May Nat. Park News

Lots of news published this weekend. Grand Canyon has a very sad on-going story going on about three youth who were lost.

James

Acadia National Park News:
Home and Garden: Best Landscaping Pioneer
The dry remains of Ellen Louise Payson’s once fertile career as a landscape architect reside for posterity in file drawers on the balcony of the Fogler Library Special Collections room on the campus of the University of Maine in Orono.
http://www.downeast.com/node/5856
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Cuyahoga National Park News:
Tiny beaks missing from park's eagle nest
The bald eagle nest in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park has failed.
http://www.ohio.com/news/44235547.html
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Denali National Park News:
Clear skies allow surge up McKinley
An extended stretch of clear weather has allowed 49 climbers to head up Mount McKinley as the spring mountaineering season at Denali National Park gets under way.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/780765.html
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Everglades National Park News:
A seasonal park ranger ends his tour of duty at Everglades National Park
A SEASONAL PARK RANGER ENJOYS HIS TIME AT EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK -- WHILE GETTING READY FOR HIS NEXT ASSIGNMENT IN CAPE COD
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/communities/south/story/1028736.html

Former Cold War Era Missile Base Becomes National Park Attraction
National park rangers are working to recover a missile base that played a central role in the nuclear tensions between the United States and Soviet Union during the 1960s.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-02-voa24.cfm

(BPRW) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes draft plan for restoring flows to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has published a draft report for restoring flows via Taylor Slough to the southern Everglades and Florida Bay. The C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project is a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).
http://www.blackprwire.com/press-release...and_florida_bay
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Glacier National Park News:
Good things in works for 2010 celebration (Scroll low, the format of the page is a bit off)
Glacier National Park is quickly approaching its 100th anniversary. The park has empowered a team of volunteers to help plan and implement a community-based Centennial Program to take place throughout the latter half of 2009 and run through the celebration year of 2010.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/02/glacier-park-announces-pre-centennial-events/

Recent storm slows Glacier Park plowing
Freak snowstorms and surprise avalanches have slowed crews plowing Glacier National Park’s famed mountain roadway - which is to say, things are going about as planned.
http://www.nwpphotoforum.com/ubbthreads/newpost.php?Cat=0&Board=National%20Park&page=0

Missoula event welcomes bears out of hibernation
In Native tradition, Chuck Jonkel and friends gathered in a celebration of spring along Rattlesnake Creek on Friday to welcome grizzly and black bears from their deep winter sleep.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/01/bnews/br51.txt

Glacier Park road will get stimulus
U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester say $27.6 million in federal stimulus money will go toward rebuilding a key stretch of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/05/02/news/state/53-glacierpark.txt
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Three Swept Away by Grand Canyon Waters
Yesterday afternoon, Grand Canyon National Park Rangers recovered the body of a young man missing since Thursday morning, when he and two others disappeared after jumping into the Colorado River. The young man has been identified as 16 year-old, Mark Merrill.
http://www.naztoday.com/uncategorized/2009/04/three-swept-away-by-grand-canyon-waters/

Boy drowned in Grand Canyon identified
Grand Canyon National Park officials have identified the body found during a search for three young people who were swept away by the Colorado River on Thursday.
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=10291315&nav=menu554_2_3

Search Continues Today for Two Young Men Still Missing in Grand Canyon
Yesterday afternoon, Grand Canyon National Park Rangers recovered the body of a young man missing since Thursday morning, when he and two others disappeared after jumping into the Colorado River. The young man has been identified as 16 year-old, Mark Merrill.
http://www.naztoday.com/news/local-news/...n-grand-canyon/
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Beginner with a backpack
Novice hiker heads into the Smokies for a multiday trip
Those of us who grew up in the flat subdivisions of central Ohio don't naturally think that a place's name might be literal.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/tra...1K.html?sid=101

Rain aids in Smokies fire fights
A fire near Laurel Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is completely contained, and all hiking trails in the park are currently open, the National Park Service reported today.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/02/rain-aids-smokies-fire-fights/

Laurel Falls Hiking Trail Fire Damage Report
Wild fires in the Great Smoky Mountains national park are inevitable and in fact in some cases even encouraged under controlled circumstances. This is not the case with this week's Laurel Falls Wildfire which threatened one of the parks most valuable natural resources as well as homes and businesses close by.
http://yoursmokies.blogspot.com/2009/05/laurel-falls-hiking-trail-fire-damage.html
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Kouchibouguac National Park News:
New Brunswick national park is full of wildlife, trails, beaches
We are knee deep in bathtub-warm salt water, swinging nets along the ocean bottom like shortstops scooping up ground balls, halfway up the coast of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, where those not in the know would think a dip in the water would be suitable only for polar bears.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090503/STYLE/305039983/-1/style
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Misc. National Park News:
No natives allowed
Over the last century, the conservation movement has created some beautiful parks - and millions of refugees.
LAFAYETTE BUNNELL, AMERICAN explorer and wilderness romantic, first rode into the bucolic stillness of Yosemite on March 21, 1851. He was on a voyage of discovery. Once in the valley he thought he had arrived, if not in heaven, in Eden. "I have seen the power and glory of a supreme being," he wrote in his journal, and "the majesty of his handiwork."
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/05/03/no_natives_allowed/

A glimpse inside the mind of a photographer
Welcome to the first Wild Faces, Wild Places column. The desire to pursue nature photography was the result of colliding life interests. Born a fresh air junkie, I've spent much of the past 30 years traveling and exploring diverse wilderness with a fly rod in one hand, a camera in the other. I've always been drawn to the outdoors, favoring anything off the beaten path.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090503/ENTERTAINMENT06/905030312

Wal-Mart vs. the Wilderness
In May 1864, two armies clashed in a desperate struggle for the course of our nation's history. The Battle of the Wilderness was a great turning point of the Civil War -- the first clash between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant and the beginning of the end for the beleaguered Confederacy. The fighting was so intense that the tangled underbrush caught fire, burning wounded soldiers alive.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/02/AR2009050202004.html

A man and his best bud — an 800-pound bear
Naturalist chronicles his amazing and wild friendship with a grizzly bear (OK, so it is not really about the Parks, but it is cute in its own way)
When wildlife naturalist Casey Anderson and his wife, actress Missi Pyle, got married last August, there was one guest in attendance that overshadowed the bride: Brutus, an 800-pound grizzly bear that Anderson had raised after he rescued the cub from an overpopulated wildlife park.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30522938/
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Outside the US/Canadian Park System:
Huge rock slide at Mt Cook puzzles geologists
The largest landslip in the Aoraki Mt Cook National Park for more than a decade has produced a rock slide of more than a million cubic metres of rock. The 900 metre long slip took the top off the left "fang" of a peak known as Vampire, at the head of the Mueller Glacier.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/233269/Huge-rock-slide-at-Mt-Cook-puzzles-geologists
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Identifying body found in national park may take weeks.
The conclusive identification of a body found in a burned car in Rocky Mountain National Park on Wednesday may take weeks, authorities said Thursday.
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_12267512
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Washington State National Parks (Misc. Non Specific):
Good news for hikers: Trails to be repaired
Fix-it time should bring relief to hikers who have been prevented, sometimes for years, from exploring several regions in our area after a series of devastating storms.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090502/LIVING/705029980
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Yellowstone National Park News:
YNP to receive nearly $15 million in new funds
Yellowstone National Park will receive $14,735,000 in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
http://www.westyellowstonenews.com/articles/2009/05/01/news/news1.txt

A love affair with Yellowstone's bison
“Did you see any baby bison?” That was the first question people asked us who knew we spent three days in Yellowstone when the park’s West Entrance opened April 17.
http://www.islandparknews.com/atf.php?sid=6331&current_edition=2009-04-30

Pack dens near Mammoth
The sound of howling wolves and wolf sightings are becoming regular occurrences at Yellowstone National Park's headquarters in Mammoth, Wyo. The wolves have even made nighttime elk kills in backyards of employee housing.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/05/01/news/wyoming/16-mammoth.txt
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Zion National Park News:
Narrows in Zion National Park reopening
The Narrows area at Zion National Park is reopening.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12271916

Big Bend National Park News:
Fires in Big Bend region contained
The good news is that Brewster County had no fires eating up pastures or wildlands Tuesday.
http://www.alpineavalanche.com/articles/2009/05/01/news/news03.txt
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Glacier Park National Park News:
GLACIER: Sun Road receives $27.6M stimulus
Glacier National Park's famed high-mountain highway has always delivered some serious stimulus, what with its jaw-dropping views and gut-dropping precipices.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/02/news/local/znews04.txt
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Lake Clark National Park News:
Alaska volcano shows increased unrest
Mount Redoubt showed increased unrest Sunday as the volcano continued to rumble and grumble and produced a substantial ash and steam plume.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090504/ap_on_re_us/us_alaska_volcano
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Misc. National Park News:
Heritage Exchange celebrates national parks
MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL -- Sherri Rodgers-Conti has seen plenty of documentaries in her day. Which is why, she says, it's noteworthy that the upcoming PBS documentary, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," was one of the best she's seen.
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/05/03/news/top/doc49fe3c4c3d3fc179634296.txt

Conservationists find eager sellers in new real estate market
If while hiking through Portland's new woods at Clatsop Butte Park you pause among the cedars with their brightly budding conelets, thank the recession for this moment of Zen.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/conservationists_find_eager_se.html
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Olympic National Park News:
Ecologist promotes sound of nature
Man pushes to make part of Olympic National Park first National Quiet Place
JOYCE -- Proceed with care through One Square Inch of Silence.
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090504/news/305049997
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Yellowstone National Park News:
The mystic wolf: Off the endangered list, back in the crosshairs
A game ranger sees a fellow walking down a country road with a dead whooping crane over his shoulder.
"What do think you're doing with that whooping crane?" asks the ranger.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/articl...G1_Twogra188914

Meyers: Wolf sightings renew Colorado debate
My companion saw them first, low, dark shapes moving resolutely along the edge of a road wandering through one of those burned-out patches of Yellowstone National Park.
http://www.denverpost.com/charlie/ci_12281537
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Yosemite National Park News:
Near Flooding at Yosemite National Park (Note - Video covers text identically)
Park Rangers have moved campers in the lower and north pines campground to higher ground.
Steady rain over the last two days has almost created flood conditions at Yosemite National Park.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6793618

Yahoo must have had a slow news day and have to invent news. Mt Redoubt has not changed much in the amount of ash and steam being released for a month. Very little ash is being released but a lot of steam is being released as the drift glacier is being replaced by a lava dome. I find it amazing how reporters now days will flat out lie just to get a story.

Acadia National Park News:
Open Water Fishing Report
Region A - Southwestern Maine
Sebago Lake boat access hours
Open Water Fishing Preview
http://maineoutdoorjournal.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html?id=13078
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Everglades National Park News:
Ken Burns PBS series to highlight South Florida's national parks
Filmmaker Ken Burns has explored South Florida's two national parks -- and spoke with the people who helped create them -- for a PBS series.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/1032419.html
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Glacier National Park News:
New state advertising campaign will 'stop you in your tracks,' but slogan still elusive
Montana's promotion agency, Travel Montana, took a rare tack this year with a new advertising campaign for Montana running in magazines.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article...n+still+elusive
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Search for 2 missing hikers at Grand Canyon
A teenager who drowned in the Colorado River on a church hiking trip last week was described by his pastor as a young man who planned to go into the ministry.
http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2009/05/03/20090503canyon0504-CP.html

Congregation mourns hikers swept away in Colorado River (includes a video)
"The flood took their lives, but the moment they open their eyes in Heaven, they saw a stream," said Pastor Mike Sproul, as he tried to comfort Tempe's Tri-City Baptist Church congregation Sunday morning.
http://www.abc15.com/content/news/northe...ldDf7XT8bQ.cspx

Off-road Vehicle Plan Threatens Public Lands Near Grand Canyon
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— The Kaibab National Forest has finalized a plan for the Tusayan Ranger District that puts the nearby Grand Canyon National Park, as well the forest’s archeological sites and wildlife habitat, at serious risk. The Center for Biological Diversity and a broad coalition of local and national conservation organizations have asked the Forest Service to protect this area, but the district is moving ahead with a plan that largely maintains the status quo and allows off-road vehicles to continue to damage the forest.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/tusayan-05-04-29-2009.html

Search efforts scaled back for Grand Canyon hikers
Grand Canyon National Park rangers have scaled back their search for two people who had attempted to swim across the Colorado River but were swept away.
http://www.kswt.com/Global/story.asp?S=10298999&nav=menu613_2_6

Travel on the Grand Canyon Railroad
The first train arrived at Grand Canyon on Sept. 17, 1901. The train, pulled by a steam engine, began its journey at Williams, Ariz. It traveled on 65 miles of track that passed through high deserts and pine forests almost to the rim of Grand Canyon. Today you can repeat that trip on the Grand Canyon Train.
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/519010.html?nav=5004
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Indiana closes caves to slow bat disease spread
Caves on state properties will temporarily close as a precaution against the uncontrolled spread of white-nosed syndrome (WNS), which is killing bats in record numbers in the eastern United States.
http://www.buckmasters.com/bm/Resources/...68/Default.aspx


Smokies: ‘Blow out the candles’ and rededicate to protection
In the midst of constant news of economic decline, nuclear proliferation and other dire international news, and now fears of a global influenza pandemic , it is easy to forget — as our governor did on April 24 — that some occasions are so important that we celebrate despite what might be going on around us.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090503/OPINION03/90430073/1006

Hike Inn provides a haven for those traversing the Appalachian Trail
FONTANA, N.C. - It is spring time in the mountains of North Carolina, and the weather is perfect for backpacking - warm in the sunshine, and chilly in the shade.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/03/hike-inn-provides-a-haven/
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Guadalupe Mountains National Park News:
Feral hogs wreaking havoc at Guadalupe Mountains
CARLSBAD — Swine flu is on everyone's mind, but staff at Guadalupe Mountains National Park has a different swine concern feral hogs.
http://www.currentargus.com/ci_12294727
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Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs, Arkansas! It’s a bit of a jaunt (eight hours) from St. Louis, but well worth it when you get there. A small city of approximately 36,000 people, Hot Springs has plenty to offer.
http://www.javajournalonline.com/articles/art_hotsprings_052009.php
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Wyoming National Park News (Misc., Non Specific)
Wolf lawsuits likely
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service went forward with a plan Monday to end federal protection for wolves in Idaho and Montana but not Wyoming despite the threat of lawsuits from conservation groups and sportsmen.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=4550

Wolves officially delisted from endangered list; let the lawsuits begin
It's official: the Obama Administration went ahead with a delisting of grey wolves from the Endangered Species list, removing protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana but retaining protections in Wyoming.
http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/index.php?contentID=924&articleID=265
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Small wolf pack takes up residence just outside Mammoth
So much for a Yellowstone wolf pack avoiding contact with humans.
A small pack -- three black males and a gray female -- have taken up residence a quarter mile east of Yellowstone National Park headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs.
http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/index.php?contentID=924&articleID=264

Print Email Font Resize
Wolf pack moves to Yellowstone's headquarters
Billings, Mont. » A pack of wolves conditioned to humans has taken up residence near Yellowstone National Park's headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12292099

Spring visitors enjoy Yellowstone’s quiet days
Baseball fans relish opening day, movie mavens line the sidewalks at Hollywood premieres and the glamorous glitterati flock to fashion week. But for nature lovers and animal aficionados, there is no match for the first few weeks of the summer season in Yellowstone National Park.
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/05/03/state/80st_090503_yellowstone.txt
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Yosemite National Park News:
Merced River surges almost to flood stage
Warm weekend rains force evacuation of 71 camp sites; Lake McClure level up, too.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/220/story/827748.html
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Denali National Park News:
Denali Park closed to snowmachines
The National Park Service has closed all lands inside Denali National Park and Preserve that were open to snowmachining on both sides of the Alaska Range and is prohibiting off-road vehicle traffic on several subsistence-user trails near Cantwell.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2009/may/06/denali-park-closed-snowmachines/
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Forest Service closes caves to stop bat fungus (Editors note - only peripherally about GSMNP)
The U.S. Forest Service is closing thousands of caves and former mines in national forests in 33 states in an effort to control a fungus that has already killed an estimated 500,000 bats.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8488330
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Victim in Rocky Mountain National Park accident was part-time Grand Laker
Connie “CJ” Fanning, 55, of Arvada and Grand Lake died April 28 in Rocky Mountain National Park in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in a car fire.
http://www.skyhidailynews.com/article/20090505/NEWS/905059970/1079&ParentProfile=1067
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Wolves denning right outside Yellowstone headquarters
The sound of howling wolves and wolf sightings are becoming regular occurrences at Yellowstone National Park's headquarters in Mammoth, Wyo. The wolves have even made nighttime elk kills in the backyards of park employee housing.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/06/news/mtregional/znews12.txt

Paintballing wolves
Yellowstone’s leading wolf biologist: “We paintballed them in late January. But I’ve not gotten into them yet with what I call the heavy artillery — bean bags and rubber bullets. But I am itching to do that because they need a lesson.”
http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/2009/05/05/paintballing-wolves/

Wanna Shoot a Wolf? Come to Idaho
Before she was found slain 120 miles west of Denver in late March 2009, wolf 341F charted an extraordinary course, tracked only by satellite, through the heart of Western ranch country, where her kind are still regarded as lupus non grata.
http://norfolk.va.mycitytalk.us/article/News/Politics/Wanna_Shoot_a_Wolf_Come_to_Idaho/22954

...mostly a slow news day. Tons of activity going on in Grand Canyon though.

James


Bryce Canyon National Park News:
Bryce Canyon National Park: One minute wonder
All you need to know about the world's most remarkable places in 60 seconds. This week: Bryce Canyon National Park.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destin...ute-wonder.html
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Cuyahoga National Park News (Beware annoying commercial that plays)
PBS in search of national park pictures, videos
Cuyahoga Valley visitors are invited to share their history
Do you have photographs or videos of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park? If so, Western Reserve PBS would like to document them, please.
http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/44513452.html
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Denali National Park News:
First climbers this season reach summit of Mount McKinley
CLIMBING SEASON: Three groups reach the top on the same day.
Solo German climber Moren Meyer, 33, on Thursday became the first to stand atop North America's tallest peak this season.
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/784543.html
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Everglades National Park News:
Brown's Creek can be rewarding
Brown's Creek is not one of Everglades National Park's designated no-motor zones. But it might as well be.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/outdoors/story/1035887.html
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Glacier National Park News:
It's our land (Editorial)
Having read the new Record of Decision for the Badger-Two Medicine area, and all the comments of late, we felt the need to write. Mr. Thompson stated, "My decision to emphasize non-motorized ... is expected to have very little influence on the local economy."
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090504/OPINION03/905040324
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Glacier Bay National Park News:
Divers Locate Missing Gustavus Teen
Divers from the Sitka Fire Dept. Rescue Dive Team located the body of 16 year-old Austin Kesterson near the Gustavus pier where his jeep was found abandoned in the waters of Icy Passage.
http://www.military.com/news/article/coa...l=1186032366581
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Area pollution draws legal challenge
Several legal challenges are now working to clear the air over the Four Corners. Both a lawsuit and a petition were filed last week in an effort to clean up existing sources of pollution in New Mexico and Arizona.
http://www.durangotelegraph.com/telegraph.php?inc=/09-05-07/quick.htm

BLM authorizes Grand Canyon uranium exploration
The Bureau of Land Management has authorized several new uranium exploration permits near the Grand Canyon despite a congressional resolution last year barring new claims near the national park.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/05/06/...atio-10572.html

Group says coal plant pollution fouls Grand Canyon
A group of conservationists says pollution from a coal-fired power plant is clouding views of the Grand Canyon, and they want the federal government to do something about it.
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=10309438&nav=menu554_2

Bureau of Land Management Defies Congressional Uranium Ban,
Approves New Exploration North of Grand Canyon
ocuments obtained today by conservation groups reveal that on April 27 the Bureau of Land Management authorized Quaterra Alaska, Inc. to conduct uranium mine exploration operations across five separate projects on public lands north of Grand Canyon National Park.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/uranium-exploration-05-05-2009.html

Grand Canyon getting more parking
Hundreds of parking spaces will be added at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as part of a construction project that started this week.
http://www.kswt.com/Global/story.asp?S=10300726&nav=menu613_2_6
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Smokies volunteers put in thousands of hours a year
Thousands of people work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and never get a paycheck because they're volunteers.
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=10312851&nav=0RYv
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Pacific Rim National Park News:
No camping on Benson Island in national park
Archaeological significance confirmed
Camping on Benson Island in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve has been permanently prohibited in an effort to protect the culturally significant area.
http://www.canada.com/camping+Benson+Island+national+park/1571507/story.html
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Trail work halts Wraith Falls access
Yellowstone National Park visitors planning to visit the park later this month may have to wait if they want to see a popular waterfall.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=10307531&nav=menu227_4
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Yosemite National Park News:
The surprise rain in the past week, followed by bright sun and warm temperatures, has been a tonic to the foothills, creeks and lakes across the Bay Area and Northern California.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/07/SP7N17EDGO.DTL
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Death Valley National Park News:
Suspicious fire guts Charles Manson's remote Death Valley hide-out
The Barker Ranch cabin's rock walls and tin roof are still intact, but its wooden interior beams and window and door frames are reduced to ash. An outbuilding is destroyed.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-barker-ranch8-2009may08,0,5741963.story
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Denali National Park News:
Denali Park visitors center opens for season
The Denali National Park and Preserve visitors center will open for the summer tourist season May 15.
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/may/06/denali-park-visitors-center-opens-season/

German climber first to summit Denali this year
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A German has become the first person to successfully summit Denali during this year's climbing season, beating seven other climbers on the same day.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10318693

Uncle Sam gets stressed (Note, only peripherally and briefly about Denali, but given the recent Omnibus, interesting).
Treasury releases its evaluations of top banks' financial health -- but the federal budget reveals that the government's own fiscal position is shaky.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/05/08/stress_tests/
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Coalition: Plant's pollution mars Canyon views
A coalition of conservation groups and tribal organizations has petitioned the National Park Service to formally declare that pollution from the Navajo Generating Station near Page impairs the view at Grand Canyon National Park, whose eastern boundaries lie 12 miles from the power plant.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/05/08/20090508canyon.html

Woman injured in Grand Canyon mule mishap
A 66-year-old California woman was injured when the mule she was riding lost its footing on the Bright Angel Trail, then fell and rolled over on her.
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/05/05/news/breaking/doc4a00e4c8210c9075518382.txt
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Caves closing due to bat deaths
The U.S. Forest Service is closing thousands of caves and former mines in national forests in 33 states to try to control a fungus that has already killed an estimated 500,000 bats, the Associated Press reports.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/200905...e+to+bat+deaths

Can you use bear spray in the Smokies?
Your Smokies blog: When we first reported that bear spray is illegal in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and provided the law in writing, some people questioned the accuracy of what they felt was our interpretation of the law and to further confuse matters, someone in the parks backcountry office gave out conflicting information on April 20th which was posted onto a web site.
http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2009/05/can_you_use_bea.shtml
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Misc. National Park News:
Owners surprised by U.S. plan to seize land for Flight 93 site
PITTSBURGH - One man inherited property that a grandfather had bought during the Depression. A pastor owns a cottage where he planned to retire.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/200...ht_93_site.html
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Petrified Forest National Park News:
Petrified Forest National Park
Talk about climate change.

A few hundred million years ago, the desolate, high-desert plains in northeastern Arizona straddled the equator. Rivers and streams flowed through a lowland basin where thickets of coniferous trees, some 9 feet in diameter and 200 feet tall, towered over the landscape.
http://www.azcentral.com/travel/parks/articles/2009/05/07/20090507petrified0510.html
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Govs slam federal brucellosis plan; Yellowstone bison in the crosshairs
A federal plan to set up a brucellosis-management zone around Yellowstone National park would do nothing to eliminate the disease while stigmatizing stockmen in the area, according to the governors of Wyoming and Idaho.
http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/index.php?contentID=924&articleID=268

Yellowstone workers, visitors coping with Canyon pack
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS - The prospect of wolves wandering through the government housing area here doesn't concern resident Ken Meyer.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/05/07/news/wyoming/18-yellowstone.txt
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Yosemite National Park News:
Yosemite National Park to revisit tribal ties
The park will review visitor information and archives to make sure that its American Indian history is accurately reflected.
Yosemite National Park will review its visitor brochures, information booths and historical archives to ensure that local tribes' ancestral ties to the treasured landscape are accurately reflected.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-yosemite8-2009may08,0,4064416.story

Alaska State Misc. National Parks News:
Nature's icy sculptures dazzle Alaska panhandle
They're 8,000 years older than the most ancient Scottish castle, there are no rivers more lazy, and they are the only of Mother Nature's creations that make us cheer when they fall apart.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/08/TRO917CAB2.DTL

Cruise ships depart; did Alaskans sink a profitable tourism industry?
The recent decisions by cruise companies to redeploy ships from Alaska voyages in 2010 will have broad ripple effects in the state's economy, particularly in Southcentral-Interior Alaska regions.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/050809/loc_img_news001.shtml
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Big Bend National Park News:
Work Under Way on ‘Virtual Fence’ (Only peripherally about the park)
After three years of delays and false starts, construction began this week on a “virtual fence” aimed at stopping illegal immigration and smuggling along the border with Mexico.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/us/09border.html?ref=global-home
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Denali National Park News:
Mount McKinley climbing season begins, claiming first victim
The climbing season on North America's tallest mountain has barely begun, and already Mount McKinley has claimed its first victim.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/nation/story/67846.html

NY man, 61, dies climbing Alaska's Mount McKinley
The National Park Service says a 61-year old climber from upstate New York has died while climbing Mount McKinley in Alaska.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gAfzYIk5mZ_2HjTgzyAN-gfRfPHAD982EOJO2
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Everglades National Park News:
Water rules tighten in South Miami-Dade, Florida Keys
Severe drought has left ground water supplies near all-time lows, raising risks to wells and the Everglades and prompting tighter lawn sprinkling limits in South Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1037784.html

DROUGHT WATCH: Record dry season tightens grip on region
In an effort to keep the public informed about the dry conditions gripping much of the state, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is issuing the following latest conditions report.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/may/07/drought-watch-record-dry-season-tightens-grip-regi/

Alligator Alley fire is 90 percent contained
NAPLES, Fla. -- The fire burning in the Everglades that has intermittently closed Alligator Alley for two weeks is almost contained.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1036413.html
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Glacier National Park News:
More Glacier National Park roads reopen
If you’re looking for a weekend drive, Glacier National Park officials report lots of new roads plowed and open to the public.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/08/bnews/br73.txt
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Colorado River rapid rises as Lake Mead shrinks
The falling water level on the vast Lake Mead reservoir has chased marinas from their shrinking harbors and left boat ramps high and dry. Now, drought is spawning an unexpected new problem on the Colorado River: rapids.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/09/state/n000150D83.DTL&type=science
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Grand Teton National Park News:
Grizzlies spotted south
Wyoming Game and Fish officials have reported a grizzly bear feeding on a moose carcass in the Snake River Canyon, miles past what is normally considered the southern boundary of occupied grizzly habitat in the region.
http://www.jhguide.com/article.php?art_id=4566
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Misc. National Park News:
Delegation pushes to allow guns in parks
U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., have added their names as co-sponsors of a bill that would allow individuals to carry concealed weapons into national parks.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=4567
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Hiking news: Bear canisters required for Rocky Mountain National Park backcountry camping
If you're planning to camp in the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park, add something to your packing list, a bear proof food canister.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2520-Denver-Hi...country-camping
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Yellowstone National Park News:
The biggest hit of Yellowstone's summer season so far? The Canyon Pack
It's not often a new pack pops up in Yellowstone National Park. Especially when it pops up right on the doorstep of the Park's headquarters.
http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/index.php?contentID=924&articleID=269

Wolves bring in tourist dollars (Editorial)
Open letter to Gov. Dave Freudenthal:
Several years ago my family visited your state with relatives from Montana. It was a short visit, and we vowed to come back and stay longer to appreciate the mountains and the lakes and the wildlife, especially the wolves. Now you plan to make most of the state a shoot-on-sight "predator zone," so I might have to go elsewhere. That's my thousands of tourism dollars and millions more.
http://www.casperstartribune.net/article...5ae00779226.txt

Mothers Day caddis are hatching on Yellowstone (Note, not really Yellowstone NP News...but regional news).
BILLINGS — The Mothers Day caddis hatch is coming off on the upper Yellowstone River.
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/05/08/weekly_features/outdoors/57ot_090507_caddis.txt
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Denali National Park News:
Escape, discover, see the majestic beauty of Alaska
The "Great One" sits in Denali National Park, about 237 miles north of Anchorage and 121 miles south of Fairbanks, Alaska.
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20090510/LIFESTYLE/905080337

How to cross a glacial river in Denali National Park
So, you’ve been swimming in the Bay at Aquatic Park. Yeah, it’s cold. But weren’t you wearing a wetsuit?
http://www.examiner.com/x-8595-SF-Advent...i-National-Park
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Everglades National Park News:
Friendly fire: Burning in Everglades can actually be good
The wildfire that blocked Alligator Alley, the primary east-west artery across the Everglades, was a costly two-week headache for truckers, travelers and businesses.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1039526.html
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Maine National Park News (Non Specific)
Ad campaign: 'There's more to Maine'
Maine isn't just about moose, lobsters and lighthouses.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/6313872.html

Maine Tourism Tips
This summer the historic fort in Casco Bay will not only be a destination for enduring paddlers, but for the casual tourist as well.
http://exceptionmag.com/life/travel/000923/maine-tourism-tips
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Misc. National Park News:
Feds freeze national park fees (Canada)
Entry fees to Canada's national parks and historic sites will be frozen for two years in an effort to attract visitors during the recession, the feds announced yesterday.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2009/05/10/9411481-sun.html
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Reseachers study elk migration, survival
Researchers studying elk in the Yellowstone National Park area want to expand knowledge about the influences of habitat, climate and predators on elk migration, reproduction and survival.
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/may/09/bc-wy-elk-study/?features
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Yosemite National Park News:
Tuolumne users hail Hetch Hetchy releases
California's epic river, "The Mighty T," will be in near-perfect shape for recreation in the coming months.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/10/SPSD17GLR9.DTL

Glacier National Park News:
Montana’s proud to have nothing to offer
Montana’s state tourism board is trying to make something out of nothing.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/11/montanas-proud-to-have-nothing-to-offer/
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
"Sha-Kon-O-Hey!" Dollywood's newest show, opened Saturday night to a sold-out crowd of Friends of the Smokies and Dolly Parton fans.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/11/new-dollywood-show-tells-splendid-story-of-the/

Good read becomes a good fundraiser
When Dan Pitts left the library almost 20 years ago, he knew he had a special book in his hands.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/10/good-read-becomes-a-good-fundraiser/

Great summer for a great park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is turning 75. Here's what to see and do.
About 9 million tourists a year check out Great Smoky Mountains National Park – and while that figure may be down a notch from its high of 10 million in 2000, attendance may reach a new peak this summer. Good thing it's so big: At 814 square miles, about half the size of Rhode Island, it's one of the largest protected areas in the Eastern United States.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/104/story/715048.html
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Misc. National Park News:
Fly Fishing Faithful Flock To Guru (For the anglers, not really NP News....)
C.J. Nelson endured a six-hour flight from Philadelphia to seek insight from a master.
http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/fly_fishing_faithful_flock_to_guru/23983/

National parks aren't full yet for summer
It's not too late to make grand plans for this summer.
http://www.cleveland.com/travel/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living-2/1241771607304430.xml&coll=2
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Pine beetle 101: understanding the pest
Educators set the record straight on what’s really going on in the national forest
Can’t see the forest for the pine beetle kill? What’s the answer to confronting that nasty, pervasive pine beetle destroying the beautiful Rocky Mountain landscape?
http://www.eptrail.com/news/2009/may/08/pine-beetle-101-understanding-pest/
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Zion National Park News:
As I See It: Ah, Vacation!
The tiny specs on the massive Navajo-sandstone face are two men. They are hanging from absurdly long ropes, inching downward toward a spot a few hundred feet above the ground. The sun is merciless and they work quickly. One man begins boring a small hole in the sheer rock wall, while the other waits to insert a stick of dynamite. When he lights the long fuse, both men scramble up the ropes as high as they can before the explosion tears a portion of the wall away.
http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh051109-story04.html

Congaree National Park News:
Congaree National Park a treat for kids and parents on a budget (Note, nice video...though it parallels the text)
If you’re looking to get back in touch with nature, there’s nothing quite like Congaree National Park.
http://www.scnow.com/scp/lifestyles/tank...a_budget/49495/
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Everglades National Park News:
Weston Eagle Scout dies on hike in Big Cypress Preserve
He was a beloved son devoted to his twin sister, an Advanced Placement scholar who was planning to enter the University of Florida and a determined Boy Scout striving to attain the rank of Eagle Scout.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1043161.html
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Park publishes plan to preserve logging town
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to preserve part of the historic Elkmont community in Tennessee.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090511/NEWS01/90511019/1311

Great Smoky Mountains celebrates 75 years as the 'people's park'
Does Congress know what's going on over here?
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/affordableamerica/2009-05-07-great-smoky-mountains_N.htm
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Maine National Parks in the News (Misc. Non Specific)
Maine from A to Z
Maine presents summer visitors with so much to do it's almost hard to keep track of it all. From the sea to the mountains, the restaurants to the museums, the historic homes to the parks and preserves, the Pine Tree State has a little bit of everything. What follows are twenty-six (at least) things to do and places to see, the best of Maine from A to Z.
http://www.downeast.com/node/4975
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Hiking news: Rocky Mountain National Park beetle mitigation work continues
Bark beetles continue to be active within Rocky Mountain National Park, impacting large numbers of conifer trees.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2520-Denver-Hi...-work-continues

Big Bend National Park News:
Big Bend Fiesta Rescheduled
Get out your calendars, The Big Bend Fiesta has a new date.
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=10342552&nav=menu505_2
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Everglades National Park News:
Everglades proposals: An easy-to-understand Q & A
(From Keys Net)Editor's note: We prepared this easy-to-understand question-and-answer guide to proposed changes in Everglades National Park's management plan based on published information and attendance at two comment sessions in the Upper Keys.
http://www.keysnet.com/news/story/101905.html

Anglers fret over Florida Bay regulations
Recreational fishing enthusiasts say they're worried they will lose access to the Everglades' Florida Bay because of proposals to preserve its seagrass.
http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/73226.html
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Spokesman: Bear spray illegal in park but...
As a result of the recent debate over the issue, I asked Great Smoky Mountains National Park spokesman Bob Miller to address the issue. Here's his e-mail doing that:
http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2009/05/spokesman_bear.shtml
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Glacier National Park News:
Perils of the chicken that crossed the road
Have you ever stood at the edge of a busy street and tried to cross? It can be a tough thing. Imagine then what it is like for a wild creature to try to cross busy highways.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/revelstoketimesreview/news/44736147.html
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Misc. National Parks News:
Senate backs allowing guns in national parks
The Senate on Tuesday backed an amendment that would allow people to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5itp2xFPxgQ4TTpiTFLZQrJpRTAXQD9850J380

Perspective: When people perish in national parks
We see the news stories and we shake our heads: Someone has died by accident in a national park. Surely that person must have done something foolish, we tell ourselves. Certainly he or she didn’t understand that the natural world can be a dangerous place.
http://www.examiner.com/x-682-National-P...-national-parks
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Outside the US/Canadian National Park News:
Life returns to Gorongosa
Devastated by two decades of war, a new conservation project is restoring Gorongosa to its former glory. And as the animals start to return, so too are the tourists
There was nothing remarkable about the couple sitting poolside, thumbing through their paperbacks and nursing their drinks. They were pale, middle-aged, their pink noses dabbed with sunscreen. When the husband rose to do a few laps, his wife turned her attention to a few bright, jewelled birds trilling in the nearby trees.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/may/13/mozambique-safaris-gorongosa-wildlife
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Crews rescue injured man at national park in Colo.
Rangers have rescued a 57-year-old man who fell while mountaineering in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park and spent 24 hours lying at the base of a glacier before being found.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hR8mdXghZHOwukI-mhCYnZnH8JTQD9855Q680
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Saguaro National Park News:
Group wants your vote for Saguaro National Park trail project
The Arizona Trail Association is requesting help in winning a $50,000 grant for a trail project in Saguaro National Park-Rincon Mountain District.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/116395.php
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Preparing for the 2009 Yellowstone Summer Season: Road closures
If it's summer in Yellowstone National Park, it's time to plan your routes partially based on the road closures.
http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/index.php?contentID=924&articleID=270

Six men cited for disturbing Old Faithful
Yellowstone National Park Service has cited six people for walking on Old Faithful after someone outside the park reported seeing them on a live park webcast.
http://www.kidk.com/news/local/44852427.html
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Denali National Park News:
Nasty weather doesn’t put damper on Denali Park bike ride
Even if there had been a grizzly bear digging up roots along Igloo Creek on the side of Denali Park Road on Sunday, I don’t think I would have been able to see it.
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/may/14/nasty-weather-doesnt-put-damper-drive-bike-ride-de/
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Everglades National Park News:
Wildfires threaten state
It's a race between rain and lightning. As wildfires ignite across bone-dry South Florida, there are signs that the rainy season may have started early.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-florida-wildfires-b051409,0,2366435.story
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Grand Teton National Park News:
Visitor Center brings life the Tetons (Beware Annoying Audio Ad)
JACKSON -- His paw didn't fit in the bison, the mule deer or the pronghorn.
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/05/13/features/open_spaces/2557a2bdc3f0f361872575b50065699b.txt
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Smokies get $64M in stimulus funds; 1,500 jobs to be created
GATLINBURG — The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will receive $64 million in federal stimulus money, with most of the funds going toward road work.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/14/smokies-park-gets-64m-federal-stimulus-money/
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Misc. National Park News:
Rangers, Conservation & Anti-Violence Groups‏ Seek National Park Gun Ban
Ranger, Conservation, and Violence Prevention Organizations Call on President Obama to Keep American Families, Wildlife Safe in National Parks.
In a letter sent to President Obama today, several national park ranger organizations, the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), The Humane Society of the United States, Violence Policy Center, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and the Legal Community Against Violence asked for the president’s help in stopping efforts to allow loaded rifles, shotguns, and semi-automatic weapons in America’s national parks—risking the safety of American families and wildlife.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may142009/park_gun_ban_5-14-09.php

What Do Guns and Credit Cards Have in Common? (Editorial)
Never underestimate the power and ingenuity of the gun lobby.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/05/what_do_guns_and_credit_cards.html

Senate okays loaded guns, semiautomatic weapons in Yellowstone
The U.S. Senate Tuesday passed an amendment allowing the legal holders of loaded guns, rifles and semiautomatic weapons to carry them into Yellowstone National Park as long as state and local law allowed it. The amendment to a bill restricting the rights of credit-card companies passed by a 67-29 margin, attracting 39 Republican votes, 27 Democratic votes and one independent vote.
http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/index.php?contentID=924&articleID=273
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Rocky Mountain National Park proposes more Longs Peak parking
Campground would be lost to parking-lot expansion
Rocky Mountain National Park proposes more Longs Peak BOULDER, Colo. — By mid-morning on Saturdays in July -- when the weather forecast is good -- the parking spaces at the cramped Longs Peak trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park have been full for hours and vehicles line the steep road leading up to the trail from the Peak to Peak Highway.
http://www.coloradodaily.com/news/2009/may/14/rocky-mountain-national-park-longs-peak-parking/

Man rescued after being blown off glacier in Rocky Mountain National Park
A 57-year-old man went through a harrowing ordeal this week in Rocky Mountain National Park after falling off a glacier.
http://www.skyhidailynews.com/article/20090512/NEWS/905129973/1079&ParentProfile=1067
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Bison hazed near Yellowstone National Park
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. (AP) More than 100 bison were hazed off Horse Butte Peninsula and into Yellowstone National Park on Thursday as part of an annual roundup to prevent the spread of brucellosis to Montana cattle.
http://cbs4denver.com/coloradowire/22.0....isonRoundup.xml

2 Yellowstone workers fired after watering geyser
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Two seasonal Yellowstone National Park concession workers have been fired after a live webcam caught them urinating into the Old Faithful geyser.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iNfrGcynNUWA7rGsrQD5hm33Pq5wD986AACO0

APHIS official: Brucellosis-free zone could help beat disease
Declaring the United States — except for the region just outside Yellowstone National Park — free of brucellosis could be a key to finally eradicating the disease, a federal APHIS official told Wyoming legislators meeting in Powell on Wednesday.
http://powelltribune.com/index.php/content/view/990/1/

Glacier National Park News:
Avalanche damage assessed on Glacier's Sun Road
Glacier National Park officials say a large avalanche that slid 4,000 vertical feet and across the historic Going-to-the-Sun Road in January has caused much less damage than expected.
http://www.kpax.com/Global/story.asp?S=10373141
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Bodies of 2 hikers swept away in Colo. River found
The bodies of two hikers who attempted to swim across the Colorado River have been found two weeks after authorities recovered the body of a teen who was part of the group.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hADJ2VDCt70T3A3j2zU0gpKLuz7wD986UG4O1
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Misc. National Park News:
Credit Card Reform Should Not Come Through a Gun Barrel (Editors Notes...(1) Already reported. (2) regardless of how you feel about guns being allowed in the park, this DOES seem like a bit of an interesting way to put allow them there and highlights how our legislative system works).
This past week, an amendment to allow guns in national parks and wildlife refuges was attached to the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights in the U.S. Senate, reversing a restriction that has been in place since the Reagan presidency. The bill is expected to come back for a vote before the House of Representatives early next week.
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index....03&Itemid=1
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Backcountry skiers who saved Loveland climber remain modest about role in rescue
Joe Gartner and Scott McCoy skied into the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park Tuesday at just the right time to help a 57-year-old Loveland man hurt in a fall.
http://www.reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?ID=23142
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone webcam catches vandals using Old Faithful as urinal (Follow-up from yesterday...LOL, I know I have said that I post it all, but this almost takes the cake).
Two concession workers at Yellowstone National Park have been fired after a webcam – installed to broadcast live streaming video of the famous Old Faithful geyser around the clock – caught them urinating into the geyser between eruptions. A park spokesman said one of the fired employees was also fined $750, placed on three years of probation and banned from Yellowstone for two years. The other employee's case is still pending.
http://ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/ar...-as-urinal.aspx

As usual, lots of news in the National Parks today. I am particularly interested in the theme of human-wildlife problems that are occurring in the Yellowstone region. Having said that, it is a theme that is obviously going throughout the entire parks news today.

-JM



Everglades National Park News:
Florida Bay proposals would restrict boating
Everglades National Park officials say powerboats have damaged seagrass that supports animal life. The fishing community is concerned the measures go too far.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-everglades17-2009may17,0,2673372.story
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Glacier National Park News:
Glacier NP avalanche not as bad as first thought
A large-scale slab avalanche that slid over 4,000 feet from the Continental Divide across the west side of the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park caused less damaged than park officials initially thought.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=10374504&nav=menu227_8
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Spring Prescribed Burns at Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park has completed two of three South Rim prescribed fires planned for this spring. Firefighters completed ignition of the 222 acre Picnic Prescribed Fire on Wednesday, May 13, and the 319 acre Quarry Prescribed Fire on Friday, May 15, 2009.
http://www.naztoday.com/news/local-news/2009/05/spring-prescribed-burns-at-grand-canyon/
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Grand Teton National Park News:
Tucked at the base of the imposing snaggletooth peaks of the Teton Range lies a patch of protected land that once served as a Rockefeller family retreat. Here, elk wander through sagebrush meadows, bald eagles fish for cutthroat trout, and marmots sunbathe on rocks alongside peaceful, meandering trails.
http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us...natural_appeal/
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Museum exhibit chronicles start of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
In 1935 the National Park Service received a list of suggestions to draw tourists to the new Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/17/museum-exhibit-chronicles-park-start/

Once more ... with feeling; Alexander rehearses for Cades Cove performance
Under the stage lights of the Tennessee Theatre, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander was taking it from the top.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090516/NEWS/305169984
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Misc. National Parks News:
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn gun measure draws fire from foes
Opponents say U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn’s efforts to change decades-old rules for national parks could lead to loaded guns, even assault weapons, in some of the nation’s most sacred sites.
http://newsok.com/coburn-gun-measure-draws-fire-from-foes/article/3370160
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Outside the US/Canadian National Park System News:
PATAGONIA ON ICE: Peninsula couple embark on a remote and breathtaking hike through an ecological jewel
Peninsula couple embark on a remote and breathtaking hike through an ecological jewel
Notorious for its chronically temperamental weather whipped up by westerly zephyrs, endless hours of grueling overland travel, and some of the most impressive granite massifs in the world, Patagonia couldn't escape David's and my adventure radar.
http://www.montereyherald.com/entertainment/ci_12390052
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Theodore Roosevelt National Park News:
Dorgan puts foot down on elk plan
If the National Park Service doesn’t use what Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., considers “common sense” in determining its elk management plan for Theodore Roosevelt National Park, he will introduce legislation to force them to.
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/articles/index.cfm?id=23159&section=News
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone workers to kill problem wolf
Yellowstone National Park wildlife officials say a wolf that has chased people on bicycles and motorcycles on several occasions will have to be killed.
http://www.kxmc.com/News/377189.asp

Ask Lonely Planet: Wonders of Yellowstone
Can you tell me what sort of tours there are in Yellowstone National Park in California, or is it better to hire a car and do it ourselves? Also, how long should we allow for a visit?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10572092

Livestock Interests Haze Bison off of Horse Butte
WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA: The Montana Department of Livestock initiated full-scale hazing operations today to force wild bison off of cattle-free Horse Butte and surrounding public lands on the Gallatin National Forest.
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/news_livestock_interests_haze_bison_off_of_horse_butte/C37/L37/
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Yosemite National Park News:
Springtime in Yosemite
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Often called "The Incomparable Valley," Yosemite is a wonder to behold and a must-see in the National Park System.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705304473,00.html

Grand Canyon National Park News:
Services set for student in Canyon drowning
Funeral services for one of three young men who drowned in the Colorado River during a church-sponsored trip to Grand Canyon National Park last month will be held Monday, according to Marcus Williams, athletic director at Williams Field High School.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/139320
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone bison hazed to meet deadline
Bison advocates are decrying this month's hazing of bison back into Yellowstone National Park, but officials of the agencies involved in the work say they've been more lenient than ever before.
http://www.casperstartribune.net/article...5b800210812.txt

Property owner frustrated by bison hazing outside Yellowstone Park
Rob Galanis said he is personally frustrated with state and federal agencies’ management of a portion of Yellowstone National Park’s migrating bison that he hoped to give sanctuary.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/17/bnews/br38.txt

Famous Painted Buffalo To Roam Free for One Last Summer
Whether you’re a long-time fan or you just “herd” of this recently, there is an attraction about to make its way through West Yellowstone for the last time. Don’t worry, you’ve still got a while to see it. I mean I don’t want you to cause a stampede or anything.
http://montanawithkids.com/yellowstone/2...ne-last-summer/

Everglades National Park News:
Bill aims to keep Everglades free of exotic pets (Note - odd formatting. Follow article to bottom)
Water managers dispatched two experts to Washington, D.C., recently to back a controversial congressional bill targeting an Everglades problem that seems to get bigger every year.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/68340.html

Tropical invaders become growing problem in Florida
Water managers dispatched two experts to Washington, D.C., recently to back a controversial congressional bill targeting an Everglades problem that seems to get bigger every year.
http://www.bradenton.com/news/breaking_news/story/1446831.html

Boaters, park officials clash over rules restricting use of fragile Florida Bay shallows
A decade of chasing tarpon and snook through Florida Bay's teal waters has taught Rob Clift the tricks to navigating this 600-square-mile lagoon off the southern tip of Florida where the Everglades bleed into the ocean. The bay is so shallow that a strong northeast wind in a low tide can virtually drain it, so judging depth is the key. Clift, a former guide, reads the surface for clues: mangrove seedlings, wading birds, subtle changes in color.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/local_news/epaper/2009/05/17/0517floridabay.html
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Glacier National Park News:
100-year avalanche damages Sun Road
A "once-in-a-century" avalanche wiped out 550 feet of guard wall along the Going-to-the-Sun Road just west of the Continental Divide, Glacier National Park officials said last week.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article...amages+Sun+Road
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Festival strengthens native Brook Trout, reels in tourism
Troutfest 2009 reeled in thousands of fishing enthusiasts to Townsend for the largest turnout in the event's history. The event nets dollars for Brook Trout restoration and dips another line in the water for tourists to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=87934&catid=2

Opening of new Dolly Parton musical raises $102K
The premiere of Dolly Parton's new musical "Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke" at Dollywood raised $102.000 for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to Friends of the Smokies, a group dedicated to serving the national park. Parton wrote eight tunes for the show, which traces the history of the mountains -- from its first settlers to the government declaring it a national park.
http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/archives/2009/05/opening_of_new.shtml
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Misc. National Park News:
Calif. condor deaths shows lead still a problem
PINNACLES NATIONAL MONUMENT, Calif. (AP) — No. 286 had been a hopeful sign in this park's California condor restoration effort. Hatched in a zoo seven years ago, he was the old man of the program, living wild and nearly ready to breed.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h_ms73CGXSchhWvJCljFM_lmFClwD98981LO1

Pack up the kids for an economical family vacation
Learn to spin wool and make candles. Spend a night in a tree house. Go gold panning out West or visit the nation's capital in the East. Loll on a palm-sheltered beach on an exotic island. • These are just some of the things families can do on their summer vacations this year.
http://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/article1000389.ece


Park Service to consider more biking, walking and public transportation today
Will there be more walking, bicycling and public transportation options within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area?
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090518/NEWS/90518012/-1/NEWS01

Interior Secretary Salazar should do more to protect Utah parks (Editorial)
Once again, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has made a decision on public-lands protection that residents of the Western Slope should celebrate.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/opinion/stories/2009/05/18/051909_6A_grant_column.html
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Utah State (Misc. Non Specific) NP News:
It's official: The world's greatest arches are in Utah
Geologic spans » State is home to six of the 10 longest.
Rumors that a great arch in China could put southern Utah's natural wonders in the shade have fallen to a real-world truth: Utah rules!
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12398725
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone bison didn't cross CUT land
A piece of land north of Yellowstone National Park that's meant to serve as a pressure valve for bison leaving the park in the winter went unused during its first season under lease.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/19/news/mtregional/znews18.txt

Denali National Park News:
Into the wild, open places
The grizzly bears, mountain salmon and rugged wilderness of Alaska give Jeff Wise new respect for nature.
http://www.theage.com.au/travel/into-the-wild-open-places-20090514-b49m.html
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Utah State National Parks (Misc. Non Specific)
Hiking season 2009: The first 100 miles
It's not even summer yet and the mileage count is climbing. A dry winter and a warm spring created a lot of opportunities for early hiking this year.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2520-Denver-Hi...first-100-Miles
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone plans sobriety checkpoints
Rangers at Yellowstone National Park will be conducting safety and sobriety checkpoints inside the park over Memorial Day weekend.
http://www.ktvq.com/Global/story.asp?S=10386908
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Is Mountain Salmon a new species?

Hey David,

I don't think so. I did a google search and came across a couple of references, but I don't know why the distinction after reading it.

James

Acadia National Park News:
Bar Harbor Cheat Sheet
It's not quite white pants weather, but with Memorial Day around the corner I'm ready for some seasonal escapes. I got a taste of summertime this past weekend when I took a little father-daughter trip up to Acadia National Park.
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/blogs/80days/2009/05/bar-harbor-cheat-sheet.html
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Big Bend National Park News:
Plant replacement
Big Bend National Park proposes to replace the existing wastewater treatment plant that serves the Chisos Basin development. The project is to ensure sewage treatment that meets public health and environmental protection standards and requirements.
http://www.oaoa.com/news/plant-31154-treatment-northwest.html

The ultimate escape - the Big Bend region
The Big Bend region is the far-flung country, the all-but-deserted yet incredibly beautiful area of mountains and desert, following the Rio Grande River. In the fifth of our six-part series, Dick Alton gets away from it all…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/tra...end-region.html
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Astronomers Present Free Star Programs at Grand Canyon National Park
The nineteenth annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held from Saturday, June 13 through Saturday, June 20, 2009 on the South and North Rims of Grand Canyon National Park.
http://www.naztoday.com/ae/2009/05/astro...-national-park/
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Misc. National Park News:
Scenic places: Voters can choose best sites to stand on Earth
A southern Utah scenic wonder is among the greatest places to stand on Earth. But is it the greatest?
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705305474/Monument-Valley-Place-to-stand.html

The Cynical Gun Debate (Editorial)
The most extreme version of a bill to allow guns back in national parks overturns a Reagan-era rule.
Here’s some of what pending credit card reform legislation could do for American consumers:
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_cynical_gun_debate/C37/L37/
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Outside the US/Canadian Parks System:
Paper company threatens Indonesian orangutans
One of the world's largest paper companies plans to clear a large swath of unprotected forest in Indonesia being used as a sanctuary for critically endangered orangutans, according to environmental groups working in the area.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hNqpaBEHXVgs5CkXC6Tkdol690SAD989B83O1
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone workers killed problem wolf
Yellowstone National Park wildlife officials say they have killed a wolf that chased people on bicycles and motorcycles on several occasions.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12410910

Yellowstone NP gearing up for tourism season
Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner and Yellowstone National Park is gearing up for the season.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=10395292
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Yosemite National Park News:
German woman missing in Yosemite's Merced River
A swift-moving Merced River is hampering divers searching for a German woman last seen below the Vernal Fall footbridge.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12405663

Denali National Park News:
Colo. climber missing on Alaska's Mount McKinley
The National Park Service says an aerial crew is looking for a Colorado climber missing on Alaska's Mount McKinley.
http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_12424258
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Everglades National Park News:
Anglers, guides help track rare sawfish
George Burgess lay on the bow of his pitching skiff holding on for dear life to a rope tied to a lethal, double-toothed saw slicing the air. The slashing weapon was attached to the 12 ½-foot-long, very much alive, sandpaper-like body of perhaps the rarest marine species in the U.S. -- the small-tooth sawfish.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/1058236.html
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Glacier National Park News:
Going-to-the-Sun plowing on track
Glacier National Park road crews say they are about right on schedule with the plowing of the Going to the Sun Road with three miles to go until Logan Pass.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=10406331
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
A Grand Canyon caper: 'Double crossers' run rim to rim to rim
Last month Branch Brady, a retired CMR High School cross country coach; Bob Gordon, a semi-retired commercial airline pilot from Southern California and a former University of Wisconsin running teammate of Brady's and I, retired Tribune photographer Stu White, met on the south rim of the Grand Canyon and completed an R2R2R — a rim to rim to rim double crossing of the Grand Canyon.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090521/LIFESTYLE05/905210311
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Bears in Paradise Remain Dangerous
Black bears are often funny to watch. Sadly, people without knowledge of bears tend to consider them big clowns. I once watched a man in Canada watch several bears playing in a city dump. A bear cub climbed up a dead tree and the less than intelligent man stepped out of his car and poked the baby with a stick.
http://kctribune.com/article/KC_News_Features/KCTribune/Bears_in_Paradise_Remain_Dangerous/18849

Ramsey Cascades Trail partially closed
The Ramsey Cascades Trail in the Greenbrier area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be partially closed next Thursday, May 28, to replace a water crossing.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/21/ramsey-cascades-trail-partially-closed/

National Forests close caves over bat disease
Half-million die amid spread of mysterious ailment
National Forests throughout the Southeastern U.S. - including the Cherokee National Forest in East Tennessee - have closed most of their caves and mines because of the spread of a mysterious disease that already has killed an estimated half-million bats.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/22/national-forests-close-caves-over-bat-disease/
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Misc. National Park News:
Search is on for California condor shooters
The recent shootings of two endangered California condors have prompted a statewide manhunt for the shotgun-wielding poachers.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/21/BA9T17OOAU.DTL

Former Teton ranger wins national award (Not really about GTNP)
A ranger who ushered in the era of helicopter rescues in the Teton Range won the prestigious Harry Yount National Park Ranger Award, the National Park Service said Wednesday.
http://www.jhguide.com/article.php?art_id=4621
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Outside the US/Canadian Parks System:
Extra rangers for national park
Extra rangers will be on patrol in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park this summer as it prepares to welcome millions of visitors.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8063296.stm
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Duo pulls ace out of parka sleeves to save fallen hiker
Two friends out skiing where most people don’t go in Rocky Mountain National Park on a day most people wouldn’t go there gave a fallen hiker a new lease on life last week. The hiker, recovering in ICU with a broken pelvis and frostbite, clearly thinks Joe Gartner and Scott McCoy are aces.
http://www.eptrail.com/news/2009/may/20/duo-pulls/
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Connecting the DOTs: Yellowstone summit focuses on transportation
Efforts in the Greater Yellowstone area to create an effective regional transportation system was central focus a meeting of mayors, transportation officials and residents gathered in Jackson Hole today.
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm...-transportation
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Yosemite National Park News:
Yosemite crowds expected to be thick this weekend
Roads at higher elevations, including Tioga Pass, are open to travelers.
With its waterfalls at their most beautiful, and wildflowers everywhere, Yosemite National Park will host hordes of people over Memorial Day weekend.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/857936.html

Taking to the road for holiday weekend
Lower gas prices and travel bargains mean more people taking trips this Memorial Day holiday.
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/711945.html

Denali National Park News:
Search continues for missing climber
The search continued Friday night for missing climber Gerald Myers of Centennial Colorado.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10413393

Denali rangers arrest man threatening to kill people
BUS OUTBURST: Man said he wanted to die and to kill others.
Visitors at a Denali National Park and Preserve visitor center had a close wildlife encounter Thursday morning when a man began screaming and threatening to kill people, according to charges filed in federal court.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/805375.html

Bold wolf puts brakes on Denali Park bicyclists
Just in time for the start of the Alaska tourist season, a wolf with a taste for Gatorade and mountain bikes is cruising the road in Denali National Park and Preserve.
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/may/22/bold-wolf-puts-brakes-denali-park-bicyclists/
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Glacier National Park News:
Conservation effort targets Montana hotel guests
People checking in at some Montana hotels and other lodging establishments will be asked whether they care to contribute a dollar or two to help conserve part of the landscape that draws tourists here by the millions.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09143/968242-37.stm

UM launches e-magazine on Crown of the Continent research
Directly north of The University of Montana lie the scenic peaks, glaciated valleys and postcard-perfect scenery that constitute the Crown of the Continent ecosystem - what some call “The Backbone of the World.”
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/22/bnews/br74.txt
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Grand Canyon National Park is looking for your comments on mule operations and stock use in the park
The National Park Service would like to hear your thoughts on the mule operations and stock use in the Grand Canyon. There will be two opportunities to make comments once during initial project scoping and again following release of the environmental assessment which is expected in fall 2009.
http://www.examiner.com/x-5374-Phoenix-G...use-in-the-park
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Grand Teton National Park News:
Officials urge caution with fire
This is not your typical visitor center.
Grand Teton National Park's Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center is a 22,000-square-foot building with a jagged roof line mimicking the peaks rising above it. It opened in August 2007 and is, two years later, an attraction all by itself.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/05/22/news/wyoming/21-visitorcenter.txt
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
April visits to Smokies up 22.6% over 2008
April marks the start of camping season - and at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the season is off to a fast start.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/23/april-visits-to-smokies-up-226-over-2008/
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Lassen National Park News:
Lassen National Park has new visitor center
Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California will enter its first full season with a new visitor center at the park's south entrance.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2009/05/lassen_national_park_has_new_v.html
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Misc. National Park News:
Govt: Guns barred from national parks until Feb.
Not so fast, gun owners. A new law allowing loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges will not take effect until next year, the Obama administration said Friday.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5itp2xFPxgQ4TTpiTFLZQrJpRTAXQD98BHRL81

National Parks Gun Law Takes Effect in February
A new law permitting concealed loaded firearms at National Parks will not take effect until February and the Interior Department will continue to enforce Reagan-era restrictions until then, a spokeswoman said today.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal...ml?hpid=topnews

10 Things National Parks Won't Tell You
http://www.smartmoney.com/Spending/Travel/10-Things-National-Parks-Won-t-Tell/

Families are vacationing, but they're looking for good deals
Forget that "staycation" nonsense.
After getting kicked to the curb by $4-a-gallon gas last summer and then worn down by a yearlong recession, weary Americans are looking for a break this summer — even if it’s just a quick getaway.
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1392046.html
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Sequoia National Park News:
Caves: G-rated fun in the dark
You're either a cave person or you're not (an enthusiast, not Barney Rubble). A colleague once queried: "If caves are the bowels of the Earth, what does that make the people who go in them?" It's recreation for people who want more than "off the beaten path" - they want "under the beaten path."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/22/TRP517E687.DTL
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Construction will cause Yellowstone road closures and delays this summer (Note annoying audio commercial)
CODY Motorists in Yellowstone National Park should expect summer travel delays because of road construction, including a rare closure to through traffic along a major road segment between mid-August and mid-December.
http://www.casperstartribune.net/article...5bd007f1f1e.txt
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Zion National Park News:
Seniors off to Zion
The Pahrump Senior Center (Note - Near Death Valley NP) is once again sponsoring a day trip, this time to Zion National Park.
http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2009/May-22-Fri-2009/news/28896027.html

Everglades National Park News:
HOT TOPIC: EVERGLADES REPAIR
Raising Tamiami Trail a bridge to restoration for river of grass
Opponents may call it the environmental bridge to nowhere, but raising Tamiami Trail is a bridge to the future and a critical first step to restoring the Everglades.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2009/05/24/sundaywebletters_0525.html
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Glacier National Park News:
Let the hiking begin: New maps are out
New close-detail maps of Glacier National Park and the North Fork of the Flathead River await hikers this spring.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/24/news/mtregional/news09.txt

Glacier Park announces concessionaire openings
Glacier National Park officials have announced the 2009 operating dates for park concessionaires.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090523/NEWS01/905230315

Most Roads and Recreational Opportunities Open for the Weekend at Montana's National Parks
If your planning on traveling to a national park this weekend, Glacier National Park says more recreational opportunities are now open for the season.
http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/45926992.html
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Grand Canyon fraught with peril
Frank Poole worked out at a gym and hiked around his Mississippi home carrying a weighted pack for months in preparation for his trip to the Grand Canyon.
http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1166905

Grand Canyon Association Announces the First Annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art
Sedona, AZ: The Grand Canyon Association announced a historic art event at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park - the first annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art taking place September 14-19.
http://www.gatewaytosedona.com/article/id/2197/page/1
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Grand Teton National Park News:
Ample snowpack leads to healthy Jackson Lake flow
Hydrologists expect ample releases from Jackson Lake Dam in Grand Teton National Park now that above-average mountain snowpack is melting in earnest.
http://www.kxmc.com/News/379641.asp
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Misc. National Park News:
'You can carry but you can't shoot' (Note - almost placed in Glacier NP area...but it is really generalized)
Legislation that will clear the way for the public to carry loaded firearms in national parks will have unintended consequences, Glacier National Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright predicts.
http://dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/05/23/news/local_montana/news_8756950683_02.txt

A Modest Proposal To Permit Everyone To Carry Guns In Public Buildings (Editorial)
Amid the welter of depressing news about the Great Recession, the Taliban's successes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a new rash of bombings in Iraq, there is a single bright spot.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-goodman/a-modest-proposal-to-perm_b_207083.html
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Northern Cascades National Park News:
Fish stocking might end in North Cascades National Park
The mountain lakes in the backcountry of Washington state's North Cascades National Park are still covered in ice. The thaw usually doesn't come until early July. This year, however, a deadline comes along with the thaw.
http://www.kansascity.com/444/story/1213787.html
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Restoration group: Rockies need wolves
Tired of waiting for federal action, a group that advocates restoring wolves to the Southern Rockies is trying to build interest among elected officials and others in the region.
http://durangoherald.com/sections/News/2009/05/23/Restoration_group_Rockies_need_wolves/
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone roads open for Memorial Day weekend
Yellowstone National Park managers said Friday that all major roads leading to and within the park are open for the Memorial Day weekend.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090523/NEWS01/905230313

Weekly report from the USFWS has details about the government killing of YNP wolf
A wolf that had become habituated to people and chased bicyclists on more than one occasion was euthanized Tuesday morning by Yellowstone National Park staff along Fountain Flat Drive. The yearling male wolf from the Gibbon Meadow Pack was first sighted in the vicinity of Midway Geyser Basin in March 2009.
http://wolves.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/wyoming-wolf-update-including-yellowstone-park/

National Trails Day full of opportunities for hikers
In May, winter still clings tight to most popular hiking areas in the northern Rockies such as Glacier, Frank Church, Wind Rivers, Bitterroots, and Absaroka-Beartooth.
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/yellowstone_spring_hiking_hot_spot/C41/L41/

Geology group treated to rare pool explosion
Yellowstone National Park geologist Hank Heasler was lecturing a group of colleagues in Biscuit Basin on the rarity of hydrothermal explosions last week when – Boom!
http://www.jacksonholenews.com/article.php?art_id=4624

Acadia National Park News:
At home with the idea of Vacationland
OLD ORCHARD BEACH -- Bob Scott was doing his best to slap a coat of tangerine-colored paint on the deck chairs in front of Sheila's General Store.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/6378965.html
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Denali National Park News:
Search continues in Alaska for missing Colo. climber
A Denali National Park spokesperson says they are still holding out hope of finding missing climber Gerald Myers and will continue searching on Monday.
http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=116310&catid=346
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Glacier National Park News:
Plowing on schedule for Glacier's Sun Road
Crews at Glacier National Park say plowing Going to the Sun Road is about on schedule. They have about three miles left before reaching Logan Pass.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/05/24/news/state/40-weather.txt
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
If you're into stars, it's time to party
Summer's coming on, and it's star party time in the Great Southwest.
http://durangoherald.com/sections/Featur..._time_to_party/
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Park looking for man; apparent drowning occurs at Abrams Falls
Park rangers and rescue personnel were searching for a 20-year-old man Sunday night who apparently drowned at Abrams Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090525/NEWS/305259967
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Joshua Tree National Park News:
Hikers rescued from wildfire in Joshua Tree National Park
Twelve hikers trapped at Joshua Tree National Park were airlifted to safety today as a 100-acre wildfire burned in rugged terrain near the park’s historic Lost Horse Mine.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/20...ional-park.html
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Misc. National Park News:
America's crown jewels - her national parks
Spare tires? Check
Spare parts to rebuild the bikes? Check
http://www.examiner.com/x-6098-Boise-Int...-national-parks
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Outside the US/Canadian Parks System:
Afghan gov't decorates first ever National Park
The government of Afghanistan has been endeavoring to decorate the first ever National Park in the war-torn country to welcome tourists, a local newspaper reported on Monday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/25/content_11431945.htm

Army to beef up security in Elgon National Park
The UPDF plans to reinforce deployment at conflict-prone areas on Mt. Elgon National Park.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/17/682390

Komodo dragon attacks terrorize Indonesia villages
Komodo dragons have shark-like teeth and poisonous venom that can kill a person within hours of a bite. Yet villagers who have lived for generations alongside the world's largest lizard were not afraid — until the dragons started to attack.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ikgxoF5rVf9n42E97dkd1AA_tCmQD98CUHK00
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Global Warming Hurting Trees & Grizzly Bears in Yellowstone
Whitebark pine is a rugged, tough, resilient, beautiful tree that inhabits the high country of the Northern Rockies. Whitebark pine is typically the last tree one sees before going above timberline. Whitebark pine seeds - or pine nuts - feed Clark's nutcracker birds, red squirrels, and grizzly bears.
http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/op...ne-r-1243208461

Is an Eruption Brewing at Yellowstone National Park?
A swarm of earthquakes is one sign that an eruption may be brewing and last winter Yellowstone National Park was rocked by a rash of tremors.
http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/45966532.html

Looks like a quiet news day following the holiday.

-JM


Acadia National Park News:
Bar Harbor tourism outlook rosy
The skies over Bar Harbor turned overcast Saturday, but the outlook for many of the businesses here was decidedly rosy.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/106842.html


Denali National Park News:
Bold wolf taunts park cyclists
Man leaves bike behind at Mile 55 on Denali preserve road; animal uses it as chew toy
A bold wolf has been surprising bicyclists along the road into Denali National Park and Preserve.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/052509/sta_443651283.shtml

Park Service employee found dead in Denali
The National Park Service in Denali is dealing with death of a summer employee.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10417769


Saguaro National Park News:
Bonnie Henry: Seeing how desert's changed
Repeat photography provides startling comparisons between landscapes over time
Call it the law of unintended consequences. For decades, botanist Ray Turner repeatedly took photos over the years of the same desert landscapes — everything from saguaros to palo verdes, creosote to creek banks.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/294276

Denali National Park News:
Park service calls off search for climber missing on McKinley
PRESUMED DEAD: Colorado doctor, 41, last seen on thursday.
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/808934.html

Entry period for Denali Park Road Lottery moved to June
The application period for the Denali Park Road Lottery was moved up a month this year, and for the first time people will be able to apply online.
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/may/27/entry-period-denali-park-road-lottery-moved-june/
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Glacier National Park News:
Glacier NP head backing wilderness designation
Glacier National Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright is trying to tell everyone that he can about an issue he calls near and dear to his heart, designating about 90 percent of the park as wilderness.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=10422362&nav=menu227_4

Four Decades of Mark Ogle
It is a strange path, this art path. Mark Ogle has been negotiating it for nearly 40 years. Each day he stumbles upon new clues as to where the path might be leading and, perhaps more importantly, how it has brought him here. The question is as practical as it is philosophical, and it raises another query. As an artist from birth, could he have ever really chosen a different path?
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/four_decades_of_mark_ogle/10625/

Going To The Sun plowing right on schedule
Glacier National Park road crews say they are about right on schedule with the plowing of the Going To The Sun Road with only three miles to go until Logan Pass.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=10406331&nav=menu227_4
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Classic cars turn Grand Canyon museum into more than an air show
There’s more to the Planes of Fame Air Museum than a collection of historic aircraft, though for most visitors those planes are the reason for stopping here on their way to or from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
http://apps.detnews.com/apps/joyrides/index.php?id=790
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Grand Teton National Park News:
Teton, Yellowstone among most visited
Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks made this year’s list of the 10 most visited national parks, according to National Park Service statistics.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=4630

Gros Ventre Campground EA Open for Review
Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott announced today that the Gros Ventre Campground Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect (EA/AEF) is now available for public review. Public comments will be accepted on the EA/AEF for 30 days, from May 26 to June 25, 2009.
http://gtnpnews.blogspot.com/2009/05/gros-ventre-campground-ea-available-for.html
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Missing Penn State student's body found in Smokies
Authorities in Tennessee say they've recovered the body of a 20-year-old Penn State student believed to have drowned in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5grHBR2taTVL085BdtXK0EPEbQ99AD98DFERG0

Traffic terrific for June fireflies show in Smokies, trollies to carry viewers to Elkmont
Synchronous fireflies will soon be putting on their show in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and officials have plans to handle the traffic.
http://www.whnt.com/news/sns-ap-tn--synchronousfireflies,0,4136033.story

Regional Briefs: Body of man is recovered below falls
The body of a man believed to have drowned has been recovered in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/may/26/body-of-man-is-recovered-below-falls/

Former residents of Great Smoky Mountains to tell stories of life before the park
Gatlinburg is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with an event featuring people affected by the land purchase between Tennessee and North Carolina.
http://www.wreg.com/sns-ap-tn--smokiesmemories,0,5737286.story
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Joshua Tree National Park News:
Fire in Joshua Tree National Park is 80% contained
The blaze in the western reaches of the park forces the airlift rescue of a group of hikers stranded on a trail.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-joshua26-2009may26,0,1706174.story
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Misc. National Park News:
Working Out the Details of Guns in National Parks
Guns tend to bring out a black-or-white, yes-or-no stridency in American policy debate. Guns are bad. Guns are good. Guns are dangerous. Guns keep you safe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/27guns.html?ref=global-home
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North Cascades National Park News:
Deadline looms over stocking fish in North Cascades National Park
The mountain lakes in the backcounty of Washington state's North Cascades National Park are still covered in ice. The thaw usually doesn't come until early July. This year, however, a deadline comes along with the thaw.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/753603.html
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Outside the US/Canadian National Park System:
'Error' in planned park boundary
A mapping mistake could have led to part of Brighton being left out of the new South Downs National Park, the city council has said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8069662.stm

Antigua's 'Mount Obama' to be national park
Antigua plans to do more than just rename its highest peak to honor President Barack Obama.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hsY4UIwbd8NllHORBvhjCRpttEnQD98E4MIG0
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Yosemite National Park News:
Nature's classroom looks to expand: Yosemite Institute plans upgrade
Most classrooms have chalk, desks and bulletin boards.
Only one has thundering waterfalls, massive granite rock formations and tranquil green meadows.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12447914

Grand Canyon National Park News:
Glowing about your recent Grand Canyon trip? Uranium mining could literally do the trick
Nothing says Wild West, summer road-trip, vacation with the kids quite like dipping a gold pan in a chilly Rocky Mountain stream, taking a burro ride along a dusty mining trail, or sifting for fool’s gold in a sluice box. But a new twist this summer could be rollicking in the yellow-cake uranium at one of eight new claims near the Grand Canyon.
http://www.realvail.com/TheOReport/748/G...-the-trick.html

Old-growth Logging Project Near Grand Canyon Halted in Victory for Conservation and Goshawks
For the second time in a decade, the Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club have halted a U.S. Forest Service plan to log old-growth forests north of Grand Canyon. The Kaibab National Forest reversed its approval of the 26,000-acre Jacob Ryan timber sale, first planned in 1998, admitting in a letter received by the Center this weekend that, “The decision and analysis do not demonstrate compliance with direction in the Kaibab Forest Plan, agency policy, direction and supporting information regarding cumulative effects, and 1996 northern goshawk requirements.”
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/jacob-ryan-05-26-2009.html
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Synchronous fireflies set to reappear at Elkmont
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is gearing up for an expected influx of visitors to view the yearly appearance of synchronous fireflies at Elkmont.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090527/NEWS/305279984
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Misc. Parks News:
Lead shot on the outs (Almost placed in YSNP)
Golden grass strands highlighted with the crisp morning sun conceal an anxious hunter as he squeezes the trigger of his Winchester .243-caliber rifle.
http://www.subletteexaminer.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=1170
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Once Hunted to Extinction at Yellowstone, Wolves Now Big Money Maker
The gray wolf has made a howling return to Yellowstone National Park. Eradicated by hunting in the 1920’s, 31 wolves from Canada were reintroduced to the park in the winter of 1995-96. Now at least 124 wolves in 12 packs roam the park’s 2.2 million-acres.
http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/46131037.html

Yellowstone reservations picking up; don't wait until the last minute
Three weeks ago reservations at Yellowstone National Park were wide open, as the National Park Service and concessionaire Xanterra were bracing themselves for a slow, slow summer.
http://www.yellowstoneinsider.com/index.php?contentID=924&articleID=282

Canyonlands National Park News:
An oil company has agreed to minimize the visual impact of drilling at scenic Hatch Point, which overlooks Canyonlands National Park.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/05/28/ap6477166.html
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Denali National Park News:
Visitor to Denali National Park dies
A 76-year-old California man died at Denali National Park of what appears to be natural causes.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12473077
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Everglades National Park News:
State wildlife officials propose bounty on pythons in Everglades
IN THE EVERGLADES — State officials are pushing a plan to put a bounty on the Burmese pythons that have invaded the Everglades.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/article1005180.ece
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Glacier National Park News:
Park rangers kill bear while trying to scare it away
Glacier National Park rangers accidentally killed a black bear last week as they attempted to scare the animal away by shooting off a cracker shell.
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Health/Park...0251/story.html
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
National Parks Comm. To Meet In Smokies
The National Parks Second Century Commission will conduct its fifth and final meeting at Great Smoky Mountains National Park on June 2-4.
http://www.greenevillesun.com/story/303818
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Olympic National Park News:
Biologists have confirmed the first fishers born in Washington since the animals, members of the weasel family, were reintroduced to the state two years ago.
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_newborn_fishers.html
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Cuyahoga Valley National Park News:
Cuyahoga Valley National Park holds free summer concerts
There will be free music — “Music in the Meadow — in Howe Meadow of Cuyahoga Valley National Park this summer.
http://www.cantonrep.com/announcements/x...summer-concerts
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Grand Canyon National Park News:
Park Rangers Narrow Search Area in Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Ariz., Grand Canyon National Park search and rescue personnel are now focusing their search for Robert A. Williams on the Hermit Basin area west of Grand Canyon Village.
http://www.naztoday.com/news/top-stories...-national-park/
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Rocky Mountain National Park News:
The high country melt: Conditions at Rocky Mountain National Park
As the temperature warms up, more hikers get excited to head for trails in the high country.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2520-Denver-Hi...n-National-Park
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Cuyahoga Valley National Park News:
Nature, history on view at Cuyahoga Valley National Park
By now, Ohio travelers should know about the renaissance of the Cuyahoga River, at least the section flowing through the beautiful valley between Akron and Cleveland.
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/con...1S.html?sid=101
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Everglades National Park News:
Python bounty idea needs work (Editorial)
Boy, talk about the stars aligning. The St. Pete Times reports that the feds are considering offering a bounty to rid Everglades National Park of pythons, which have the potential of decimating the native wildlife population.
http://blogs.theledger.com/default.asp?item=2383417
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Glacier National Park News:
In its early years, visitors would arrive at Glacier National Park on the Great Northern railway and travel throughout the park via stagecoach or horseback. With the advent of cars, rail and stagecoach, travel declined, but riding remained popular.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090529/SPECIALSECTION03/905280360
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Great Smoky Mountain National Park News:
Remnants of long-gone Smokies culture
Old homes, schools, cemeteries dot the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a rich history left behind by residents paid to leave.
http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/20090531_Remnants_of_long-gone_Smokies_culture.html
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Yellowstone National Park News:
Plan to move quarantined bison to Wyoming stalls
A high-profile initiative to spare a small number of Yellowstone bison from slaughter has been delayed until at least this fall, after a Wyoming Indian reservation reversed its plan to take the animals.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/05/30/news/wyoming/24-bison.txt
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