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Is There A Need to Have the Government Promote National Parks?

May 13th - 18:53pm | Randi Minetor

I see that a portion of your issue is not whether or not we promote the parks, but whether the federal government should pay for this promotion. This feels like a case of, "If not me, who?" The fact is that of the 392 national park sites and all the affiliates, only a handful have such steep visitation figures that they require crowd control.

May 11th - 11:05am | Anonymous

While I think everyone agrees that the visitation levels at NPS sites vary dramatically, we also need to keep in mind that the place our National Parks have in our collective hearts was due to heavy promotion back when the system was being started If that had occurred for our National Forests, they would be viewed the same way.

May 10th - 17:39pm | Anonymous

As usual, when people talk about national parks they only seem to concentrate on the crown jewel parks, which do get plenty of visitation. Meanwhile at many of the smaller NPS units visitation has been plunging steadily since the early 1990s. Many of the small western parks, particularly historic sites, have seen drops of 25% to 50% percent in the last 15 years.

May 10th - 15:04pm | Anonymous

I agree with the sentiments of NPS not spending money on advertising or promoting, but allowing others to do so.

May 10th - 12:14pm | Anonymous

Until we get adequate staffing to take care of the people already coming, we should not be spending money on advertising to get more visitors to come. Ranger numbers continue to drop-many visitors complain about never seeing a ranger in the parkon their visit. We have been mandated to increase education and youth programming-but with no extra staff to do it-something has to give.

May 10th - 09:15am | Lee Dalton

In a time of seriously serious budget deficits, every dollar should be spent not on advertising, but on maintaining and operating our parks. Local chambers of commerce already do a fine job of free advertising.

Trails I've Hiked: Acadia National Park's South Ridge of Cadillac Mountain

May 13th - 13:21pm | Anonymous

One of my favorite hike of all time. It's not a hard hike... Highly recommended.

May 13th - 10:02am | dennis g.

Camping at Blackwoods, my wife and I hiked to the summit of Cadillac Mt. on an overcast and misty September morning. Just as we reached the top, Mother Nature decided to empty her clouds of all their water and it rained for the balance of the day. It spoiled our views, but it was still a nice hike 'in the woods.'

NPCA Wants FAA, National Park Service to Consider Banning Mount Rainier National Park Overflights

May 13th - 11:18am | Gaelyn

I am So glad to see this conversation come to the table. Soundscape is such a huge part of the national park experience. I hear visitors comment here at Grand Canyon about the wonders of nature's sounds which they can actually hear.

Hazing of Yellowstone National Park Bison, A Controversial Rite of Spring

May 13th - 11:18am | jsmacdonald

I just wrote this firsthand account of the bison haze that I witnessed on Tuesday. You can read it at http://www.eclecticworld.org/2010/05/buffalo-torture-2010-firsthand-witn...

May 12th - 14:22pm | Anonymous

Stephany, The eating of the placenta and the associated fluids is where the problem arises from brucellosis. You say the area was "clean", not true, when it comes to brucellosis. Everyone needs to know the facts, but there is no future in propoganda from ANYONE! Pseudo-science has been the rule when it comes to the brucellosis, across the country.

May 12th - 08:52am | Lee Dalton

Most of the beef raised in the West are trucked back to midwestern feed lots where they are fattened on corn before slaughter. Want an eye-opening (and appetite suppressing) experience? Watch the PBS program FOOD, INC.

May 12th - 02:07am | Rick B.

We get our beef and pork from a local organic grass-fed rancher. We see them most weeks at the farmer's market, have visited the farm ourselves, and several times a year buy a freezer-full at a time. It's the only way I know to avoid factory farms.

May 11th - 21:51pm | Random Walker

While living in New Mexico I would buy beef from an in state ranch. When the local slaughter/meat packing plant closed down I could not find it in any stores any more.

May 11th - 16:33pm | RangerLady

Stephany, I used to want to boycott beef because of the ranches out west, but the majority (95%) of the beef sold in stores comes from eastern farms. I have no idea what all the cattle out west are used for, but it isn't for our meat.

Last Dam Summer Party Scheduled For Olympic National Park

May 13th - 11:14am | Gaelyn

It's about time this dam went away. The celebration menu sounds delish, wish I could make it. I look forward to a future hike along the Elwha.

May 13th - 10:09am | Random Walker

Sounds like a fancy feast! My nephew and I will be dining on freeze dry and gorp as we backpack a few days up the Elwha during this time, on a shakedown adventure before he heads out with a group of his peers later this summer. I highly recommend this film for anyone interested:

Non-Profit Yellowstone Association Can Enhance Your Visit to Yellowstone National Park

May 13th - 11:10am | Gaelyn

Non-profs are a savior for our national parks. Here where I work, Grand Canyon Association and the Field Institute provide services and experiences that NPS cannot. It is sad that today's average visitor is in such a hurry to visit multiple parks during a vacation that they really don't know what they're seeing. I like to think that us Rangers help out also.

Public Comment Period on Cape Hatteras Draft ORV Management Plan Ends Tuesday

May 13th - 10:39am | Samsdad

If you read this 800 page item you will note they thought of everyone when they tried to upset the general public. My favorites list includes: The possibility of no pets being aloud during the high points of visitation due to Species of Concern.

National Park Quiz 82: Flowers

May 13th - 03:02am | MRC

Took me a while to find but I guess this is the most recent publication on the vegetation of New River Gorge NR: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ERMN/reports/NERI_650982_Vegetati...

May 12th - 17:38pm | Jim Burnett

Anonymous - Bob has just headed into the Utah canyon country for a multi-day trip, and he won't have web access until he returns next week.

May 12th - 17:21pm | Anonymous

Bob, what's your source for New River Gorge NR having >1000 species of flowering plants? I'd have to separately count subspecies and varieties and include gymnosperms to get over 1000 vascular plant taxa certified as present in the park. If you count all plants certified as "probably present", New River Gorge exceeds GRSM, BIBE, GRCA, & YOSE.

May 12th - 10:18am | peg

resting on my laurels

By the Numbers: The North Cascades National Park Service Complex

May 12th - 21:57pm | Sharlene

Your by the numbers posts are always among my favorite. I am surprised at just how few people visit this park.

Botanists At Grand Canyon National Park Working to Bring Plant Back from the Brink

May 12th - 13:17pm | Matthew Johns

Way to go Doogie!!

Mark Your Calendars: North Cascades National Park Primer, Introductions May 26

May 12th - 12:10pm | Rick B.

What a bonus! That REI building is very local to us here and sounds like a pleasant evening.

May 12th - 08:42am | MaryBeth

I love the North cascades. I have been there many time--living not too far away. Now I will say--Stay away I want it for myself--HAHA No really, come and enjoy!!! MB

21 National Park System Units Nominated For "Marine Protected Area" Status

May 12th - 09:16am | Violet

THIS PLACE IS COOL!!!

Dining At The Parks: National Park Restaurants Striving To Raise the Culinary Bar

May 12th - 08:16am | Steve

So glad to see that they are pairing up some of the best scenic beauty with tasty top quality food....it's only natural!

May 11th - 22:57pm | Pookha

I'm glad to see Mesa Verde mentioned. Of course, I was born and raised in Colorado, so I'm biased. But I like the direction that parks are taking.

May 11th - 17:32pm | jessstryker

Was just at Shenandoah's Skyland two weeks ago. Just had the standard menu dinners and the food was excellent!

Which National Park Is Home to the World's Largest Beaver Dam?

May 11th - 20:55pm | Tim Donohoe

I keep hearing people say things like, "this is the biggest beaver dam ever", but we don't really know that. Who's to say what gigantic dams have been built since (or even during) the last ice age? Which makes me wonder if there are any geographic features in North America that may actually have been created by these marvelous creatures.

The Way We Used To Describe And Enjoy National Parks

May 11th - 15:19pm | Camp Host US

This is like poetry..I think handwriting was neat and readable and we were closer to the earth in a number of ways, and I think this condition existed until just recently in time. Say right around the time of computers and tv. Go camping today and relive this time..leave your cell phone at home and don't bring a tv or laptop.

May 11th - 13:42pm | Rangertoo

I find it instructional that in both the Organic Act in 1916, and now in this language in 1931, the term "wild life" is used. Not wildlife. I think this speaks to the purpose of the parks: to protect life in its wild state.

May 10th - 20:43pm | Kurt Repanshek

Lynn, I can't imagine anyone not being taken by Acadia. It was, I believe, the very first national park I visited, and remains one of my top two today!

May 10th - 20:39pm | Lynn Fantom

Thank you for this charming and most interesting post. As someone who's enchanted by Acadia today, I love reading about how others viewed Mount Desert Island in the past. For example, I was delighted to learn that the first guidebook about Mount Desert was written by a woman, Mrs. Clara Barnes Martin, in 1867.

May 10th - 09:12am | Lee Dalton

There was a time once when English was a flourishing language and even fairly common people were well educated. Probably won't be long until our park pamphlets are written in texting code. Cya ltr - don't B l8

Republicans, Democrats Differ Over Whether National Park Designations Should Block Energy Projects

May 11th - 14:27pm | Lee Dalton

Correction -- that was the Navajo station near Page, Az. The Four Corners plant was responsible for not being able to land at the Farmington airport a year or two earlier.

May 11th - 08:39am | Lee Dalton

I'm ashamed to admit that I live in Rob Bishop's district here in Utah. (But I've NEVER voted for him . . . . never will.) While we do need to take careful consideration of our need for energy, the paramount requirement is to be sure whatever we do is done wisely. Mr. Bishop left his wisdom behind a long time ago.

Considering a Hike up Half Dome?

May 11th - 01:02am | MRC

My 2 ct: Get to know the park first. Don't hike Half Dome because you expect an iconic view from there. Actually, never climb the most iconic landmark to expect a great view. That is because the very landmark will not be visible from its own top. The most iconic views of Half Dome and surroundings are from Glacier Point and even better from Sentinel Dome.

May 10th - 17:38pm | Kurt Repanshek

Tom, Some factors you should consider: Where do you live, in terms of elevation? Folks coming from sea level or near that can sometimes require a couple of days to acclimate to the High Sierra, and the top of Half Dome is just about 9,000 feet. Then, too, there's the arid climate, which can quickly dehydrate you if you don't carry enough water.

May 10th - 17:23pm | Tom

I am 66 years old and in good shape. I play adult baseball and take long walks every day. I'm planning to climb the cables in July and I'm wondering if somebody could advise if I'm biting off more than I can chew. The comments posted here are decidedly mixed between "too dangerous" and "worth the risk." Also, what is the slope of the cable climb in degrees??

Fans of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Being Asked to Contribute Ideas to Lakeshore's Future

May 10th - 19:10pm | Anonymous

The metropolis of the midwest needs a "back to nature" venue for the many city and suburban dwellers who seek the naturist experience to unwind on the weekends. Once it becomes established your surrounding community businesses would only reap the rewards from the no. of tourists and locals it would attract. Naturists are generally polite and very quiet and tidy.

Parks Are Well-Represented in the Latest National Register of Big Trees

May 10th - 15:11pm | Anonymous

Jim-- So which NPS unit has the most champion trees? Is it your beloved Congaree, as I would naively suspect? I know it has many state champions, but I thought it had at least half a dozen national champions, starting with Pinus taeda (loblolly).

Is the Old Faithful Area At Yellowstone National Park Visitor-Friendly?

May 10th - 15:06pm | Anonymous

oops, them were "bears", not "ebars", that cause closures at Yellowstone.

May 10th - 14:14pm | Anonymous

Mike-- Do you know how many roads, campgrounds, and other facilities at Yellowstone NP have seasonal closures for grizzly ebars and other endangered/protected wildlife?

May 10th - 10:50am | Anonymous

There's an old adage: If it ain't broke, don't fix it! That should apply here also.

May 10th - 09:07am | Lee Dalton

It's a lot more visitor friendly than the old days (prior to 1970) when the main park road ran through the geyser basin just about where people now sit on benches to watch Old Faithful erupt.

Native Plant Sale to Benefit Santa Monica Mountains Fund

May 10th - 12:10pm | R L Miller

Thanks for the heads up! Rancho Sierra Vista has a nice little demonstration garden.

Environmental Groups Ask Feds to Require Reduced Pollution from Four Corners Power Plant

May 10th - 08:46am | Harris

I live in the McElmo area near Cortez and the amount of pollution and smog here "when the wind is right" is unbelievable. Most of the Native Americans on the reservations do not profit from these plants and do not want them there. I never had respiratory distress until I moved here. I had no idea it was so bad.

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