Lots of news today. Of particular note for me is the on-going drama over the Park lands bill...and boy, does there appear to be a lot of drama.
James
Boston Harbor Islands National Park
The federal government has approved $5 million for the construction of the first building on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a 2,500-square-foot pavilion that is intended to serve as a gateway to the Boston Harbor Islands National Park area.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massach...lands_pavilion/Everglades National Park News:
Crist Receives National Wildlife Federation Conservation Awar
TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today received the National Wildlife Federation’s “Conservation Achievement Award for Government,” in recognition of his work to position Florida as a leader in addressing climate change and protecting the environment. Governor Crist thanked NWF members for the work they do to protect Florida’s natural beauty, and he stressed he is more committed than ever to building on the preservation initiatives of the past two years.
http://www.fosterfollynews.com/news/2009...vationAward.phpGlacier National Park News:
Glacier eyeing a decidedly uncertain future
In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson signed the "Organic Act” which created the National Park Service. In that bill, it said the Service has a purpose "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."
http://www.hungryhorsenews.com/articles/2009/03/11/news/doc49b7ebc3e0546572017140.txtNew “Glacier National Park” Released as Free Notecast
TimeStream Software is offering free downloads of its new Glacier National Park Notecast for the iPod Classic and iPod nano on
www.Notescasts.com. With 110 interactive pages, complete with photos, it’s a comprehensive new guide to Glacier National Park…all on the iPod. Portland, OR – The new Glacier National Park Notecast for the iPod Classic, iPod 5th Generation and iPod nano is now available on the Application Store for the iPod,
www.Notescasts.com. At 110 pages of interactive content, complete with photos, it’s a cutting-edge guide to all of Glacier National Park…and it’s all on the iPod.
http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=183211&Itemid=31Grand Canyon National Park News:
The essential guide to Grand Canyon National Park and it's free
Information is usually the most pressing need of visitors to Grand Canyon National Park. For first time visitors, and sometimes even old pros, getting answers to essential questions is a must. Time is always a factor; so knowing where to go and what to expect allows visitors to concentrate on the extraordinary beauty of the canyon.
http://www.examiner.com/x-4661-Grand-Can...rk-and-its-freeBIBLE VS. GEOLOGY
Kimble: Is the Grand Canyon only 6,000 years old?
With Bible in mind, river guide reshapes theory on rock of ages
Forget that hooey about the Grand Canyon being really, really old. And forget that rumor that it took a couple million years for the Colorado River to cut the mile-deep canyon.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/opinion/111936.phpGreat Smoky Mountain National Park News:
National Park Service to repave road in Smokies
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK – An 18 month-long project to repave 6.5 miles of Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) through Great Smoky Mountains National Park is set to begin Monday. Some traffic delays are possible during the project, which is expected to be complete by September 2010.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009903120335Great Smoky Mountains National Park announces spring schedule
With spring just around the corner, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is gearing up for visitors.
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=80881&catid=2Misc. National Park News:
Top 10 Mountain Towns in North America
Many of us cling to the dream of ditching the urban rat race and moving to a funky town in the mountains where we can hike, bike, climb, paddle, and ski to our heart’s content. In fact, for every person with the “check out” mentality, there are ten more who simply want to get away, and are looking for a good home away from home, where familiarity and escapism merge in equal proportions to create the perfect experience. Ultimately it’s a continuous spectrum, ranging from selling your house in San Francisco or New York and moving whole-hog, to buying a vacation home where you return year after year, to simple scheming for a regular trip to the mountains. And while not every mountain town can be optimal for each spot along that spectrum, there are clearly some that stand out above the rest, for their combination of local flavor and culture, incredible natural surroundings, and enough of an economy to make semi-regular escapism a viable alternative. I hereby present my top 10:
http://www.tipsfromthetlist.com/article8677.htmlLands bill suffers setback in House
Pair of wilderness areas left in limbo after narrow defeat
A bill that enjoyed some bipartisan support and seemed set for approval, setting aside nearly 276,000 acres in Mesa County as wilderness and conservation areas, was narrowly defeated Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/03/11/031209_1a_Dominguez_canyon.htmlCongress chops down wilderness expansion
Protections would have benefited Colorado and eight other states, but opponents called the overall bill "deeply flawed."
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday defeated a bill that would have set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as wilderness, including 315,000 acres in Colorado.
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11892627Coffman, Lamborn blasted for vote on wilderness
DENVER (Map, News) - Environmentalists are accusing Republican Reps. Mike Coffman and Doug Lamborn of ignoring Colorado's interests in favor of partisanship by voting against a federal wilderness bill.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1899217~Coffman__Lamborn_blasted_for_vote_on_wilderness.htmlPublic lands bill falls short, embarrasses House Democratic leaders
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders suffered an embarrassing defeat Wednesday as the House failed to pass a public lands bill.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/politics/story/63786.htmlForest Service dogs trained in Kalispell
KALISPELL, Mont. — Nero, a 21-month-old German shepherd, lies motionless but alert on the varnished hardwood floor as his handler, U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer Kayla Jaquith, cautiously approached a man playing the role of an irate and unpredictable suspect.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/IdahoNews/story/695017.htmlNational Park Service is doing its share on shuttle
THIS IS IN response to the IJ's March 2 editorial, "Park service must pay its fair share of Muir shuttle."
http://www.marinij.com/opinion/ci_11893984Firearms Industry Calls National Park Service Ban on Traditional Ammunition Over-reactive
NEWTOWN, Conn.-The National Shooting Sports Foundation strongly encourages the National Park Service to reconsider its policy banning the use of traditional ammunition made with lead components on park lands and points out that neither humans, wildlife populations nor the environment are harmed by the use of such ammunition.
http://www.rightsidenews.com/20090311396...r-reactive.htmlYellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone tower threatens to fall, trails closed
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - Yellowstone National Park has closed two trails popular with skiers and snowshoers because an unused communications tower is threatening to fall over.
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9993800&nav=menu554_2Yellowstone bears emerging from slumber
Park rangers say be careful. The bears in Yellowstone National Park are waking up from hibernation and emerging from their dens. Rangers say those bears are hungry and will aggressively defend any dead bison or elk they find to eat.
http://www.ktakradio.com/news/2009/mar/11/yellowstone-bears-emerging-slumber/Wolf Delisting: The Neverending Story
If Wyoming would've played its cards differently, it could have gotten everything it wanted, but the wolf delisting issue would still be far from over.
There isn’t much agreement when it comes delisting the wolf from the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), but alas, it seems there might be one point pro-wolfers, anti-wolfers, wolf agencies, and a whole lot of people who’d like to see something different in the news can agree on. We should call it, “The Neverending Story.”
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/wolf_delisting_the_neverending_story/C41/L41/Yosemite National Park News:
Man recently convicted, commits suicide
A 37-year-old Waterbury man despondent over his Feb. 18 federal court conviction in Bridgeport committed suicide in Yosemite National Park in California Monday night after falling into the tributary of the park's highest waterfall following five hours of attempted negotiations by park rangers.
http://www.connpost.com/ci_11889523
