national parks

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New Rules Clear Skies Over Mount Rushmore

Tourist flights face restrictions on flyovers at national parks and monuments

(Newser) - Fewer planes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of the most beloved natural areas in the US. The air tours have pitted tour operators against visitors frustrated...

Grizzlies May Thrive at National Park Once Again

But some groups oppose plans to repopulate the North Cascades

(Newser) - Washington state's North Cascades National Park was once home to grizzly bears, until hunting them for hides wiped out the entire population. Federal agencies have now drafted a plan to reintroduce them to that land, according to the Washington Post , but not everyone is happy about it. The plan...

Outside This Ugandan Park, a Rare 'Heinous Act'

Uganda officials say 2 tourists, guide were killed in attack near Queen Elizabeth National Park

(Newser) - Two foreign tourists and their Ugandan guide were killed when assailants attacked their vehicle near a national park in southwestern Uganda, a wildlife official said Tuesday. Bashir Hangi, spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, said the attackers set on fire the vehicle in which the group was traveling just outside...

2 Inches of Rain Shutters Death Valley for Weeks

Heavy rainfall, flooding from Hurricane Hilary has caused 'extensive damage' in super-dry park

(Newser) - The hottest place on the planet has been shut down for weeks, but not because of the excessive heat. Instead, Death Valley National Park, the driest national park in the nation, has been closed off to visitors after receiving more rain in one day last month than the park typically...

Extreme Heat Brings More Deaths in National Parks

Visitors often underestimate the danger, Death Valley reports

(Newser) - Heat-related causes have killed more people in the nation's national parks so far in 2023 than in a typical entire year, and the month that's usually the deadliest hasn't arrived yet. Five people have died in conditions at least 100 degrees, the National Park Service says, the...

In 'Texas' Gift to the Nation,' a Big Ol' Mess

Park rangers remind public to clean up after photos show Big Bend National Park strewn with trash

(Newser) - On Saturday, rangers at Big Bend National Park, affectionately dubbed "Texas' Gift to the Nation," didn't find any gifts on a trail near the park's Panther Junction Visitor Center. Instead, the Houston Chronicle reports that they discovered piles of plastic bags, chip containers, soft drink cups,...

Underwater in National Park, an 'Intriguing Find'

1861 grave of Fort Jefferson laborer is discovered submerged within Dry Tortugas National Park

(Newser) - The graves of dozens of people—including US soldiers—who died at Florida's Fort Jefferson in the late 19th century are now believed to be underwater. In August 2022, divers identified a grave carrying the name John Greer and the year 1861 on a submerged island near Garden Key...

These Are the Most (and Least) Visited National Parks

And no, No. 1 isn't Yosemite. Or Grand Canyon. Or Yellowstone.

(Newser) - Taking a break in nature can mean a deep breath in veritable and remote isolation—or elbowing throngs of other looky-loos out of the way so you can see the sights. The National Parks Service recently released its 2022 visitor data for all 63 parks, and Thrillist notes that the...

Welcome to the Most Dangerous National Park

North Cascades National Park, a 'spectacular' place, claims a dubious title

(Newser) - NBC News calls it "spectacular" and "little-visited," but another descriptor for North Cascades National Park is "often fatal." Nestled in Washington's Cascade Mountains north of Seattle, the park saw 14 deaths in the 15 years between 2007 and 2021, which might not seem...

This Is the Least-Visited National Park in America

Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve in Alaska is where you can head for some solitude

(Newser) - Looking to avoid crowds while visiting a national park? A CNN travel story highlights the 15 least-visited parks in the nation, with Alaska's Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve topping the list. It logs only about 7,000 visits each year, largely because visitors must fly there,...

New Rx From Canadian Docs: Date With Mother Nature

Canadian doctors can prescribe free yearlong pass to 80 national parks, historic sites to boost health

(Newser) - Just what the doctor ordered: a stroll through your local national park. That's the new prescription that patients in several Canadian provinces might now receive from health care professionals, thanks to a program being backed by Parks Canada. The Squamish Chief reports the government agency has joined PaRx: A...

A Mission Accomplished: 419 National Parks Stops in One Journey

A son honors his father with the ultimate road trip

(Newser) - Mikah Meyer took many road trips with his father, the two bonding along the way. After his father's funeral when Meyer was 19, he set out on his first solo trip to grieve. He then began planning and saving up for his ultimate road trip in honor of his...

Senate Passes Sweeping Conservation Package

Bipartisan effort to protect wilderness, national parks being called most wide-ranging in 10 years

(Newser) - The Washington Post calls it a "paradoxical win," but that's not stopping members of the US Senate from high-fiving on their latest bill: a bipartisan conservation effort that protects 1.3 million acres of wilderness, creates or expands 10 national parks (including Joshua Tree and Death Valley),...

Joshua Trees' Recovery From Shutdown May Take Centuries

Slow-to-grow trees were chopped down, driven over

(Newser) - Park rangers furloughed during the 35-day government shutdown are back to work at Joshua Tree National Park with plenty of damage to repair. With a sharply reduced crew at work during the shutdown, "a few vandals or people acting out of ignorance" took vehicles off road, knocked over gates...

'Park Protection Measures' to Be Taken at Joshua Tree

People have been defacing trees, damaging roads

(Newser) - Joshua Tree National Park is likely closing Thursday thanks to the partial government shutdown. The Southern California park, located near Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert, says that—with only about eight rangers patrolling due to the shutdown—visitors have recently defaced the park's namesake trees and done damage...

'It's Kind of Scary': Park Deaths Mount Amid Shutdown

Officials fear they can't properly reach victims

(Newser) - Three people have died accidentally in US national parks during the federal shutdown—not a high number, but an added concern when 16,000 of 19,000 park workers are furloughed and parks aren't being properly maintained, the Washington Post reports. Each death was a tragic loss: A 14-year-old...

Fees Could Double at Most Popular National Parks

Revenue increase needed for aging infrastructure: NPS

(Newser) - With the Trump administration planning to slash the National Park Service's budget, a new proposal could see entrance fees for 17 of the most-visited national parks in the country more than double during peak months. In an effort to boost revenue to pay "for improvements to the aging...

Leave No Trace? Not in the National Parks These Days

'What can we do as a culture to cut down on these occurrences?'

(Newser) - There's a growing number of vandalism citations at national parks in the US, and the Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado appears to be a top target. In a Facebook post, the park says its mission of educating and inspiring "this and future generations" through the "...

Zion National Park May Need to Require Reservations

'We have to do something,' says rep for crowded Utah park

(Newser) - It would be a first for a US national park: requiring reservations to explore it. But it's an option that Utah's Zion National Park is considering to manage an overwhelming surge of visitors, the AP reports. Zion, which welcomed 4.3 million people last year, is weighing online...

After 130 Years, a 'Historic Homecoming' in Banff

Welcome back, bison

(Newser) - "It's one of the great days for wildlife conservation in the history of North America," says a conservationist following what Parks Canada officials are calling a "historic homecoming" in Alberta's Banff National Park. Sixteen bison, including 10 pregnant cows, were moved 275 miles from Elk...

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