National Park News

JoshuaTreeNP: Are they in the lily family? The agave family? Quite a few of them are in the park – you’ve probably heard of them… http://ow.ly/1caSI -mg

JoshuaTreeNP: wildflowers are in the earliest stages of bloom, mostly bladderpod – http://ow.ly/1c1vz -mg

JoshuaTreeNP: A storm is forecast to move through Joshua Tree this Saturday – check weather & road conditions before leaving and remember to be safe! -mg

Yosemite Institute, a campus of NatureBridge, announces a unique opportunity today for groups seeking a summer program that combines academic study with physical challenges, team building activities, and service projects.

Mammoth Cave National Park Superintendent Patrick Reed announced the completion of the environmental assessment (EA) for the rehabilitation of cave tour trails within Mammoth Cave. Regional Director David Vela signed the Finding of No Significant Impact, completing the EA, on February 1, 2010.

A private boating party stranded near Crystal Rapid in Grand Canyon National Park was able to continue down the river late Thursday afternoon after being rescued by National Park Service rangers.

Children from pre-school age through sixth grade are invited to enter the Voyageurs Kids Art Contest.

Bears have started to emerge from their dens in Yellowstone National Park. Grizzly bear tracks were spotted in the Blacktail Deer Plateau area east of Mammoth Hot Springs on Friday, February 19.

JoshuaTreeNP: Learn more about J-Tree rocks & minerals or desert survival this weekend – join us at a Desert Institute class! http://ow.ly/1bE1T -mg

Yosemite National Park will implement the Half Dome Cables Day Use Permit Interim Program beginning this summer for ascending the Half Dome cables on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. No permits will be required for the Half Dome cables Monday through Thursday. Permit reservations will be accepted starting Monday, March 1, at 7:00 a.m. PST for the months of May and June.

Yosemite Outdoor Adventures offer interactive and fun-based learning experiences that appeal to all interests in the scenic wonderland of Yosemite National Park. Guided naturalist hikes to lesser-known destinations, Half Dome treks, family camping programs, plein air art and backpack courses are just a sampling of the wide range of affordable learning adventures offered by the acclaimed non-profit organization, Yosemite Association (YA) during 2010.

Yellowstone National Park is recruiting for the 2010 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program, a residential work program for young men and women between the ages of 15 and 18. The program is designed to develop an appreciation for the nation’s natural resources and heritage through unique educational, recreational, and work experiences. 

Managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are preparing to close the Cades Cove Loop Road starting Monday, March 1, for a complete reconstruction of the road.  They expect to re-open the 11-mile Loop not later than May 21.

Basic Search and Rescue Training class offered.

All snowmobile trails in the park, including the Chain of Lakes Trail, are open and in excellent condition.

Yosemite Institute, a campus of NatureBridge announced a unique opportunity today for 15-18 year old students to take part in a 2-week long adventure and learning program in Yosemite National Park. The two-week long inquiry-based Field Research Course lets students earn college credit while learning how to create their own ecological research projects, learn wilderness survival skills, and more.

Photographers are invited to share their favorite winter photos of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem during the Second Annual Winter Photo Festival to be held in early March in West Yellowstone.

Join Ranger Kim this coming Sunday evening for a full moon hike and campfire gathering.

Lassen Volcanic National Park Superintendent, Darlene M. Koontz, announced a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the proposed Lassen Peak Trail Rehabilitation Project. The FONSI has been signed by Rory Westburg, the Acting Director for the Pacific West Region for the National Park Service.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced the release of the White Oak Road Environmental Assessment. The assessment analyzes a proposal to issue a right-of-way (ROW) permit to North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) to allow widening of White Oak Road (State Rd. 1338) in Haywood County, NC, where the road crosses National Park Service property near I-40 at the Fines Creek exit.

On Friday, February 19, over 40 volunteers and members of the Zion National Park staff participated in a Wilderness Work Day. 

On Friday, February 19, over 40 volunteers and members of the Zion National Park staff participated in a Wilderness Work Day. 

Mammoth Cave National Park just ended its best year for tourism since 2001. Cave visitation in 2009 was up close to 14 percent as compared to 2008.  Overall, the entire National Park Service (393 sites) saw a 3.9 percent rise in visitation in 2009.

Glaciers are the topic of the next Tapping into Science conversation in Bellingham. Jon Riedel, North Cascades Geo-Scientist will talk about thirsty mountain tops and the decline of frost brewed glaciers. A focus group meets in Concrete the next night on Thursday, February 25 to discuss attitudes about glaciers and their relationship to climate change.

Registration Open for 2010 Field Seminars and Teacher Trainings in Denali National Park and Preserve

The largest art installation in Biscayne National Park’s history and a companion exhibit, both by Miami artist Xavier Cortada, are now open.

Yosemite National Park is initiating public scoping for the Curry Village Rockfall Hazard Zone Structures Project. Compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) will be coordinated through development of an environmental assessment (EA). The public scoping period for the EA will open on Thursday, February 25, 2010 and will extend through Wednesday, April 7, 2010. Public scoping comments will be used to assist the park in developing a range of reasonable and feasible alternatives that meet the purpose and need, including a no action alternative, and then analyzing the environmental effects of each alternative.

Beginning March 1, 2010, Shenandoah National Park will institute an Outside Firewood Ban in an attempt to slow the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a destructive invasive exotic beetle that feeds on ash trees.

The recent severe winter storms have left Shenandoah National Park with heavy accumulations of snow resulting in the complete closure of Skyline Drive. Although crews are working to open the Drive to visitor use, park staff anticipates that it will be early March at the earliest before sections of the road can be opened to the public.

A change in federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under federal, state, and local laws to possess those firearms in National Park units beginning February 22, 2010.