Does the Forest Service hate the President?
Last week, the U.S. Forest Service trumpeted the news that it would be offering four fee-free days in 2013. This is dandy, but not as dandy as it sounds, for two reasons. First, “fees are not charged on 98 percent of national forests and grasslands, and approximately two-thirds of developed recreation sites in national...
A Curious Obsession
In early March of 1979, Ranger Steve and I were traveling Highway 2 from East Glacier, Montana to Kalispell. Having just reviewed an epic production of Barefoot in the Park by the East Glacier Players, we were headed west to do a little alpine sliding. The entire area was besieged with slides and major avalanches...
A “Vertigo” moment for the NPS
The National Park Service is like your cool aunt who can never quite get it together. Despite all her great beauty and abilities and the consensus that life just wouldn’t be the same without her, she’s eternally on the edge of a collapse. Lipstick on her teeth, one corner of her deck railing is loose...
What would “more accountable” parks look like?
If we hated election season anymore, we would advocate for monarchy. We would trade this rancorous debate for no debate. We would replace distortions of political ads for the relative integrity of other ads. For chiropractors and mattress stores. But we aren’t there yet. We still pay grudging attention to what the sides are...
What happens after the parks reopen?
The first priority now, in the aftermath of Sandy, is to take care of the people who have lost their loved ones, homes and worldly goods. They need food and water and a jump-start. The complicated and interlaced systems that keep the East Coast hive functioning—all that needs to be drained, cleaned and in many...
There will be dope-slapping
“Do you think God is going to come down here and save you for being stupid? He doesn’t save stupid people, Abel.” Those lines—from There Will Be Blood, a movie about an obsessed oil driller—came to mind reading the Center for American Progress’ recent report on oil and gas drilling within national parks. Surprising fact:...
Briefly, we rise from our political stupor
One reason why no one pays any attention to what a candidate says on the issues is that no one believes they say what they think. This is cynical. And accurate. If you don’t recognize a platform as a jumble of marketing phrases meant to cobble together enough votes to win, you are not paying...
Tent with a view
You might have a favorite campsite on a windswept precipice over the Pacific. Or a special, mosquito-net window on the Grand Canyon or the Chilkoot Trail. Very dramatic. But how pleasant is this scene of North Dakota badlands in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, with the Little Missouri flowing slowly under cloudy skies. This is a...
More campsites opening in NYC’s “urban outback”
Spending the night outdoors in New York City doesn’t necessarily mean glamping on the “wraparound terrace of a penthouse suite” with scented candles. Or huddling under a bridge. You can actually pitch a tent and lay out your bedroll in the Gateway National Recreation Area, an expansive (26,000-acre) urban outback that’s spread across parts of...
Mother Nature’s drive-through
Can it be that Americans prefer to enjoy the outdoors from the climate-controlled womb of their cars? That’s one way to read recent stats from the National Park Service, as relayed by USA Today. Overall, visits to the parks are up, but the time spent in each park is down by about 15 percent. In...
Two reasons to harangue Congress (this week)
The government giveth and the government taketh away. This week, it is mostly takething away. We’ll try to make this easy, but as always with legislation and regulation, the devil is in the details. First, the transportation bill that will be signed into law today significantly changes the funding of biking and walking paths. Under...
Americans spend more on the outdoors than on pharmaceuticals
Here’s a little factoid from the Outdoor Industry Association’s latest report on the economic impact of outdoor recreation: Americans spend a lot more on bicycling gear and trips ($81 billion) than they do on airplane tickets and fees ($51 billion). And here’s another: Americans spend almost as much on winter sports ($53 million) as they...
