, but fire in the belly for riddance of the Bush & Cheney regime and their pack of liars. I don't hate anyone, but I do despise this administration for it's lack of truthfulness and integrity to the American people.

Nov 21st - 14:16pm | Gerald

My, my Anonymous, Bush and Cheney sure are powerful...they create hurricanes, kill small animals...you certainly have a lot of hate in your heart my man! Why are so many liberals so unhinged over Bush and Cheney? Who are ya gonna hate when they leave office? Clinton an enviro president? You have to be kidding...what did he do?

Nov 19th - 22:08pm | Anonymous

Anonymous & Yellowstone Junkie, I personally hold Bush & Cheney accountable for a lot of the botch-up and do nothing environmental policies in this country.

Nov 19th - 17:48pm | Anonymous

I gotta tell you Mr Wade. Yellowstone Junkie makes a valid point. Just because you didn't have a scientific study to show that snowmobiles were doing damage prior to Bush taking office is a lame excuse.

Nov 19th - 00:39am | Yellowstone Junkie

Uh, MR WADE...you had 8 YEARS of the Clintoon Administration to do MANY things for the parks, but you did NOTHING....

New Orleans Businesses Want National Park Service to Stop Free Tours

Nov 22nd - 20:41pm | Anonymous

How awful. Please keep these tours. I've been on it and its the sort of thing that keeps people coming back to the big easy.

Olympic National Park Ready for Wolves?

Nov 22nd - 11:07am | whitewolf

yes a bad way to kill off wildlife so more developers can come in and screw natures ecosystem with dumb condos for the bloody rich

Conservation Groups Will Head to Court Over Yellowstone Snowmobile Decision

Nov 22nd - 08:49am | jr_ranger

Why is it that the idea of snowcoaches isn't being mentioned? It is my understanding that they provide much the same benefits of snowmobiles, but without the problems... --- jr_ranger "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared towhat lies within us." - Emerson http://tntrailhead.blogspot.com

Nov 22nd - 01:41am | Ricky

NICE sled Random Walker!! BTW, that picture was taken where all the sleds are bunched up after entering the park, they are more spread out than that, usually. Especially further into the park.

Nov 22nd - 00:19am | Random Walker

Every winter I am in the north eastern cascades on my sled exploring some great wild country. I do meet folks out there doing the same, though it does not happen often. The picture above in Kurt's post does not look like folks wanting to explore some undisturbed and natural back country.

Nov 21st - 18:36pm | Ricky

Yeeeeehaaaa!!! Time to go sleddin'!! Here's mine: http://www.arcticcat.com/snow/sled.asp?id=803

Nov 21st - 18:26pm | Anonymous

Yada, yada, yada. Guess the NPS will just have to raise fees even more to cover court costs...go ahead, shoot yourself in the foot!

Does Hiking Yosemite National Park's Half Dome Still Present a Wilderness Experience?

Nov 21st - 21:25pm | Anonymous

At Rocky Mountain National Park early (c. 1915) guides put up cables on the North Face of Longs Peak.

Nov 21st - 17:56pm | Steve Sergeant

On November 21st, 2007, Random Walker wrote:

Nov 21st - 07:25am | Random Walker

There are higher priority problems elsewhere to spend resources? How about removing the cable system entirely then. That ought to stifle, limit the flow of wilderness seekers a bit.

Nov 20th - 18:57pm | Rick Deutsch

Bingo Steve....good interview. Glad that to hear the Park's position on permits. After careful thought, I feel 60% of the people going up the Half Dome trail need education. When you get a wilderness permit, you have to listen to a bear-proof container lecture.

Nov 20th - 13:32pm | Steve Sergeant

As far as I can tell, the (big-W) Wilderness areas in the contiguous 48 states are all such small islands of wildness surrounded by lands that are in many cases heavily impacted by human presence.

Nov 20th - 11:25am | Lone Hiker

Glenn's notion of limited access has been practiced successfully with The Narrows and The Subway at Zion for many years. It makes perfect sense for high congestion regions, and I would personally like to see it extended to the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails, along with too many others to name in one posting.

Nov 19th - 12:07pm | Glenn Scofield ...

This is a very funny thread! It really shows the distinct dilemma that anyone (NPS or whoever else you want to put in there) faces with it's mission.

Nov 18th - 23:59pm | Random Walker

I believe this is a problem of our National Park Service; it has turned into government paid caterers. "Oh Ranger, there is a bear in my woods.." It is time the National Park Service stopped this nonsense and got back to preservation and education by not offering the couch, TV or tourist bus and urging folks to walk the Wilderness where expectations do not survive.

Nov 18th - 22:26pm | Jen

I agree with much of what has been said here. And truthfully, on a personal level, I do question many management decisions of the NPS. However, a big problem we face, more than NPS management, is the expectations of visitors . Too many people just want to see animals from their cars, tour buses, etc.

Nov 18th - 08:29am | Kath

I don't care what the legal definition of 'wilderness' is. For me, it's a place where I don't see any other human beings for long periods of time. With the crowds at Yosemite, even on so-called backcountry trails in the high country, that's impossible. (Doesn't matter if they're hiking alone, with a club or a 'corporate' outfitter).

Nov 18th - 00:06am | Anonymous

I would argue that the NPS has done much to promote wilderness. I know that even though the Great Smokies does not qualify as a wilderness area the NPS treats it as though it does have that designation. I feel certain that many other parks are doing similar acts. I live in Yosemite and have enjoyed the experience of hiking Half Dome, it is spectacular.

Nov 17th - 20:36pm | Random Walker

I agree Anonymous (not verified), the fact is that the National Park Service manages most of our wilderness acreage.

Nov 17th - 15:53pm | Anonymous

Unless these areas (or other areas in the NPS system for that matter) are within the boundaries of the Congressional designated Wilderness, they are not bound by the laws, prohibitions, and spirit of the 1964 Wilderness Act, nor do many of these areas have a wilderness management plan. Of course, the Wilderness Act didn't set forth use levels.

FAQs for Yellowstone's Snowmobile Decision Revealing

Nov 21st - 18:43pm | Anonymous

You're damn right it helps them economically...what do YOU do for a living?? These people have to feed their families too...why don't we just fence off the whole damn park. Better yet, let's just sell it off for minerals, timber and development since we can't use it.

Park History: National Parks Built Around Caves and Caverns

Nov 21st - 15:32pm | Merryland

Let's not forget Russell Cave NM in Alabama - which is primarily a cave dwelling used by ancient North American peoples rather than a geologic wonder like many of the others. The National Forest south of Grand Canyon (vicinity of the San Francisco peaks near Flagstaff) had a few lava tubes here and there.

Park Service Issues Record of Decision On Snowmobiling in Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Parks

Nov 21st - 09:38am | Anonymous

Linda O'Neal, I sense your outrage and anger towards Director Bomar. I like I said before (some blogs ago) no governmental agency under the Bush & Cheney administration will thwart the advice of these two clowns. It's about greed, rape and pillage!

Nov 21st - 05:43am | Linda O'Neal

When I visit Yellowstone for the first time in the coming years, I hope I can still experience the silence and majestic beauty of this great land. I hope the whining of snowmobiles won't wash the silence away or keep wildlife from my eyes.

Nov 20th - 19:17pm | jsmacdonald

Anyone surprised? I'm trying to post all the news stories in the Yellowstone Newspaper, including press releases. If anyone has one not there, please send it along to me. We've already got quick press releases from the BlueRibbon Coalition (representing the snowmobile industry) and The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees. Stay tuned.

Everglades National Park Asked to Give Manatees Protection From Boaters

Nov 21st - 07:30am | Merryland

"...questions that still need to be answered with regard to this fascinating but still poorly understood species." Hmm, to me, this perfectly describes the human species. I often wonder why we do the things we do. Or don't do the things we should do.

Nov 20th - 12:04pm | Ed Wood

Difficult or not, it is the duty of park officials to close to power boats those areas needed to protect the manatees. Anything else is malfeasance and should be treated as such. The Park Service must do what is right and required of them without considering the effects on power boaters.

The Alter and the Pulpit in Zion National Park

Nov 20th - 16:09pm | pkrnger

A very nice picture. Reminds me of scenes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Another great spot for a Zion Canyon shot is from the top of Angel's Landing about an hour or so before sunset looking to the south. The lighting is spectacular at that time of day. Owen Hoffman Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Yellowstone Snowmobile Decision Missing Record of Decision

Nov 20th - 11:42am | jsmacdonald

Another story in the Billings Gazette today is reporting Wyoming state representative Colin Simpson as saying the final draft when it is published will allow the East Entrance to stay open to snowmobiles.

Park Service's Top Investigator Pleads Guilty To Theft

Nov 18th - 18:01pm | Anonymous

Rick:

Nov 18th - 14:35pm | Doug

Pleading down to a misdemeanor from a felony is not new. In perspective, Oliver North confessed to treason before Congress, and they made him a millionaire in a body armor company selling to the government, ran him for the Senate, and gave him a television show.

Nov 18th - 12:17pm | Rick Smith

This will be my last comment on this thread. Most of the people with whom I worked owed their allegiance to the National Park System, not the National Park Service. Our work was our avocation, not a vocation. I wanted my actions to be measured by what I did for parks, not how well I executed budgets or performed other routine tasks.

Nov 17th - 22:57pm | Anonymous

I have to side with Frank and Bemis, and against Rick, who I respect. I saw so much administrative lawlessness and criminal behavior by NPS managers, at several of the units that I worked, that I left the agency and never came back.

Nov 17th - 21:08pm | Bart

Gang: I'm going to bypass Simple Proposals #13 & 14 to post my final Simple Proposal, as it seems entirely relevant to this discussion. #13 & 14 will come in due time. Stay tuned. My last Simple Proposal is about YOU. Are you just a government employee, taking the path of least resistance to career advancement and eventual comfortable retirement?

Nov 17th - 15:39pm | Rick Smith

Well, I read those comments, also. I am tempted to say that it is the same 4 or 5 people making multiple comments, but I can't be sure. Of course, if you are "chronically disgruntled", are a "nihilist" or feel "marginalized, you are more likely to comment on an issue like Ms. Buccello's conduct.

Nov 17th - 13:25pm | Rick Smith

It should come as no great surprise that some dual career appointments work out well in parks and some don't--not unlike any appointment. I helped make several dual career appointments during my career that worked out very well. As to nepotism being rampant, I doubt it.

Glen Canyon NRA Officials Thinking Of Digging For Water

Nov 18th - 13:02pm | Dale

A few facts for the uninformed. There are too many boats in that stretch, but until CRC is open, it is the only way to access the rest of the 100+ mile long main channel or the 2000 miles of shoreline. How many of you realize that at full pool, the shoreline of Lake Powell is longer than the entire west coast of the US, from Mexico to Canada.

Nov 18th - 12:15pm | Lone Hiker

A quick tutorial in the art of Creative Financing and the World of Contact Bidding:

Nov 17th - 21:28pm | Bart

Again, my apologies for posting Simple Proposals that seem to be out of context (but maybe they really aren't?):

Nov 17th - 20:54pm | Anonymous

Sounds like there are to many boats.

Nov 17th - 20:06pm | Dale

Lone Hiker must have never been to Lake Powell, or at least not since the CRC became unusable. The hazards in "Maytag Straits" cannot be resolved with more laws. The problem is that it is a narrow channel with sheer rock walls along both sides that do not absorb wakes, but reflect them full strength back into the channel.

Nov 17th - 13:28pm | Ted A

Lone Hiker,

Nov 17th - 12:41pm | Lone Hiker

Whether or not funding has been allocated is a non-factor. In order for those funds to have been cyphoned "Off the Top" the have to have been appropriated from some revenue source. If the local fees in the Lake Powell area have remained the same, it is a fact of business that they have been increased elsewhere along the Aramark corporate umbrella.

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