| Page 1547 | National Parks Traveler

Some of you just amaze me. First off, If people don't manage their population then mother nature will. These bears are the top predator, so what is going to keep their numbers in check? The NPS has to do something to control the population and keep the numbers at a healthy level. Either tax dollars will be spent on it, or hunters will come in and pay to do it.

Oct 6th - 22:04pm | Lone Hiker

A large, male grizzly (tagged Bear 141) protecting the campsite was killed by park rangers while they attempted to retrieve the bodies. A second adolescent bear was killed a short time later after it charged the park rangers. A necropsy showed that the first animal had consumed parts of the couple's remains.

Oct 6th - 21:53pm | Lone Hiker

Same species doesn't qualify as same bears. Rogues exist across all flora and fauna. Indeed, even particular plant species qualify, though I hardly desire to present a 300-level biology lecture in this short space. Suffice to say in layman's terms they're generally referred to as mutants, at least in the microbial and plant taxa.

Oct 6th - 21:28pm | Merryland

The link he provided says the bears munching on Treadwell were killed right away. Didn't read his own link.

Oct 6th - 20:01pm | Anonymous

Lone Hike, these are the same bears that ate Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Treadwell Sounds like they are pretty wild to me.

Oct 6th - 18:12pm | Txcookie

Those bears fear nothing as they know they are on top of the food chain! Thats not a good thing and with that many bears there it wont be long till you start seeing Campers and Hikers start missing!

Oct 6th - 17:40pm | ridgerunner

I've been selected to hunt one of Georgia's state parks to reduce the deer herd population. Hope I have such good luck!

Oct 6th - 13:53pm | Anonymous

Mr. Hamilton, I carefully read your story on the Katmai bear slaughter, and that's exactly what it is...a slaughter...even in the confines of the Alaskan game laws. However, I don't buy your sugar coated scenario what happened during this easy kill. You mentioned, there was "no mechanized vehicles" used during the hunt.

Oct 6th - 11:42am | Lone Hiker

Explain your interpretation of "illegal methods", and how they apply in this specific instance. Admittedly, killing permits were indeed issued for use during a specified time frame. And your executioners were by some legal statute operating within the limits of those contracts.

Opposition Mounting to Higher Entrance Fee At Olympic National Park

Oct 7th - 12:14pm | Anonymous

Honnestly, i find it wrong to raise fees... I'm a foreigner, and i don't understand why we should pay more than residents. I mean, the fact i'm coming to the USA doesn't mean i'm rich, it just means that i made the decision to save money to do it.

Oct 4th - 10:09am | au79scorpion

Can't anyone see what will happen here? The fees go up and the government cuts back on the meager funding they dole out to the parks which in my travels, are way under funded just to maintain them! every park employee, ranger or administrator that I had the pleasure to talk to tells me the sad stories of woe, bleak outlook due to the government cutbacks.

Oct 4th - 08:59am | dthom2701

"And yeah, let's stick it to those "Foreigners" How much do you suppose they pay in taxes to support our parks? Beamis, in a previous post on a different topic you asked someone to respond to your arguments without attacking you but it seems that what you like to do best.

Oct 3rd - 16:59pm | Anonymous

Why not raise the fee in all of the National Parks to $50 per car for a weekly pass. People are more than willing to pay $50 to go to Disneyland, Six Flags, etc:. With all of the Foreigners you see in our National Parks, they must have money or they would not have gotten over here to see it. The National Parks are run down and need more money then they are getting from the government.

Centennial Projects: Fighting Mosquitoes in Grand Teton National Park

Oct 6th - 16:48pm | Random Walker

"...and implement protection measures to reduce exposure to these diseases." Wondering what this would bring about, "Do Not Feed the Mosquitoes" signs? "But should doing battle with these bloodsuckers be memorialized as a Centennial Initiative project.." Naw, sounds a little silly to me.

Oct 5th - 13:45pm | Merryland

More bats and dragonflies... that oughta do it.

The Consequences of the Legal Bear Hunt in Katmai

Oct 6th - 00:11am | Steve

Mike: I have been an avid hunter in the state of Alaska for over 40 years. The meat that I harvested for my family helped sustain us over the years and I greatly appreciate the fact that I have been allowed to do so. I, however like so many other true hunters and outdoorsmen am soundly against the killing of any and I mean any wild animal that cannot be or will not be consumed.

Marketing Alaska's National Parks; Why Not All National Parks?

Oct 5th - 19:30pm | Stratto

Jim Stratton Alaska Regional Director National Parks Conservation Association One of the opportunities provided by the Centennial Challenge is to test ideas, like this marketing approach, and if it is successful, roll it out to the rest of the country. I agree that all parks could benefit from something like this....

Death Valley Looking to Electronic Rangers to Raise Money, Lure Younger Generations

Oct 5th - 18:25pm | Lone Hiker

Good day Lee-

Oct 5th - 17:52pm | GPS Ranger

Good Day, I am Lee Little the developer of the GPS Ranger.

Oct 4th - 20:22pm | Merryland

People shouldn't be watching a video screen while they're driving around a battlefield site or anywhere else for that matter.

NPS Officially Comes Out Against North Shore Road at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Oct 4th - 18:44pm | Dan Styer

I applaud and fully support the NPS decision, but one thing concerns me:

Freak Rockfall Kills Colorado Couple At Glen Canyon NRA

Oct 4th - 17:39pm | Anonymous

Maybe 'we' should return Glen Canyon back to it's original state, find the man's body and clean up everything else that might be down there....

Oct 4th - 16:15pm | new orleans

god called them home. may they rest in peace together,forever. in jesus name

Judge Orders Cross Removed from Mojave National Preserve

Oct 4th - 15:08pm | Anonymous

Foolishness seems to be a quality greatly possessed by many who claim to understand. To what end do we quarrel about these nonsensical things. I'll be praying for you all.

Will Greatness Mark the National Park Service's Next Century?

Oct 4th - 11:06am | Lone Hiker

Ah, so many issues, so little time...... Anon-

Oct 4th - 07:59am | Mart

I have always wondered why we don't have an option on our federal tax returns to donate $1 of our refund to the National Parks similar to the option to fund the presidential campaigns. I would think most folks would donate and it's a very efficient way to solicit donations to our national treasures. I would be much more inclined to donate to our parks than to more campaign ads on TV.

Oct 3rd - 19:12pm | haunted hiker

There's much to address here, and this is the Haunted Hiker's busiest time of year. But I want to take the time to say a few things. One: Beamis was an brilliant interpreter and dedicated employee. I don't know Frank (at least I don't think I do) but I wish I did. But then I do have a weakness for crushed idealists. Especially the funny ones.

Oct 3rd - 18:19pm | Anonymous

lone hiker- i was the one who posted "misused" and i can tell you, aside from the entity that i run, i see misused and hear about misused funds everywhere. from public radio stations to large corporations, it happens... let's not split semantical hairs here, i meant what i wrote. to deny it is to deny reality.

Oct 3rd - 13:15pm | Lone Hiker

By the way, what's this garbage? misused funds are inevitable, whether an agency or a corporation or a small business. only the nps, successful or not, has the best intentions in managing our parks. Mismanagement is inevitable? Poor accounting practices are inevitable? Lack of accountability in inevitable?

Oct 3rd - 11:32am | Lone Hiker

I'm not into reference checks. I trust your personal references wouldn't say anything to reflect negatively on your esteemed character. And business references generally pass along high marks, especially on someone there's looking to cut bait with, so what good is that?

Oct 3rd - 10:36am | Lone Hiker

Never unwilling to put in my two cents worth, if you're seeking "constructive criticism", new directives, or whatever label appeals to you, I'd like some information. Especially from Frank and Beamis. I could sense by the underlying tone of many of the commentaries that I've read over the months that you both were at one point employed by the NPS in some manner.

Oct 2nd - 22:25pm | Anonymous

Beamis, your comments are well taken, but in truth really quite sad and demoralizing to your younger peers in the NPS. Privatization is NOT the answer to NPS demise, but with stout LEADERSHIP we can overcome this negative flow of internal conflict that rids good people like you.

Oct 2nd - 17:41pm | Anonymous

Beamis, nothing personal but you constantly slay and slam the NPS. However, is there anything good or positive that can be said from your experiences (with NPS) which can or might embolden the NPS, instead of all the negative effects of the department. As I understand from your past blogs, you were once a career officer in the NPS, there must of been some golden moments in your career.

Oct 2nd - 16:50pm | jsmacdonald

Beamis, I hear the same things from friends in government. I have a close friend who hates his job working in one division of government. He's too chicken to quit and has wanted for years to be fired, and so he does almost anything he can to get shown the door. However, no one ever fires him.

Oct 2nd - 14:37pm | Rick Smith

I don't want to get into a long argument about the effectiveness of government bureaus. I will leave that to people like Beamis and Frank whose opinions about the subject are well known to NPT readers.

Oct 2nd - 11:37am | jsmacdonald

Frank, could you explain to me what you mean? The way I'm reading you, you are guilty of the fallacy of denying the antecedent. 1. NPS managers have the best intentions. 2. Political pressures will continue to jeopardize their mission until the parks are depoliticized.

Oct 1st - 21:59pm | Merryland

Here's what I said back on August 5th in the "Setting Precedents in the Parks" thread.

Oct 1st - 19:41pm | Anonymous

lol... if you two market experts (frank, beams) are suggesting that smith's "invisible hand" is going to take better care of the parks than a government agency, i'd ask that you google "market externalities." the nps may not be the best, but they're better than the rest. misused funds are inevitable, whether an agency or a corporation or a small business.

Fall Into Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Kills California Woman

Oct 4th - 09:04am | Anonymous

Im not sure this was foul play, because I drove by this accident less than 5 minutes after it happened while another person was on the phone with the national parks. The male compainion was visibly in a panic and very very upset. I have a police scanner and listen to the whole incident both on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Oct 4th - 03:10am | Anonymous

Foul play? In what way? Was something seen or heard unusual? How do you hear something like that?

Oct 3rd - 12:47pm | Anonymous

From what I have heard, this could be foul play.

Oct 2nd - 17:30pm | new orleans

i am so sorry that this has happend again. i really hope this was a accident and not foul play. may both women rest in peace.

World War II Sites in the National Park System

Oct 3rd - 20:00pm | Merryland

There must be a story for many, many parks in the system. Fort Jefferson (Dry Tortugas) was a seaplane base during the war and they cut down trees in the Everglades to make up for a shortage of wood for houses.

Oct 3rd - 16:54pm | Glenn Scofield ...

And don't forget the Ahwahnee in Yosemite was transformed into a military hospital for recovering vets during much of the war. There are some amazing photos in the Yosemite Research Library of the tents set up on the Ahwahnee lawns.

Oct 3rd - 10:00am | Anonymous

Jeremy, like you I did put in my ten hours watching Ken Burns documentary: THE WAR. Every time that I drive past Manzanar (WW II Japanese Detention Center) which is settled on the east side of the Sierra's, it's hard to imagine the extreme hardship that this nation went though during WW II...and it's Japanese citizens.

And, Speaking of Volcanoes ... Audio Story at Lassen Volcanic

Oct 3rd - 10:40am | Cameron Mason

That is so freakin awesome

Support Journalism about National Parks!

National Parks Traveler is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Donate Now!

The Essential RVing Guide

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.

National Parks Traveler

Search