| Page 1242 | National Parks Traveler

Great !!! You would probably do better with either of them as I am not the greatest fisherman down there. But it doesn't matter. It's just standing there with your feet in the sand, a pole in your hand, good friends and family and your dog by your side. Thats what counts. But you know that. Best Wishes Ron

May 21st - 12:35pm | Kurt Repanshek

Ron, I'm sure there are all sorts of behind-the-scenes machinations and ruminations going on...on both sides of the issue. It's a thorny matter with no readily apparent solution. Sadly, I won't be surprised if this returns to court before a final plan is adopted.

May 21st - 12:13pm | Ron Saunders

Mr. Repanshek: My apologies, I stand corrected. I probably was thinking of various persons and their associations as opposed to actual number of quotations by each. Since here, I will take this opportunity to throw out one more thought and this is in no way directed at you or a reflection on your article.

May 21st - 09:53am | Anonymous

THe NPS does not mention the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge that is located ON Hatteras Island. The NPS does not mention the wildlife they have killed trying to protect non-endangered species. The NPS does not acknowledge that they created the environment that Predators live in. The NPS believes the way to manage predation is to kill them.

May 21st - 03:34am | Anonymous

I think the general public needs to be educated on the particular areas that are involved in this controversial issue. They speak of miles of open beach not affected by closures, tourism dollars not being affected, more areas for protected endangered birds. When I hear their comments I know immediately that they have never stayed on Hatteras Island (rodanthe, avon, buxton, frisco, hatteras).

May 20th - 21:26pm | Rick in MD

Agree with Salvo Jimmy's analogies. Also, lets not forget that you must book your vacation months in advance without knowing what you will be able to access in Seashore. The access report released today by the NPS indicates that less then 20 miles from Bodie Island to Ocracoke are open to ORVs heading into Memorial Day weekend. Thank you for the pictures Dapster.

May 20th - 18:20pm | Salvo Jimmy

OBTW commenting on the occupancy data Redford links. Based on personal observation there is no way Salvo actual body count increased by about 350%.

May 20th - 16:51pm | Salvo Jimmy

BTW just commenting on the meals link Redford provided. You note a dramatic decrease in Jan to Jan on Hattera Island except in Buxton because other area merchants chose to close. And a lot of the increase in Buxton can be explained by price increases I have personally witnessed.

May 20th - 16:29pm | Salvo Jimmy

Sorry Redford. Never said they were peer reviewed and neither does most of the stuff used in the DEIS pass that muster. Re pedestrians. The access advocates have asked for such in the form of Pea Island which lies totally within the Seashore boundaries but DOW, Auduban, SELC and pedestrian folks don't want it counted because it dilutes their claims to the rest of the Seashore.

May 20th - 12:02pm | dapster

I read the entire DEIS. Some parts more than once. I also read much of the referenced documents that pertained to shorebirds, particularly AMOY, but that's another story...

May 20th - 11:19am | Gary D. Cooper II

In reality this article doesnt really cover what is really happening to the park at Cape Hatteras. The author has gotten himself lost in the minutia of half truths bent and formed to achieve an agenda.

May 20th - 11:00am | Samsdad

Kurt in your quote from theNPs it forgets to mention these simple facts... Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras and Okracoke were all to be without development... NOT TRUE See pics available from the NPS from Then until NOW. You think that big parking lot near the lighthouse is naturally occuring?

May 20th - 10:45am | Anonymous

To Redford and the rest of his/her ilk:

May 20th - 10:05am | Samsdad

Everyone tries to argue that the original intent of the CHNSRA was to preserve the Pristine Wilderness for future generations... OOPs Read a little further and some of the originators were guides and promoters for the RECREATIONAL benefits available to all who visited.

May 20th - 09:49am | Anonymous

This is one of the better articles I have read regarding this issue. A journalist should report the facts, not support any one side or add personal commentary and this article is a good balance between the two sides.

May 20th - 09:36am | Kurt Repanshek

As Mr. Saunders points out, the fact that the DEIS runs 810 pages is telling in the complexity of the issue. To be sure, the article could have been twice as long and still not be well-received by all involved in this issue.

May 20th - 08:18am | Redford

Salvo Jimmy – As I noted, the ORV special interest group continues to chant the ‘junk science” mantra, but cannot produce any mainstream, peer-reviewed science that supports its position.

May 20th - 07:13am | Salvo Jimmy

Also for Redford The meals/occupancy data used includes the Northern beaches, not just the Seashore. And visitor data includes places outside the Seashore like Wright Memorial and Ft Raleigh. Again I point you to the affadavits to see what is happening to the villiges within the Seashore boundaries.

May 20th - 07:06am | Salvo Jimmy

For Redford The affadavits in this link give some hard economic evidence http://www.preservebeachaccess.org/newsreleases/deis_dare_writtencomment... This document contains local turtle experience that I understand is being peer reviewed

May 19th - 22:31pm | Redford

Karen says, "it is the people who use this resource and love it to the core of their being, that want to protect it more than anyone." I think a more accurate statement would be that “they want to protect it more than anyone, for themselves."

May 19th - 22:04pm | Ron Saunders

Mr. Repanshek, I found this article to be well written and informative. However, it appears to me that you may have half the facts and therefor tell about half the story. That is not meant to insult you. There is so much more here than statistics and best available science. The DEIS is 810 pages. Thats scary.

May 19th - 19:10pm | Rick in MD

ORV use allows average folks who cannot afford to rent a several thousand dollars a week oceanfront or oceanside cottage to access the beach. That is the greatest allure of visiting CHNSRA for my family. "Four-wheeling" is not the goal of the high majority of users- the ORV is a tool to even access the beach. As the article stated there is minimal parking at the Seashore.

May 19th - 18:51pm | Jeff

Kurt,

May 19th - 18:40pm | tomp

Samsdad--

May 19th - 18:16pm | Salvo Jimmy

What is presently closed to all access no mater what your mode of transportation, be it foot, crawling, vehicle, etc. is all of the most popular recreational beaches within the Seashore. That is Biodie Island Spit (ie Oregon Inlet), Cape Point, South Beach (just to the West of Cape Point), both sides of Hatteras Inlet and South Point of Ocracoke by Ocracoke Inlet.

May 19th - 17:40pm | Kurt Repanshek

Anonymous, The story clearly points out that the number of miles available for access throughout the year would vary, up and down, with nesting seasons (not to mention hurricanes), and also points out that villages close areas to ORVs.

May 19th - 17:28pm | Anonymous

DO not believe the numbers in this article - they are biased and slanted. Take the numbers 70 and 16. Yes those are correct BUT they lead one to believe that 70-16 = 54 miles available to ORV and pedestrian access. - NOT TRUE.... many of those miles are closed to driving by the villages, many of those miles are inaccessible/ have no access.

National Park Service Calls For Additional Bridges Along Tamiami Trail To Help Everglades

May 21st - 12:53pm | Kurt Repanshek

That's some great perspective, Tomp. Hopefully folks who comment on the DEIS will take note of that.

May 21st - 12:37pm | tomp

Just a bit of perspective: over the last 10-15 years, the stalled Mod Waters project went from >10 miles of bridge/causeway & levee removal down to the final 1 mile of bridge, a few more culverts, and raising the rest of the roadway a foot or 2 to allow greater head (elevation of water on the north, up-flow side) to push more water through the culverts.

Traveler's Gear Box: What's Covering Your Feet?

May 21st - 07:16am | Gaelyn

At these prices it's expensive to experiment.

North Rim Of Grand Canyon National Park To Open to Vehicles May 15

May 21st - 02:37am | MRC

Now it is available: http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/upload/2010NRguide.pdf

May 20th - 19:29pm | Anonymous

2010 guide still not available and it is 5/20/10

Reader Participation Day Bonus: How Many National Park-Designated Units of the National Park System Have You Visited?

May 20th - 15:40pm | Bob Janiskee

I began this article by asking "How many of the National Park-designated NPS units have you visited?" The list I provided consists of the 58 NPS units that fit this description.

May 20th - 15:22pm | Kurt Repanshek

Hubby, you are indeed correct about the 58 "national parks." That's what we were aiming for this time around. We'll be back soon asking how many of the 392 units folks have visited. I admire your bucket list. Quite ambitious!

May 20th - 14:57pm | Hubby of an NPS...

Might point out that your question offers 58 NPS 'units' as the full list. You are correct if only refering to parks. If you really mean 'units' there are [392] NPS units. These include parks, monuments, battlefields, historical sites, etc. (http://www.nps.gov/legacy/business.html).

Plan To Visit Capitol Reef National Park During Harvesttime!

May 20th - 11:29am | RangerLady

Latest fruit update! Although the apricot blossoms appeared to have dodged the frost, the succession of cold nights has prevented the fruit from setting and we anticipate an 80% loss of the apricot crop. So very sad

National Park Mystery Spot 11 Revealed: It's the Logan Pass Visitor Center in Glacier National Park

May 20th - 10:56am | Bob Janiskee

Thanks, Anon. You are quite correct that the original wording was too loose. I've edited it so that instead of reading:

May 20th - 10:39am | Aron

Technically, the eastern side of the pass drains to the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson Bay, not the Gulf of Mexico. The divides are illustrated on this map: http://home.nps.gov/carto/PDF/GLACmap1.pdf The Pacific/Gulf of Mexico/Hudson Bay watershed intersection happens at nearby Triple Divide Peak, south of Saint Mary Lake.

Reader Participation Day: Which Is Your Favorite National Park Gateway Town?

May 20th - 10:39am | y_p_w

Rangertoo:

May 20th - 10:29am | R L Miller

I dislike towns that are nothing but T-shirts, motels, and fast food. I do like Springdale, Moab, and Jackson Hole, for reasons noted by other commenters. To that list I'd add Three Rivers, at the southern entrance to Sequoia NP.

May 20th - 08:20am | Rangertoo

A common myth - that the areas designated "parks" are supposedly the crown jewels. It's nonsense. Many "national parks" got their designation through chamber of commerce advocacy or the efforts of the local Congressman. Cuyahoga Valley NP, Congaree NP, Petrified Forest NP, and Great Sand Dunes NP had their names changed expressly as a result of efforts to increase tourism.

May 19th - 22:52pm | y_p_w

Rangertoo: Since Congress and the NPS itself has made it clear that there is no difference between parks related to their name, I don't see why we can't pick something other than a national "park." Like I said, it can get too broad.

May 19th - 19:53pm | Blackfeet Dreamer

I'm fond of "off the beaten path" and being in the farthest corner of the lower 48 I find Bellingham, WA a hidden dream in the North Cascades. Aside from being a quaint low key town with progressive attitudes, North Cascades is a short drive away and you also have the San Juan Islands just across the bay.

May 19th - 14:54pm | Rangertoo

Since Congress and the NPS itself has made it clear that there is no difference between parks related to their name, I don't see why we can't pick something other than a national "park."

This Third Time Was Anything But Charming – SPOT Misuse At Grand Canyon National Park

May 20th - 10:24am | Anonymous

SPOT-2 is a very useful one way communication tool, in the hands of backcountry experience. Can't add much more to this thread other than the only way to curve the "infantile" and utter "miss use" of the 911 button is VERY strict fines....like the cost of the search + $2,000 for being simply dumb. As a commercial outfitter for 25 years I see "dumb" all the time even with out SPOT.

Fatal Fall from Angels Landing in Zion National Park

May 19th - 16:11pm | STeve

I took the hike for the first time on Saturday (5-15-10) and loved it. There appeared to be condors a fair distance off. I decided to return the next day with binoculars. This time the condors flew right overhead. They were so amazing.

How To Buy National Park-Related Gifts Without Leaving Home

May 19th - 15:23pm | Roger T.

I searched the National Parks Traverler website to find out where I could purchase Christmas ornaments of our National Parks and came upon a blog that gave me my answer! I had traveled to many parks over the last two years but wanted to fill my tree with more. In several posts I found out that an Amercan company made many of the ornaments I was looking for.

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