National Park News

Yosemite National Park has scheduled a public site visit for the Mariposa Grove Restoration Project on Friday, October 14, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The site visit will include a guided walk through the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove where park staff will discuss the project, the history of the Mariposa Grove, and ecology of giant sequoias. The public is encouraged to share ideas about how to improve the overall visitor experience and protect resources in and around the grove. People wishing to attend this site visit should meet in front of the Mariposa Grove Gift Shop and come prepared for hiking in fall weather conditions. Park entrance fees will be waived at the entrance stations for those attending the site walk.

Yosemite National Park Fire Managers are planning a prescribed fire in the southern portion of the park near Bishop Creek along the Wawona Road, on Friday, September 30, 2011. Ignition of the prescribed fire is dependent on weather conditions. The total prescribed burn area will include 5,224 acres. The burn area will be broken up into segments, with Segment A being ignited on Friday, and will include 1,400 acres. Fire engines, water tenders, and fire crews from Yosemite National Park will be present during all fire activity.

Denali National Park and Preserve is seeking public input on a proposal to simplify the entrance fee structure. Currently the park charges entrance fees of $10 per person, $20 per vehicle, and $15 per motorcycle. The National Park Service is proposing to collect only the $10 per person entrance fee, effective January 1, 2012.

This Saturday, September 24 is National Public Lands Day 2011 and visitors are invited to enjoy America’s natural wonders as they work to improve public lands.

Environmental Assessment Released Today; Public Meeting Tonight September 21 at Vern Burton Community Center

Overlook Trail Completed at Elwha Dam, Webcams Offer Views of Both Dams

The road will close to all use in early October so that dam removal contractor Barnard Construction and Olympic National Park road crews can repair slide damage in two locations along the 4.5-mile gravel road. Exact timing of the temporary closure will be announced soon.

Superintendent

National Park Service planners will implement a “One-Year Rule” for the upcoming 2011-2012 winter season, in order to allow time to better address significant public input regarding the proposed long-term regulation.

The National Park Service (NPS) has continued the contract with DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. to provide visitor services within the park from October 1, 2011 through January 31, 2015. The previous contract extension expires on September 30, 2011. The park is continuing the process of developing a new prospectus for visitor services.

Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue Park Rangers completed a complex, high angle, helicopter rescue on El Capitan on Monday afternoon, September 26, 2011, in which an Austrian climber severed his thumb.

Acting Superintendent David Nemeth announced that vessel speed and course restrictions in lower Glacier Bay and the mouth of Glacier Bay will be lifted beginning at midnight on Friday, September 30, 2011.

- Grand Canyon National Park will celebrate Earth Science Week and National Fossil Day by offering a variety of special programs and events during the week of October 9 – 15, 2011. Earth Science Week promotes understanding and appreciation of the value of earth science research and its applications and relevance to our daily lives. Grand Canyon National Park is an ideal place to celebrate Earth Science Week, as the park is a natural classroom and laboratory for the earth sciences, and is one of the world’s most well known and most scenic geologic landscapes.

Fire Mangers in Grand Canyon National Park are making plans for the Watson Prescribed Fire (Watson Rx) on the South Rim of the park. Weather permitting; the Watson Rx will be initiated within the next 30 days.

JoshuaTreeNP: Except for Cottonwood Campground, all park campsites will be open after noon this Friday. ~sk

JoshuaTreeNP: Pinto Basin Road to partially reopen. You can visit Cholla Cactus Garden again beginning Friday afternoon. http://t.co/ybfGWv3s ~sk

Beginning on Tuesday, October 11, Longs Peak Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park will be closed through this winter for hazard tree mitigation.

Biscayne National Park is once again promoting safety as its number one priority as the busiest boating and law enforcement weekend of the year approaches.

The body of a man discovered near Tanner Beach in Grand Canyon National Park on Sunday, August 28, has been identified as that of 52-year old Stephen Norman O’Keeffe from Flagstaff, AZ.

Author Joe Tennis will delight visitors with ghost tales of the region

Heritage Event at Historic Settlement to Celebrate Appalachian Self-Sufficient Lifestyle

Effective September 30, 2011, all water at the public use dock in Bartlett Cove will be shut off for winter. Public restrooms at the Visitor Contact Station will remain open for use.

A new lightning-caused fire was discovered yesterday at 3:00 pm by the Mt. Washburn lookout station, bringing the total number of wildland fires that have burned in Yellowstone National Park to 21 this year.

The National Park Service is accepting applications beginning October 1 through November 15, 2011, for its summer 2012 Artist-in-Residence Program, at Rocky Mountain National Park.

On September 23, at approximately 5:00 pm, law enforcement rangers responded to a report of an overdue party.

Mesa Verde is pleased to welcome Linda Beach as an Artist-in-Residence. Ms. Beach is a fiber artist whose love of nature is reflected in her work and life. She will be giving a free public presentation about her work on Thursday, September 29, 2011, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the downstairs “library” of the Far View Lodge.

BrooksCamp: Brooks Camp’s facilities are closed for the winter. They will reopen on June 1. You are still welcome to visit at any time of the year.

BrooksCamp: @gslabbert5119 No reservations or fees are collected for the campground after Sept 17. You’re welcome to stay in the campground after that.

In celebration of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), all national parks across America will waive entrance fees Saturday, September 24, 2011. As part of the larger national effort, Redwood National and State Parks will also waive the day use entry fee into Jedediah Smith Redwoods and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks. Other fees, such as campground use fees, will still apply.

The National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy announced today the ground-breaking for a large-scale project to restore the coastal wetland at Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island.