Bob Janiskee


Biography

While serving 33 years on the faculty of the University of South Carolina, I taught a national parks course, helped get Congaree National Park established, and worked as a V.I.P in that park. Now retired as Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Geography, I want to continue visiting parks, thinking about parks, and writing about parks until I assume room temperature. To help keep me focused and busy I teach “America’s National Parks” and several other courses through the University’s Independent Learning division.



Bob's Most Recent Comments (view all)
  • 9/07/2008 11:34 am - Hawaii’s National Parks Are Attracting Fewer Visitors : Interesting observations about Native Hawaiians, Ted. But while it's true that many Native Hawaiians dislike "haoles" (whites) and have profoundly anti-development views, that's not been a significant problem in their direct relations with tourists. Take the Big Island, for example. Native Hawaiians who don't like haoles don't interact all that ...
  • 9/07/2008 3:40 am - Hawaii’s National Parks Are Attracting Fewer Visitors : Hawaii vacation costs haven't gotten completely out of hand. Far from it. To help stem the decline in tourism, the first in seven years, the Hawaiian hospitality industry is offering dramatically cheaper lodging. Mainlanders planning a fall or winter trip to Hawaii can now score some of the best in-season ...
  • 9/07/2008 3:15 am - It’s Good to be the President When You Visit Gettysburg National Military Park : Get over it? No way! Immediately after the very first VIP in human history got special treatment (say, the clan leader who got the best cut of meat from a fresh kill) there emerged another new class of human called the Envious Working Stiff. I'm an EWS myself, and that's ...
  • 9/06/2008 11:22 am - It’s Good to be the President When You Visit Gettysburg National Military Park : 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!!**
  • 9/05/2008 2:41 am - Hanna Forcing Evacuations, Closures at Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout National Seashores : 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): [quote]Direct from the Scare the Pants off and Cry like Baby ...
  • 9/01/2008 8:51 am - Plague Kills Many Prairie Dogs and Black-Footed Ferrets in Grasslands Near Badlands National Park : Lone Hiker, I'm a bit puzzled by that reference to "your dissertation." What makes you think that the (anonymous) person who made that statement has a doctorate or is working on one?
  • 9/01/2008 5:14 am - Plague Kills Many Prairie Dogs and Black-Footed Ferrets in Grasslands Near Badlands National Park : Calling plague a bad thing, or laying blame on humans for causing/worsening it, takes us into very tricky ground. Sylvatic plague -- called "sylvatic" because it infects wild animals, not domesticated ones -- is endemic in the prairies. Because this virulently infectious and relentlessly lethal disease is a natural phenomenon, ...
  • 8/30/2008 1:26 pm - Paying To Understand U.S. History in the National Park System : Gettysburg's new museum and visitor center may be a lot of things, but "roadside tourist trap" is certainly not one of them.
  • 8/30/2008 4:09 am - Presidential Politics and the National Parks : Christy, I'm afraid that you're barking up the wrong tree here. There is no evidence that proximity to national parks breeds park advocacy. On the other hand, we have tons of evidence that the opposite may be true -- mostly because having parks in the vicinity crimps many kinds of ...
  • 8/28/2008 6:32 am - Flooding Nurtures Life in Congaree National Park : Kirby, while returning from northern Michigan last Saturday I cruised down M127 and hung a left on I-96 at Lansing to head over to US 23 South (where I participated in a 70-minute traffic delay just north of Ann Arbor). By my reckoning, I must have passed within a few ...


Bob's Most Recent Articles (view all)

Sky-High Ginseng Prices Boost Illegal Harvest in Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park

With ginseng fetching record high prices, illegal harvesting has increased in Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is a serious federal crime. Convicted ginseng poachers get hefty fines and jail time.

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

President Bush received a very special tour of Gettysburg National Military Park. To paraphrase Mel Brooks, “It’s Good to be the President.”

Management Shuffle Yields New Superintendent for Shenandoah National Park

Martha Bogle, Deputy Superintendent of Blue Ridge National Parkway, has been appointed superintendent of Shenandoah National Park. An innovative project she supervised during an earlier assignment at Congaree National Park testifies to her remarkable managerial skills.

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

Flamingo Lodge, the only major lodging facility in Everglades National Park, was trashed by Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005. If enough money can be found somewhere, it’ll be replaced with a lodging complex that is smaller, greener, and more hurricane-resistant.

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

In 1970, a United Native Americans-led contingent of Indians staged a 10-day occupation of Mount Rushmore National Memorial and asserted the right of the Lakota people to reclaim the Black Hills. On August 29, a small group of Lakota gathered at the memorial to share cultural experiences and commemorate the historic event.

Hawaii’s National Parks Are Attracting Fewer Visitors

Hawaii’s national parks are attracting fewer visitors than last year. As of July, attendance tallies were down nearly 10% for the year and showing signs of getting worse, especially at the parks located furthest from the main tourism/convention hub at Honolulu.

Four Billion Dollars from the Land and Water Conservation Fund is a Good Start, but the National Park Service Needs More

The Land and Water Conservation Fund was signed into law on September 3, 1964, took effect on January 1, 1965, and has since provided $4 billion to buy national park land and easements. That’s not nearly enough. The National Park Service’s acquisitions backlog has grown to $1.9 billion, and it’s getting bigger every year.

Have High Gas Prices Deterred Travel within Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

High gas prices are causing many motorists to travel less and choose destinations closer to home. Do motorists who visit national parks also drive less inside the parks? Visitor data from North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park suggest that this might be happening.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial You See Over There By the Tidal Basin Is Not the Original

The impressive Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial situated near the Tidal Basin is not the original FDR Memorial. The first Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial was a simple plaque installed near the National Archives on the 20th anniversary of FDR's death. It was a humble memorial, and that’s just what FDR wanted

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

Scientists fear that sylvatic plague may decimate the black-footed ferret population of Badlands National Park. The deadly disease began killing prairie dogs and ferrets in the Conata Basin area of nearby Buffalo Gap National Grasslands last spring. Now an aggressive spray-and-vaccinate campaign is the last line of defense for the remaining ferrets.