National Park News

The Tioga Road (Highway 120 east of the Crane Flat Gas Station) and the Hetch Hetchy Road in Yosemite National Park will be temporarily closing tonight, Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. A high wind warning has been issued for the Yosemite area starting tonight, through Friday morning, December 2, that may impact driving conditions along the roadway. The Tioga Road and the Hetch Hetchy Road will remain closed until further assessments can be made. An announcement will be made pending additional road closure changes.

Park Prescribed Burn Continues after successful ignition this morning

NPS employees receive StormReady award

Pianist Robin Spielberg will feature her newest show when she takes to the stage at Happy Days Lodge on Friday, December 9, 2011 in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Second House Concert show added due to series popularity

An exciting new art exhibition will celebrate the tenth anniversary of one of South Florida’s most successful art-and-nature collaborations: the Artists In Residence In Everglades (AIRIE) program.

IveGot1″ – iPhone Mobile App now Available! Track invasive exotic plant and animal species in Florida

Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, the transportation concessioner for Denali National Park and Preserve, will begin accepting advance reservations for the 2012 visitor season for shuttle buses and the park’s four largest campgrounds on Thursday, December 1, 2011. Reservations will be available by phone, on-line, fax, and mail.

Superintendent Patrick Reed announced today the next step toward completing the Green River Crossing Rehabilitation environmental assessment: a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Preferred Alternative has been signed by NPS Regional Director David Vela and is now posted online.

Mammoth Cave National Park Superintendent Patrick Reed invites all area residents to the 32rd annual Cave Sing, Sunday, December 4, 2011. Participants should gather in the visitor center at 2:00 p.m. for this free event.

Park to conduct prescribed burn November 29 and 30 in north eastern area of the park

The twelfth season of Biscayne National Park’s Family Fun Fest wiill have a theme of “Myth, Magic and Mystery.”

Open House at Jordan Pond Gate Lodge – December 17, 2011 – 10am to 1pm. Acadia will hold a holiday open house at the Jordan Pond Gate Lodge, during which visitors may drop in and explore the lodge. Events include; presentations on the history of the gate lodge and the granite used in its construction, a walking tour, and a stone cutting demonstration. Call (207)288-3338 for more information.

The scenic drive through Lassen Volcanic National Park has been transformed by the recent storms to a scenic winter trail. This winter’s activities include ranger-led snowshoe walks, a new winter film festival, snowplay, skiing and snowshoeing.

JoshuaTreeNP: Bring your own coffee. Due to the holidays there will be no Climbers Coffee on the following dates: 12/24,12/25, 12/31, 1/1

After a temporary closure, the Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park will reopen to the public at 1:00 p.m. today, Friday, November 25, 2011. The Tioga Road, the popular east-west crossing of the Sierra Nevada in the northern portion of the park, has been temporarily closed due to snow and ice. The Tioga Road can close at any time due to winter weather and hazardous driving conditions. Visitors are urged to drive with caution as there may still be ice and snow along the roadway.

Ranger-guided snowshoe walks to begin this weekend at Crater Lake National Park.

The Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park is closed for the season due to ice and snow. The road is currently closed at the Chinquapin and Wawona Road (Highway 41) junction, and will open to Badger Pass once the ski area becomes open.

The Tioga Road remains closed at this time due to ice and snow. A winter storm is expected in the Yosemite region Thursday evening and into Friday morning. Over the weekend, the road will be reassessed and there is a slight possibility it will reopen. If the road reopens, the park will issue a news release.

All roads within the Yosemite National Park are subject to chain control or temporary closures due to hazardous driving conditions. Tire chains may be required at any time during the fall and winter season. It is strongly recommended that all motorists carry tire chains while driving in the park during the fall and winter months.

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200.

The park is seeking to update its Fire Management Plan to reflect recent changes in federal fire policy.

The proposed upgrade would decrease maintenance requirements for the open ditch system, decrease the use of culinary water for landscaping and increase the overall efficiency of the irrigation system.

The Park announced plans to close the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road to all vehicular traffic on Wednesday, November 30, and to impose a partial closure on Thursday, December 1 for hemlock woolly adelgid spray operations.

Mesa Verde National Park plans to groom four trail systems this winter if snowfall permits. The trail systems will include the Cliff Palace Loop, Wetherill Road Trail, Prater Canyon and Morefield Campground Trails.

In response to the threats posed by invasive non-native plants on park lands, the National Park Service has developed an Environmental Assessment for Invasive Non-native Plant Management. The EA proposes to implement an Integrated Pest Management program to control invasive, non-native plants, restore impacted areas, and detect and prevent new infestations in the North Cascades National Park Complex. The EA is available for review and the NPS is seeking public comments.

Two volunteers working in Death Valley NP have won the George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service in 2011 in the Pacific West Region. The intent of the awards is to distinguish those individuals or groups who give of their skills, talents, and time beyond the normal call of duty.

With support from Alaska Geographic, the Murie Science and Learning Center is awarding scholarships to teachers for accredited trainings and seminars taking place in Denali National Park and Preserve.

Death Valley National Park, the Death Valley Conservancy, and Death Valley Lodging Co. hosted a “Park Partners” evening at Stovepipe Wells Village in late October, 2011. About 35 people attended a dinner in the resort’s Tollhouse Cafe, after a reception in the adjacent Badwater Saloon.

Yosemite National Park is currently working on developing alternatives for the Comprehensive Management Plan for the Merced Wild and Scenic River (MRP). This plan will provide the framework for management decisions regarding the Merced River and the Merced River Corridor in Yosemite National Park. The park contains 81 miles of the Merced River, which was designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1987.

Due to ongoing hazard tree mitigation from last weekend’s storm, the Sprague Lake parking area and the trail around the lake will be closed to the public for safety reasons until further notice.

Acadia annual passes will be on sale for $20 during the month of December. They can be obtained in several places.