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Latest Posts tagged with "National Parks"

National Park Week: Free entrance April 21-29

April 19, 2012 By Laura Bailey

Hikers at Arches National Park, Utah

Credit: National Park Service

If you're thinking about a spontaneous jaunt to a national park anytime this spring, now is the time to do it. April 21 -29 is National Park Week, which means free admission. From Yosemite to Shenandoah, national parks and other Park Service units are welcoming visitors for free admission, special events and volunteer days throughout the week. Plan your National Park Week trip Read more

House Budget: Public Lands for Sale

March 21, 2012 By David Moulton

When it comes to budgeting in Congress, the devil is in the details.  And the devilish detail in the big budget proposal on Capitol Hill this week, authored by Representative Paul Ryan, is a proposal to sell off of millions of acres of our public lands. Read more

National Parks for sale?

March 13, 2012 By William H. Meadows

A powerful Republican chairman in the House of Representatives just shared with his constituents his desire to begin selling our national parks.  Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida was caught on video in a local town meeting.  Here is what he said: “I got attacked in a previous town meeting for not supporting another national park in this country, a 200-mile trailway.  And I told the man that we don’t need more national parks in this country, we need to actually sell off some of our national parks.” Read more

The Sneak Attack on America’s Lands

October 3, 2011 By William H. Meadows

Mallard Lake in Acadia National Park could be under Border Patrol jurisdiction under a bill in the House

Credit: USFWS

While public attention has been intently focused on the economy and concerns about the federal deficit, members of the House Natural Resources Committee have quietly initiated a sneak attack on America's wild places -- our parks, refuges, forests, historical monuments, and wildlife habitats. Read more

Grand Canyon air traffic noise: Help us say enough is enough!

June 14, 2011 By Anne Merwin

Grand Canyon National Park

Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s most iconic places.  A stunning slash in the earth where we can go to experience the power of nature and hear ― the sound of helicopter blades and airplane engines?  Okay, so maybe this last part wasn’t quite what you had in mind.  But over 90,000 commercial air tours buzz the Grand Canyon every year, and the industry is pushing hard to keep that number growing.  Read more

Betty White says "Keep it Wild"

May 20, 2011 By Jennifer Stephens

Betty White

5,000 acres of open space are disappearing each and every day. Join me, Betty White, in signing the pledge to "Keep it Wild." Oil corporations are polluting some of America’s most magnificent places, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Coal companies are removing entire mountaintops and polluting our waterways. That’s why I need your help. Read more

Visit National Parks for free this week

April 19, 2011 By Laura Bailey

It’s National Park Week and that means one thing –free admission! Entrance to each and every one of the National Park Service’s 394 units is free from April 16 – 24. Some National Parks are holding special events or junior ranger opportunities. Details here. Read more

100 Years of Good Growth: An important anniversary for forests

April 1, 2011 By Angela Morris

In 1911 something very important occurred for American forests. The Weeks Act was introduced by and named for Massachusetts Representative John W. Weeks. Before this legislation, forests in the East were privately owned — and for the most part were mismanaged, unprotected and damaged from poor logging practices and development. The forests had declining water quality and were at risk of large wildfires, erosion and flooding. Read more