National Park Quarters Starting in 2010

U.S. National Parks will be featured in a line of “America the Beautiful” quarters starting next year that will feature a national park or other site from each state and U.S. territory.  The quarters will be issued in the order that the parks and sites were established as national sites.

Hot Springs was the first park to receive a federal designation in 1832.  The front of the quarters will still feature the head of our first president, George Washington.

The U.S. Mint will issue five quarters each year.  It will also issue mint silver bullion quarter-dollar coins made of .999 fine silver.  To place subscription orders for these products, visit the United States Mint website or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

“These new quarters will honor some of our most revered, treasured and beautiful national sites — majestic and historic places located throughout the United States and its territories that truly make us ‘America the Beautiful,’ ” said U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy.  “The designs will help reinvigorate interest in our national parks, forests, fish and wildlife refuges, and other national sites, as well as educate the public about their importance to us and our history.”

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Rockslide Closes Trail at Zion

The popular Weeping Rock Trail in Zion National Park was closed Wednesday due to a rockslide that covered a 50 foot section of the trail on the approach to Weeping Rock.  There were no injuries reported.

For safety reasons, the trail will remain closed until the slide stops moving, the large boulders and debris are removed, and the trail repaired.  It is believe the trail will remain closed at least through Labor Day weekend.  The Observation Point and Hidden Canyon Trails can still be accessed from the Weeping Rock shuttle stop.  All other trails in the park are open. 

From NPS.gov

Girl Swallowed by the Sea at Arcadia National Park

Hurricanes can be deadly, even when they are hundreds of miles away.  A group of spectators at Arcadia National Park in Maine discovered this lesson the hard way.

They were perched on a rock cliff about 20 feet above the Atlantic Ocean as massive waves from Hurricane Bill smashed against the shore below them.  A large wave soaked the ankles of the spectators who thought they were “in a safe area.”  As people started to turn back from the cliff, a second monstrous wave struck violently and swept seven people into the churning ocean.

Four people managed to swim their way back to shore, but three others were swept out into the cold sea.  The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two of them, but 7-year-old Clio Axlerod of New York drowned.

Spectator Mary Ellen Martel saw their bodies “bobbing along in the frothy waters.”  She added, “People were clapping and laughing when the wind would bring the spray over. It was a very festive atmosphere,” Martel told CNN in a telephone interview. “It was a warm, sunny day, and everyone was just enjoying the show that Mother Nature was offering, but not everybody knows to stay away from the edge — or way away from the edge.”

Story at CNN

People’s Choice Wilderness Hike

The last wilderness hike of the season in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is scheduled for Sunday, September 6.  Hikers should meet wilderness ranger John Heiser at the picnic area near the amphitheater in the Juniper Campground in the park’s North Unit at 9:00 a.m. CDT.  Participants should be prepared for strenuous hiking and wear sturdy boots and durable clothes.

It is essential that each person bring plenty of drinking water, food, sunscreen, and insect repellent.  Heiser is offering four options for visitors to consider – looking for bighorn sheep, hiking to the North Unit Petrified Forest, hiking the Achenbach Hills, or hiking along the park’s longest bentonite ridge.  The hikers will decide the morning of the hike on a majority vote.

Other considerations determining the hike will be the group size and weather conditions.  The hike could last from 4 to 8 hours and cover 2 to 6 miles.

“This will be a great opportunity for visitors to get out in the Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness Area and see some spectacular early fall scenery and wildlife,” said Superintendent Valerie Naylor.  “It’s a beautiful time of year and we hope for a good number of hikers.”

Visitors are encouraged to bring binoculars, cameras, and a favorite poem or quote.  In the case of extreme weather, the hike may be cancelled; please call the North Unit Visitor Center at 701-842-2333 for current information.

Yosemite Eradicates Marijuana Garden

It turns out that some visitors to Yosemite National Park were getting high on more than the towering granite mountains.

Yosemite Park Rangers and National Park Service Agents eradicated 4,735 marijuana plants valued at nearly $19 million.  Two suspects managed to escape, and no arrests have been made.

“Yesterday’s operation reaffirms our commitment that Yosemite remains safe for visitors, that the park will not accept these incursions, and organized growers will not profit from these activities”, said Chief Ranger Steve Shackelton.

Marijuana cultivation is the most destructive illegal activity occurring within national parks.  The results are tree and vegetation clearing, chemical and fertilizer pollution, unauthorized construction of roads, ditches and dams, and piles of human waste and garbage.  At this particular site, officials removed nearly 400 pounds of fertilizer, 3,000 feet of irrigation hose, and 200 pounds of human trash.

Story at NPS.gov

Two Bears Killed in Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park officials had to kill a 17-year-old grizzly bear that kept returning to the Oldman Lake Campground.  One of the bear’s two cubs died when it was tranquilized.

Glacier Superintendent Chas Cartwright says the death of the yearling cub was an accident and will be reviewed.  Officials safely captured the other cub and will ship it to the Bronx Zoo.  That’s better than death, but probably not by much.

Story at KXMC

National Park Service Founders Day

The public is invited to join the staff of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in celebrating Founder’s Day on Tuesday, August 25, 2009.  Park visitor centers in both North and South Units will offer free cookies and lemonade.  National park-related movies will be shown at the South Unit Visitor Center at 9 a.m., 12, 4 and 5 p.m. to celebrate the entire national park system.

"We are pleased to celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the National Park Service with our park visitors," said Superintendent Valerie Naylor.  "We are experiencing record visitation in the park this summer and the anniversary is a time to reflect on the value of national parks to Americans."

Read the complete news release

Free Weekend at U.S. National Parks

Entrance fees at national parks across the country will be waived this weekend, August 15-16.  It’s the third free weekend this summer, an effort to encourage Americans to enjoy affordable vacations in our national parks.  There will be no entrance fees at all 147 sites across the country that charge for admission.  The 244 other parks, such as North Cascades National Park, do not charge entrance fees.

National Park Photo Tour

National Park News Feed

11-Year-Old Boy Dies in Death Valley

An 11-year-old boy died from dehydration in the intense heat of Death Valley National Park after he and his mother became stranded.

Rescuers found Alicia Sanchez, 28, her dog and dead son in a Jeep Cherokee buried up to its axles in sand.  She said her son Carlos died Wednesday.

Sanchez and her son set out Saturday with a case of 24 bottles of water and snacks on what was to be an overnight camping trip.  She fixed a flat tire and continued into Death Valley following directions from a GPS.  She eventually hit an underground animal den and became mired in the sand.

Nobody reported them missing until Wednesday.  An air and ground search was launched at dawn Thursday, and a park ranger discovered them about 11 a.m by following tire tracks on a dirt road into the desert.

“It’s in about as remote and isolated an area as you can find,” said Death Valley National Park Chief Ranger Brent Pennington.  “A GPS does not replace a map, a compass, checking in at the visitor center and letting people know where you’re going to be.”

Summer temperatures soar above 120 degrees in Death Valley.  The high temperature Tuesday and Wednesday was 111, with a low of 96 early Tuesday.

Story at FoxNews

Woman Dies in Fall from Angels Landing in Zion

A California woman fell to her death Sunday while hiking in Zion National Park with her husband and three children.  Nancy Maltez, 55, fell 1,000 feet off the north side of Angels Landing.  Witnesses say Maltez stumbled while hiking on the tricky trail, which hugs the cliff nearly 1,500 feet above the Virgin River.

“There is an element of risk involved with hiking any of our trails, especially when they are high elevation trails like Angels Landing,” said Zion Pubic Information Officer Ron Terry. 

A National Park Service search and rescue team found the woman’s body in the canyon below.  Angel’s Landing was temporarily closed Sunday during the investigation and recovery, but is expected to reopen today.

Angels Landing Trail is one of the most famous and thrilling hikes in the U.S. National Parks.  The trail climbs along a narrow rock fin with dizzying thousand-foot drop-offs on both sides.  Chains are embedded into the rock in places to give hikers an extra hand-hold.  The trail ends on a small bald with magnificent 360-degree views.  Only experienced hikers and climbers with no fear of heights should attempt the trail.  As this incident demonstrates, one wrong move on Angel’s Landing can result in a fatal fall.

Story at The Spectrum