Archive for June, 2009
Posted by Muir on
June 25, 2009
A 2003 study predicted that glaciers will disappear from Glacier National Park by 2030. But because temperatures are warming even faster than just a few years ago, glaciers are now expected to disappear by 2020.
Glaciers are created when snow doesn’t completely melt in summer and over time is compacted into ice. To be classified as a glacier, an ice field must be at least 25 acres, moving, and sculpting the landscape.
In 1900, there were about 150 glaciers in what is now Glacier National Park. Today only 25 glaciers remain.
Although the quantity and size of glaciers have been decreasing over the past century, glaciers are now shrinking four times as fast as they were in the 1960s. The reason is warmer climate. Although Glacier National Park is colder than many other parts of the world, temperatures in the park have increased three times as fast as average global temperatures.
There may be some debate as to whether the warming climate is a natural cycle or the result of man-made pollutants. But there is no debate that temperatures in Glacier National Park are getting warmer, the glaciers are getting smaller, and this is all happening even faster than previously predicted.
Story at USA News
Glacier National Park Photo Tour
Posted by Muir on
June 24, 2009
On May 26, park visitors flagged down Yosemite National Park Ranger Dan Abbe while he was on his way to work in Yosemite Valley. The visitors informed Abbe there was a vehicle on fire over the side of the road and some people were trapped inside the vehicle.
Abbe rushed to the vehicle about 30 feet below the road and saw a pickup truck on its side with a trailer upright behind it. The truck’s engine was on fire. Abbe was able to remove the two park visitors who were stuck the truck, and he led them downhill to safety.
The visitors then told Abbe that the truck was filled with 70 gallons of gasoline and had an extra 50-gallon gas container, and the trailer had two full propane tanks. So Abbe led the visitors further away from the vehicle through thick brush and back up to the roadway. At this point, the truck filled with smoke and soon became fully engulfed in flames, starting a small brush fire that burned a quarter acre.
Fire officials arrived and extinguished the flames. Abbe and the park visitors were transported to Yosemite Medical Clinic where they were treated for smoke inhalation and released. The truck and trailer were a total loss.
The park visitors credit Ranger Dan Abbe with saving their lives and will return to the park to present him with a plaque to show their appreciation.
Story at NPS.gov
Posted by Muir on
June 24, 2009
The superintendent of Grand Teton National Park has invited the public to a special event to mark the unveiling of a new 98-cent international postage stamp that pays tribute to Grand Teton National Park. This new stamp is part of the Scenic American Landscape series. The stamp unveiling event will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, in the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at Moose, Wyoming.
This is the first time that Grand Teton National Park has been honored with a postage stamp specifically highlighting the park. To help celebrate this special recognition, Grand Teton National Park International Postage Stamps and commemorative cachet envelopes will be offered for purchase. The Moose Postmaster, Penny Maldonado, will also be available to cancel first day issue stamps for collection purposes.
Story at Wyoming Business Report
Posted by Muir on
June 17, 2009
A Yosemite National Park employee was found dead Monday afternoon. Christopher Hale, 23, was reported missing Sunday morning and was found by park rangers in the eastern part of Yosemite Valley. It appears that he fell from a cliff above Mirror Lake. The incident is under investigation. Hale’s death comes just two days after a hiker fell to his death from Half Dome.
More Death & Destruction
Posted by Muir on
June 16, 2009
The U.S. National Park Service is providing its own bailout. But instead of rewarding Wall Street millionaires, this time the beneficiaries are us average citizens. Entrance fees at 147 U.S. national parks and monuments will be waived on three weekends this summer. The weekends are June 20 and 21, July 18 and 19, and August 15 and 16.
“During these tough economic times, our national parks provide opportunities for affordable vacations for families,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. “I encourage everyone to visit one of our nation’s crown jewels this summer and especially to take advantage of the three free-admission weekends.”
Most Americans live within a day’s drive to a national park. Last year national parks attracted more than 275 million visits, generating an estimated $10.6 billion for local economies and providing more than 213,000 jobs.
The free weekends will mean a loss of an estimated half million dollars a day from entrance fees that range from $3 to $25. Kendra Barkoff, a spokesperson for Salazar, said the lost revenue should be more than offset by an increase in park tourism. Many tour operators, hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and other vendors near national parks will offer other discounts and special promotions on the free-weekend dates, she said. The waiver applies only to entrance fees and does not affect charges for camping, reservations, tours, or concessions, Salazar said.
Story at National Geographic
Posted by Muir on
June 15, 2009
Yosemite National Park officials say a hiker fell to his death Saturday while descending Half Dome, the park’s famous mile-high granite monolith.
California man Manoj Kumar, 40, was using the cabled hand rails while climbing down from the top of Half Dome, when he slipped and fell an estimated 100 feet around 3:40 p.m. as forty other hikers watched in horror. Rain and hailstorms had made the face of the granite mountain slippery.
“The weather was not ideal for the hike,” said Yosemite National Park Ranger Kari Cobb. “That definitely played a big part. It gets really slippery when it gets wet.”
Rangers escorted thirty other climbers down Half Dome for their safety Saturday evening.
The last death at Half Dome was Japanese hiker Hirofumi Nohara, who slipped off the cables in June 2007.
Story at FoxNews
More Death & Destruction
Posted by Muir on
June 11, 2009
A grizzly bear attacked and injured a trail jogger in Glacier National Park on Sunday morning.
Thomas Nerison, 60, of Kalispell, Montana, was jogging on the Lake McDonald Valley Trail when he heard what he described as the sound of a dog barking and then galloping horses coming up the trail behind him. Nerison turned around and stepped off the trail when he saw two grizzly bears running toward him.
Nerison believed the bears were running from something that startled them, and one of the bears stopped next to him and knocked him off his feet. Nerison fell to the ground, and the bear bit him twice. Nerison fought back by kicking the bear and poking it with sticks. Eventually the bear lost interest and returned to where it had come from up the trail.
The injured jogger drove himself to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Room for medical treatment. He told the ranger that he normally carries bear spray, but didn’t this time.
“Make no mistake, bears are active,” said Park Superintendent Chas Cartwrigtht. “All park visitors should be alert while bicycling or simply walking and/or driving along park roads. Running along trails is discouraged because of the potential of surprising a bear. A runner alone on a trail can inadvertently startle or frighten a bear (or mountain lion), causing it to react in a defensive or aggressive manner. Females with cubs are particularly dangerous when they venture from their dens with newborns in the spring.”
Story at NPS.gov
Wildlife Photos from Glacier NP
Posted by Muir on
June 3, 2009
It seems like all the big corporations are getting a government bailout, while we citizens are getting nothing but the bill. So on three weekends this summer, the National Park Service is offering fee-free weekends so cash-strapped families can visit the parks. Those fees range from $3 to $25 per day.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the initiative Tuesday. “National parks also serve as powerful economic engines for local communities, and we hope that promoting visitation will give a small shot in the arm to businesses in the area,” Salazar said.
Many national parks were already hoping for a busy summer, and this should improve tourism even more. “Sometimes, when the economy downturns, places like the seashore see an upsurge because people choose to stay closer to home,” said George Price, superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore. “Visitation will be very strong this year. The question will be how much people will actually spend when they come to visit.”
All 147 National Park sites that charge entry fees will waive them on June 20 and 21, July 18 and 19, and August 15 and 16.
Story at CNN
Posted by Muir on
June 1, 2009
Rangers trying to haze a black bear from the St. Mary area on the east side of Glacier National Park accidentally killed the bear last week. The rangers were trying to prevent the bear from becoming habituated to people. They attempted to scare it away with a “cracker shell,” which is fired from a 12-gauge shotgun and makes a loud bang when it explodes seconds later. However, during a follow-up the next day, a ranger found the bear dead.
A necropsy — an autopsy for animals — determined the cracker shell entered the bear’s body before exploding. Park officials plan to conduct a Board of Review to recommend management actions and improve strategies and tactics.
In 2006, a grizzly bear in the park died after being snared as part of a research project. And in 2007, park rangers destroyed a black bear after it chased a family to their car.
Story at Great Falls Tribune
Glacier National Park Photo Tour
