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Grand Canyon's Star Party

Nov 7th - 18:12pm | Jim Marshall

I would like to know if there are star parties scheduled for 2009 yet. I enjoyed the article in Astronomy magazine, and would consider attending. Because of driving the Bryce Canyon would be first choice. Jim Marshall

Glory, Shame, and Remembrance at Colorado’s Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site

Nov 7th - 16:55pm | Bugsyshallfall

No, I wish The best we have is the Boston Harbor Islands where Indians were held after the war in concenstration camps. There are many problems with this, the name of the park and its focus being the biggest. The Taughton River is another place we have and was the main reason why it was called a scenic river because of the battlefields along the river.

Nov 7th - 15:55pm | Bob Janiskee

Perhaps one of our readers can shed light on this interesting topic. I don't know very much myself about the Narragansetts, King Philip's War in 17th century New England, the Great Swamp Massacre (500+ Indian dead?), and the slaying of King Philip (Metacom). Have there been any formal proposals to establish a national park oriented to King Philip's War?

Nov 7th - 15:27pm | Bugsyshallfall

I just wish they would do something with Hope Hill in Rhode Island, where King Phillp was shot down. I think currently it is owned by Brown but closed off, I am not sure

Nov 7th - 11:16am | Anonymous

To be fair, Chivington would have gone to trial, but for the post-Civil War general amnesty. The cost of putting the Civil War in the past, and reunifying north and south, unfortunately included pardoning a few monsters like Chivington.

Election 2008: Fearless Forecasts, Foregone Conclusions, and Prescient Prognostications

Nov 7th - 15:24pm | Bugsyshallfall

I have hope.................................Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm not much

Nov 7th - 14:38pm | dtroutma

Iraq, the economy, and the environment(including NPS) ARE connected. It is not so much a "left vs right", but right vs wrong, intellect vs stupidity. For the past eight years(more actually) stupid has ruled.

Nov 7th - 10:43am | Elizabeth

Uh, Beamis...those "million deaths" in the Middle East are Al Qaida...the enemy.

Nov 7th - 05:33am | MRC

@ Frank C.: Come on, you point me to a paper on the New Deal by the Mises Institute to prove something? That paper is not analytic, it's not scientific, it is pure and simple ideology. The same ideology that got us into the mess back then and now.

Nov 7th - 02:06am | Roger

LOL...you are all so funni...except Frank C. Obama has ONE national park in his home state...and how many people of color visit our parks? Not many. Frank C is right...there will be NO money to give. In fact, Bush offered up more to the parks in his last budget (Centennial money) than Obama will...as I said, I don't think The One cares much for nature, being from Chicago.

Nov 6th - 20:32pm | On Da Road

I am not expecting a whole lot of change real quickly.. but am hopefully that the move to the left will result in better policies to protect our environment & endangered species. Stopping the economic slide I hope will be top on the radar. OnDaRoad http://www.unpavedroadslesstraveled.com

Nov 6th - 16:05pm | Rick Smith

I am, by nature, an optimist. I think the election means that the new administration will be represented by people who are not relentlessly anti-environment. That does not mean that I think that money will fall out of the sky and land in the budget of the NPS. It does mean, however, that superintendents will be able to count on the support of staffers in the Interior Department.

Nov 6th - 13:37pm | MRC

An obvious method to support the economy in form of small and mid-size businesses is investing in infrastructure. Highways, bridges, and the like. In this the new administration might look at the New Deal. Working on the backlog of infrastructure maintenance in the parks might become a part of a larger program.

Nov 6th - 13:18pm | Art Allen

A great question.... Here's a few of my guesses!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Officials to Outline Paving Options for Cades Cove

Nov 7th - 11:48am | Craig W.

/2008/10/shuttles-make-visiting-cades-cove-great-smoky-mountains-national-park-bit-easier

Nov 7th - 10:10am | Smoky Mtn Hiker

Kurt - don't know if you receive Smokies Life Magazine (excellent publication from the Great Smoky Mountains Association) or not, but there's an extensive interview with Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson in the current issue. Ditmanson stated that he's looking for ways to solve some of the heavy traffic problems in Cades Cove.

Nov 7th - 09:54am | Kurt Repanshek

Answering my own question. Here's what Bob Miller at Great Smoky tells me:

Nov 7th - 08:47am | Kurt Repanshek

Does anyone know if there are any alternatives that mention mass transit? Perhaps some sort of shuttle system for the masses, with hiking and biking trails on the side?

Nov 7th - 08:13am | Smoky Mtn Hiker

It will be interesting to see if there will be any "outside-the-box" alternatives offered at this meeting for helping to ease the traffic problems that plague the loop.

Nov 7th - 06:53am | Marylander

It's past time to pave the cove. That road has been crumbling for a very, very long time.

National Park Service Signs Off on Decision Not To Allow Bombing of Avalanche Chutes in Glacier National Park

Nov 7th - 07:52am | albertson

You wrote: "Business has to adapt to market conditions, the government doesn't need to coddle it all the time. While the market isn't perfect, if you're somewhat against regulation and the needed bureaucracy, i suggest you google "bailout" or "savings and loans" or "sub prime mortgages."

Nov 6th - 23:28pm | Anonymous

@ Albertson-

Nov 6th - 20:52pm | JimB

When I worked at Glacier, I lived in the village of East Glacier, and drove U.S. Highway 2 that runs roughly parallel to the railroad tracks across the Continental Divide on a regular basis. As the photo with this story illustrates, the snowsheds are very effective in protecting trains from avalanches.

Nov 6th - 18:31pm | Kurt Repanshek

Albertson, there was no use of explosives. The railroad was seeking permission to use howitzers to trigger avalanches, a fairly common practice in snow country where roads or ski areas have to be protected from avalanches.

Nov 6th - 17:53pm | tahoma

Hats off to Supt. Cartwright & staff for not rolling over in response to commercial (and probably political) pressure as has too often been the case. Permitting these compromise permanent structures hardly seems "overboard".

Nov 6th - 14:35pm | albertson

Was the use of explosives that widespread? Was the railroad firing hundreds of rounds, or 1 or 2 in strategic places? How was it determined that wildlife were endangered? In today’s economy it would appear especially important not to hinder commerce on such an essential link, or is this more bureaucracy, people protecting their government jobs by being an overboard environmentalist?

Don't Be Surprised to See Clinton Administration Influence In an Obama Interior Department

Nov 6th - 23:22pm | jsmacdonald

I saw on the Missoula NBC affiliate tonight that Schweitzer took himself out of the running for any Cabinet position.

Plague Kills Many Prairie Dogs and Black-Footed Ferrets in Grasslands Near Badlands National Park

Nov 6th - 15:15pm | Anonymous

what is being done to try to protect it?

Poets, Ports and Politics – The Long Battle for a New Kind of Park

Nov 6th - 14:45pm | Matthewk

Current Superintendent Costa Dillon has been giving talks throughout Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area about the park's tremendous challenges to adapt to the growing industry, increasing population base and the development that goes along with it. He's hoping to re-engage a new set of dedicated individuals to take over for the groups that helped establish the park.

Bush Administration Poised to Sell Oil and Gas Leases Around Dinosaur National Monument, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks

Nov 6th - 11:33am | Lone Hiker

Jim, I wish I could share your notion that as a nation, we're smarter than that, but the evidence points dramatically to the contrary. We as a nation have been and still are consistently seeking the path of least resistance, aka, the easy way out of virtually every inconvenient truth our lifestyle "demands".

Nov 5th - 23:18pm | JimB

Wayne C. makes some excellent points.

Nov 5th - 21:18pm | WayneC

1) Why is it in our national interest to keep giving out drilling permits when ones that have already been given out are not acted on? Oil companies, you have permits now, use them! When you run out of permits come talk to us.

Nov 5th - 19:11pm | Kurt Repanshek

Pointing fingers is a poor game. Indeed, personal responsibility does play a big role in everyday society, whether it's related to energy consumption or some other issue.

Nov 5th - 18:39pm | Kurt Repanshek

Beamis, please tell me you don't have one of those "When We're Done With the Earth, We'll Mine the Moon" bumper stickers on your Hummer.

Nov 5th - 18:08pm | Kurt Repanshek

I guess I use "sensitive" because I've been out in the landscape and seen it first-hand, Rachel.

Nov 5th - 17:29pm | Rachel

Why do you say it is "sensitive?" A VERY tired, worn out argument. With today's technology, there will be ZERO effect on any of the parks. They can drill down, then sideways miles from the park boundary and even go into the park itself (if they wanted to, but won't), sink vertical to the deposit and no one would know any different.

National Park Quiz 9: The American Revolution

Nov 5th - 18:52pm | Jonathan Cooper

You are somewhat correct. The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Breed's Hill, not on Bunker's Hill. The only ones who knew the difference between the hill names were the residence of Charlestown at that time. Most of the men fighting weren't even from there.

NPS Entrance Fees Waived on November 11th for Veterans, Military Personnel and Their Families

Nov 5th - 14:20pm | Kurt Repanshek

I would venture that it's largely coincidence. I think McCain had two main things going against him: 1) His age. Like it or not, 72 is not perceived youthful, and with the tasks facing the next administration, that no doubt played a factor in many minds. In fact, I think that's what the exit polling indicated, that his age was a greater factor than Obama's race.

Nov 5th - 13:12pm | Bob Janiskee

Perhaps you can help me sort this one out. Why is it that, in all five of the most recent presidential elections, the candidate with the best (or only)record of military service has lost the election? What does this say about military service as something that conditions or qualifies a person for political leadership in America?

Lame Duck Bush Administration Hastens to Weaken Environmental Protection Laws

Nov 4th - 22:03pm | Lone Hiker

In reply to the latest Anon---

Nov 4th - 14:52pm | dapster

Whew! Talk about a polarized thread! I fully agree with this statement, as the division between the factions grow wider each year:

Nov 4th - 10:35am | Anonymous

Lone Hiker: If I'm not mistaken, regarding the Enron collapse, there is various White House memos that suggest that Dick Cheney was involved indirectly to the scandal.

Nov 4th - 10:31am | Anonymous

Why is it a liberal slant? Can't you just leave a little room for doubt that Bush might just be doing what tha article says. It's pretty easy to check.

Nov 4th - 07:34am | Lone Hiker

Lame.......a term never more appropriately used than when in description of politicians. We've been saddled with nothing short of lame for more years than I can remember, dating back to 40's. Bush's leadership post-9/11??? THAT'S your idea of leadership???

Nov 4th - 05:28am | Bob Janiskee

G. Pinson uses the example of the Yellowstone bison management controversy to seal his argument that critics of the Bush administration are not to be trusted where matters of environmental stewardship and national park management are concerned.

Woman Dies in Fall From Angel's Landing

Nov 4th - 21:47pm | Thomas Bienz

My 11 year old daughter & I ascended to Angel's Landing two days ago. It was an outstanding experience. My wife & I elected to leave our two 7 year old twins down in the valley and they hiked the Riverside trail.

Yosemite National Park Officials Considering Improvements to Tioga Road Trails

Nov 4th - 14:26pm | tahoma

I worked on NPS trail crews for 28 years. New construction, upgrades, and "improvements" were ALWAYS a higher management priority than just taking proper care of what they already had. This development was done in lieu of actual maintenance and was/is a major factor in the so-called maintenance backlog.

Yellowstone National Park Releases Winter-Use Proposal

Nov 4th - 13:56pm | Kurt Repanshek

Dan, I have raised that issue several times in the past. There was a Utah company, Raser Technologies, I believe, that had built a prototype. I've mentioned it to Yellowstone officials, but to the best of my knowledge they have not reached out to the company for any information or a demonstration.

Nov 4th - 13:45pm | Dan

How would a quiet electric snowmobile effect policy? If they would have a positive effect, how quickly could they be brought to market (if they are not already available)? I have seen a prototype in action on TV. Dan

Winter's Not Far Off In Glacier National Park

Nov 4th - 07:37am | Pam S

Jane What a wonderful picture. Having recently moved from the Flathead I do so miss the Mtns. Keep them coming.

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