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All Recent Comments

What Did the National Park Service Do to the GOP?

Oct 26th - 20:11pm | MatherMemory

Good reading. Would be nice if some of the major media outlets would tie it together for the country to see. No offense to bloggers, of course.

Well, At Least DOI Was Pleased

Oct 21st - 08:48am | Steven

Right on, Kurt. Nothing wrong with enjoyment but parks cannot be expected to satisfy every type of use without suffering serious degradation.

NPS Management Policies Revision Toned Down

Oct 18th - 18:30pm | Steve

Kurt,

NPS Organic Act To be Examined

Oct 17th - 13:52pm | climb_ca

And don't forget the latest outrage, Bush Instituting Political Loyalty Tests for National Park Service Employees (http://tinyurl.com/ar9zu) Will it never end?

What Should be Done With Our Parks?

Oct 17th - 09:54am | Alan

From parks to public transit and all points between, each administration inside the beltway tends to neglect the public trust in favor of private friends. This administration, the one led by George W. Bush, has reached historically new lows in its handling of the public's trust.

Pack A Stick

Oct 11th - 12:30pm | Larry Repanshek

Don't know much about hiking sticks but I am wondering how they would help an Incomplete Paraplegic with walking on the sandy beaches of Cape Cod?

Oct 7th - 16:43pm | Claire Walter

My hiking stick epiphany came on a (stick-free) hut-to-hut hike in Switzerland some years back. As I watched Swiss farmers, sticks in hand, tending cattle on steep Alpine slopes, it occurred to me that people all over the world who run up and down mountainsides chasing cows, sheep or whatever all use sticks, not just to shake at their livestock but also for stability on uneven slopes.

Manson: No Need To Tinker With Organic Act

Oct 4th - 09:17am | Rick Smith

Good questions for Manson. Many of his replies are disingenuous. For instance, when he talks about the $4.9 billion invested in wiping out the maintenance backlog, he forgets to mention that almost none of this is "new" money. He is simply adding up what the NPS would have spent on regular maintenance and calling it backlog maintenance money.

Oct 4th - 08:23am | Bill Wade

Great interview with Manson. The title indicating he doesn't think there is a need to tinker with the Organic Act should apply also to the NPS Management Policies.

Pombo Fallout Continues

Sep 27th - 16:15pm | Tony

Macombs Dam and Mullaly Parks across the street from historic Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY may be destroyed until we rise up and voice our concerns. The Yankees want to build a new stadium on top of these parks. If these parks are seized by business, is any park really safe?

How Serious Are Today's Threats to National Parks?

Sep 27th - 16:14pm | Tony

Macombs Dam and Mullaly Parks across the street from historic Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY may be destroyed until we rise up and voice our concerns. The Yankees want to build a new stadium on top of these parks. If these parks are seized by business, is any park really safe?

Mr. Manson Responds

Sep 13th - 10:11am | Rudolph

There's a word that we use here in Virginia when we read a letter like Judge Manson's, and it begins with "chicken". What utter nonsense. Their agenda is clear as Hoffman is being driven by the likes of Bill Horn, lobbyist for the Blue Ribbon Coalition

Sure Is Quiet Back There

Sep 10th - 14:33pm | Alan

I don't think you're imagining when it comes to the word "balance." This has long been a part of the Bush administration's spin vocabulary. "We must have balance in how we trash the land . . . " I came to the same conclusion upon reading Director M's letter to the NYT.

If Hoffman Gets His Way....

Sep 9th - 19:38pm | MatherMemory

Kurt, Impressive that this management policy story keeps getting covered across the country, in news and editorials. Its a demonstration of the profound respect that most regular Americans have for our nation's treasured places.

Cooperative Conservation Update

Sep 3rd - 08:42am | repanshek

Jon, I'm guessing the president made that videotape BEFORE the handiwork of Paul Hoffman at Interior became wideknown.

Sep 2nd - 07:46am | Jon Christensen

Hi, Kurt, In his videotaped address to the conference, President Bush promised to make our "national parks more accessible and inviting." There was some concern among conservationists at the signal he was sending. What do you make of it? Jon

Parks Recovering From Katrina

Sep 2nd - 12:40pm | Steven Bosak

Kurt, Thanks for posting on the impact that Katrina is having on national park units. Here are some links to the NPS website that give more information: The NPS put out additional information today on the damage caused by Katrina. Here are the links: Commitments to Recovery Operations Continue to Grow

Who's Been Coaching Hoffman?

Aug 30th - 18:07pm | Mather Memory

Hoffman's meeting with air tour industry folks isn't surprising. He's the driving force behind the Alternative Dispute Resolution process underway now regarding Grand Canyon airtour regulations.

Hoffman's Tinkering Continues to Draw Heat

Aug 29th - 07:40am | Stephen Mather

Glad you are covering this important issue, Kurt. Rumors about these impending management policy revisions have been buzzing around Washington for a while. Supposedly Paul Hoffman has had help from others in crafting some of his misguided ideas for altering the purpose of parks.

Grand Teton Transportation Plan Spurring Debate

Aug 16th - 10:46am | Mike May

Hi Kurt,

How Much Do Americans Care About Parks?

Aug 16th - 09:36am | Ranger Bob

No, the Bush Administration does not care. That fact has been established long ago. Though we hear about the grand multi-billion dollar program to assist with the many maintenance projects that need attention now, that to is a fallacy. Sure, some money has been spent and a lot of it is through other programs that the NPS has always had access to like federal highway money for road repair.

Sequoia Leads National Parks in Pot Cultivation

Aug 11th - 08:22am | Clinton

Interesting article... The most telling line from that story, perhaps, is: "Oddly enough, public outcry has been remarkably muted."

BLM Backs Off on Leasing Lands Near Canyonlands for Energy Exploration

Aug 9th - 13:32pm | repanshek

You make a good point regarding the Democrats' complicity on the energy bill. However, what can't be ignored or diminished is that both President Bush and Vice President Cheney were oil men before they took office. Also not to be forgotten are the closed-door sessions Cheney held with energy industry chiefs to craft the administration's vision of an energy bill.

Aug 9th - 11:35am | Clinton

Indeed, the Energy Bill falls far short of ensuring a rapid decline in foreign oil consumption. I wish it did more, but it does little good to blame this exclusively on "the administration and most Republicans in Congress." This Energy Bill passed the Senate 85-12, with the support of 35 Democrats, including such avowed environmental advocates as Kerry, Kennedy, Hillary, and Boxer...

Yellowstone Rangers Lead Park System in Threats, Attacks

Aug 9th - 08:57am | charlie lansche

Kurt, Great blog! Thanks for keeping me in the loop. Charlie

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