Another big news day today...
James
Death Valley NP
(JM Note - Do I hear another potential flower bloom coming?)
Storm dumps 27 inches of new snow on Mount Charleston
A weekend storm that brought cooler weather and more than half an inch of rain to the Las Vegas Valley also brought 27 inches of fresh snow to Mount Charleston and smiles to at least one ski resort operator.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/39357652.html
Everglades NP:
Florida Invasive Fish Problem “10 Times Worse Than the Python”
Florida’s Everglade’s National Park has faced an invasion from giant pythons that prey on nearly any animal, big and small. But according to park biologist Dave Hallac, the problems caused by the spread of pythons pale in comparison to the proliferation of exotic fish species in the Everglades.
http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/02/10/florida-invasive-fish-problem-10-times-worse-than-the-python/
Glacier NP:
Airport, highway work still ahead this year
Glacier Park International Airport is poised for an upswing in activity this year.
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/02/11/news/local_montana/news_8765669012_03.txt
A Luminous Forecast
Climate change at the local level
http://riverjournal.com/vivvo/News/520.html
Park officials release Logan Pass study
WEST GLACIER, Mont. (AP) Glacier National Park officials have released an environmental assessment for proposed projects on the park's Logan Pass.
http://www.kxmc.com/News/330672.asp
Grand Canyon NP:
DPS opens more roads in storm affected N. Ariz.
Skies cleared over Arizona Tuesday, leaving behind trucks and vehicles scattered across a snow-covered landscape and happy ski resort operators, hopeful that skiers could get to the slopes on the hazardous roads.
http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1041631&r=1
Couple identified in Grand Canyon murder-suicide
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK — Authorities investigating two deaths within the Grand Canyon National Park say an 82-year-old man killed his wife before shooting himself.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/109812.php
Grand Teton NP:
Program to Kill Weeds in Wyoming's Grand Teton
n the "Your Tax Dollars at Work" category, we have a potential $500,000 weed program for Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. An Interior Department contract solicitation seeks landscapers who can inventory then kill weeds along some 250 miles or roads. There's no question the weeds are noxious. Anyone who's touched thistle knows that. But aren't national parks supposed to be natural? And it's not just at Teton. The government also wants them gone in Custer, S.D., home to the Black Hills National Forest.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/wash...rand-teton.html
Great Smoky Mountain NP:
Combining jokes, a little singing, and discussion of her various charitable activities, Dolly Parton charmed a jam packed crowd at the National Press Club today.
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20090210/NEWS01/90210054
Misc. Parks News:
A $2 Billion Shady Deal In the Stimulus Bill?
Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are asking questions about the lobbying activities of Craig Obey, who is the son of House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey. The elder Obey is, as much as anyone, the author of the giant stimulus bill that passed the House. Craig Obey works for an organization called the National Parks Conservation Association, which describes its mission as "to protect and enhance America's national parks for present and future generations" and to "advocate for the national parks and the National Park Service."
http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/A-2-Billion-Shady-Deal-In-the-Stimulus-Bill-39375892.html
Flight 93 family plans to complete airplane’s scheduled route
Family and friends of Louis “Joey” Nacke II will ride motorcycles on the route that United Flight 93 was supposed to take on Sept. 11, 2001, for this year’s anniversary of the crash.
http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2009/02/09/news/news/news863.txt
The Nature Conservancy Urges Passage of Omnibus Public Lands Management Act
hile the nation’s attention is focused on the movement of the economic stimulus plan, another important piece of legislation is poised to become law. The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act (S.22) is the most comprehensive public lands bill the Congress has considered in recent years. The bi-partisan Act addresses national, regional and local needs for the conservation of our forests, rivers, coastal and marine resources.
http://www.nature.org/pressroom/press/press3892.html
Rocky Mountain NP:
John Dingell: America's Longest-Serving Representative (Please note, not really an article on RMNP, but he did serve there).
In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat, Rock Around the Clock hit the top of the music charts, and John Dingell was elected to Congress. The 29-year-old lawyer won a special election to replace his father, who died in office, and won a full term of his own the following year. On Feb. 11— after 26 more elections— the Michigan Democrat became the longest-serving House member in U.S. history. Dingell, now 82, spoke with TIME about his early days in Washington, the crisis in the American automobile industry and how he does not want to be remembered.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1878671,00.html
Free Snowshoe Tryouts Offered at Winter Trails Day
Estes Park, CO, February 11, 2009 --(PR.com)-- There’s more than one way to experience outdoor winter fun. Many find the thrill and adventure of walking in the snow in pristine areas far outweigh the experience of paying to schuss down an icy slope. For those interested in learning how to experience nature while enjoying the winter landscape, the Winter Trails organization and Estes Park Chamber of Commerce have just the answer: Winter Trails Day in Rocky Mountain National Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 14.
http://www.pr.com/press-release/131607
Shenandoah NP:
Man claims park service harassment
A previously unnamed whistleblower with the National Park Service has come forward, and he claims he was unjustly prosecuted because of disclosures he made concerning the agency.
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/515639.html?nav=5006
Yellowstone NP:
Talk planned on Yellowstone quake swarm
Yellowstone National Park's recent swarm of earthquakes will be the topic of conversation at a talk in Bozeman later this month.
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=9780961&nav=menu227_1
