Bosque National Park (Note, really Bosque related)
Out'n'About: Mesilla Valley's newest state park a welcome retreat
Looking to explore a little of southwestern paradise in an effort to diminish those extra holiday pounds or relieve the stress of hectic New Year's Eve shindig planning? Look no further than the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. Pay $5 per carload at the entrance and have a plethora of activities involving the great outdoors at your fingertips.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_11345403

Misc. National Park News:
New Park Police Chief Is Named
The National Park Service has named veteran officer Sal Lauro as the chief of the U.S. Park Police, officials said yesterday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/31/AR2008123103066.html

Olympic NP:
Wash. tribe seek to move away from flooding danger
HOH INDIAN RESERVATION, Wash. (AP) — Flooding used to be a problem every five or 10 years for the tiny Hoh Indian Reservation. These days it's an annual event.
Sandbags permanently surround the tribal center and many homes because the nearby Hoh River has meandered dangerously closer over time. Meanwhile, most of the 443-acre reservation is less than 40 feet above sea level, and could be devastated by a major tsunami.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ijU3EdfcLe_gpiaS0W-cFvOluw4wD95EAEAG1

Rocky Mountain NP:
2 Minnesota snowmobilers, lost on Colorado trail, rescued
A text message from two Minnesota snowmobilers who became lost and stranded for 15 hours in a frigid Colorado wilderness overnight helped rescuers find them Wednesday afternoon.
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/36945244.html?elr=KArksD:aDyaEP:kD:aUnOiP3UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Virgin Islands NP:
Escape to the tropical beaches of U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands beckon with tropical beaches — and no passport required.
Don't just sit there. Pick a destination and plan a vacation, maybe to someplace a little exotic, where national parks come with tropical beaches, and boats rather than big RVs are a common mode of transportation.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2008577689_webvirginislands31.html

Update 1/2/09

Acadia NP:
Unprepared hikers keep rangers busy at Acadia National Park
About a dozen people braved gusting winds and frigid weather Thursday morning to watch the sun rise on the first day of 2009 from the top of Cadillac Mountain.
http://www.bangornews.com/detail/96308.html

Banff NP:
Icy road contributing factor in fatal crash in Banff National Park: RCMP
LAKE LOUISE, Alta. — Police say icy roads and poor weather were likely factors in separate collisions that killed two people in Alberta.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5joUXWoGvDQbutsYjD09rKILCZV6g

Misc. NP News:
New Administration Inspires Hope for Full Access to Statue (Statue of Liberty)
NEW YORK -- For more than a hundred years, generations of New Yorkers, as well as tourists to the city, have made the trek up the spiral staircase to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, to peer through the small windows at the unparalleled view of New York Harbor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/01/AR2009010102046.html

Park Quarter Legislation Foggy
If you think you know how many National Park quarter designs will be produced in the series that starts 2010, it will pay you to think again.
http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=5988

Suicides in national parks increase in 2008
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) National Park Service figures show at least 33 people went to national parks in 2008 to end their lives.
http://www.kxmb.com/News/314530.asp

National park suicides up, Grand Canyon leads
SALT LAKE CITY — Freshly unemployed, former business executive Bruce J. Colburn flew to the far northwest corner of Montana in search of a place to die.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/274134.php

There’s no shortage of sites for a Delaware national park (Editorial)
As a recently retired National Park Service veteran and a more than 30 -year resident of Delaware, I want to heartily endorse the recent comments of my old friend and colleague Russ Smith and my co-researcher Willis Phelps. A National Park or National Historical Park should be a living, tangible, physical thing. It should be something you can put your hands around and embrace as a solid, material, cultural statement. It should remind all Delawareans (indeed, the nation) of a great deed, a remarkable person, a significant building or buildings, or an event that shaped our times.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090102/OPINION10/90101017/1004/OPINION


Yosemite NP:
A trip to Yosemite National Park via YARTS is a must for valley residents The YARTS bus sped up Highway 140 from Merced into the foothills. It passed Mariposa and stopped at the entrance to Yosemite National Park. A sign read, “Chains required.”
http://www.mercedcountytimes.net/content/2009-01-01/00411

NP News - Please again note, we do not support or endorse any of the editorial items listed in these pages. We just publish links to the news and NP related editorial items. On another note, the big item for me today (and over the last few days) has been the issue of earthquakes in the Yellowstone area. There are three articles about them today.

Misc. Parks News:
Cookie-burner hike — The National Park Service is staging a 91/2-mile cookie-burner hike on the Buckeye Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley park. It will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meet at park headquarters at Riverview and Vaughn road in Brecksville. Wear sturdy shoes and cold-weather gear and bring water.
http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/fresh_air/36962359.html

Salazar and the National Park Gun Rule
Will our new Interior Secretary support more guns in national parks?
A hot outdoor story keeping the blogs and community tables humming right now is the Bush administration’s last minute rule change allowing loaded and concealed guns in national parks and wildlife refuges.
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/salazar_and_the_national_park_gun_rule/C41/L41/

Our national parks – majestic vistas, stirring histories and highly-sought suicide sites
From the woods of Georgia’s Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield to Utah’s Canyonlands, an increasing number of visitors to America’s national park system are choosing the sites to end their lives.
http://www.examiner.com/x-662-Strange-Ne...t-suicide-sites


Theodore Roosevelt NP:
Fixing the elk problem (Editorial)
The State Game and Fish Department is doing the right thing by pushing its own idea of how to thin the elk herd at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/522738.html

Yellowstone NP:
More small quakes rattle Yellowstone National Park
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — More earthquakes are rattling Yellowstone National Park.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hklq5saMBlMynv31EbfNSka-SpOwD95F9ESO0

Yellowstone Earthquake Swarm: Updated
More on the Yellowstone earthquake swarm at the supervolcano caldera. First, this piece of database analysis from an IT guy at Splunk puts the swarm into scary perspective...
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2009/01/02/yellowstone-earthquake-swarm-updated.html

A Spurt of Quake Activity Raises Fears in Yellowstone
We who live along Montana's Yellowstone River are downstream from a simmering caldera, a geologic hot spot that has become especially active recently. Indeed, Yellowstone National Park contains the floor of a gigantic volcanic cauldron, one that rises and sinks with the forces that lie beneath — hence the picturesque geysers and steam holes. But a wave of recent earthquake activity is raising fears that have their origins 642,000 years ago, when a Yellowstone "supervolcano" exploded so violently that it created the caldera itself. Today, such an explosion — 1,000 times more powerful than the explosion of Mount St. Helens in 1980 — would not only cover most of the U.S. with ash but also throw so much dust into the atmosphere that the world's climate could change.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1869313,00.html

Winter in Yellowstone: Season puts visitors nose to nose with park's critters
We were expecting to see plenty of wildlife during a winter outing to Yellowstone National Park, but we thought we might have to get through the entrance first.
http://www.theolympian.com/662/story/714455.html

News Update

Death Valley
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — High atop Dante's View, overlooking sheets of salt flats and ribbons of sand dunes, night watcher Dan Duriscoe shone a laser beam at the North Star and steadied his digital camera at the starry heavens.
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090104/LIFE/901040317/-1/NEWS

Everglades NP:
Mayor Hamilton awarded long-term contract to run Everglades boat tours
Boat tours in Everglades National Park are remaining in well-known hands.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jan/03/mayor-hamilton-awarded-long-term-contract-run-ever/

Grand Teton NP:
Backcountry users warned
Because of the unusual snowpack this winter, the sheriff’s office is warning backcountry users that rescue workers may be significantly delayed or unable to respond to incidents in the mountains.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=4089

Great Smoky Mountains NP:
Stewardship focus of Great Smoky Mountains National Park's 75th anniversary
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is celebrating a major milestone in 2009. The park, established June 15, 1934, will mark its 75th anniversary with a yearlong celebration of the people who made it possible and an emphasis on the stewardship required to keep it viable for the next 75 years and beyond.
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9010776

Misc. Parks News:
U.S. allows guns in national parks
The only place Jack Betz goes without his concealed handgun is his workplace.
http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1122187.html

It looks like a fairly quiet day for news. There is still a lot coming out about the earthquakes in the Yellowstone region. Here are a few headlines that I came across today.

James

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park (Part of Shenandoah Valley)
A draft of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park's first general management plan is available for public review and comment through late February.
http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2009/01/management-plan-draft-availabl.html

Great Smoky NP:
Vines: Davises a part of park's start
With the attention on this year's 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, some focus needs to be on Annie M. Davis, wife of Willis P. Davis, both of whom were instrumental in the park's creation.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jan/05/davises-a-part-of-parks-start/

Los Padres National Forest:
Voice of Los Padres forest retires
After decades of providing information to news media and the public about wildfires and other issues concerning Los Padres National Forest, Kathy Good retired Friday as the forest's public affairs officer.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28489966/

Misc. Parks News:
HOW TO: PLAN A NATIONAL PARK VISIT
If you’re thinking about a trip to a national park next summer, you might want to start researching your itinerary now. Campsites and cabins can be secured up to six months in advance at www.recreation.gov, and the National Park Service has a wealth of free information online for individual parks.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2009/Jan/20090104Puls002.asp

Yellowstone NP:
Ranchers oppose Yellowstone bison relocation
Ranchers are voicing concern about plans to relocate some Yellowstone Park bison to Indian reservations in Montana and Wyoming.
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9614019&nav=menu554_2_2

Yellowstone Supervolcano Earthquakes: Scientists React
What is the meaning of the (suddenly quiescent) earthquake swarm at Yellowstone National Park? Here are takes from two more top volcanologists. First up is Stephen Self, who presented a report on the hazards from a supervolcano eruption to the British government in 2005 and does work for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-comm...ists-react.html

Yellowstone Shaken By Swarm Of Earthquakes
All Things Considered, January 3, 2009 · A few little earthquakes here or there is just a part of everyday life when you live on top of the largest supervolcano in North America.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98981519

Acadia NP:
Park service seeks comments on plan for St. Croix Island
The National Park Service is seeking written public comments on an Environmental Assessment and Assessment of Effect for the Draft Facilities Development Plan for the Saint Croix Island International Historic Site.
http://www.bangornews.com/detail/96579.html

Arches NP:
Gay-rights activists to rally near Delicate Arch
Gay-rights activists hope to build a bridge to their fellow Utahns before the state's most iconic span: Delicate Arch.
On Saturday, more than 60 people plan to gather in view of the redrock wonder to rally support for Equality Utah's Common Ground Initiative.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11381145

Cuyahoga Valley NP:
Bird Watching, Sightings, Birding Maps, Bird Blogs and pictures from Cleveland & Northeast Ohio
Birds that in the spring or fall wouldn't make us look twice are causing excitement right now in Northeast Ohio.
http://www.cleveland.com/neobirding/index.ssf/2009/01/_birds_that_in_the.html

Haleakala NP:
After 34 years with the National Park Service, Marilyn Parris is retiring as of Jan. 30, ending her term as superintendent of Haleakala National Park, a job she's held since October 2005.
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/513287.html

Misc. National Parks News:
Bush gives the US a unique national park
The world's largest marine protection area has been announced under the presidency of George Bush.
http://www.pakistannews.net/story/450239

Yellowstone NP:
Ranchers oppose Yellowstone bison relocation (Previously Reported on Yesterday)
Ranchers are voicing concern about plans to relocate some Yellowstone Park bison to Indian reservations in Montana and Wyoming.
http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/artic...5350079213a.txt

Today's update. A few articles. There is a lot more stuff coming out on the Yellowstone earthquake situation that has been happening since 12/26.

James


Misc Parks News:
Study backs Monroe as parkland
A study of parks in Hampton Roads is denounced and praised.
A study about parks in Hampton Roads that is intended to demonstrate a need to keep much of Fort Monroe as parkland was denounced by some and praised by others on Tuesday.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/hampton/dp-local_fortmonroe_0107jan07,0,1245509.story

Saguaro NP:
Full slate of activities this month at Saguaro National Park
A series of programs are under way at Saguaro National Park. Explore the natural and cultural history of the park. Come along on a naturalist-led evening walk or join a local expert for a presentation in the visitor center. Programs will be offered at both districts. There is no charge for interpretive programs, but park entrance fees apply.
http://www.vailsun.com/articles/2009/01/06/news/news06.txt

Yellowstone NP:
Yellowstone Park Sees Incredible Earthquake Swarm
Some pretty interesting things have been happening at Yellowstone National Park since December 26th. Over the last week geologists have recorded more than 400 small earthquakes. Quakes in that number are called an earthquake swarm.
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9628287&nav=menu554_2

Tremors ease at Yellowstone
Seismic activity in Yellowstone National Park "has markedly decreased" in the past two days, possibly an indication that the swarm of quakes that hit the area has ended, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said today.
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11387161

Don't be all shook up over Yellowstone quakes
Experts say the swarm of small temblors since Dec. 26 doesn't signal a possible major eruption at the park.
When you have 400 earthquakes on top of one of the largest supervolcanoes on Earth, people pay attention.
And since the day after Christmas, that's what has happened at Yellowstone National Park. Scientists are seeing what they call a "swarm" of low intensity earthquakes - the largest since the 1980s. The biggest quake had a magnitude of 3.9, below the level that can cause damage.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/623427.html

Yosemite NP:
Yosemite: One of the Most Famous National Parks in the US
Yosemite National Park is a place of extremes. Transcript of radio broadcast:
VOICE ONE:
This is Phoebe Zimmermann.
VOICE TWO:
Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today, we tell about one of the most famous national parks in the United States. You can find it high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of the western state of California. It is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Its name is Yosemite.
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2009-01-06-voa1.cfm

Zion NP:
Study: Glen Canyon, Zion lead in Utah park rescues
If you're a guy in your 20s on a day hike in a national park in Utah, step carefully. You're among the most likely to need rescuing.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11387305

A lot going on today. Of course, the Yellowstone Earthquakes are still a huge topic of news. The news last couple of days looks pretty good. Also, the floods at Mt. Rainier are also featured in several articles.

James

Biscayne NP:
Biscayne National Park kicking off Family Fun Fest
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/outdoors/story/842456.html

Misc Parks News:
Parks groups oppose gun rule
Suit filed to block loaded weapons
Two national park advocacy groups are going to court to challenge a recent change in federal rules that allows people to carry loaded weapons inside national parks.
http://www.bangornews.com/detail/96710.html

Legislation may benefit area wildlands, park
Congress is resurrecting a package of public land bills that would protect 700,000 acres of wildlands and rivers, including areas near the Coachella Valley.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20090108/NEWS07/901080330/1026/news12

National Park infrastructure should be on stimulus list (Editorial)
With more than 10 million out-of-state visitors bringing more than $3 billion into the state annually, tourism is Montana's second largest industry.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090108/OPINION/901080328

Mount Rainier NP:
Floods hit Western Washington hard
Dozens of roads closed, including passes and I-5 near Chehalis
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395143_stormonline08.html?source=mypi

Mount Rainier to close entrance
Officials at Mount Rainier National Park will close the park's western Nisqually entrance Wednesday evening as a precautionary measure against flooding.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008601033_apwarainierclosure.html


Theodore Roosevelt NP:
Dorgan with Game and Fish
Sen. Byron Dorgan, (D-N.D.) said he agrees with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department on the elk situation at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/articles/index.cfm?id=19034&section=homepage

Yellowstone NP:
Scientists ready to analyze Yellowstone Park quake data
No signs of coming eruption, geologist says

Between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2, more than 500 small earthquakes shook Yellowstone National Park. The swarm of quakes was centered below Yellowstone Lake, beginning southeast of Stevenson Island and migrating north toward Fishing Bridge before quieting.
http://powelltribune.com/index.php/content/view/633/2/

Expert: Quakes could alter Yellowstone
JACKSON, Wyo. -- The recent swarm of small earthquakes in Yellowstone National Park could alter some of the park's thermal features but should not raise any concern about the park's large volcano erupting anytime soon, a researcher said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wy_yellowstone_quakes.html

Misc. Parks News:
Concealed guns rule at parks takes effect
A rule that allows people to carry loaded, concealed firearms in national parks and national wildlife refuges went into effect Friday, raising more alarms from groups who say the Bush administration regulation is bad for resources and visitors.
http://www.jhguide.com/article.php?art_id=4115

Flight 93 Families Reach Out to Bush
Frustrated by years of negotiations over a parcel of land deemed critical for the proposed Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., a group representing the victims’ families has asked President Bush to issue an executive order allowing the Interior Department simply to take it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10memorial.html

Soldier's Remains Found at Antietam
A piece of history has been unearthed at Antietam National Battlefield in Washington County -- the remains of a soldier who died in that Civil War battle, almost 150 years ago.
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story...mPfeEeXy9g.cspx

Will John Donahue get the call to take over National Park Service?
Barack Obama's people have not called yet.
John Donahue, superintendent of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, is being pitched as a person the president-elect should appoint in his new administration.
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090110/NEWS/901100342/-1/NEWS01

UND faculty publishes national park study, Don't harass wildlife with snowmobiles etc.
A UND assistant professor says the National Park Service needs to do a better job of educating the public about how to stay out of trouble in the parks.
http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=100883

Mount Rainier NP:
Paradise access closed because of park-road storm damage
There will be no access to the popular Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park this weekend because of storm damage to a main park road.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008611998_rainierclosure10m.html

Point Reyes National Seashore:
Oyster farm urged to sell and relocate
Controversy that has been simmering for two years over the operation of an oyster farm in the Point Reyes National Seashore reached a boil in recent weeks.
http://www.ptreyeslight.com/cgi/latest_news.pl?record=281

JM's Note:
The two biggest news items for me have been the Yellowstone Quakes and the plan for Elk Management in Theodore Roosevelt NP. Today there are two pieces that I have posted on the TR NP plan below.

-JM

Gulf Islands National Seashore
CLOSER WALK WITH NATURE Park reopens visitor center after Katrina
OCEAN SPRINGS One of the area's most popular nature and recreation sites marked a milestone in its rebound from Hurricane Katrina with the official opening of the William Colmer Visitor Center.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/mississippipress/news.ssf?/base/news/12316725213500.xml&coll=5

Lake Mead National Recreation Area:
The bodies of two boaters reported missing Friday were recovered Saturday from Lake Mohave, the National Park Service said.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jan/10/missing-boaters-found-dead-lake-mohave/

Misc. Parks News:
National Park Rangers: Jan. 9, 2009 - A Day to Remember More Guns in National Parks (Editorial by the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees (CNPSR))
TUCSON, AZ. January 9, 2009 - Current and former National Park Service employees, many of them Law Enforcement Rangers and Park Interpretive Rangers today expressed serious alarm over the potential risks of the new rule to be implemented by the Department of the Interior that would allow concealed firearms in national parks.
http://yubanet.com/usa/National-Park-Ran...ional-Parks.php

Olympic NP:
Olympic National Park wants to move Ridge weather station
The Olympic National Park plans to relocate the weather station at Hurricane Ridge about 100 yards to provide a more accurate reading of snow depth.
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090110/news/301109997

Theodore Roosevelt NP:
Note - this is interesting as it has been a topic of huge debate as hunters have not been allowed into the parks. This does not mean that animals are not shot, just typically by the Parks Dept or via sharpshooters who do not harvest the deceased. The first link includes the actual plans. The second link is a reaction by the NRA. It is particularly interesting in relation to the new rules which have allowed weapons in the parks. This is a watershed moment and I am curious if hunting may be coming to all of the National Parks.

Listed in the table below are Theodore Roosevelt NP plans or projects currently or recently open for environmental review. Simply click on the title for more information.
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/parkHome.cfm?parkID=167
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=4289

Yosemite NP:
4 enshrined in California Outdoors Hall of Fame (See part on Steve Rajeff)
Steve Rajeff is the world's greatest caster. William Lemos is California's greatest outdoor educator. No person has taught more people to ski in the United States than Nic Fiore.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/11/SP8M155881.DTL