Preservation

Park closes mines with puff and iron
November 18, 2009, 4:23 pm
National park employees are at work here this week closing off abandoned mine shafts. In the current phase of mine closures, National Park Service employees will close 11 holes at eight sites while contractors will close 29 holes at an additional 14 sites throughout the park. “Before a site is selected for closure, an extensive review process is conducted including a mapping and photo survey to ensure cultural sites are not disturbed and there is minimal impact to adjacent plant and animal life,” Luke Sabala, abandoned mine land coordinator, said.
Wyoming ghost town's cemetery vandalized
November 17, 2009, 3:16 pm
The National Park Service is trying to find the culprits behind a Wyoming ghost town cemetery vandalism spree that damaged several historic tombstones. Kane, Wyo., about two miles from where Shoshone and Bighorn rivers meet in Big Horn County, was abandoned around 1965 when the Yellowtail Dam in Montana flooded the area surrounding the small town. The cemetery, located on higher ground a few miles north of where the town stood, wasn't inundated.
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Capitol Reef, Waterpocket Fold, Land of the Sleeping Rainbow—all are colorful names to describe a park with many striking characteristics.

Waterpocket Fold, the main feature of the park, is the name of a 100-mile-long fold in the earth's surface. This uplift contains innumerable eroded basins or pockets that hold thousands of gallons of rainwater. These pockets of water have affected the history of humanity within the park and the flora and fauna of the region.

Entering the park from the west gives the most impressive view of the 1,000-foot-high stone barrier into which erosive forces have sculpted fascinating canyons, mesas, buttes and mazes. Once in the park, other astonishing panoramas await you.

Within a short distance of the visitor center, you will see Capitol Dome, Chimney Rock, the Goosenecks and the Egyptian Temple. Hickman Bridge, the Golden Throne and Capitol Gorge reward you after easy to moderate hikes. Prehistoric petroglyphs, the Fruita Schoolhouse, the Gifford Farmhouse and the Behunin Cabin speak of bygone eras and can be reached by car. The 20-mile round-trip Scenic Drive will take you past the Ripple Rock Nature Center and many of the park's features.

If you are seeking a remote wilderness experience, Capitol Reef has it. To the north of Route 24, dirt roads, which generally require high-clearance or 4-wheel-drive vehicles, lead into the park's north end through the heart of Cathedral Valley, an area of monolithic formations of Entrada and Curtis sandstones, some of which are 500 feet high. South of Route 24, graded roads, usually suitable for high-clearance vehicles, lead into some very fine hiking country. Besides good hiking opportunities, the southern part of the park also offers spectacular views of the folded strata of Capitol Reef and the Henry Mountains. Muley Twist Canyon is in the southern end of the park, as is Brimhall Bridge. Check with a park ranger before setting out for any of these more remote locations. Weather conditions may make the roads slick and impassable.

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Park police targeting vandalism in Lake Mead area
November 16, 2009, 3:11 pm
The National Park Service says it is increasing police patrols to stop illegal off-highway vehicle use and vandalism in wilderness areas in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area southeast of Boulder City. Chief Ranger Mary Hinson says some sites in the Black Canyon and Eldorado wilderness near the Colorado River have become popular places for illegal dumping, target shooting and nighttime bonfires. Officials are encouraging visitors to follow "leave no trace" principles and to pack out anything they pack in to minimize human impact to the land.
Nevadan guilty of spreading mussels at Lake Powell
November 4, 2009, 7:11 pm
A Nevada man has become the first person to be found guilty of violating regulations adopted to prevent the spread of invasive mussels at Lake Powell. Jonny Ward has been ordered by a federal magistrate to pay a $2,500 fine for failing to have his boat inspected for quagga mussels before launching it on the lake.
Yellowstone cleans up fuel storage, other sites with polluted soil, water
November 4, 2009, 7:09 pm
Contractors have almost finished initial cleanup work at several sites around Yellowstone National Park where leaky underground fuel tanks had contaminated soil and groundwater over the past few decades.Some of the polluted sites are near pristine waters, and while they did not pose an immediate threat to drinking water, it is important that they be cleaned up, said Jim Evanoff, environmental protection specialist for the park.
Yosemite National Park to Have 20% More Wildfires by 2050 - And They'll Be Stronger, Too
November 2, 2009, 3:45 pm
According to research published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, Yosemite is likely to see about a 20% increase in both the number of fires and the area of land which burns at high intensity, from 2020-2049.Read more...
Debate Flares on Limits of Nature and Commerce in Parks
November 2, 2009, 3:26 pm
It seems a perfect marriage of nature and commerce. As boats ferry oysters to the shore, pelicans swoop by and seals pop their heads out of the water.But this spot on the Point Reyes National Seashore has become a flashpoint for a bitter debate over the limits of wilderness and commercial interest within America’s national parks.The National Park Service has said it cannot renew the permit to farm oysters in a tidal estuary here, which lapses in 2012, because federal law requires it to return the area to wilderness by eliminating intrusive commercial activity.
The eponymous highlights of Glacier National Park are fast disappearing
November 2, 2009, 3:23 pm
Like the long tail of a sleeping dragon, northwestern Montana's jagged peaks snake their way across several hundred square miles of ancient glacial plains. At first glance, this slice of the Northern Rockies, with its massive flanks carpeted by Douglas fir, spruce and lodgepole pine, looks perfectly healthy.
Yosemite National Park Gifted $5.8 Million
October 27, 2009, 2:46 pm
Yosemite National Park's meadows, trails and wildlife are better off thanks to a $5.8 million contribution by the nonprofit Yosemite Fund. Saturday a check was presented to Acting Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga at the Fund's Donor Day event in Wawona. Donors have paid for 56 projects so far this year to improve the Park. The Fund's signature project this year was the $800,000 rehabilitation of the Half Dome Overlook which improved vehicle and pedestrian access, educational signage and viewing terraces. In addition the project also is protecting a natural habitat.
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