Hi Everyone,

These are the headlines that I thought were interesting over the last couple of weeks. As always, if you see something, post it or send me a note for the next news letter.

Cheers,
James
________________

Acadia:

When pristineness attracts the crowds: "Eco-resort" stirs debate in Maine
WINTER HARBOR, Maine - More than an hour's drive from the bustle of Bar Harbor and the well-trodden trails of Mount Desert Island lies a secluded part of Acadia National Park. Here, the loudest sound is the surf as it crashes against the craggy granite rocks of the Schoodic Peninsula.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2008/11/when_pristineness_attracts_the.html

Residents of Maine town want to keep stars in their eyes
BAR HARBOR, Maine - On a clear night, the Milky Way cuts across the sky and down to the horizon like a celestial lightning bolt, a giant, luminescent spear shrouded in a graceful veil of back-lighted stardust.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/a...ostPop_Emailed7

Banff:

Banff's jewel-- the accidental ski hill
In 1981, Banff poet and mountain chronicler Jon Whyte wrote that downhill skiers notoriously have no sense of history--at least while they are being skiers.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c4edb405-7550-48ab-b255-7fad6e6d536d

Three autumn hikes in the Canadian Rockies
BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA — For beautiful blue-green lakes, snowy mountain vistas and fall foliage, Banff National Park can't be beat. Here are three trails to put on next fall's itinerary.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/travel/features/6124687.html

Banff: A winter star
Canada's Jasper and Banff National Parks shine in winter, when the chill draws skiers and explorers.
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/travel/34044209.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUqyE5D7UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Death Valley:

Abandoned mines a deadly hazard on public land
Here in ghostly Skidoo, the holes and tunnels are everywhere, nearly a thousand of them puncturing mountains and cratering the desert. Cold winds blow through darkened shafts. Bats flutter in and out at twilight.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/16/BA9V141KQ7.DTL

Death Valley: Winter’s Warm and Affordable Wonderland
f your ideal winter holiday includes bikinis over blizzards, golf clubs over ski clubs, and a suntan over a wind burn–not to mention savings over spending–consider California’s Death Valley National Park where hiking, swimming, golfing, and affordable fun are backed by temperate days and gorgeous eves.
http://blogs.glam.com/glamnest/2008/10/16/death-valley-winters-warm-and-affordable-wonderland/

Denali:

It's first come, first served on McKinley
National Park Service initiates limit of 1,500 climbers
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/598869.html

Judge says Iditarod winner guilty of moose kill in Denali
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A federal magistrate says four-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race winner Jeff King is guilty of illegally killing a moose inside Alaska's Denali National Park.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081105/DC5/811050358

Everglades:

Get close to alligators in the Everglades' Shark Valley Loop
The most exciting place to pedal a bicycle in Florida, if not the galaxy, is in Everglades National Park on the Shark Valley Loop. A bike path, it begins off the Tamiami Trail, halfway between Miami and Naples, and slithers 7 1/2 miles into the heart of the River of Grass. Then it circles back to where it began.
http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article918065.ece

Two meetings bring fisheries conservation to forefront
Fisheries conservation moves to the forefront this week with rulemaking bodies meeting concurrently in Key West and in Wilmington, N.C.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/outdoors/story/793032.html

GPS malfunctions cause Florida Bay problems
Some misread them, sometimes they misread
http://www.keysnet.com/news/story/39132.html

Volunteers enjoy helping to maintain Everglades National Park
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK - Retired Bell South training manager Dick Johnson stood in a remote wilderness campsite earlier this week , aiming the nozzle of a pressure washer at a wooden platform for a tent. A few yards away, his wife, Joyce, was scrubbing picnic tables, preparing for busloads of area elementary school students who soon will begin arriving for two-night stays through the winter.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-flparkvols1129xpnnov29,0,17706.story

Glacier:

Charges to be filed for Glacier Park elk shooting
WEST GLACIER — A bull elk is dead and a young Flathead Valley man is awaiting charges in what appears to have been a poaching case in Glacier National Park.
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2008/11/25/state/95st_081125_elk.txt

Jenna Otter returns to scene of grizzly bear attack
Three years after her father got between her body and the bear's jaws, Jenna Otter agrees to join him on a hike to the spot in Glacier National Park.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-jenna21-2008nov21,0,7358562.story

Glacier coffee shop gets historic status
The Daily Inter Lake. It may be just a coffee shop, but now it has the distinction of being on the National Historic Register.
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2008/11/19/news/local_montana/news07.txt

Glacier road in funding limbo
WEST GLACIER, Mont. (AP) - Reconstruction of Glacier National Park's historic Going-to-the-Sun Road will not be finished on schedule.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=9400785&nav=menu227_2

Proposed EPA rules may effect Glacier
Glacier National Park may have problems with air quality if new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules are passed.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=9393420&nav=menu227_7

Grand Canyon:

Grand Canyon park to close main North Rim road
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - The main roadway leading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is set to close for the winter on Monday.
http://www.kswt.com/Global/story.asp?S=9423593&nav=menu613_2_6

Small fire at Grand Canyon National Park
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - A small lightning-caused fire has been discovered on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=9292351

Report: Bad practices led to plague death
A U.S. government wildlife expert at the Grand Canyon who died from the plague after touching a dead cougar wasn't properly supervised, an agency report said.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2008/11/2...37831227214665/

Grand Teton:

Perfect Landing: Snake River Landing a new commerce epicenter
Watch out Grand Teton Mall, you’ve got serious competition on the horizon. Snake River Landing, an ambitious multi-use development encompassing 400 acres between the Snake River and the I-15 is headed into Idaho Falls.
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm...merce-epicenter

Slice of Americana amid autumn beauty
The American economy may be in a gloomy descent toward recession as the nation slogs through the final days of a bitterly divisive presidential election, but it was hard to find anything to say but "oooh and ahhh" during a 10-day fall road trip through two of those United States of America.
http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/story.html?id=86c10d3a-29eb-403d-a8ca-56fb7cf83352

Cutting Pow with Fat Skis
My main mission for this ski season is to have as much fun as possible skiing everyday. This upcoming winter will be my fourth year skiing/living at one of the best places in the world, Jackson, Wyoming.
http://www.freeskier.com/articles/article.php?article_id=2910

Elk refuge to release more hunting permits
The National Elk Refuge will release additional elk permits for both the north and south units from Nov. 16 through the end of the refuge elk hunting season on Dec. 5, refuge officials announced today.
http://www.jacksonholenews.com/article.php?art_id=3905

Great Smoky:

Smokies' formation began 500 million to 600 million years ago
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/nov/30/mountainous-formations/

Andrew Johnson's life, legacy marked
It's not often that the celebration of the 200th birthday of a U.S. president and the 100th anniversary of a major landmark occur at the same time.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/dec/01/andrew-johnsons-life-legacy-marked/

Tourists seeking snow frustrated by Smoky Mountain road closures
Snow has officially taken the place of leaves as one of the Great Smoky Mountains' main attractions.
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=69882&catid=2

Misc. Parks News:

BLM, Park Service at odds over drilling near Utah parks
A high-level fight has erupted within the Interior Department between the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service over plans to sell leases for oil and gas drilling near Arches, Canyonlands and Dinosaur National Monument.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10929954

Want To Learn How to Walk on Snow (Olympic and Mt. Rainier)?
If you've been paying attention, you checked out some new snowshoes on these pages last week. This week, you'll find out where you can learn how to use them.
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/nov/24/want-to-learn-how-to-walk-on-snow/

Mount Rainier:

Volunteer brigade makes a difference at Rainier
Nearly 1,840 volunteers gave 70,130 hours of their time at Mount Rainier National Park this last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. That translates into $1.37 million worth of work, representing more than 10 percent of the park’s annual operating budget.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/story/536215.html

Highway 123 in Rainier National Park expected to open today (note, Nov 25)
Highway 123 in Mount Rainier National Park will open at noon after crews finish stabilizing the roadway following last week's washouts.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008434417_webmountrainier25m.html

Olympic:

The spotted owl disappearing act
The number of spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest is dwindling. Some experts think an aggressive owl cousin, not logging, is to blame.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-spotted-owl1-2008dec01,0,2327294.story

Washington's Olympic National Park makes a gorgeous, low-budget getaway
When the economy gets tough, it's time to get going on cheap trips.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2008364259_trolympic09.html

Mass transit possibly in Olympic National Park's future
PORT ANGELES -- Olympic National Park will explore a federal grant to help fund mass transportation to various sites in the park -- including Hurricane Ridge for skiers.
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081104/NEWS/311049993

Shenandoah:

Balancing Access, Protection
SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK - Shenandoah National Park wants input on how to best protect pristine areas while still allowing visitors to enjoy them.
http://www.rocktownweekly.com/news_details.php?AID=33605&CHID=2

Saving a Civil War Legacy In Va.'s Shenandoah Valley
In 1762, the Huntsberry family settled the land along Redbud Run, outside Winchester, with a deed from Lord Fairfax. Eight generations later, Bob Huntsberry spent his summers there as a child, finding rusted Minie balls that had been fired from the muskets of Civil War soldiers. He grew up steeped in elders' stories of the day, late in the summer of 1864, when Union Gen. Philip Sheridan and 39,000 troops came marching in.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/11/14/ST2008111400132.html

Hikers and Campers Are Damaging Terrain
The steady trek of hikers and campers is taking a toll on the craggy ridges of Shenandoah National Park.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/28/AR2008112802541.html

Yellowstone:

In Yellowstone, cellphones, debate are heard
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK - Natural forces over millennia created the geysers, peaks, and canyons that fascinate visitors here. But a newer feature is emerging on this stunning landscape - cell-phone towers.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/11/20/in_yellowstone_cellphones_debate_are_heard/

YNP superintendent in Bozeman, touches on winter use controversy
The superintendent of Yellowstone National Park was in Bozeman Tuesday where she spoke to a packed room at the Museum of the Rockies.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=9366694&nav=menu227_6

Commission passes revision of wolf plan
Game and Fish officials hint that lawmakers might need to eliminate unregulated killing area.
http://www.jacksonholenews.com/article.php?art_id=3922

View from the top at Yellowstone
Middletown residents Anne and Tom Cafiero stand at the Yellowstone River Overlook in Yellowstone National Park.
http://www.app.com/article/20081130/LIFE02/811300307/1006/LIFE


Yosemite:

Rock threat danger closes part of Yosemite lodging
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — An unstable cliff prompted officials Friday to permanently close some cabins in a popular Yosemite National Park lodge complex that has a long history of rockslides.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gpIh9M3H6OeNeD0JTnqMI6-1_BzwD94JHH581

Falling boulders endanger lives at Yosemite
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — For a decade, the National Park Service has known that the 3,000-foot granite cliff hanging over a tourist village at Yosemite is susceptible to colossal rockslides like one last month that crushed cabins and sent schoolchildren running for their lives.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gpIh9M3H6OeNeD0JTnqMI6-1_BzwD94GVAN84

Zion:

Zion Park bus program will need additional money
On a busy summer day in Zion National Park, 16 propane-powered shuttle buses do the work that 5,000 cars once did.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/11/28/ap5755003.html