News From America's Parks

Park Service defends actions after finding arsenic at Fort Reno

The National Park Service was fending off uncomfortable questions Wednesday after it waited 14 hours to tell the public that one of Northwest’s most popular parks was potentially tainted with poison.

The Park Service and U.S. Park Police swooped into Fort Reno Park early Wednesday, moving out pedestrians and throwing up storm fences. Officials said satellite pictures from the U.S. Geological Survey revealed pockets of arsenic on the ground that were nearly twice federal safety standards.

The park has been closed to visitors until the arsenic can be removed, officials said. There was no timetable for reopening. It took until 9 a.m. for federal officials to call the D.C. Department of Health. The D.C. fire department wasn’t notified until around 1 p.m., a spokesman told The Examiner.

Vets get heroes' welcome

A crowd of hundreds whooped, clapped and waved signs and American flags as one by one, about 100 World War II veterans from Simpsonville and across the Upstate descended the escalators on their return to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.

The group, part of Honor Flight Simpsonville, returned May 7 from a daylong trip to Washington, D.C., where they visited the National World War II Memorial and other historic sites.

Honor Flight Simpsonville, a project announced by the city of Simpsonville on Veterans Day last November, flew the veterans, guardians and a doctor on a chartered U.S. Airways flight to the nation's capital. The flight returned to Greenville at 7:45 p.m. after a day that started with a 9 a.m. flight and included visits to Arlington National Cemetery and the National Mall.

Young guides give free tours, but welcome tips

With a little bit of rap (about King George III, of all people: "He was a meany and we were so teeny"), a healthy but not overbearing dose of history and a whole lot of nerve, two recent college graduates are rattling the genteel world of Washington tour guides. Ben Hindman and Brody Davis are giving tours for free.

Working only for tips, the two friends in bright orange caps are attracting tourists who find themselves on the National Mall knowing little more than that the really tall one has to do with Washington; the squat, columned one is where Forrest Gump liked to hang out; and the one with the dome is where the president lives, or something like that.

"A lot of tourists really don't know anything about Washington or history," Hindman says. "We thought we could entertain people and get them interested in history at the same time."

Jefferson Memorial Needs Repair, Study Says

The sea wall at the Jefferson Memorial has sunk almost a foot in places since the monument was built, and the rate seems to have increased in recent years, according to a year-long study commissioned by the National Park Service.

As a result, the sea wall, in the Tidal Basin, should be reinforced with pilings driven through the mud flats and anchored in bedrock far below, a project that would probably cost more than $10 million, a Park Service spokesman said.

Park Service officials said they would study the report and conduct further investigations before deciding on a course of action. The 32,000-ton memorial does not appear to be sinking. But the report urges continued monitoring of the 18-acre complex to understand what is happening in the ground. One engineer said that if nothing is done, the problems will worsen.

Kayaking Trips at Channel Islands National Park

My friend Craig and I were nearing the end of our paddling excursion through Channel Islands National Park: a circumnavigation of Santa Rosa Island, followed by an open ocean sprint through pea soup fog to Santa Cruz Island, and an exploration of the natural wonders on that island’s craggy front side. We kayaked past volcanic sea stacks and configurations such as Profile Point, then paddled into the Dardanelles, where we ducked under triangular and keyhole-shaped arches. But it was the black mass that swarmed beneath Craig’s kayak at Potato Harbor that we remember most.

We couldn’t have asked for cleaner paddling conditions: no swell or wind, and the water clarity mirrored the South Pacific. We’d paddled the entire front side of the largest island in the archipelago without a break, and decided to stretch our legs at Potato Harbor, the last protected cove before Scorpion Anchorage on the southeast end of the isle.

As soon as our hulls scraped wet sand, that black mass appeared in the waist-deep water. A gazillion silverfish bonded into a giant baitball. Stiff-legged, Craig gently shoved his kayak back into the protected waters of Potato. Perhaps instantly drawn toward his multicolored vessel, the baitball swayed beneath him, a sort of aquatic ballet and another Channel Islands natural wonder within the ebb and flow of a draining tide.

Everglades Ablaze, Suspected Arsonist Arrested

A 7,000 acres fire, most likely human-caused, in Everglades National Park will be fully suppressed, according to park superintendent Dan Kimball, because it is burning close to two populations of a federally listed endangered species, the Cape Sable seaside sparrow.

"Our highest priority, as always, is firefighter and public safety, but we need to ensure that the habitat of the endangered seaside sparrow is protected," said Kimball.

Called the Mustang Corner Fire, this blaze was first reported Tuesday morning south of Chekika, a recreation area in the eastern part of the Everglades.

National Park Service finds human remains in Delaware River

Two National Park Service employees found human remains in the Delaware River this afternoon while on a boat patrol.

The remains were found about one mile south of Sambo Island inside the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation area, according to the National Park Service.

The Warren County medical examiner and New Jersey State Police are investigating. The medical examiner has received the body and is making an examination to determine the person’s identity.

Renovated Paradise Inn is back in business

The rustic Paradise Inn in Mount Rainier National Park, a national historic landmark built in 1916, will reopen Friday after a two-year, $22.5 million spruce-up.

The inn was closed in 2006 so it could be renovated to correct structural problems that would have been catastrophic in an earthquake or fire. Years of heavy snow loads had deformed the inn's timber frame construction, and its stone fireplaces and a stone wall were unstable. The building's stone rubble foundation was inadequate, and the upgrade included replacing mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems.

The 118-room hotel is operated as a park concession by Guest Services Inc., and includes a beautiful dining room, lobby, gift shop and cafe. It is perched on the edge of the wildflower meadows of the Paradise area on the mountain's south side, at an elevation of about 5,420 feet.

Murray 6th-grader wins essay contest

Murray sixth-grader Peter Rosen has been selected out of hundreds of competitors for his essay addressing a new direction to preserve the environment.

The National Park Foundation challenged kids nationwide with the following question: "What can you do now to turn over a new leaf for the environment and help preserve our national parks?"

In his essay, Rosen pointed out that "simple steps can be taken" at home and at the parks to reduce deterioration of the earth, including using alternative forms of transportation, turning out the lights and keeping garbage to a minimum.

Hitting the trail with Fido

There’s no question that America’s great outdoors is a paradise for pets. From flower-carpeted mountain sides to spectacular waterfalls and panoramic vistas — there are so many wonderful pet-friendly hiking trails to discover.

While each individual state’s tourist board boasts a mind-boggling selection of state and national parks, sometimes there’s no need to escape further than one’s own backyard to enjoy an invigorating fresh air experience with your pooch.

Tanya Tschesnok, Publicity Manager of the Sierra Club, a nationwide organization whose credo is to explore, enjoy and protect the planet says hiking with dogs is popular, and many of the Sierra Club’s individual chapters plan special pet-friendly hikes on a regular basis.

National Park Travel: Cruisin' Cape Hatteras

Apparently, Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a better tourist attraction than the tallest brick lighthouse in the US. North Carolina's Outer Banks is home to both, but the area earned the nickname "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" thanks to all the ships that have been lost off the shore.

Visitors are free to bring their vehicles onto the sand and shore to find the perfect spot for a summer afternoon. As of this May, though, drivers can only practice sand time trials between the hours of 6 am and 10 pm. The new rules are in effect in order to protect the nesting areas of the sea turtle and shore bird populations in this area.

Destination: Denali National Park, Alaska

GET AWAY: If you've already cruised Alaska's Inside Passage, return to see the state's magnificent interior. Denali National Park, 140 miles north of Anchorage, is home to Mount McKinley (also called Denali) — at 20,320 feet, North America's highest mountain. Wildlife from grizzly bears to moose live in the 6-million-acre park; in summer, bright wildflowers carpet the plains. The 91-mile Denali Park Road allows access to shuttle buses, bicyclists and hikers; private vehicles are not allowed past mile 15. The park is open year-round, but for the widest choice of accommodations and restaurants, visit from mid-May to mid-September.

Estes Park earns its accolades

Last Thursday, a convoy of cameramen and reporters was supposed to be taken past Many Parks Curve on U.S. 34 to film the country’s bravest plow drivers trying to dig out Trail Ridge Road.

Rocky Mountain National Park’s annual media day was postponed, however, because good old Mother Nature had other plans.

But I didn’t, so after I heard three feet of (new) snow prevented the tour, I decided to continue to Estes Park. Better than going back to the office, I thought, especially when I could maybe spot a bighorn or two.

Carjacking suspects sought at Grand Canyon

Officials are searching for two suspects after a carjacking in Grand Canyon Village on Monday.

At about 3:30 p.m., Grand Canyon National Park's emergency dispatch center received calls about an accident near the South Rim of the canyon. People offered to help the two men in the vehicle, but the pair refused the help and left on foot carrying large backpacks, said Grand Canyon officials.

At 7:15 p.m. the dispatch center received a call about a carjacking. Two males allegedly approached a driver and passenger and took the vehicle at gunpoint.

Way cool: Death Valley National Park charms families

About 300 miles northeast of Los Angeles, vast Death Valley National Park is a place of extremes: hottest, driest, lowest. Amid its timeless quietude, visitors may hear the wind traveling across the desert floor or the echo of a raven's caw off a distant mountain. Families might enjoy visiting a few of the ghost towns throughout the park, seeing the unparalleled springtime wildflowers, exploring the otherworldly sand dunes or spotting desert coyotes.

Age appropriate : The heat and long drives (as the crow flies, the park is more than 100 miles north to south) might prove too much for little ones, but tweens and teens will likely enjoy the edginess of it all.

Strange -- but fun: Rhyolite, which boomed with the Bullfrog gold mine, was once a town of about 10,000, but now it's just for tourists and ghosts. There's an open-air museum along the road, where Modernist sculptures -- among them, a ghost climbing on a bike -- are scattered in the creosote, bizarrely juxtaposed with the moldering shells of Rhyolite's banks, stores and homes. These include the handsome Spanish mission-style Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad Station and an odd house made of bottles. Good-natured volunteer guides provide tours.