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Is Technology Compatible With The National Park Wilderness Experience?

Sep 7th - 01:35am | Just Call Me Gramma

We each experience nature in our own way. My way is to try to capture in photographs what I see; to put into words the thoughts and feelings it elicits. So I will travel with cameras and a laptop. Someone else may find their experience enhanced and more relaxing if they listen to music. It's just not relevant that "I' prefer the sounds of the forest.

It’s Good to be the President When You Visit Gettysburg National Military Park

Sep 7th - 01:30am | Joe Simpson

Obviously there are true Die Hard Republicans that cannot take any joking. Most high ranking Government personnel do not have to pay to visit certain site within the United States, it has always been that way and will always be that way. People need to get over that. Your Humor was refreshing, thank you.

Sep 6th - 21:09pm | Anonymous

Well, that was a total waste of time. Shouldn't satire have some sort of comedic content?

Sep 6th - 17:08pm | Ted Clayton

Bob Janiskee; I am pleased & amused by your sortie into the satiric & sardonic. A wise move (tho wisdom is seldom cheap, much less free...). Naturalistic & ecological venues have long been cursed by their stuffed & anal demeanor. Those who learn to loosen up the treatment will move ahead, while those who stay behind, will, um, stay behind?

Sep 6th - 14:22pm | Bob Janiskee

Please note that I've added the following comment at the beginning of the referenced article: **Warning: If you do not understand the concept of satire, do not read this article!!** [Ed. The warning's been removed, having failed to serve its purpose. Nastygrams continue to pour in. Where's a foxhole when you need it?]

Sep 6th - 13:53pm | Anonymous

This is certainly not an objective view of National Parks. You've failed to understand and learn one thing those of who have worked for government have learned, that the more things change the more they stay the same. All Presidents get special treatment when they visit ANYWHERE. I should know, my husband was a Secret Service agent for 28 years.

Sep 6th - 12:43pm | Andrew

I realize that your personal pride in the product you post is in full swing, but the first response to your blog pretty much covers the maturity of your current product. All you accomplished with your rant was show a pretty advanced case of BDS.

Sep 6th - 12:27pm | Anonymous

I think it's great that the POTUS is visiting what has to be one of the most hallowed places in our country. I wish I was there with him. I'd give him a free tour also. But... he doesn't need me when he has an incredible author and guide like Mr. Boritt, who happens to live there, by the way. Who cares if he doesn't wait in line, doesn't pony up the admission fee, or gets free tours.

Sep 6th - 11:57am | Anonymous

I usually enjoy reading your blog entries, but what the heck is your problem with the President getting an advance tour of this precious national treasure? I guarantee that every President gets this type of privilege, whether you are a supporter of that President or not. And, I also guarantee that if you were a supporter of the sitting President, this article wouldn't even have appeared.

The Wilderness Act At Age 44

Sep 7th - 01:10am | tahoma

Thanks for your comments, Ted. I especially agree that "...the very foundation premises of the [Wilderness] Act are often little more than romantic whimsies that defy fact & reality. However much incidental good it has done, no matter how ardently it might be embraced, as a policy statement & guide, the Act is flawed &

Sep 6th - 15:20pm | Ted Clayton

tahoma et al; You raise several interesting particulars about Olympic Nat'l Park, in the context of Wilderness.

Lakota Gather Peacefully at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, But Still Insist that the Black Hills Belong to Them

Sep 6th - 15:16pm | Barky

The quotes below are from Frank C's original post: We must be careful before tossing a morally loaded grenade like the word "genocide". Applying a mid-20th century term to historical actors is problematic at best.

Sep 6th - 14:22pm | jsmacdonald

Frank, With all due respect, the fuller context of the quote does nothing to change the force of it. It's not particularly different than the saber rattling we see by any President who claims to want peace. Peace is always cheaper. Is it that common when saber rattling to claim that all of a people should be annihilated who rise up in war?

Sep 6th - 10:28am | Ted Clayton

Jim Macdonald; My kudos & thanks too, Jim, for your impressive research on the Indian-policies of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Most compelling. Ted Clayton

Sep 6th - 09:45am | Anonymous

Good research Jim! We must not let bona fide historians distort or de-sanitize the rich cultural history of the great Lakota Nation...even if means using the word "genocide" to it's most appropriate means.

Sep 6th - 09:10am | jsmacdonald

On the issue of Washington and Jefferson, both make genocidal comments on indigenous tribes as well. Washington is often seen as less so because he chose to negotiate with tribes as sovereign nations rather than force war on them. However, for Washington, letters show this was a practical consideration more than anything bordering on respect for the tribes.

Sep 5th - 22:47pm | Lone Hiker

Whether or not one chooses the word genocide to describe the actions of the European settlers, traders, politicians, Indian Agents, etc. is a moot point. The evidence contained in a multitude of historical records is fairly clear regarding the knowing behavior of certain groups who sought to gain an advantage in the American continent.

Sep 5th - 20:48pm | naturally

After coming back a few days later to read the other comments and opinions posted, I find it so tiresome that there is an academic argument taking place about semantics, and although it is important to prove points, I think it is beneficial to stretch beyond academia (and I am an academic) in order to find a new way of thinking about an issue.

Sep 5th - 19:39pm | Barky

Sorry for putting it so bluntly, but anyone who thinks American Indians didn't suffer from genocide is ignorant or lying. I can't even imaging that anyone in this day and age can believe such nonsense. That one poster has so infuriated me, I find myself incapable of reasonably discussing the topic at hand. I will have to return later to do so.

Sep 5th - 19:16pm | jsmacdonald

Frank, we will have to agree to disagree for now - because I think there is plenty of evidence to suggest that everything that happened does meet the accepted definition(s) of the word.

Sep 5th - 18:08pm | jsmacdonald

Disease v. genocide is a false distinction for a lot of reasons; I'd argue that disease is actually an argument for genocide, not against it. And, I'm not talking about smallpox blankets, which was certainly a minor part of it.

Sep 5th - 12:58pm | jsmacdonald

It certainly was (is) a form of genocide. Frank, by your definition, the Holocaust wasn't genocide because only 2/3 of all Jews in Europe were killed (and an equal proportion of Roma). In North America, over several hundred years, native populations were wiped out by the most conservative estimates by 85% of people and by the least conservative by as much as 98% from pre-Colombian totals.

Sep 5th - 12:22pm | Anonymous

Frank C, you do bring up interesting points but off the topic a bit...wasn't the "Trail of Tears" a form of slow genocide? In my opinion it was!

Sep 5th - 12:13pm | Bugsyshallfall

Keep in mind, this park is not the only one with this type of problem.

Sep 5th - 10:30am | Anonymous

Hello: This is the only comment on this board that I totally agree with. We cannot change what happened in the past; we can only go on from today. There has to be some means of accommodation that shows respect for the Lakota sacred gounds as well as share the beauty of the land. I know that I would support such action. Thanks again for your comment.

Sep 5th - 08:50am | Kelly

It hasn't made the news much yet, but the energy industry and the U.S. government are gearing up for a new mining boom in the Black Hills, this time for not for gold but instead for uranium. Defenders of the Black Hills is trying to get the word out to people: http://www.defendblackhills.org/.

Sep 5th - 08:47am | Ted Clayton

Anonymous; Thank you. Nothing I could say would more-clearly & convincingly expose the core problem we face ... it's not the Indians, it's ourselves.

Interior Officials Want to Allow Concealed Carry in the National Parks

Sep 6th - 14:53pm | Bernie

It's simple Dave, National Parks are NOT immune to crime. If they were, there'd be no argument.

Yellowstone National Park Reporting Bullish Visitation

Sep 6th - 10:29am | Anonymous

Proving that Europeans, who are used to paying VERY high gas prices, are finding gasoline, as well as everything else, a bargain in America. The weak dollar has made it so. We have had our turn when, no doubt, there were many Parisian residents commenting about how they hardly heard a French voice at the Eifel Tower.

Sep 6th - 08:44am | Kurt Repanshek

I think we need to remember that while gas prices here are high, they're at least half of what the Europeans pay at home, so that alone is quite a savings for them. That, plus the weak dollar, has made American vacations -- and SUVs -- very affordable for them this year.

Sep 6th - 08:42am | Rick Smith

To add to the anecdotal evidence, I spent two weeks this summer as a volunteer host at the Museum of the National Park Ranger at Norris in Yellowstone. I was stunned by the number of foreign visitors who came to the musuem. I regularly heard French and German, some Spanish, and several unknown languages, probably among them Dutch, spoken on almost every day.

Sep 6th - 08:25am | Kirby Adams

we were simply shocked last week by the huge, huge numbers of SUVs driving through Yellowstone, presumably a great number being rental cars.

Sep 5th - 18:11pm | jsmacdonald

One possible explanation is the weak dollar and the high number of foreign tourists. That seems to be the most likely explanation. However, no matter who seems to be visiting, we were simply shocked last week by the huge, huge numbers of SUVs driving through Yellowstone, presumably a great number being rental cars.

Brucellosis Solution: Kill All Elk and Bison in Yellowstone National Park

Sep 6th - 10:02am | Ted Clayton

Jim Macdonald et al; We will know that the buffalo have recovered and are safe, when they take their place beside other large herbivores in the State Hunting Regulations. As the animal spreads from its present restricted locations it will become a valued & sought-after big-game species.

Sep 5th - 18:46pm | jsmacdonald

Good timing on this - there's an extremely thorough analysis of the brucellosis issue by Patrick Klemz in the Missoula Independent. Having not been a fan of Patrick's last effort on this earlier this year, I think this piece is a far more balanced view on the controversy and all the ins and outs of it from a wide variety of perspectives.

Sep 5th - 18:25pm | jsmacdonald

I've been away on vacation camping in Grand Teton and Yellowstone; this is the first chance I've commented on this.

Hanna Forcing Evacuations, Closures at Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout National Seashores

Sep 6th - 09:42am | dapster

Kurt, My pleasure. When I saw what had happened that day, I had to document it. What's going on down there right this minute from Hanna has to be as bad or worse. I hope these pictures do help others not familiar with the area to understand what so many of us have been trying to describe this summer.

Sep 6th - 09:23am | Anonymous

Sad but true: Nature bats last!

Sep 6th - 08:40am | Kurt Repanshek

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Dap. Helps put things in context.

Sep 6th - 08:10am | dapster

These are 2 turtle nest enclosures on Ramp 49 to the SW in Frisco, NC. Pictures were taken ~9:30AM on Labor Day Monday, just after high tide. Had to run along the toe of the dune as the beach was a salt river. The smaller in the foreground in not in its hatch window, while the larger one is.

Sep 5th - 19:37pm | dapster

I just left Frisco NC at 9:30 AM 9/5/08, with Hannah on my heels. She turned a 9 day vacation into a 7 day event. Conditions were rapidly deteriorating. Beach closures for storms, while apparently a new idea, is a good one. Periods over overwash at times of high tide can take the unexperienced by surprise, and can actually strand pedestrians and drivers both until the tide drops.

Sep 5th - 05:41am | Bob Janiskee

While you follow the progress of the relatively wimpy Hannah, you might want to keep your eye on the hurricane that's following it in the Atlantic. Here's what my unimpeachable source said about Hurricane Ike yesterday morning (September 4):

Big Bend National Park: Is It Ready For A Mountain Bike Trail?

Sep 5th - 23:52pm | Mike

Ted et al,

Sep 5th - 21:17pm | Ted Clayton

Barky; You raise a very good point:

Sep 5th - 19:07pm | Kurt Repanshek

Barky, Too big of a leap? See Yellowstone and snowmobiles, Pictured Rocks and Cape Lookout and PWCs, Big Cypress and off-road vehicles. I'm sure there are other examples, but that's a pretty good start.

Sep 5th - 18:41pm | Barky

First, to Kurt's comments:

Sep 5th - 09:35am | Ted Clayton

Mike; It's a pleasure to read your excellent comment! Bicycles & biking are a great thing, no doubt about it. That's not to say the venue is without problems & complications ... but 'considering some of the alternatives', bikes are wholesome & earth-friendly. Kurt's post mentions ...

Rainbow Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Sep 5th - 17:21pm | John Britt - "c...

Wow - what a treat to see my YouTube video posted here. If you're interested, I have a number of stills of the Smokies at my Great Smoky Mountains National Park album, link as follows: http://travel.webshots.com/album/127349229ScwxaN There's also another album that focuses primarily on the wildflowers of the park.

Lost to Hurricanes, the Flamingo Lodge at Everglades National Park Will be Hard to Replace

Sep 5th - 08:23am | Dick

We have stayed at Flamingo Lodge on two occasions in the past. Both times were in the early spring and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Sorry to hear about the lodge's destruction but perhaps a newer, better place will be the result. Best of luck to them.

Backcountry Volunteer Survives 100 Foot Fall While Canyoneering at Zion National Park

Sep 5th - 08:20am | Donnie B.

Anyone wishing to send their support (cmon' and send her some love!) to Kaitlyn can do so at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/KaitlynBohlin

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