national park

Park Ranger Pays the Price for Whistleblowing

by andrea lankford high country news on May 7, 2012 · 9 comments

9 responses

Rob Danno blew the whistle on illegal tree cutting. Now he’s paying.

Proposed New Drilling Is Threat to Western National Parks

by michael frank on May 2, 2012 · 1 comment

one response

A federal proposal to allow oil shale and oil sands development in parts of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah would be a major threat to the national parks in those states, says a report by the National Parks Conservation Association. The Bureau of Land Management is considering opening 2.3 million acres to development — the size [...]

Ruling Against Pack Animals in Wilderness Hurts Outfitters

by michael frank on April 13, 2012 · 6 comments

6 responses

Back in January a U.S. District Court Judge in San Francisco said that the National Park Service’s plan for allowing horses into Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks violated the 1964 Wilderness Act. The ruling by judge Richard Seeborg came in a three-year-old lawsuit brought by the High Sierra Hikers Association, which held that the [...]

Wallpaper Wednesday: Redwoods

by steve casimiro on April 4, 2012 · 3 comments

3 responses

This week’s free wallpaper of foggy walk through through the Lady Bird Johnson Grove in Northern California is provided here in a full range of desktop sizes. Photo by moi. Enjoy! 1280 x 800 1440 x 900 1680 x 1050 1920×1200

Declination: When Yosemite Bears Cut Off Escape

by Sinuhe Xavier on April 3, 2012 · 0 comments

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I’ve been going to Yosemite Valley since 1976 when my mom was still pregnant with my little brother, staying in every spot from the funky cots of Curry Village to the sleeping bags of Camp 4 and luxuriating in the down comforters of the Ahwahnee Hotel. It took 25 years to get out.

Park Service Wants to Put Massive Power Line Through Delaware Water Gap

by kurt repanshek national parks traveler on March 30, 2012 · 1 comment

one response

A proposal by the Obama administration to run a massive power transmission line across the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and through Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area drew quick condemnation Thursday from the National Parks Conservation Association. “Today’s announcement by the Obama administration of the National Park Service’s ‘preferred alternative’ to allow massive 200-foot towers [...]

Utah Governor Wants to Take Over Federal Land

by michael frank on March 29, 2012 · 1 comment

one response

More than half of all the land in the state of Utah belongs to every American. That’s right, it’s federal, which means everyone’s taxes go to support it. But in a challenge to more than 100 years of legal precedent, state leaders, including Governor Gary Herbert, have passed legislation saying that the federal government has [...]

Saguaro National Park Bans Sale of Bottled Water and Soda

If you’re planning to visit Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona, bring a reusable water bottle, as the park has banned the sale of disposable bottles of water and soda. The ban took effect last week. Similar bans have been put in effect at Grand Canyon National Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and Zion National [...]

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Park Service Restricts Cape Hatteras Beach Driving, Motorists Sue

The battle over motorized use of public lands extends far beyond the mountains and forests of Colorado and the deserts of the Southwest. On the East Coast, motorized users recently went to court to try and overturn a new set of rules governing motorized use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore — despite the fact that the Cape Hatteras [...]

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The Daily Bike, February 23, 2012

Under the moniker Sparth, Nicolas Bouvier creates tremendously inventive worlds, mostly for video games. His art has appeared in Wired, among other places, he’s won tons of awards, and he’s currently working for Microsoft and the hugely popular Halo franchise. He’s also a prolific photographer, creating images that are often ethereal and reminiscent of his [...]

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Yosemite Wants to Cut Half Dome Permits by 25%

With an eye on improving the safety of hikers heading to the top of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park officials are proposing to reduce the number of daily permits from 400 to 300, according to a proposed management plan. The Half Dome Trail Stewardship Plan, now open for public review through March 15, says limiting [...]

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Weekly Timelapse Rodeo: Patagonia, Yosemite, Australia Storms

The first time lapse in this week’s collection comes from Ignacio Leonardi and is from a recent trip to Argentinian Patagonia. He didn’t capture the southern lands in their best light — exposures can be a bit dark – but does convey a strong sense Patagonia’s raw wildness. Yosemite: Gorgeous, brilliant, a million views, Ansel’s [...]

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The List: 6 Incredible National Park Views Less Than 300 Feet From Your Car

Although Ed Abbey would curmudgeonly disagree, I would argue that we’re lucky to have accessibility to amazing scenery built into our national park system. It’s a fact that an overwhelming majority of park visitors in the U.S. don’t get farther than a half-mile down most trails; you can sneer at that — or be glad [...]

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Obama Fulfills Promise to Protect Grand Canyon from Mining — for the Moment

Today the Obama administration will make it official and enact a 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims in northern Arizona. The ban area comprises 1 million acres in and around the Grand Canyon, with many potential mine sites on tributaries of the Colorado River. The ban is an effort to limit damage to water [...]

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Mt. Rainier National Park Ranger Shot and Killed, Park Closed

New Year’s Day, normally a day of fresh perspectives and possibilities, turned tragic at Mount Rainier National Park as a ranger positioned to intercept a man fleeing a traffic stop was shot and killed, leaving behind a husband and two young children. The day, which brought unseasonably warm temperatures to the park, lured more than [...]

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