National Park News

A 55 year old male fell to his death while hiking in Zion National Park on Friday, November 28, 2008.

Fatality at Rio Grande Village.

Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, the transportation concessioner for Denali National Park and Preserve, will begin accepting advance reservations for the 2009 visitor season for shuttle buses and the park’s four largest campgrounds on Monday, December 1, 2008.  Reservations will be available by phone, online, mail, and fax at that time.

The Acadia National Park annual pass sale will be held December 8 – December 31, 2008, at the winter visitor center at park headquarters and several other locations. Passes are half-price—only $20!

The fourth meeting of the Denali National Park Aircraft Overflights Advisory Council will take place on Thursday, December 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Campbell Creek Science Center located at 5600 Science Center Drive in Anchorage.  The meeting is open to the public with time allocated for public testimony. 

On October 7 and 8, 2008, two rockfalls occurred in Yosemite Valley, affecting the Curry Village area. This resulted in the temporary closure of many of the visitor accommodations until a thorough geologic assessment could be completed.  During this time, National Park Service (NPS) geologists, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, and other national and international scientists, conducted extensive investigation and study of rockfalls that have occurred in the area above Curry Village using the latest scientific mapping and computer modeling techniques. The analysis has shown that approximately 6,000 cubic meters of rock were involved in the events.

Chekika reopens for season 2008.  This area of the park is open seasonally due to tendency to flood during wet season.

The Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park will open for all vehicles on Friday, November 21, 2008, at 8:00 a.m.

Yosemite National Park is announcing the public scoping period for the Parkwide Data Communication Network Environmental Assessment (EA). Public scoping comments will be used to assist the park in developing a range of reasonable and feasible project alternatives that meet the purpose and need, including a no action alternative, and analyzes the environmental effects of each. A 45 day public scoping period for this EA will open on November 12, 2008 and will run until December 26, 2008. Written comments should be postmarked no later than December 26, 2008.

Recent storms have brought additional snow to Denali National Park and Preserve and the Superintendent has determined that there is now adequate snow cover for the use of snowmobiles for traditional activities in all the 1980 additions to Denali National Park and Preserve.

Parks To Open On Time For Winter Use
Court order provides for snowmobile and snowcoach access in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

A recent court order removes uncertainty about snowmobile and snowcoach access in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks this winter.

Over 600 educational technology leaders who serve the K-12 education community throughout the State of California will interact with divers underwater at Channel Islands National Park (CINP) in southern California during a live broadcast at the California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA) conference this Wednesday in Sacramento. 

New regulations regarding subsistence off-road vehicle use, backcountry use and mountaineering at Denali National Park and Preserve were published today in the Federal Register.

Every weekend, affordable, interactive and fun-based learning experiences appeal to all interests in the winter wonderland of Yosemite National Park.  Guided naturalist hikes on snowshoes, a winter ecology program at the cozy Ostrander Hut, assisting rangers with a snow survey, two winter photography courses, and a series of moonlight snowshoe programs are just a sampling of the wide range of affordable learning adventures offered by the acclaimed non-profit organization, Yosemite Association (YA) at the start of 2009.

The Yosemite National Park Deaf Services Program has been selected as the recipient of the FY 2008 National Park Service Programmatic Accessibility Achievement Award. The award is given to an individual or group who has been responsible for the development, implementation, or improvement of programs and services within the National Park System that exemplify the concept of universal accessibility.

South Dakota Air National Guard recognized for its assistance with wilderness clean-up project

All evening programs are on Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park.  They are free and open to the public.

Fire managers from Rocky Mountain National Park are collaborating with Colorado State University researchers to learn more about the impacts of the mountain pine beetle epidemic on fire behavior.

Today, Thursday, November 6, 2008, Trail Ridge Road officially closed for the season to through travel.  Old Fall River Road officially closed for the season on October 20, 2008.

Over the next five months, weather conditions permitting, fixed wing and helicopter flights will occur over Rocky Mountain National Park.

Mammoth Cave National Park Superintendent Patrick Reed invites all area residents to the annual Cave Sing, Sunday, December 7.  Meet at the visitor center for this free event.

Record of Decision completes the seven-year General Management Planning process and paves the way for implementing the plan.

During the November “From Shore to Sea” lectures, Greg Sanders, a senior biologist with Minerals Management Service, will offer a history of sea otters along the California coast including their near extinction, current threats, and recovery efforts.

Zion National Park is beginning an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential impacts from the proposed rehabilitation of the Zion Mt. Carmel Highway within the park.

Volunteers from the Maryville Housing Authority’s Youth Outdoor Recreation Program in Blount County, Tenn., responded to a call to assist Great Smoky Mountains National Park in improving trails during “Make a Difference Day” on October 25, the nation’s largest single day of volunteerism.

This week marks the beginning of a Centennial project at Mammoth Cave National Park that will restore a barren, or prairie, along the Mammoth Cave Parkway near Park City.  The park has contracted with Robert Poppy Excavation and Construction, LLC, to remove cedar and pine trees from the understory of about 64 acres of parkland, between now and the end of March.  Funding is provided through the National Park Service Centennial Initiative.

A Campground Comparability Review has been conducted using local state park campgrounds to ascertain the fees being charged for like amenities.  Currently the Gulpha Gorge campground provides primitive camping with no utility services available at a fee of $10 per site, per night.  The addition of utility services, including electricity, water, and sewer connections, could justify an increase in the nightly fee to $24 per site, per night.

Winners of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium Photography Contest will be on display in the Dante Fascell Visitor Center Gallery through February 22, 2009.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve has partnered with Copper River School District and through a Public Land Corps funded project engage two high school hockey teams, their parents, and Park employees to build 40 picnic tables and three cabins for seasonal housing.

Everglades National Park seeks input on Pilot Spreader Swales Project