During the spring months of 2019, fire crews are planning to conduct two prescribed fires located at the Bald Knob and Bear Creek areas, in the Kentucky section of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Prescribed fire, as defined in the approved Fire Management Plan, will be located within the boundaries of the park.
Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent David Smith released an apology Friday evening regarding his earlier comments that two of the park's iconic Joshua trees were downed by vandals during the partial government shutdown earlier this year. One had been cut down prior to the shutdown, he said.
A coyote that got a taste for human food from garbage strewn about Death Valley National Park during the partial government shutdown had to be put down by rangers after it repeatedly stopped traffic, while other coyotes and and two bobcats were seen approaching visitors in the park. Human visitors left other waste behind: an estimated half-ton of human waste on the landscape.
April Fool's Day is still a couple months off, but a measure adopted in the Wyoming Senate the other week to send trapped grizzly bears to California does make one wonder how serious the chamber is.
With the enactment of the continuing resolution, staff at Acadia National Park are in the process of resuming full operations. The safety and well-being of park employees and visitors is the top priority during this process. Based on the lengthy duration of the closure, it will take some time to fully assess current conditions, address potential safety issues, and return systems to normal operations.
Now in its 11th year, this year’s film festival features fan favorites from years past. Timeless classics will show on a theater-size screen with surround sound. Films will show at 1:30 pm at Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham on six consecutive Sundays from February 3 to March 10. The auditorium is wheelchair accessible, and the movies are free, thanks to generous funding from Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
During the partial government shutdown (now temporarily lifted), contributing photographer and writer Rebecca Latson traveled to the Olympic Peninsula for a visit to Olympic National Park. Rebecca reports what she saw (or didn't see) in this park during the shutdown.
More than a few National Park Service employees returned to work this week glad to be back on the job and anxious to receive paychecks. Unfortunately, many of those paychecks were shorted, in some cases by up to $1,000.