| Page 1514 | National Parks Traveler

$103 million? Yikes - are these private interests also providing sustainable funding for the operation and maintenance of this visitor center? Its one thing to build these grand facilities. Its another to maintain the funding necessary to keep them going over time and not become a burden to the park and people they are supposed to serve.

Apr 16th - 09:43am | Anonymous

Kurt, this is another example of our historical and natural heritage being short changed by are present administration that has it's priorities backwards (as usual). Scrounging around for private funding for the national parks is a horrendous effort by the most dedicated who care.

Apr 15th - 11:18am | repanshek

In theory, that's what the Centennial Challenge is all about...We should get an idea of how successful that is in the not-too-distant future when Interior/NPS announces the first round of funded projects. The concern, of course, is that while there are numerous needs across the park system, how many donors will want to underwrite a sewer system or a restroom?

Apr 14th - 21:31pm | Sabattis

So, if such private donations are so forthcoming for the construction of visitor's centers, perhaps there is a way to channel that money into other priorities?

Apr 14th - 20:08pm | repanshek

The Gettysburg VC largely was given birth by private donations, while the Blue Ridge center was the largess of former U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor, R-NC, who seemed to have his funding priorities upside down. Was a facility of that stature and expense -- nearly $10 million -- needed? At a park that has roughly 45 staff vacancies because it can't afford them?

Apr 14th - 19:52pm | Sabattis

For all the talk of the National Park Service being so under-funded, it seems like there are an awful lot of Vistitor's Centers projects underway. There's a new one at Grand Teton, two new ones at Yellowstone, a new destination center on the Blue Ridge Parkway... it would be interesting to know just how many of them there have been.

Groups Sue Cape Hatteras National Seashore Over ORV Traffic

Apr 16th - 09:15am | Anonymous

Exactly how many times have you been to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore? As a Dare County native, I find it amusing that people who do not live here or visit our beaches very seldom are so quick to judge. We have had many miles of our beaches closed and protected for nesting purposes annually over the past 10 years.

Apr 13th - 14:54pm | Oogie

As a native Cape Codder I have been visiting the Outer Banx for 5 years now. I leave one beachside community in the summer and happily drive 18 hrs to get to yours. Beach access has become so limited here that I am more than happy to pack up my family of 6 and head to your beautiful beaches. We shut down large portions of our waterfront when a single Piping Plover nest is found.

Apr 11th - 09:53am | Hatteras Reside...

I have lived on Hatteras Island my entire life, and I have grown up learning the importance of preserving and protecting our fragile environment. While driving on the beach. Park Rangers and self-policing, as VCHawk said, account for the responsible behavior of drivers on the beach. I have never seen anyone doing donuts or driving recklessly on the sand.

Bear #399, And Other Grizzlies, Are On the Prowl In Grand Teton National Park

Apr 16th - 09:12am | Anonymous

I just love this photo...just lumbering along after a deep sleep. Bring out the ankle bells and spray! Yellowstone slowly awakes! Let's just hope that old bear number 399 and her cubs survive another rambunctious tourist season. Bear canisters...please!

Who Visits Alaska's National Parks?

Apr 15th - 13:14pm | outwest713

I've made 2 trips to AK so far and will be going again this year. My first trip was a multi-sport/touring trip that covered from Anchorage to Seward, Lake Clark NP, Whittier, Mat-Su Valley, Denali, and various points in between. Last year I did a raft/hike trip in the Arctic Refuge (Kongakut River); going again this year for same (Hulahula River - Brooks range to Coastal Plain).

Should Canyon de Chelly Be Given to the Navajo Nation?

Apr 14th - 19:47pm | Sabattis

I'm interested in the comment from the National Park Service that "Canyon de Chelly is unique among National Park Service units, as it is comprised entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land." I'm curious as to why Navajo National Manument and Hubbel Trading Post NHS don't also meet the same criteria?

Apr 14th - 17:08pm | Anonymous

The Canyon and its archaeological significance is interesting and significant for all Americans: not only Navajos. The NPS can do a better job of managing it for accessibility to all Americans than the tribe can.

Apr 13th - 13:33pm | Bob Janiskee

Kurt, I'd hate to see Canyon de Chelly National Monument decommissioned (or delisted, or disestablished, or whatever you call it). Can't we continue to carry this cultural treasure on the national park rolls even if it's turned over to the Navajo Nation for administration? I have one other question: Has there ever been a national park with a name more likely to be mispronounced?

Apr 13th - 13:02pm | MRC

Tricky. Canyon de Chelly has two distinctive contexts. One is the prehistoric culture of the Anasazi. The ruins in the canyon, the petroglyphs at the walls are precolumbian and the Navajo are not directly related to these previous occupants of the canyon.

Former National Park Service Directors Urge Interior Secretary To Keep Guns Out of Parks

Apr 14th - 16:42pm | Fred Miller

Ranger Tyler - Thanks for taking the time to address this issue in such a intellectual manner. I totally agree with you. If people don't like what the 2nd amendment says, they should look at changing it or repealing it. To ignore it or violate it is what is leading our great nation into chaos.

Apr 14th - 15:33pm | RangerTyler

Lone Hiker: You've gone down the slippery slope of equating an individual right to arms with mob justice. "NOT ONE of those original conditions exist in modern society."

Apr 14th - 10:47am | Lone Hiker

This same set of quotations you would like me to expound upon has been posted previously within the confines of this site. Attempting to apply a 17th century set of values and regulations to a 21st century dysfunctional society is an exercise in futility.

Apr 11th - 17:10pm | Joel

Since you fancy yourself a scholar of political verbage. Maybe you can interpret the following for us, and tell us how the founding fathers really were trying to say that we didn't have the right to carry guns individually: (Good Luck)

Apr 10th - 10:56am | Lone Hiker

Your constant quibbling over the verbiage in the 2nd Amendment is taking nit-picking to new extremes. First, nobody want to admit that the statement regarding forming a well-regulated militia being necessary to the defense of our nation even exists.

Apr 9th - 21:24pm | Rick Smith

I suggest that Ranger Tyler, if he doesn't like the ANPR take on guns, present himself as a candidate for a leadership position in the organization. He is making the same argument that others make when they say if you don't want guns in parks, amend the second amendment. Give me a break. Rick Smith

Apr 9th - 01:02am | Fred Miller

This statement would be valid if we had the same metal detectors in the National Parks that we do at airports and public buildings. Don't even think about getting me started on "gun-free" schools. I feel stronger about that than I do about carrying in the Parks.

The Monkey Wrench Gang: Coming to a Theater Near You?

Apr 13th - 22:33pm | jim kalember

I teach 8th grade social studies in Tuba City, and would love to see TMWG made into a film. We're dealing with some gang stuff, so that is the first connector.

Apr 10th - 09:24am | Anonymous

Somewhere at Slick Rock old Abbey will review this film with much enthusiasm...and may his spirit live on. I met this man many years ago and just seeing him you could feel the power of his crusty behavior...cantankerous and witty! They better do this film right or justice will be swift!!

Apr 10th - 06:48am | Marylander

I loved that book!! I hope they stay true to the book because then it will be an excellent movie.

A Sad Sign of the Times: NPS Promotes Body Armor Options To Rangers

Apr 13th - 21:32pm | Joel

David I must respectfully ask, from your own comments ("If there is NOT a significant volume of gun crime in parks, then why not preserve and respect the current laws prohibiting gun carrying in the parks"); Are you objective enough to ask the same question about why this law was placed on the books in the first place, (the parks did not always designate themselves as a "gun-free zone")?

Apr 12th - 06:14am | David

May I come in with a fresh viewpoint? Question: are visitors to the parks being assaulted when they visit (more than, say, once a year)? If so, if gun violence in national parks is rampant, we have a bigger problem than is solved by allowing everyone to carry guns will solve; we have a societal problem and an enforcement problem.

Apr 11th - 17:24pm | repanshek

Joe, I know you're just baiting me, but since you asked....

Apr 11th - 16:45pm | JoeSF

Kurt,

Apr 11th - 15:52pm | RangerTyler

"Rangers deal with enough illegal guns..." Really? How many? "...so please give then a break..."

Apr 11th - 13:29pm | Joel

Where are these official reports of rangers being shot at? I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but please do share this information with us rather than create control through fear. By simple fact that our parks are so unsafe with criminals who would shoot at a ranger, you've only created the need for good people to be armed as well.

Apr 10th - 02:21am | MRC

The parks are the same sanctuaries as they have always been. Only the public perception of fear has changed. There are no gunfights in the park, no armed gangs lurking for backcountry hikers. I don't have access to any archive of the "morning reports", but how often are rangers shot at? Like never?

Apr 10th - 00:42am | Joel

Deep breaths now....ahhh. I stated many many times on this site, and for some reason, people feel the need to sensationalize without thinking about what they're saying. This proposed rule change WILL NOT allow any ol' Joe to bring a gun into the park.

Apr 9th - 18:52pm | fhasti

Yes it is a bad sign of the times Kurt. Once upon a time our national parks where sanctuaries set aside by people with vision and forethought. Their intent I'm sure had something to do with preserving the wild and beautiful places in our country so that others would be able to enjoy those same wild and beautiful places many generations later.

Tune-in For Yosemite National Park

Apr 12th - 16:59pm | Fred Miller

Thanks Kurt. I ususally don't watch the Travel Channel, but I'll set my DVR to record this show.

Park Lands For Sale: Can the National Park Service Afford Them?

Apr 12th - 06:22am | PlanetThoughts

The integrity of the nature in these parks, and the preservation of lands of national historical value, should be a priority. These are factors, along with other laws that are still in place, that distinguish us from ecological wastelands such as mainland China and eastern Europe (as misused during the Soviet era).

Apr 11th - 11:17am | Anonymous

Ah, but some people (not me) consider earmarking funds for park lands to be just as bad as "bridges to nowhere." Adding more funds to the Land and Water Conservation Fund would be a big step in the right direction. And the headline is correct. Many of these lands are for sale to whomever can pay the most.

Apr 9th - 14:15pm | Kath

Your headline is misleading. It's not "Park" lands that are for sale. It's private lands that the NPS would like to buy.

Apr 9th - 07:35am | Anonymous

Just take a look at a photo in the Civil War Preservation Trust's report on endangered battlefields that Kurt wrote about earlier...it's for sale sign that exclaims in giant letters "HISTORIC BATTLEFIELD FOR SALE"

Apr 8th - 20:21pm | Siskiwit

Kurt,

Apr 8th - 18:19pm | ReBecca

The Pitcock Rosillos Ranch that borders Big Bend National Park has been for sale for quite some time now. That piece of land would be wonderful for the park to acquire. Unfortunately it is priced out of their budget (out of anyones budget realistically). Its too bad.

How Are Entrance Fees Affecting Visitation?

Apr 10th - 15:02pm | Chris

I have never been to the Great Smoky Mountains but I suspect that they get alot of their visitation from citizens of states that have no mountains.When you think about it, there are many states within close proximity of the Smokies who have to travel to either GA, NC or TN if they want a mountain vacation.Virginia, however is surrounded by other states that already have mountains of their own.A

Elevated Sulphur Dioxide Levels Prompt Closure of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Apr 10th - 14:44pm | Fred Miller

My wife and I live on Oahu. She was able to smell the sulfur in the air yesterday. Depends on the wind direction, but it's not good.

Apr 9th - 22:06pm | crazylife99

We were on the Big Island in October of last year. You could definitely notice the "vog", as it's called, over the Kona side of the island.

Big Cypress National Preserve: Is More ORV Access In Bear Island Unit Wise?

Apr 10th - 10:51am | Anonymous

radom walker, you are right i love four wheeling too its fun i can't see how someone wouldn't like it. and/or want to get rid of it, anyway nice comment!!!! : ]

Lake Powell Expected to Rise 50 Feet This Summer

Apr 10th - 02:14am | MRC

"The science" has already spoken. Now it's up to the media, the politicians and of course the public to understand the interdependencies: Global warming means more energy in the climate system (as heat is energy, any rising of the medium temperature puts more energy in the system). More energy in a system dos not necessarily mean that all temperatures will rise.

Apr 9th - 10:26am | Anonymous

First we blame the lack of precip to climate change, then we blame too much on climate change. I am about to throw up. And using a single data point (one season's snow fall) to either prove or disprove any theory is scientifically bankrupt. Let the science drive the conclusions!

Apr 9th - 07:20am | Bob Janiskee

Climate change is incredibly complicated. In fact, atmospheric scientists have pretty much quit saying that climate change is “more complicated than we know” and are now admitting that it is “more complicated than we will EVER know.” Are the fluctuating water levels of Lake Powell and some other western impoundments "indicators” of long-term changes in the regional or global climate?

Apr 9th - 06:12am | Anonymous

"...possibly an indicator of climate change." Ya think? When it rains, that is climate change. When it doesn't rain, that is climate change, too. Is this some kind of sleeper signal to the alien tinfoil hat crowd? Seems too inane on the surface.

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