Denali National Park News:
All of Denali National Park open to snowmachines
Recent snowfalls have allowed the opening Friday of the entire area of Denali State Park to the use of snowmachines.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11666048
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Glacier National Park News:
More snow on the way
A winter storm warning is in effect for Flathead County, West Glacier and the Bob Marshall region until Monday.
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_4d5a5b4e-e7a0-11de-92fc-001cc4c002e0.html

There's Gold In Them Thar Glacier
Canadian mining company discovers a potentially rich gold vein near Glacier National Park, raising pollution concerns
Glacier National Park is known for vast natural resources, but they're usually of the wild and scenic kind. But a recent gold discovery just ten miles north of the park threatens to have miners salivating and nature lovers frothing at the mouth.
http://www.backpacker.com/canadian_mining_company_strikes_it_ritch_/blogs/daily_dirt/1517
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Misc. National Park News:
Where to Find Your Christmas Feast in the National Park ‘Tis the season for quiet and peace, snowy woods, frosty starry nights, time with loved ones, festive activities, and eating way too much food. What better way to accomplish all that than to spend the holidays at a national park?
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/200...park-system5074

Parks step up permit game, so be ready
The solution to the people-crush at America's most-loved parks is a combination of lotteries, advance registration and quotas. Now is the time to get the system wired for 2010.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/13/SP4N1B2L9I.DTL

New Coalition Brings Groups Together to Push for Water Stewardhip in Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Everglades, and Puget Sound
There was a news event earlier this week that seemed to sail under the radar, but it's something to keep an eye on. A large coalition of groups has come together to lobby for the waters that flow through Everglades National Park, the parks and lakeshores that dot the Great Lakes and touch the Chesapeake Bay, as well as many other watery ecosystems across the country.
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/200...rglades-and5063
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Scientists Map Yellowstone Magma Plume
Information from a vast seismograph network confirms a magma plume extends at least 500 miles below Yellowstone National Park, scientists say.
http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2009/12/12/scientists-map-yellowstone-magma-plume.html

Town in transition
It is no breakfast of champions — a bag of cheese puffs and a large soda — but it’s enough to charge Quincy Quintero’s battery as he works assembling a snowmobile on a chilly November morning.
http://www.helenair.com/news/local/state...1cc4c002e0.html

Lack of snow threatens Yellowstone winter-season opening
The lack of snow on the western side of Yellowstone National Park has officials scrambling to come up with a game plan for transporting visitors within the Park when the winter season opens Tuesday.
http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/200912...son-opening.php

Schweitzer tells livestock group that lobbyists have stalled help
Gov. Brian Schweitzer told members of a conservative livestock association Friday that he has pushed an agenda favorable to their industry but repeatedly run into opposition from the group's lobbyists.
http://www.missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_1a7df62c-e6a1-11de-a7f3-001cc4c002e0.html
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park News:
November visits to Smokies up 8.7 percent
Visits to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park increased by 8.7 percent in November.
http://www.reflector.com/news/state/november-visits-to-smokies-up-87-percent-1015309.html
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Misc. National Park News:
'Tis The Season For Birding Across the National Park System
Birds are usually the last thing on people’s minds during the Christmas holiday season. Between traveling, get-togethers, presents and New Years, who has time to think about wildlife?
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/12/tis-season-birding-across-national-park-system5058
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone's Plumbing Reveals Plume of Hot and Molten Rock 410 Miles Deep
The most detailed seismic images yet published of the plumbing that feeds the Yellowstone supervolcano shows a plume of hot and molten rock rising at an angle from the northwest at a depth of at least 410 miles, contradicting claims that there is no deep plume, only shallow hot rock moving like slowly boiling soup.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214075225.htm

Winter season at Yellowstone opens Tuesday
Yellowstone National Park's winter season begins this week.
http://www.fox12idaho.com/Global/story.asp?S=11671708

Everglades National Park News:
Where the alligators are abundant
The sign reads, "Always stay at least 15 feet away from alligators." That rule is difficult not to break when you go to the Shark Valley Visitor Center in the Florida Everglades.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/12/15/shark.valley.florida/

Not So Private Property?: Florida Man Takes Eminent Domain Case to High Court
When Congress ruled in 1989 to expand the Everglades National Park in Florida, Gilbert Fornatora's home stood in the way.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/...ase-high-court/
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone's underground 'plumbing' comes into view
A vast "plume" of hot rock, which scientists say is responsible for Yellowstone's famous geysers and other geothermal features, is coming into sharper focus in research coordinated by University of Utah scientists that sheds new light on our planet's inner workings.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14004281?source=most_viewed

FWP seeks comment on Turner ranch proposal
The public has until Jan. 12 to comment on a controversial proposal by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to relocate 74 bison from a quarantine facility to Ted Turner’s Green Ranch west of Bozeman.
http://www.helenair.com/news/article_60a07780-ea0f-11de-b25f-001cc4c002e0.html

West Yellowstone sees need to diversify as snowmobile season opens
Doc Stewart was hopeful as he watched snow fall onto the town’s main drag through his storefront windows.
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2009/12/16/news/000open.txt

Wyoming wolf numbers rise outside Yellowstone
Population decline in the park was anticipated, biologist says.
Wyoming’s wolf population is thriving and growing in most of the state, despite continuing declines among Yellowstone National Park wolves, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist says.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=5414

Everglades National Park News:
Area of Everglades burned to deter wildfires
It's the dry season, when uncontrolled wildfires in South Florida can threaten man and nature. That's why fire crews spent Wednesday torching 1,500 acres of Everglades National Park.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/80836.html
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Glacier National Park News:
Gold Discovery Stirs Fear About Effects to Glacier NP's Headwaters (Previously Reported)
A Canadian mining company's discovery last week of high-grade gold deposits north of Glacier National Park has raised alarm among environmentalists that development of the deposits could imperil Montana's Flathead River Valley and fragment North America's most prized grizzly habitat.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/12/17/...-glac-4646.html

Sun Road work remains a priority says superintendent
With more than 550 structures, 725 miles of trails and one of America's most famous roads to maintain and rehabilitate, Glacier National Park Superintendent Chas Cartwirght must make some hard choices.
http://www.flatheadnewsgroup.com/articles/2009/12/17/hungryhorsenews/news/news_8739018949_01.txt
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Misc. National Park News:
Q&A: National Parks for Winter Visits
With the broadcast of the new PBS series “America’s National Parks,” I would like to know which are most accessible for winter vacations. Specifically are there national parks that are within a couple of hours’ drive of a major airport, and accessible with well-maintained roads so that the winter splendor can be appreciated?
http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/qa-national-parks-for-winter-visits/

Who Should Pay to Rescue Stranded Climbers?
What's the cost of a life—or really, what's the cost of saving one? When climbers, hikers, skiers, and rafters get caught in tight situations and need to be found and rescued, the answer can be a large number of taxpayer dollars.
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/newsweek/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3752161
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Theodore Roosevelt National Park News:
Bring out the binoculars
Populations of fluttering feathery friends can change with the seasons and this area can see a few more species during winter months.
Populations of fluttering feathery friends can change with the seasons and this area can see a few more species during winter months. Bird watching, also known as birding, doesn’t require extensive training and Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora is looking for volunteers to participate in the world’s longest-running citizen science event.
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/30479/
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Yellowstone (and Grand Teton) National Park News:
Two ways to look at wolf numbers
For the first time, Yellowstone National Park's wolf population has declined two years in a row and the decrease was not associated with disease.
http://www.trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_aed6652f-87e3-5ad8-903f-e060c6a222e3.html

Groups criticize Park Service profit-sharing plan
Five environmental groups are voicing concern about a soon-to-be-implemented National Park Service policy that would enable parks to share profits from research within their boundaries.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h_0URwyNDIRhWvVrkVJyiXi9TNEwD9CL3R000

Yellowstone Park wolf population drops for second year in row
Biologists say Yellowstone National Park's wolf population has declined two years in a row.
http://www.missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_b212f6de-eb17-11de-bbe2-001cc4c002e0.html
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Zion National Park News:
Men admit stealing seed pods from Utah nat'l park
Two men have pleaded guilty to trying to steal 600 pounds of wildflower seed pods in Utah's Zion National Park in hopes of a payday on the commercial market.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jLHQEK_LGpvPpNCE_owhZGBrtjbgD9CKISC80
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Acadia National Park News:
Cadillac tower proposal scrapped
After having considered the top of the tallest mountain in Maine’s only national park as the location for a new 80-foot-tall communications tower, a federal agency has changed its mind.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/133140.html

Acadia Gateway Center Will Improve Tourism
Looking for a more convenient way to visit Mount Desert Island or Acadia National Park? By the summer of 2011, visitors will be able to park their cars in Trenton and take a bus to get to the island.
http://usparks.about.com/b/2009/12/19/acadia-gateway-center-will-improve-tourism.htm
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Glacier National Park News:
Travel restrictions set for Glacier National Park
An official at Glacier National Park says winter travel restrictions have been put in place and work on Going-to-the-Sun road is finished for the season.
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/dec/19/bc-mt-travel-restrictions/?features&travel
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Olympic National Park News:
Third Year of Fisher Recovery Program Begins At Olympic National Park
They might not be the economic draw that wolves are to Yellowstone National Park, but fishers seem to be taking to Olympic National Park just about as favorably as the larger predators did to Yellowstone in their recovery program. This week a third batch of the cat-sized predators will be set free in Olympic to build on two successful years of a recovery program designed to repopulate the park with fishers.
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/200...tional-park5106
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone gray wolf population in decline
The gray wolf population in Yellowstone National Park is declining, officials say.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1948612,CST-NWS-wolf20.article

Ranchers wary of group’s effort to create wildlife reserve bigger than Yellowstone
When the new West is won, will there be cowboys? In light of what her neighbors are up to, Double O Ranch owner Vicki Olson isn’t so sure.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-an...1cc4c03286.html

Three Bear Lodge rises from the ashes
A year and a half after a natural gas explosion decimated a portion of the Three Bear Lodge, a new facility was reopened that pays respect to the old building.
http://www.helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/article_eda47032-ed2a-11de-bb34-001cc4c002e0.html

Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Snow closed several Smokies Park roads (Scroll to bottom)
Several roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are closed due to snow and ice, including Newfound Gap Road.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20091222/NEWS/312229997
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Mojave Desert National Preserve (And Death Valley and Joshua Tree NPs)
Solar, wind power growth prompts new protection effort for Mojave Desert
A bill that its sponsor says would designate new lands in the Mojave Desert for conservation, enhance recreational opportunities, and streamline and improve the federal permitting process to advance large-scale wind and solar development on suitable lands has been introduced in Congress by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=13937
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone wolf numbers down second year; biologist expects drop to continue (Previously Reported)
For the first time, Yellowstone National Park's wolf population has declined two years in a row and the decrease was not associated with disease.
http://www.missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_fbe80b06-eea4-11de-a167-001cc4c03286.html

Yellowstone planning to open Sylvan Pass
Yellowstone National Park rangers continued avalanche control Monday on Sylvan Pass in an effort to open the park’s East Entrance to snowmobiles on schedule today.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=5431
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Yosemite National Park News:
Yosemite names new chief of education
Yosemite National Park has a new chief of interpretation and education. Tom Medema, who has been in the position in an acting capacity for more than a year, will officially begin his duties next month, the National Park Service said.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/357/story/1240890.html
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Grand Canyon Railway: Experience a ride rich in history and charm.
“All Aboard!” The conductor’s call to passengers will initiate the memorable New Year’s journey from Williams Depot to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Aboard a powerful locomotive adventurers looking for a unique way to bid adieu to the old year—and begin the journey into the new—ride north for a glimpse into the greatest chasm on earth.
http://www.ioanthem.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=450&Itemid=1

Rim Country enjoys early White Christmas
Well-behaved winter storm delivers six inches, but may be gone before the big morning
Rim Country residents got an early white Christmas as a festive, but well-behaved storm blanketed Payson with six inches of snow — and not much more than that in Show Low and Flagstaff.
http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2009/dec/24/rim_country_enjoys_early_white_christmas/
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Local Hiker Dies in Tennessee
A Howard County neighborhood is in shock after the death of a woman in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story/Local-Hiker-Dies-in-Tennessee/UeurleeEm0aWSK9nmp0C2Q.cspx

Funding enables 10K jobs in state
$235,912 price tag for taxpayers not affordable, Alexander says
Tennessee ranks 15th among all states and U.S. territories receiving federal stimulus money, and nearly 10,000 jobs have been created or saved here by the emergency spending program, according to government figures reviewed by the News Sentinel.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/dec/24/funding-enables-10k-jobs-state/
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A slow news day. :P


Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
U.S. 64 closure in Tenn. to continue
The Tennessee Department of Transportation does not know when a slide blocking U.S. 64-74 about 12 miles west of the North Carolina-Tennessee state line will be cleared.
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091224/NEWS01/91224057/1119

Official says traffic rate in Smokies takes a hike
Increase in park visits credited in part to I-40 rockslide in N.C.
Scenes such as visitors arriving in the middle of the night or behind the wheel of a loaded U-Haul truck have Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers convinced that the recent spike in traffic isn't entirely intentional.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/dec/24/officials-say-traffic-rate-in-smokies-takes-a/
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Yellowstone National Park News:
'Christmas in Yellowstone' on PBS is a Friday TV pick
A quiet alternative to the hustle and bustle of the holidays, this is a gorgeous hourlong look at the peaceful wintertime majesty of America's...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/television/2010587822_tvbriefs25.html

Assateague Island National Seashore News:
The National Park Service will pay for restoration of the parking lots at the Assateague Island National Seashore, in part because of the beach's economic benefit to the area.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20091226/ESN01/912260303/-1/ESN
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Glacier National Park News:
Glacier's 100th Anniversary
The curator of the Montana Historical Society says people have incredible personal stories associated with Glacier National Park.
http://www.keci.com/Glacier-s-100th-Anniversary/5974181
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park NEws:
Detoured traffic from Interstate 40 rockslide still surging in Smokies
Scenes such as visitors arriving in the middle of the night or behind the wheel of a loaded U-Haul truck have Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers convinced that the recent spike in traffic isn't entirely intentional.
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091226/NEWS01/312260033/1009
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Lassen Volcanic National Park News:
Lassen Volcanic National Park project open for public comment
Lassen Volcanic National Park Superintendent Darlene M. Koontz announced recently that the Lassen Peak Trail Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment (EA) is available for public review and comment.
http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/news/ci_14069702
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Outside the US/Canadian Park System:
Cold kills two tiger cubs in Pench National Park
Two tiger cubs have died of cold in the Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh, an official said Thursday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/...how/5378423.cms
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Guest Opinion: Gallatin National Forest presents gift to Yellowstone bison
Yellowstone’s iconic wild bison received an early winter solstice gift from the Gallatin National Forest: permanent closure of the Horse Butte public grazing allotment.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/guest/article_a0b57ba4-f1d0-11de-9592-001cc4c03286.html

Everglades National Park News:
Gladesmen; The Real Everglades
Two miles down a gravel road along the C304Canal, away from the tourist traps of the Tamiami Trail, lies one of the few remaining bastions of old Florida.
http://jaxpoliticsonline.com/2009/12/27/gladsmen-the-hidden-everglades/
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Joshua Tree National Park News:
Park bird count part of worldwide effort
Birdwatchers will celebrate the first day of the new year by counting the national park’s feathered residents for the annual Christmas Bird Count.
http://www.hidesertstar.com/articles/2009/12/26/features/doc4b3667d08bbd7123194632.txt
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Outside the US/Canadian Park System:
Taiwan's 8th national park opens
The establishment of Taiwan's eighth national park, Taijiang National Park in Tainan, was described by Vice Premier Eric Liluan Chu at its opening Monday as an important landmark in Taiwan's environmental conservation efforts.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_cont..._rss=TAIWAN_eng

Seychelles creates another national park
Alongside the Copenhagen Climate Summit, the Seychellois President Michel signed into effect the creation of a new national park on Silhouette island, dedicated to "resilience to climate change from a biodiversity and sea level rise perspective," quoting official sources in the Seychelles.
http://www.eturbonews.com/13496/seychelles-creates-another-national-park

Need for power coal threatens Zimbabwe national park
Zimbabwe's already dim electricity supply faces a new threat, as the country's main power plant says it needs to dig for new coal reserves under a river inside a national park to keep running.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gsiSs-6MjRco2VOsCDjVdYaIqL4A

'Homesick' tiger to be kept under 24x7 surveillance
The 'homesick' tiger that strayed from Panna tiger reserve and was found in Tendukheda forest region of Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district will now be kept under round-the-clock surveillance, an official said Sunday.
http://sify.com/news/Homesick-tiger-to-be-kept-under-24x7-surveillance-news-jm1qkdbeihi.html

Two elephants shot dead in Karnataka national park
It's a grim year-end for Karnataka's wildlife: Two adult elephants were shot dead on Saturday in the Kaglipura range of Bannerghatta
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/...how/5383243.cms
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Man returns to hiking after devastating fall
Sterling Jordan planned to spend Christmas Day on the trails at Rocky Mountain National Park.
http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=19972
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Turner’s persona adds new elements to bison debate
As the state mulls a plan to place 74 wild Yellowstone bison on Ted Turner’s ranch west of Bozeman, the media mogul’s celebrity, wealth and charity is adding a twist to an already emotional debate over the fate of bison in the West.
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2009/12/27/news/100turner.txt

Yellowstone to Become Best Monitored Hot Spots in World
The Yellowstone "supervolcano" will soon be among the best monitored hot spots in the world with the installation of new earthquake monitoring equipment.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2009/12/2...+-+SciTech%2529
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Yosemite National Park News:
Yosemite's Nonprofits Joining Forces
Yosemite National parks two major nonprofit groups are looking to blaze a new trail together, as their memberships have voted to merge the organizations.
http://www.kcbs.com/Yosemite-s-Nonprofits-Joining-Forces/5978297
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Zion National Park News:
Utah's Zion forms sister relationship with national park in China
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09362/1021275-37.stm