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Updated: NPS Employee Sentenced For Guiding Moose Hunt in Denali National Park and Preserve

Mar 28th - 08:43am | John P

I am a retired NPS employee and embarrassed to admit it. Not only did she make money on the deal but she is still working - where is the justice in that. What a message that sends to other NPS employees. She should be fired immediately.

Mar 26th - 18:49pm | destroyerman

this lady should be fired period. how long has she been doing this???why did it take so long to process this deal?

Mar 26th - 17:54pm | Anonymous

My gosh is this woman really still working for the park? I don't care if you are a ranger or a trash truck driver this isn't what the NPS is about and if you don't understand that then you should never have took the job. What a disgrace to the Service. There aren't enough managers and lawyers in the Service to begin the process of her termination soon enough.

Mar 26th - 12:42pm | dennis g.

How many hunts did she and her brother-in-law illegally conduct at over $9000 each? While we don't know (and may never know) the answer to that, you could almost bet that this wasn't the first time they did something like this. So, to discourage others the fine and/or additional penalties should have been more severe.

The Joys of Maintaining the Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Mar 28th - 06:54am | Evil Eye

Danny and Lennie - THANK YOU - we thru-hikers couldn't live out our lifelong dreams without the tireless hard work of you and your fellow maintainers & it is much apprecialted.

Mar 27th - 21:04pm | Raymond 'Rain M...

Great article and even better trail work! I love trail maintainers and enjoy saying "THANKS" whenever I meet them on my section hikes. I'm too far away to maintain the AT, but I do volunteer locally to help maintain local trails and parks. It takes us all doing our small (or big) parts. Thank you two, Danny and Lennie!

Mar 27th - 18:55pm | Donna Burns

Great article! Special people like the ones in your article are true angels to the hikers on the AT. Most appreciated!

Mar 26th - 19:43pm | Laurie Potteiger

Terrific article! Thanks for the work you and Lenny do, and taking the time and effort to so eloquently describe the work of volunteers.

Mar 26th - 11:16am | Kori

We're headed out tomorrow to do some External Boundary Corridor Monitoring (ECBM for short) on the AT here in our corner of NJ! We also have that crazy "headed south while going north" thing going on here. We'll be loaded down with clippers, compass, GPS, shovel, saw, and that bright yellow paint that marks the boundary of the AT. Fun times.

Mar 26th - 10:18am | haunted hiker

In my book, volunteer trail workers are rock stars!

Mar 26th - 09:02am | Kurt Repanshek

Reggie, How 'bout we forget about MSM and you spread the word about the Traveler to all your friends!;-)

Mar 26th - 09:01am | Ranger KT

What a good read! We are starting an adopt-a-trail program at my park and I only hope our volunteers are as dedicated as you all are.

Mar 26th - 08:48am | Anonymous

Loved the article...we need more like this in mainstream magazines so folks will become better informed on how the trails are maintained (and maybe be more responsible on the trails!). Reggie

Mar 26th - 08:16am | Jeff Hunter

Nice article Danny! Please give my best to Lenny and the rest of the folks a CMC. And thanks for your work on the trail!

El Capitan Gets Nod To Showcase Yosemite National Park on Commemorative Quarter

Mar 27th - 21:15pm | Meg

Actually, since Yosemite was represented on the California quarter, the mint should have gone with a giant redwood or some other representation of nature in California. IMHO.

Mar 27th - 05:14am | MRC

Half Dome was on the 2005 California State Quarter, so I understand why they choose El Capitan this time.

Reader Participation Day: Should There Be a Moratorium On Additions To the National Park System?

Mar 27th - 14:34pm | Roger M

I am in favor of increasing entrance fees. One would think that even a minor adjustment would make a big difference on the NPS budget. That would help reduce the backlog. A vacation at a National Park is still the best bargain around, even at $30 or $40 per car. Where else can you take a family for $40 per day?

Mar 26th - 15:22pm | Anonymous

It is not a good time for a moratorium on the addition of new NPS units. Mt St Helens NVM deperately needs an all-risk management entity, a coherent management plan befitting such a national treasure, as well as stable funding. NPS is the only agency that can offer these things, and is, frankly, MSH's only possible "salvation" as far as I am concerned.

Mar 26th - 00:33am | Jim Bob

we must take advantage of every opportunity to add to protected lands - even if we are not quite sure how we're going to pay for any management we may want for them. At the very least, protecting lands now will keep them as they are now even if we don't have any on-the-ground management.

Mar 25th - 18:21pm | y_p_w

Anonymous: @Y P W: National Monuments do not require Congressional approval to be established. However, they do require Congress to pass a budget to fund their operations.

Mar 25th - 18:20pm | rdm24

Hell no. Really? Are you serious with this question? I didn't expect to see such an anti-Parks idea floated on this website.

Mar 25th - 17:52pm | Anonymous

@Y P W: National Monuments do not require Congressional approval to be established. However, they do require Congress to pass a budget to fund their operations.

Mar 25th - 17:51pm | y_p_w

MarkK: And I agree with the poster who said that all $ collector for park entrances should go to the NPS and not into the general federal coffers. (I don't know how it is currently handled, but that makes sense)

Mar 25th - 17:51pm | Anonymous

Funds from entrance fees are allocated in a complicated formula depending on a set of criteria, but let's keep things simple: in the good 'ole days parks that charged entrance fees shipped all the money to the general treasury and could generally rely on Congress to fund park activities through the budget process.

Mar 25th - 17:10pm | MarkK

No responsible person (or government) should acquire things that they don't know how they will pay for. "Gee, there's a great little spot for a vacation home. But I don't have the money to pay the mortgage or the home owners association. I'll just buy it anyway."

Mar 25th - 14:09pm | y_p_w

RoadRanger:

Mar 25th - 13:18pm | RoadRanger

With the number of NPS units approaching 400 and around 3675 state parks (source: Wikipedia) in the U.S., the public sector is already addressing the preservation, use and enjoyment of a huge number of "park" resources. That said, I'm not ready to call for a moratorium on the creation of new national parks.

Mar 25th - 13:13pm | Random Walker

oopsy

Mar 25th - 13:12pm | Random Walker

I don't think that's the goal of those advocating for places like MSH to be transferred to the NPS. Tell me about it! Screw tourism, wilderness for wilderness's sake I say.. Crap, they have what, three roads slashed into it, had 3 damn visitors centers at one time. (Ya, I finished off a whole pot of coffee this morning..;-})

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

Mar 27th - 12:35pm | Kasey

If I live in Indiana and want to sell an albino captive bred boa to someone in Illinois, WHAT does that have to do with Florida? I'm an environmentalist, but I also love snakes. Captive breeding is GOOD for the environment because it reduces strain on wild populations. The feral constrictors in the Everglades are a regional issue.

Mar 27th - 12:18pm | Kasey

Many of "those people who sell snakes" support a ban on IMPORTS, because then their captive bred snakes wouldn't have to compete with dirt-cheap wild-caught animals.

Mar 26th - 19:17pm | dangles

bat: "These snakes aren't going to respect borders and fences"

Mar 26th - 16:41pm | Anonymous

While I understand some people are concerned about the health of park lands. The amount of pythons has been grossly over estimated. As stated in the article these non native reptiles could be easily wiped out by sportsmen. a catch all you want type license would do it, for that matter they could profit from it by selling licenses..

Mar 26th - 13:30pm | Specialtyserpents

PRESS RELEASE November 24, 2009, 5 AM EST Scientists Characterize Justification for Congressional Python Ban as “Unscientific”

Mar 25th - 21:50pm | Bat

They won't be able to control the snake infestation until they can stop the new ones coming in. The Secretary should ignore these fools. Come on, 1.6-1.8 billion US is not "small business". It's BIG business, and it shows just how much the GOP cares about safeguarding our country's natural resources.

Mar 25th - 19:25pm | Mike G.

Ecosystems continue to evolve as new species are added. This has been true of the ENP since the beginning. It would be true even if the Burmese Python was never introduced. It's rediculous to call this evolution "devastation".

Mar 25th - 14:04pm | Square Grouper

Wow. I generally agree w/a lot the Repubs say but I'm so far off on this one its astounding. Maybe that's because I live in So. Fla. and have seen the devastation first hand. These snakes need to be banned everywhere except zoos and other places where professionals handle them.

Mar 25th - 13:30pm | Random Walker

I couldn't care less about a business's cash flow. This is about protecting Our Everglades National Park.

Mar 25th - 13:30pm | RoadRanger

Why can't Republicans support even the smallest victory for our natural environment? This is an easy one and they blew it. Could also be an example of the deep partisan divide infecting Congress these days. Regardless, this is another example of why I call myself a Jeffersonian Democrat.

Voyageuers National Park Officials Mulling Reservation and Fee System for Campsites

Mar 27th - 11:25am | Kurt Repanshek

A good point to raise in comments on this proposal!

Mar 27th - 11:13am | Random Walker

If the site is not reserved, walk-in campers can reserve the sites for the current day only. Why is it that one can only make reservations for a multiple night stay through the internet or phone system and not in person?

How much for a piece of candy?

Mar 26th - 16:59pm | DOCREP

I'm guessing Brewster Store Cape Cod. Semper Fi Doc

Commemorative Quarter Places Old Faithful Geyser, Bison On a Quarter

Mar 26th - 16:18pm | coin update

Not so fast... 2032 would also be the 300th anniversary of Washington's birth, meaning there might be some special rotating designs issued for that occasion.

Mar 26th - 09:54am | Anonymous

can't wait till 2032 because thats when we will have an new perament design for the quarter,i am sick of these cheap looking quarters.

Missing From the System? Valles Caldera National Preserve

Mar 26th - 16:04pm | Anonymous

Turn it into a national park and it will become another Yellowtone: traffic jams and crowded boardwalks. Keep it the way it is and only a select, paying few get to see its beauty.

Comments Being Taken on Proposal To Stop Importation, Transportation of Burmese Pythons

Mar 26th - 10:16am | haunted hiker

Alan makes many valid points. One comprise might be to set up a permit/tracking system...and charge enough $ for the permit to pay for the program. I have known amateur and professional herpetologists who were extremely responsible reptile owners.

Mar 25th - 23:55pm | Alan Archambault

Dear USFW service,

Mar 25th - 20:29pm | Anonymous

All python and anaconda as well all poisonous snakes should be outlawed in the United States and make breaking this law a felony. [This comment was edited]

Paintball Vandals Deface Petroglyphs at Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Mar 26th - 07:27am | Colorado Cowboy

How sad that an American would place so little value on his own heritage.

Mar 26th - 06:47am | Danny P.

Makes me sick to my stomach, throw the book at him.

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