Topic “National Parks”

Rangers hone short-haul skills in Grand Teton National Park

By Mike Koshmrl, Jackson Hole News & Guide - Wed, Jun 27, 2012 6:15 pm

JACKSON - High in the Tetons, Jackson Hole’s outdoor adventurers are always a slip away from deadly or debilitating injury. Falls happen. A quarter-century ago, helicopter rescues were tightly constrained by topographic realities. If a pilot was unable to land near a victim, he or she was carried out on foot. Due to the “short haul” rescue technique, that’s changed. Nowadays, unforgiving terrain... Read more.

Yosemite rock fall risk prompts closures of some lodging sites

By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times - Thu, Jun 14, 2012 11:59 am

LOS ANGELES - Some of the more popular lodging areas in Yosemite Valley will be closed because of a high risk of rock falls along the national park’s towering granite walls, federal officials announced Thursday. Prompted by a new study, 18 sites in historic Curry Village, a tract of canvas and wooden cabins, will be shut down along with a half-dozen spots below the sheer cliffs of El Capitan that... Read more.

Yosemite waterfall ready for its closeup ... online

By Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, , Scripps Howard News Service - Mon, Jun 4, 2012 7:56 pm

For the first time ever, Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in North America, can be called up on a computer and viewed from the comfort of the living room sofa. The nonprofit Yosemite Conservancy has switched on a webcam that shows the thundering waterfall in all its incarnations throughout the year, its latest addition to an array of technology connecting couch potatoes and computer nerds to... Read more.

Yellowstone National Park proposes big changes to concession contract

By Martin Kidston, The Billings Gazette - Thu, May 31, 2012 8:31 pm

MAMMOTH - The National Park Service is looking to create a new concession contract in Yellowstone National Park late next year, and it will ask the winning bidder to complete $134 million in improvements to visitor lodging and other services as part of the bargain. Outlined in a draft of Yellowstone’s new business opportunities plan, the proposed changes also would see the park increase the... Read more.

Active-duty military members, families get free U.S. park passes

By Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times, , McClatchy Newspapers - Thu, May 17, 2012 10:38 pm

LOS ANGELES -- The Obama administration is stepping up its courtship of active-duty military personnel and their families by offering them a free pass to any national park, officials announced on Tuesday. The annual passes will be made available to members of the military free of charge beginning Saturday, Armed Forces Day, officials said. The pass, which usually costs $80, ... Read more.

Utah parks to celebrate May 20 eclipse

By The Associated Press - Thu, May 10, 2012 11:10 am

SALT LAKE CITY — Some of southern Utah’s national parks will offer programs for viewing an annular solar eclipse later this month. Rangers at Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Natural Bridges National Monument will offer activities for the May 20 eclipse. The full eclipse will be visible only at Natural Bridges, turning the sky dark as the moon crosses in front of the sun and leaving... Read more.

Groups propose national monument near Grand Canyon

By Felicia Fonseca, The Associated Press - Thu, Apr 19, 2012 6:46 pm

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A coalition of environmentalists wants to create a national monument near the Grand Canyon, but federal officials and a ranchers group say the land already is adequately protected from things like overgrazing and mining. The environmentalists are looking to President Barack Obama to declare a 1.7 million-acre area, mostly north of the Grand Canyon, as Grand Canyon... Read more.

Where’s a Yellowstone bear? Look on your phone

By Mead Gruver, The Associated Press - Wed, Apr 18, 2012 11:40 pm

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Pretty soon, the best place to be on the lookout for wolves, grizzly bears, bison and other wildlife in Yellowstone National Park could be your phone. Just don’t be surprised if lots of other people get the same idea and most of the creatures you see are the two-legged variety. New smartphone apps enable people to pinpoint where they’ve recently seen critters in Yellowstone.... Read more.

Road to Grand Canyon’s North Rim to reopen May 15

By The Associated Press, The Associated Press - Mon, Apr 16, 2012 4:22 pm

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — The main roadway leading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is set to reopen on May 15 for the summer season. Grand Canyon National Park officials say the historic Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim and all other North Rim facilities will also reopen that day. Arizona State Route 67 leading to the North Rim was closed for the winter season in late November. Most... Read more.