National Parks Traveler

Personally, having been a presenter of several issues of concern directed at NPS, serious issues I believe, I do not feel comfortable throwing Superintendent Ubureauga into the same pot that I know others belong.  I just don't.  I have other reasons but the home assessed value versus selling price differential, even after the crash I sold property for twice the assessed value.

Capitalizing 'vast' don't make it so.

Coca-Cola is not the problem - its poor NPS leadership.  In this case, the buck stops with NPS Director Jarvis.  He made the call to stand the program down, obviously feeling the pressure of incredible wealth and power from an influential corporate donor and "partner."  This incident, as well as, the interference with

I would be more impressed if the NPS stopped their concessionaires from using plastic forks, knives, etc. I saw so much plasticware tossed about on the south rim and it was all stuff handed out by concessions. It really doesn't cost that much extra to use cornmeal based products that biodegrade.Of course I would also like to see all vending machines dissapear.

If banning isn't going to happen, then at least add a large, per bottle, deposit to encourage people to pick them up.  The damages to the Earth that these things are responsible for is a problem that will take a more concerted effort beyond the National Parks.  But a 25 cent per bottle deposit will at least keep the Park cleaner.  Although I'm sure, Coke will veto that as well.

"...a bunch of recyclable bottles, buy water outside the park and fill them?" Not sure if you read the story completely, as it spells out all the locations that waters spigots for refilling water bottles are located, including the new ones that were built as well as the ones that the park concessionaires installed in all of their facilities.

One of the problems is recycling the plastic bottles. No one really wants the stuff and it ends up costing NPS to get rid of it appropriately. Water sold in bottles was still available on the North Rim this last summer in the Deli. Yet I saw a lot of people taking advantage of the new "spring water" dispensers. It's good water.

Isn't there a better way to solve the problem than banning water bottles in the desert?  How about invest in a recycling program instead?  I mean, what are hikers supposed to do for water, especially non-serious hikers?  Invest $100 for a water backpack or a bunch of recyclable bottles, buy water outside the park and fill them?  So, I couldn't go into a store on either rim and buy a bottle of w

So wouldn't it be cool for the National Parks to just secede from the Union and become the United National Parks and pay for their needs from tourist dollars and contributors only? Kind of pay as you go and leave those without interest in the way the Parks are managed, alone and not required to fund operations that they have no say in.

Anon wrote, " And what does it cost us by the locking up of the resources in these newly protected lands."   I'm guessing the costs are more than offset by the economic impact of tourism as well as the value of the experience."

My guess is Yellowstone.  I remember hearing about people throwing their toys into something, which caused it to be covered in hard surface.  Need help filling in the blanks in my memory.

This appears to be coral, so i'm guessing Virgin Islands National Park

I also connected the Donkey image to the Grand Canyon in particular and possibly someplace in the SW.  Brighty is long gone (sad way Brighty went) but the connection for many with Donkeys/Mules and Grand Canyon NP is alive even with the elimination of the Donkeys and reduced opportunities for visitors to experience the Mule Ride into the Canyon.  

How much more deferred maintenance of buildings and structures can the NPS assume just to satisfy pork belly projects?  The new areas NPS gathers into its fold cost money to maintain.  Will NPS ever recieve a budget to continue adding parks without doing other parks dirty.

Yes, I agree that economics should be a consideration. We have spent so much money so foolishly in the past leaving us with trillion dollar deficits. It is time for some reality checks.

"The environment bubble"? The world you live in, you mean. The "reality" you've embraced includes the mining that reduces mountains to toxic rubble in West Virginia, and old growth forests reduced to stubble elsewhere, and black snow on the ground next to factory smokestacks.