Part III - Misc. Park News through Mt. Rainier:

Misc. Parks

The Hiker's Guide to North America's Best National Parks
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=48885&cat=1
Luxury Adventure Vacations for Hiker's of All Levels

Young Americans losing touch with nation's natural wonders
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080526/COLUMNIST44/805260310/-1/NEWS32
THE GOOD news is that millions of Americans visit their national parks every year. The bad news is that so few of the visitors are young. Our national treasures - Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and all the rest, from Acadia to Zion – remain extremely popular tourist destinations, prompting legitimate concerns that we're loving our parks to death.

National park visitors may get to carry concealed firearms
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880525024
A proposed change in federal gun rules would allow people to carry concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges in states where such weapons are
permitted. The proposal is now open for public comment.

Where the Crowds Aren't: Less-Visited National Park Gems
http://www.kren.com/Global/story.asp?S=8358829
Abandon all hope, ye who drive to Yellowstone this summer. Most of the park's 3.1 million annual visitors don't leave their cars, giving rise to a local phenomenon: the wildlife jam. A stray bear or bison can instigate bumper-to-bumper congestion worthy of an L.A. freeway at rush hour.


Mount Rainier

Snow delays openings at Mount Rainier
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2004443296_nwwupdates29.html
Warmer weather has arrived, but parts of Mount Rainier National Park are still covered with lots of snow. Places that would normally open this month will not be
open for a few more weeks or longer, and visitors should expect snow at higher elevations even in areas open to the public.

Outstanding Volunteers Honored By National Park Service
http://media-newswire.com/release_1066425.html
WASHINGTON, DC th The sixth annual George B. Hartzog, Jr. Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service were presented on May 8 in Washington, DC. The National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and Take Pride in America® recognized the tremendous contributions of Dr. Jennifer Dow, the Flight 93 Volunteer Ambassadors, and the Mount Rainier National Park Volunteer Program.

Lake Washington Survey Reveals Diverse Fish Population
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1391481/lake_washington_survey_reveals_diverse_fish_population/
May 18--The results of a survey taken on Lake Washington revealed the huge urban basin is alive with a wide variety of fish.

Foothills towns want to complete mountain loop http://www.thenewstribune.com/331/story/373271.html
There are more views of Mount Rainier than drivers can possibly glimpse from the state’s current circuit of scenic byways.