| Page 1578 | National Parks Traveler

“What if” (?)…“Spiderman” …? Okay I am right, you win; I do not like what ifs. Uhm… well you know, maybe if you would have used Silver Surfer instead. Thinking here, it is the GCA (Grand Canyon Association: enriching experience through knowledge) and not the NHA? From the GCA web site:

Jan 17th - 18:26pm | jersu

What if the Natural History Association (NHA) discovered that Spiderman comics sold really really well in their bookstore. If the point of the bookstore were to make as much money as possible, they would stuff their shelves with as many comics as they could find. The free market wins in this scenario, but the message of the park suffers.

Jan 17th - 16:19pm | kath

Every consumer who walks into any of the Grand Canyon bookstores has a vote. He can buy the Vail book and 'vote' for keeping it there or he can buy other books. If there are enough 'votes' or purchases, the bookstore will keep it on the shelf. If not, it will be on the clearance table pretty quickly and then discontinued.

Jan 17th - 14:13pm | Random Walker

Can we agree to disagree? Obviously judging any books "appropriateness" for any bookstore based on the books content, premise or theory is wrong.

Jan 17th - 13:05pm | jersu

Yes, banning and burning books is bad. But, can we agree that there may be books which are inappropriate for the Grand Canyon bookstore? Obviously books containing pornography or books with instructions for creating bombs would fall into this category.

Jan 17th - 12:59pm | kath

The bookstores are private businesses. They can and should be able to stock any book they please. The free market will determine what sells and what doesn't and by extension what the bookstore continues to stock and what it doesn't. I'm amazed at how many so-called liberals want to ban books.

Jan 17th - 11:06am | Random Walker

To disallow, ban, burn, prohibit, deny and or restrict a book because of its values, ideas, thoughts, dreams or beliefs is wrong.

EPA Critiques Yellowstone's Snowmobile Plan

Jan 16th - 11:10am | Snowbird

Let's see were the bottom line is when it comes to push and shove...I think the NPS will side even more with the snowmobiling industry. Corporate snowballing wins this one over the NPS... with much dire and unfortunate consequences to Yellowstones unique environment. The EPA has absolutely no teeth to their credibility or enforcement polices...thank Bush for that!

Jan 16th - 10:21am | Rick Smith

Kurt-- Isn't it nice to know that there is at least one Federal agency that is concerned about the adverse effects of snowmobiling in Yellowstone and Tetons? Too bad it's not the National Park Service.

Jan 16th - 09:29am | Jim Macdonald

Kurt,

Mary Wants More Private Funding--Updated

Jan 15th - 10:25am | Jim Macdonald

The big problem with private funding, of course, isn't the funding, but the question of who controls the decision-making process.

Jan 15th - 09:59am | Snowbird

RangerX, dead right with a hammer hit hard on a nail!

Jan 15th - 09:47am | Ranger X

Alan, I lived half a mile from work and walked everyday. I drove to Fresno every two weeks for groceries, and the last time I did, I was in a bad car wreck and decided not to own a car for 4 years. Sure, I drove. But I wasn't taking money from Ford and then saying driving is bad, as all my managers did. I acknowledge my hypocricy.

Jan 14th - 18:58pm | Snowbird

Trista, who has lit the flame for more war and expansionism in the Middle East...and who is paying the heavy price for this blood shed and money? That's right...the middle class!...and what do we get in return from our President?

Jan 14th - 16:57pm | Trista

We DO need more private/corporate donors...with a very long war in progress with fanatics who wish us all dead, government funding is gonna be hard to come by. Good for Mary!

Jan 14th - 16:54pm | Trista

Hey Ranger X...I'll bet YOU DROVE to & from work there, too...and I'll bet ya drove to Fresno or Visalia once in awhile too...*chuckle*

Jan 13th - 19:34pm | Alan

OK. Great. I can hardly wait to motor down to Gettysburg (100 miles or so from where I sit) to visit the forthcoming Frito Lay Gettysburg NHP Visitor Center. And I sure wouldn't want to miss out on a visit to the Pepsi Experience visitor kiosk at the Delaware Water Gap NRA.

Jan 13th - 15:30pm | Ranger X

When I worked at Sequoia-Kings, the visitor-orientation slide show was sponsored by Ford, and every half hour, I had to hear "This program is brought to you by Ford Motor Company." This in the national park with the worst air quality, due largely to cars!

Mount Rainier Repair Monies Found

Jan 15th - 10:16am | repanshek

I don't know, Jeremy, it might be nice to restrict travel on that road to hikers, bikers and equestrian. While it might prevent some from reaching those trails, I don't know why we must provide combustion-powered-access everywhere in the park system.

Jan 15th - 09:58am | jersu

I'm curious to know whether part of the money will be used to fix the West Side Road in Rainier. The road has been closed to automobile traffic for a number of years because of rock slides and flooding damage, which has been too costly for the park to repair. It had remained open to mountain bikers, hikers, and I think *maybe* even horses.

Jan 14th - 19:01pm | repanshek

Trista, could it be that you missed the point, which was why has the NPS been forcing parks to cut back if they've got millions stashed away that they can pluck when the whim strikes? Now, as I said in the post, perhaps there's a very logical answer to that question. And once the feds return from Monday's holiday I hope to get that answer.

Jan 14th - 16:48pm | Trista

My, my how do we ever make you libbies happy...ya bi*ch when you don't have a good enuf meal at the gubmint trough, and ya bi*ch when ya do!! Always angry....

God, Geology, and the Grand Canyon

Jan 14th - 17:50pm | Geoff Arnold

Two points from a non-American reader. First, the avoidance of the word "billion" is probably done to reduce confusion for non-US visitors: in many parts of the world a "billion" (still) means "a million million". Secondly, even though I don't think the website is at all misleading about the age of the Canyon, I was disappointed at the cursory treatment of the geological history.

Jan 14th - 12:54pm | J Irving

@Jeffrey Weiss, maybe they're playing it safe for an international audience? Billion doesn't mean 1,000,000,000 to everyone yet. I'm sure it will, as American is adopted as the world view of, well, the world. It's already less common than it once was, but for now some people still use billion to mean 1,000,000,000,000.

Jan 13th - 10:56am | Anne BKlos

I am grateful to you, Kurt, for clearing this up for me. When my son first sent me this story I was shocked and horrified, but also highly skeptical; it just didn't sound right. It fit in the same category as "too good to be true"; only in this case it was more, "too stupid to be true." In addition, I couldn't find any mainstream coverage of what should be a BIG story, nor any other verificatin.

Blue Ridge Photography Contest

Jan 13th - 18:28pm | magon patterson

i thank it is cool

Jan 13th - 18:27pm | magon patterson

i thank it is cool

Investigation Continues into Speedie Deaths

Jan 13th - 17:03pm | Drew was very ...

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/01/12/news/wyoming/bd74cdc6186f46f58725726100075829.txt

More Opposition to Crater Lake Fee Hike

Jan 13th - 14:08pm | JLongstreet

A lot has changed regarding resource management in the NPS since Chase wrote his book.

Jan 12th - 09:17am | Jim Macdonald

Ranger X, that's right. That scientists are rangers is another one of Chase's criticisms. It didn't always used to be that way; I think the re-organization goes back to the 1960s. All of it can be very confusing to keep straight for me, especially given the complexities of the law.

Jan 12th - 08:46am | Ranger X

From my experience, it seems most NPS dollars go to administrative salaries and road repairs. Resource management salaries, or "scientist" salaries, are a small portion of park budgets. And they are considered rangers and often wear the same uniform as law enforcement and interpretation.

Jan 12th - 06:39am | Jim Macdonald

Historically, the science budget in the national parks has been anemic.

Jan 11th - 22:34pm | Randy

Yes, that is what the "NPS budget" is for, but we also have other national priorities (securing our borders, winning the War on Terror) in addition to maintaining our parks. Besides, ya know where most of the NPS budget is spent?...try too many scientists making $$$$$$$ instead of rangers making $$.

Groups Want Contractor Who Bulldozed Harpers Ferry Park Sued

Jan 12th - 07:30am | Jim Macdonald

Okay, the essay is written, drawing upon a lot said here but hopefully better written and therefore more coherently expressed: "Why KKK speech is not free speech" http://www.yellowstone-online.com/2007/01/why-kkk-speech-is-not-free-speech.html

Jan 12th - 06:37am | Jim Macdonald

But, the very notion of a "national park" is by itself a "political" use; it is a political boundary set aside for a particular purpose. It would be all the more ironic for such a prohibition at Harper's Ferry! I think what you are proposing is perhaps the only one I've heard worse than allowing the Klan to speak because the power of the government is just that much more overwhelming.

Jan 11th - 22:50pm | Randy

...and no POLITICAL use...the reason for the assembly should be related to the individual park mission...visitors on their summer vacation should not have to be confronted with mobs of angry people or those with a political agenda.

Jan 11th - 22:46pm | Randy

A simple solution would be to deny permits to any group unless their reason for assembly is park-related. No "protests" of any kind should be allowed.

Jan 11th - 11:29am | Snowbird

Kurt, your point is well taken. Your comment gives me good insight to my after thoughts.

Jan 11th - 09:46am | Jim Macdonald

My point has been that the KKK is not simply being opposed on the grounds of the content of their speech but the actual application of their speech toward oppression. They don't just speak nonsense; I have no problem with a bunch of idiots like Free Republic being allowed to speak. They wield no influence at all with their hate speech.

Jan 11th - 09:34am | repanshek

Oh, I don't know, Snowbird, I think I'd have to side with Kath. Do we really want the government to say what is and what isn't free speech? Certainly there are laws in place to deal with inciting a riot and shouting "fire" in a theater.

Jan 11th - 09:15am | Snowbird

Kath, what happened at Kent State?... a peaceful march and demonstration...then choas! A peaceful demonstration that went amuck after the National Guard started shooting at students...I think suppression was acted here! Besides, I thought Kurts blog was about the NPS, unless I'm missing point here.

Jan 11th - 08:31am | kath

The government cannot make distinctions on which groups are given permits to speak on public land due to the content of their speech. That's basic First Amendment. The framers didn't want the Congress to ban speech that was unpopular. The framers believed that the best way to counter one speech was with more speech.

Poll: Grand Canyon: A Different View

Jan 11th - 21:45pm | Pantera

Here is a link to a well written book review of the pseudo-science book "A Different View". I think it is best if everyone just lets the park be the park, and keep the politics in Washington. http://home.austarnet.com.au/stear/bibliolatry_revisited_elders.htm

Jan 11th - 20:01pm | Jackal

I don't think that the government should have anything to do with supporting alternative theories to science. These young earth theories have been disallowed in schools for good reason. Science has proven all of the young earth theories to be false.

Jan 10th - 19:39pm | Snowbird

Let's leave the bible belt creationist folks out of this, and let the Native Americans tell their camp fire stories with chant drum beats... like what Scott Momaday writes about...it brings in so much more to the outdoor experience. Keep your church creationist theories in your closet where they belong. I prefer to keep my christian views exactly where they belong...at my local church!

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