News From America's Parks

Gettysburg Address to Return for Visitor Center Grand Opening

There are only five known manuscripts of the famous Gettysburg Address, penned by President Abraham Lincoln — one of those original documents is scheduled to appear in Gettysburg, during the grand opening celebration of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center.

Anglers Wary of North Cascades Plan to Limit Fishing

Not much comes easy in the precipitous ice-and-rock geography of North Cascades National Park -- not the hiking, not the high-lakes fishing, and across the park's 40 years of existence, not even fish management.

This is what I'm thinking during the sweaty hike out of the stunning cirque that embraces Monogram Lake, where I've spent a couple hours catching and releasing dozens of pretty cutthroat trout with two mountain anglers who fear that soon there will be no fish in the park's high lakes. Whether trout should be in these lakes at all has been an issue since the park was created in 1968, and it is coming to a head with the release in July of the park's voluminous "Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan."

Bison Advocates Go for Space

As rancher Rick Knobe slowly guides his pickup around the iconic American bison on the prairie here, he reflects on a time when they roamed freely.

"I figure the buffalo were there first, the elk were there first, the wolves were there first," he says, looking over his herd of 28 American bison, on his Lazy RRse Buffalo Ranch. "I figure these animals should be given more the right of way to roam."

Rapid Climate Change Threatens to Thaw Icy Wonderland of Alaska

I was in Alaska for 10 days in August, on a fellowship with Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and the Union of Concerned Scientists, to see firsthand the effects of global warming.

I didn't have to look far.

I watched massive chunks of glacial ice breaking off into the sea.

Park Seeks Construction Comment

The National Park Service proposes to construct new housing, operations and recreation facilities in Big Bend National Park. The public, organizations and other agencies may review and comment upon a draft environmental assessment (EA) describing the proposal.

The new construction would occur at Panther Junction, Rio Grande Village and Castolon. The proposal is to construct 27 structures, of which 15 would serve new purposes and 12 would replace temporary or inadequate facilities.

Looking for Labor Day Park Lodging? It's Not Too Late

With Labor Day a week away, you may think you have a better chance of making a hole in one blindfolded than getting space at a campground or a park lodge for the holiday. But it's not quite that grim.

National Seashore in NC Proposes Raccoon Removal

The National Park Service is proposing the removal of raccoons from a portion of the Cape Lookout National Seashore to determine if it will help endangered bird and turtle species survive.

The proposed removal would be conducted once on South Core Banks to see if it increases the life span of bird and turtle hatchlings normally preyed on by raccoons.

Fall Foliage Season Is Longer Than You Think

New England's fall foliage typically peaks in late September and early October. But around the country, leaf-peeping season runs longer than you might think.

Autumn comes early in Alaska, brushing Denali National Park with purple and gold in late August. In warmer climates and near sea level, fall colors can last well into November. Last year, trees in New York City's Central Park were still putting on a show the week before Thanksgiving.

Hiker in Acadia Says Ranger Assaulted Him

Just by looking at Tim Wild, it’s easy to tell that something happened to him.

Wild, a waiter at the Jordan Pond House in this scenic park on Mount Desert Island, has a large purple bruise under his left eye and the left side of his face is swollen. A black contusion marks his left shoulder, where he was thrown to the ground while handcuffed, he said. Red scratches on his right wrist, he said, were caused by the police handcuffs he was wearing.

Body of Missing Woman Found in Desert at Saguaro Park East

The body of a 70-year-old woman who suffered from dementia and Alzheimer's disease was found late Tuesday afternoon in the desert near the end of East Speedway.
Authorities found the body of Paula B. Gniewek about 100 feet off a trail that leads into Saguaro National Park East, about a half-mile from where her car was parked.

Founders’ Day Celebrates National Parks at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

On Monday, Aug. 25, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site will celebrate the 92nd anniversary of the National Park Service’s establishment.

The National Park Service manages 391 national parks, historic sites, and monuments across the United States.

Although Congress created the first National Park, Yellowstone, in 1872, there was no real system of national parks until a federal bureau, the National Park Service, was created on Aug. 25, 1916.

Grand Canyon National Park Remains Unscathed by Nearby Flooding

Grand Canyon National Park remains open and trouble-free amid the rains that have prompted flooding and rescues in Supai Canyon, an Indian reservation about 75 miles west of the canyon’s South Rim.

“The primary area for all of this going on is … west of the primary village and just south of the Grand Canyon corridor,” said spokeswoman Shannon Marcak. “Within the Grand Canyon, we have not received any known damage."

How Little We Know

The Lamar Alexander springtail (Cosberella lamaralexanderi) is a small, insectlike creature patterned with calico dots. Named for the senior senator from Tennessee, it is partial to dead leaves and plays a vital part in the whole forest food web. And here is the clincher: Until 2006, the Lamar Alexander springtail was completely unknown.

Of course, the same could be said about the beetle known as Anillinus langdoni, the wasp known as Orthogonalys bella, the fungus known as Amoebidium appalachense and the water bear known as Doryphoribius smokiensis. All of these species inhabit the more than 800 square miles of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park—and all were discovered within the last decade.

Bear Safety: Observing Bears Without Mishap in Our National Parks

The news that an 86-pound black bear attacked and mauled an eight-year-old boy in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Monday evening, August 11, is enough to strike fear in the hearts of parents across the country.

The boy, Evan Pala of Boca Raton, FL, was lucky: He survived the unprovoked attack, in part because of the brave actions of his father, John, and ten-year-old brother, Alex. They fought the bear off of the younger boy with their bare hands, and chased it away by throwing sticks and rocks. It’s a story of uncommon heroism—but the story is even more unusual because such attacks, while highly publicized, happen so infrequently that every incident becomes major news.

Maine's Rugged Bold Coast a Hidden Jewel

Hikers who perch atop a nearly 100-foot rock cliff that plunges to the crashing surf below are greeted by a spectacular vista with no signs of civilization, perhaps the same scene that caught the eyes of European explorers who passed by these shores 400 years ago.

From Pulpit Rock, we gazed up and down the coast for miles in both directions, onto a landscape unchanged through time: no buildings, no boats, not even another person.

"To look down the coast and not see anything -- it's amazing," said Lindsay McMahon, the local ranger for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.