A relatively quiet news day...having said that, of the pieces we do have, some are very interesting.

-JM

Grand Canyon National Park News:
Grand Canyon drinking water turbidity - it really is OK to drink
Roaring Springs on the north side of the Colorado River is the natural source of water for both the North and South Rim developments. It is located along the North Kaibab Trail about five miles south of the trailhead. If you have been visiting us during the spring and early summer months you may have noticed that the water here can be a little cloudy. No worries, it is still good to drink. Here is a NPS press release about just this topic.
http://www.examiner.com/x-5374-Phoenix-G...ill-OK-to-drink

Great Smoky Mountain National Park News
Ranger shifts gears to 'park' - (Note: I almost published this in misc. as the story transcends GSMNP)
Minnigh going from worker to volunteer
George Minnigh's scrapbook of memories is a real page-turner.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/apr/03/ranger-shifts-gears-to-park/

Joshua Tree National Park News:
What if Joshua Tree National Park had No Joshua Trees?
On the heels of a state climate report that said California will have "less water and more frequent and intense wildfires, heat waves and bad-air days throughout this century," a congressional field hearing next week near Joshua Tree National Park will take on similar issues.
http://laist.com/2009/04/02/what_if_joshua_tree_national_park_h.php

Lake Clark National Park News:
Alaskans, get ready: Mount Redoubt can become nasty
Twenty-nine years ago, on a beautiful spring Sunday after church, I watched the darkest clouds I had ever seen sweep toward my hometown in eastern Washington state. We didn't know it at the time -- communication systems were still primitive by modern standards -- but Mount St. Helens had erupted catastrophically a couple hours earlier, sending a plume of volcanic ash high into the atmosphere.
http://www.kansas.com/news2use/story/759008.html

Mount Redoubt time line (Editor's note - shows eruptions/seismic activity, etc...very interesting).
http://www.homernews.com/stories/040109/news_time.shtml

Misc. National Park News:
President Obama shows his conservationist side
As national headlines took notice of President Obama’s political muscle with GM’s Rick Wagner very few noticed his signing of a wilderness protection plan. On Monday 2 million acres across 9 combined states received government sanction.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2006-Cleveland...rvationist-side

Outside the US/Canadian Parks System:
Welcoming the new South Downs National Park
Labour Parliamentary Spokesman for Bexhill and Battle
http://www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/the-labour-view/Welcoming-the-new-South-Downs.5133976.jp

Simlipal National Park closed for tourists sine dine
BARIPADA, April 2: The Simlipal National Park has been closed for tourists for indefinite period after the repeated attacked by Maoists, informed field director and conservator Mr R Nagraj Reddy here today.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=9&theme=&usrsess=1&id=249234

Rocky Mountain National Park News:
Nature Through the Lens
RMNP Lyceum Series presents photography program Saturday
ESTES PARK, Colo. — Walt Hester will present “Nature Through the Lens” on Saturday, April 4, for the 2009 Lyceum Series, “Celebrate our Natural World: Artists Who Are Inspired by the Environment.” The program will take place at 7 p.m. at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center auditorium in Rocky Mountain National Park.
http://www.eptrail.com/news/2009/apr/03/nature-through-lens/

Rouge Valley National Park (Proposed Canadian Park) News:
A 16,000-hectare national park should be created on Toronto's eastern boundary, stretching from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine, according to a coalition of politicians and environmentalists.
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/612964

Yellowstone National Park News:
Yellowstone visits drop; summer bookings down
Yellowstone National Park visitation declined more than 13 percent this winter, thanks in part to the poor economy, uncertainty over snowmobile regulations and poor snowfall early in the season, officials said.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=4437