National Park News

Park Superintendent Connie Rudd announced today that Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area are beginning a management plan for wilderness and backcountry for both parks.

Various work projects in Acadia National Park will be possible because of funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Due to the lack of rain and warm weather, fire restrictions in Voyageurs National Park begin Friday, April 23. Restrictions will be lifted when conditions improve.

Each year in the spring (April – June) water turbidity increases in the drinking water within Grand Canyon National Park. This increased turbidity is caused by the snow melt and by the spring rains recharging the aquifer and by the increased water flows through the rock formations to the point of supply for the Grand Canyon National Park Public Water Supply System.

Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Steve Martin today announced the issuance of a commercial use authorization (CUA) for bicycle rental operations located at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center on the park’s South Rim. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced details for the reopening of the Cades Cove Loop Road during two celebratory events on Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25. The park has implemented temporary measures and organized personnel to direct traffic and parking to make these events run as smoothly as possible.

Centennial Featured by Glacier Institute Special 2010 Series

Shenandoah National Park is pleased to announce its Resource Seminars for 2010. Resource Seminars provide participants with the opportunity to get to know their national park a little more personally through hands-on opportunities and field experience. Seminars provide a more in-depth experience to learn from scientists, researchers, educators, and other experts about resource issues and recreational opportunities in Shenandoah National Park.

Yosemite National Park announces the extension of the public scoping period for the park’s Invasive Plant Management Plan.  The scoping period is extended until May 15, 2010.  The public is invited to submit written ideas regarding this planning effort.  

Park’s 100 years commemorated during rededication ceremony on May 11th.

Avalanche investigation posted to Glacier Avalanche Center web site.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is starting four American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects to improve hiker parking areas and resurface two roads in the Park. The $12.2 million for these projects brings total Recovery Act funding for the Smokies to $77.5 million.

The Biscayne National Park and National Geographic BioBlitz event will cause some temporary closures of park areas.

As part of National Park Week, April 17-25, the National Park Service will sponsor National Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 24. Not only are park entrance fees waived throughout the week at Rocky Mountain National Park, but additional programs will be offered to allow children to learn about the park and earn their Junior Ranger badges.

Saturday, April 24, 7 p.m. at Beaver Meadows Visitor Centr – The Real Value of Wilderness

Have you ever asked yourself why you care so much about wilderness? Forest Service Wilderness Program Manager Ralph Swain will explore the values of wilderness and why the American people have historically cared so much for wild places.

Do you need a little motivation to get out and enjoy the great outdoors? A new program, “Reward Yourself – Hike the Smokies Challenge” in 2010, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will help visitors reach individual milestones.

Biologists at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have received confirmation that one Little Brown bat collected from its hibernating refuge in the Park’s White Oak Blowhole cave tested positive for the fungus that is the presumptive causative agent of White Nose Syndrome.

National Park Week is ushered in this year with a special art exhibit created by well known local artists Larry Iwerks, John Iwerks, and Manny Lopez. Each artist has been connected to Channel Islands National Park for years as contributing members of The Oak Group of Santa Barbara—a group of about 25 artists who paint in support of protecting natural landscapes and the environment.

Officials at Glacier National Park are pleased to announce that many of the park’s campgrounds will be opening in upcoming weeks

Officials at Glacier National Park report that the east side of the park received nearly a foot of new snow this week, sending the plows back to areas already cleared once. It’s a reminder that the progress of the plowing, and subsequent road openings, is completely weather dependant and can change day to day.

Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Russell E. Galipeau Jr. announced today the release of the Prisoners Harbor Coastal Wetland Restoration Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing to restore a portion of the coastal wetland and associated stream channel at Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island.  

Junior Ranger Day activities are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. MDT at the South Unit’s Cottonwood Picnic Area and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CDT at the North Unit’s Juniper Picnic Area on April 24, 2010. Park rangers will host one-hour programs about the park’s wildlife and the many clues animals leave behind, including a guided hike and scavenger hunt. Participants will earn a Junior Ranger Day patch and certificate upon completion of the activity. Participation is free and the regular entrance fee will not be charged to enter the park.

Visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park will cost less during National Park Week, April 17-25. The National Park Service is offering free entrance at all of its 392 parks which regularly charge fees starting Saturday, as part of its annual celebration.  

Yosemite National Park will celebrate National Park Week and Earth Day beginning Saturday, April 17 through Sunday, April 25. Many special events and activities are being sponsored by the National Park Service (NPS) and DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. (the park’s primary concessioner).

Fire crews from Wind Cave National Park and the Northern Great Plains Fire Office are preparing control lines and equipment for a planned 397-acre burn south of the Rankin Ridge Fire Tower this spring.

Fire crews from Wind Cave National Park and the Northern Great Plains Fire Office are preparing control lines and equipment for a planned 397-acre burn south of the Rankin Ridge Fire Tower this spring.

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, Grand Canyon National Park will host its third Celebrate Wildlife Day. 

Join park rangers for National Junior Ranger Day on April 24.

Tree pruning workshop to give tips using old orchard in Acadia National Park.

JoshuaTreeNP: Activities designed to allow kids to earn a Jr Ranger badge will be held during National Park Week. http://ow.ly/1y66L