With 750,000 Jet Skis currently in operation, and more than 100,000 new “personal watercraft” sold annually, the industry is pushing the Park Service for access to 62 sites on national park waters – nearly double the number of sites currently available in the parks. But the Park Service and the Department of Interior can’t agree […]
Recreation
Posted inApril 27, 1998: The old West is going under
Jetboat race withdrawn
Two hundred years ago, Lewis and Clark’s wood and hide boats lacked speed, but floated the explorers safely along sections of the Yellowstone River. Had Bill Henderson of Big Sky Marine not withdrawn his application to host a Jet Boat Marathon this June, 20 personal watercraft would have raced up and back a 50-mile stretch […]
Posted inApril 27, 1998: The old West is going under
Climbing ban upheld at Devils Tower
The National Park Service can continue to ask rock climbers to stay off Wyoming’s Devils Tower during June, the month when Native Americans hold religious ceremonies at the foot of the volcanic monolith. On April 2, U.S. District Court Judge William Downes dismissed the case brought by climbing guide Andy Petefish and the Bear Lodge […]
Posted inApril 27, 1998: The old West is going under
The latest 1,000-pound gorilla
WASHINGTON, D.C. – “Good evening, sir and madam, Henri here, your concierge, representing ‘All-Natural, Inc.,’ the contract manager of Frogwart Hollow National Forest. Place Number 23 is reserved for your recreational vehicle, and there you will find posted our fee schedule for walks to the simulated waterfall, per-hour rates for fishing in the beautiful Cootahatchie […]
Posted inApril 13, 1998: Oil clashes with elk in the Book Cliffs
Grizzlies on staff
If the old adage, “Once you’ve studied something long enough, you become it,” holds true, the Glacier Institute has a grizzly bear, a glacier and a wildflower or two on staff. For 15 years, the nonprofit educational organization has recruited wildlife experts and artists to take students of all ages traipsing about Glacier National Park […]
Posted inApril 13, 1998: Oil clashes with elk in the Book Cliffs
Playing by the rules
When Steamboat Springs, Colo., snowmobiler Christian George was airlifted out of the backcountry in January after being lost for four days, he said he had survived with two cigarette lighters and a candy bar. Next time, he told the Denver Post, he’ll take more lighters. Jackson, Wyo., film producer Sava Malachowski adds a few more […]
Posted inApril 13, 1998: Oil clashes with elk in the Book Cliffs
Hells Canyon benefit float trip
Join the directors of the Hells Canyon Preservation Council and the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance June 1 for a benefit float trip down the Snake River through Hells Canyon in wooden dories. Oars/Dories guides will pilot the five-day whitewater trip, prepare meals and donate all proceeds to the organizing groups. Contact the Hells Canyon Preservation Council […]
Posted inMarch 30, 1998: A bare-knuckled trio goes after the Forest Service
Groups sue over microbes
WYOMING, MONTANA Groups sue over microbes Three environmental organizations are suing the National Park Service over plans to allow private “bioprospecting” in Yellowstone National Park. Charging that the park has conducted “closed-door dealing with a part of our national heritage,” the Edmonds Institute of Edmonds, Wash., the Center for Technology Assessment in Washington, D.C., and […]
Posted inMarch 30, 1998: A bare-knuckled trio goes after the Forest Service
Locals protest Vail expansion
A long-debated expansion at Colorado’s Vail ski resort gained a go-ahead from the Forest Service, but some locals aren’t so sure they need more ski runs – or the trophy homes they say are sure to follow. Critics charge Vail Associates is using the ski area expansion to make way for profitable base area development. […]
Posted inMarch 30, 1998: A bare-knuckled trio goes after the Forest Service
‘Ecotourism’ – a gold mine for ailing agencies?
STEAMBOAT, Ore. – They huddled under the massive rock overhang, sheltered from the rain, trying to imagine the Native American shaman who painted these pictographs 150 years ago. On the rock’s belly are drawings of riders on horseback and strange ghostlike people. Some are clearly visible, but many are not, due to years of vandalism […]
Posted inMarch 30, 1998: A bare-knuckled trio goes after the Forest Service
Some tourists opt for a dose of reality
Note: in the print edition of this issue, this article appears as a sidebar to another news article,”‘Ecotourism’ – a gold mine for ailing agencies?“ While many of us bolt to the beach or head for the hills when vacation time rolls around, a few groups around the West have discovered that some crave a […]
Posted inMarch 16, 1998: Olympic onslaught: Salt Lake City braces for the winter games
Glacier National Park
Are you planning to camp in Glacier National Park this summer? Better think ahead. Beginning March 15, reservations for the Fish Creek and St. Mary’s campgrounds can be made up to three months in advance by calling 800/365-CAMP. Nightly fees will be $15 at both campgrounds, whether or not campers have a reservation. Write Glacier […]
Posted inMarch 16, 1998: Olympic onslaught: Salt Lake City braces for the winter games
The Park Service takes a hard look at itself
The portrait of the National Park Service that Richard West Sellars paints in his new book is not especially flattering: Entrusted by Americans to preserve natural wonders, the agency instead prefers to develop recreation and promote tourism. Such criticism is nothing new – writer Edward Abbey loved to rail against “industrial tourism” and the “National […]
Posted inMarch 2, 1998: Wild horses: Do they belong in the West?
Motorheads lose one
Environmental groups have put the squeeze on off-road vehicle enthusiasts in eastern Idaho’s Targhee National Forest. On Jan. 15, the Forest Service abandoned its policy of allowing snowmobiles, motorbikes or cars access to every part of the forest, on or off road. The decision is a part of the agency’s Targhee Travel Plan, which includes […]
Posted inMarch 2, 1998: Wild horses: Do they belong in the West?
Protecting raptors
Rock climbers are not the only acrobats that frequent cliffs. Raptors such as peregrine falcons nest and roost on lofty rocks and can be scared away from their chicks by careless climbers. Nationwide, nearly 60 crags have temporary climbing restrictions to protect these birds, but in many cases, raptors and climbers can coexist peacefully, says […]
Posted inMarch 2, 1998: Wild horses: Do they belong in the West?
The Grand Canyon struggles with reality
TUSAYAN, Ariz. – Just south of Grand Canyon National Park, this hamlet of 1,600 people is a model for what federal planners don’t want near a national treasure. The main street takes millions of visitors a year past an Imax Theater opposite an RV park, Babbitt’s General Store, motels and fast-food restaurants that tourists overwhelm […]
Posted inMarch 2, 1998: Wild horses: Do they belong in the West?
Into the canyon: Fear and heat on foot
On the southeast rim of the Grand Canyon, at the South Kaibab trailhead, wind blows hard and cool at 4:20 a.m., even in July. I walk past the yellow sign with the fretting boy sitting on a rock under the sun. The sign reads, “Heat Kills!” A bus left five of us here moments ago, […]
Posted inFebruary 16, 1998: Private rights vs. public lands
Soul in your soles
When was the last time you felt mud ooze between your toes? Richard Frazine in The Barefoot Hiker encourages readers to free their feet as well as their minds. No joke: Frazine, who lives in Connecticut, has been hiking unshod for over 20 years even through sleet and snow. He recommends a woodland trail for […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Ski resort plans ruffle feathers
The forested hump of Pelican Butte stands like an island in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. Bounded by a wilderness area, a national park (Crater Lake), and a national wildlife refuge, the butte is known for its stands of old-growth Shasta red fir, nesting spotted owls and wintering bald eagles. A ski area proposal from Jeld Wen […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Cars to get the boot
CARS TO GET THE BOOT Cars are on their way to the endangered list in three of the country’s most popular parks. The National Park Service wants to replace private cars with light rail in Grand Canyon and expand bus systems in Yosemite and Zion national parks by 2000. “The problem isn’t too many people, […]