Archive for February, 2009
Posted by Muir on
February 27, 2009
Authorities believe suicide led a man to jump 400 feet to his death from Canyon Overlook in Zion National Park. The body of Dave Brigham, 48, of Sussex, New Jersey, was discovered at the base of the Great Arch by a National Park Service search team on Thursday.
On Wednesday morning, a park ranger noticed an unattended vehicle parked near the Canyon Overlook. It was determined that the vehicle had been there overnight, but an initial search could not find the driver until Thursday. National Park Service Rangers utilized a technical raising system to lift the body 400 feet to the canyon rim.
Posted by Muir on
February 26, 2009
Grand Teton National Park celebrates its 80th birthday today.
When the area was first protected in 1897, it was considered an afterthought to Yellowstone National Park just to its north. President Calvin Coolidge signed legislation creating Grand Teton National Park in 1929 when the park was just one-third its size today.
In 1928, John D. Rockefeller Jr. quietly bought 35,000 acres of valley land to donate to the park. However, local residents saw the stealth purchases as a land grab and resented the removal of grazing and hunting access. Local opposition to the park stalled Rockefeller’s efforts for 15 years. Finally he wrote to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, threatening to sell the land to “any satisfactory buyers” if the federal government would not accept his gift. After World War II, sentiment against the park eased, and President Harry S. Truman signed a bill in 1950 that merged the original 1929 park with the 1943 monument.
Former Governor Clifford P. Hansen, a strong opponent to the park for many years, is finally on record as a park supporter: “I’ve said many times how grateful I am to the Rockefeller family for the prescience in protecting this valley.”
Story at Wyoming Business Report
Posted by Muir on
February 26, 2009
The Grand Canyon is celebrating its 90th year as a national park. Congress established Grand Canyon as the country’s 17th national park on Feb. 26, 1919.
About 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year, compared to about 44,000 when it officially opened in 1919.
The canyon is 277 miles long, ranges from 4 to 18 miles wide, and has a maximum depth of over 6,000 feet. The Colorado River cut the canyon while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted, exposing nearly two billion years of the Earth’s geological history.
Park Superintendent Steve Martin is expected to speak at a brief ceremony commemorating the anniversary and the opening of Verkamp’s Visitor Center, which explains what it’s like to live at the Grand Canyon.
Posted by Muir on
February 24, 2009
An experienced South Korean mountain climber was rescued today from Yosemite National Park’s iconic Half Dome, after an avalanche swept him more than 300 feet down a rocky approach to the sheer granite face.
Jun Ho Wang, 38, was hit by the avalanche Monday afternoon. He had to remain in an icy gully about 2000 feet above the valley floor for 16 hours, until a helicopter lifted him to safety Tuesday morning. Wang was alert and responsive but suffered a broken left wrist and multiple breaks in his left leg.
“Most people in an avalanche don’t survive,” said Eric Gabriel, commander of the search and rescue team. “This gentleman not only survived a 100-meter slide, but survived through the night in freezing temperatures.”
Story at Mercury News
Posted by Muir on
February 24, 2009
Yellowstone officials are looking to spend some of the nearly $800 billion in federal stimulus money to address some of the park’s $750 million maintenance and infrastructure backlog.
“We certainly believe we have a number of eligible projects that meet the criteria that could be put out to contract for bid,” said park spokesman Al Nash. Top priority is a new wastewater treatment plant at Madison Junction. The plant was constructed in 1959 and serves the 292-site Madison Campground with its 14 restrooms. The $8.6 million project started four years ago but stalled due to lack of money.
Story at Salt Lake Tribune
Posted by Muir on
February 24, 2009
Both the New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as hundreds of news organizations across the country, have wrongly attributed this quote to the Obama administration:
“A midnight rule change by the Bush administration to allow carrying of concealed weapons in the national parks will not have any significant impacts on public health and safety.”
It turns out this statement did not come from the current Justice Department under Obama, but rather from a Department of Interior memo dated November 18, 2008 during the Bush administration.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Muir on
February 23, 2009
Some campgrounds at Rocky Mountain National Park will be closed this coming summer so work crews can remove trees infested by the mountain pine beetle.
Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson says it’s currently not known how many sites will be closed and for how long. She suggested that visitors make early plans to ensure availability. Last year, the U.S. Forest Service closed nearly two dozen campgrounds in northern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming because of dead trees from the bark beetle. Part of the danger is that trees can fall over when the roots rot.
Mountain pine beetles bore into trees and lay eggs under the bark. The larvae remain there all winter, then the next summer, beetles emerge to attack new trees. Once infested by pine beetles, a tree cannot survive. Park officials cannot effectively control or kill the beetles. Only nature can kill the beetles en masse with an extended Arctic blast early or late in the winter season. So far the epidemic has killed two million acres of trees in Colorado.
More at Reporter Herald
Posted by Muir on
February 23, 2009
A pair of bald eagles have returned to their nest in Cuyahoga Valley National Park for a third season. The pair raised one eagle baby in 2007 and another in 2008. The nest is located in the Pinery Narrows area north of Station Road Bridge Trailhead in the park.
The National Park Service will close some areas surrounding the bald eagle nest to minimize disturbance. “The trail restrictions are a small inconvenience to daily activity and have contributed to two successful nesting seasons for the bald eagles,” said superintendent John P. Debo Jr. “We appreciate the continued support and compliance by the public.”
In late winter, eagles lay one to three eggs and incubate them for approximately 5 weeks. Eagle eggs and young are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures, so adult eagles must remain on the nest constantly. Human disturbance can disrupt this constant care and jeopardize the babies. Although the bald eagle was recently removed from the endangered species list, it is still protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
Posted by Muir on
February 23, 2009
Zion National Park has begun its 100th anniversary celebration with special events that will continue throughout 2009.
President William Howard Taft created Mukuntuweep National Monument on July 31, 1909. The name was changed to Zion National Monument in 1918, and Zion officially became a national park in 1919. It is Utah’s most visited park.
According to Karen Mayne, centennial event coordinator for the park, the anniversary programs and events are intended to educate the public about the park as well as its future. “We want the public to experience things in the park they haven’t done before,” she said.
Story at Salt Lake Tribune
Visit Zion website for a schedule of events
Posted by Muir on
February 12, 2009
The National Park Service has installed the first video web camera in Yellowstone National Park. It’s a full-motion, live-streaming webcam located near the Old Faithful Geyser and brings online visitors views of several other geysers in the area. When geysers such as Beehive, Lion, or Giantess are erupting, the camera will be aimed at them and zoomed in for optimal viewing enjoyment. When bison, elk, coyotes, or the occasional bear wander into the camera’s view, live video images will be transmitted.
Old Faithful Webcam
There is also a collection of photos from prominent geysers near Old Faithful:
Prominent Geysers in Yellowstone
