OldWestNewWest.Com

     Seven of the 10 most visited National Parks in 2007 were in the West, according to the National Park Service, and those seven parks hosted 22.2 million visitors.
     Of the 10 most visited national parks in 2007, Great Smokey Mountains National Park, straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, saw the greatest number of visits at 9.37 million.
     Ranking as the second most-visited national park, however, was Grand Canyon National Park, which recorded 4.4 million visitors in 2007.
     The next six most visited national parks were all in the West: Yosemite National Park (3.5 million visits), Yellowstone National Park (3.1 million visits), Olympic National Park (2.9 million visits), Rocky Mountain National Park 92.8 million visits), Zion National Park (2.6 million visits), and Grand Teton National Park (2.5 million visits).
     Of the 10 most visited units of the National Park System in 2007, three units were in the West. They are Golden Gate National Recreation Area (14.3 million visits) and number two on the list, Lake Mead National Recreation Area (7.6 million visits) and number five on the list, and Grand Canyon National Park (4.4 million visits) and number nine on the list.

     The National Park Service said attendance for 2007 for all of its facilities reached 275 million visits, an increase of 3 million visits from the previous year.
     “Despite rising gas prices and the lure of electronic entertainment, this is great news,” said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. “With all the recreation choices available, national parks still draw more visits than Major League Baseball, the National Football League, professional basketball, soccer and NASCAR combined.”
     The National Park Service tracks visitation to units of the National Park System – the 391 areas set aside by Congress that include more than 100 national historical parks and historic sites, 74 national monuments, 58 national parks, 28 national memorials, two dozen national battlefields and military parks, as well as national seashores, parkways, recreation areas, and national preserves.
     The 58 national parks were the most popular park category in 2007 with 62.3 million visits, and 19 national parks recorded one million or more visits in 2007.

     The North Kaibab Trail, a popular hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, has reopened after a planned closure to accommodate trail work and repair.
     In early January, a 20-foot section of the trail approximately three miles north of Phantom Ranch was damaged by a rock slide caused by winter erosion. At that time, the trail was left open to hiker traffic, but closed to all private, cross-canyon stock use; and two periods of trail repair work were scheduled.
     During the scheduled repairs, the trail was closed for hiker safety and to provide a safe work environment for trail crews. It was expected that after these repairs were completed, the trail would reopen to all traffic.
     During the Feb. 21-26 closure, however, a freeze-thaw related rock fall occurred within the closed area, damaging the third bridge north of Phantom Ranch.

     On Feb. 23, trail crew members reported that rock had fallen along a 60-foot section of the bridge damaging up to 90 feet of railing. Additionally, the impact fractured the center supporting abutment and damaged girders.
     Prior to the scheduled reopening of the trail, crews were able to remove the debris and to stabilize the bridge. The North Kaibab Trail is now open to hiker traffic.
     Hikers are advised to use caution as the surface of the bridge is uneven, with two-inch offsets, and there are currently no railings.
     Hikers are further advised to check with the park’s backcountry office for the most up-to-date trail conditions before starting out on any trips as continued freeze-thaw erosion or bridge repairs could result in further temporary closures of the trail.
     Although the North Kaibab Trail has reopened to hiker traffic, it will remain closed to all private cross-canyon stock use until the bridge can be more fully repaired. There is currently no expected completion date for these repairs.
     For the most up-to-date information on trail conditions in Grand Canyon National Park, contact the Backcountry Office at (928) 638-7875.

     The Forest Service is kicking off a national “Get Outdoors” campaign, to encourage children and their parents to take advantage of recreational opportunities on national forests to develop a healthier lifestyle and learn about conserving natural resources.
     “We want every child in America to have the opportunity to experience the great outdoors, whether it is in a remote mountain wilderness or a city park,” said Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell. “We are already working with partners around the country with some great successes and look forward to more.”
     The campaign was announced at a press conference at the Outdoor Recreation Village, during Super Bowl XLII festivities in Glendale, AZ. The event was attended by USDA Natural Resources and Environment Under Secretary Mark Rey.
     At the Outdoor Recreation Village, the Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition announced details of the campaign including a June 14 National “Get Outdoors Day” and the Forest Service announced funding for this year’s “More Kids in the Woods,” a program that engages children in recreation and experiential learning.

     In 2007, the Forest Service provided a half-million dollars challenge cost-share which when combined with its partners’ funding provided $1.5 million to the “More Kids in the Woods” program. Partners include other federal agencies, non-profit educational and recreational institutions, schools, colleges, museums, and communities.
     More than 23,000 children have benefited by this campaign, allowing them to get close to nature, some for the first time. The Forest Service will do even more in 2008 with another half-million dollars to be matched with partners again.
     For a list of 2007 “More Kids in the Woods” projects see go to the Web site at www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/woods/index.shtml.
     To make your outdoor recreation plans go to Recreation.gov.
     The Forest Service manages 193 million acres of public land and is the largest forestry research organization in the world.

     Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park this year will find the South Rim’s very popular Hermits Rest and Hermit Trailhead areas closed, or at least very hard to get to due to extensive road reconstruction.
     Set for repair and widening is Hermit Road, a much-traveled roadway between Grand Canyon Village and Hermits Rest. It includes nine overlooks, access to the historic Hermits Rest and Hermit Trailhead, seven miles of improved and unimproved rim trails, and many popular spots for viewing sunset panoramas.
     The construction schedule will have its greatest impact on visitors in the summer months. Grand Canyon park is the second busiest park in the National Park Service System, and sees around 4.5 million visitors a year.

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     You might not expect South Dakota to be a setting for controversy, but that’s exactly what’s happening these days as American Indian religion and culture clash with property rights advocates and motorcycle enthusiasts.
     Now South Dakota’s Governor Mike Rounds has entered the fray by announcing his intention to earmark public and private money to slow further biker bar development near Bear Mountain, a place held sacred by many American Indians and the focus of the controversy.

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     A series of major rockfalls in early December forced the closing of Walnut Canyon National Monument’s Island Trail, one of the park’s two major trails, and the one which allows visitors to see up close cliff dwellings that are more than 700 years old.
     All other areas of the monument, located near Flagstaff, Arizona, including the visitor center, the Rim Trail, and the picnic area, remain open to the public. Entry to the monument will be free to the public during the Island Trail closure, the National Park Service (NPS) said.

     Bob Van Belle, NPS management assistant at Walnut Canyon National Monument, said that the 25 cliff dwellings along the Island Trail were not impacted by the rockfalls.
     “There was no damage,” Van Belle told OldWestNewWest.Com. “All the cliff dwellings are tucked deep into limestone alcoves.”
     The worst of the two major rockfalls happened on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 8. This rockslide was far more extensive and destructive in nature, smashing large sections of concrete stairway, steel handrails, and a bench, Van Belle said. Although the trail was open during the rockfall, no visitors were injured.
     Van Belle said that recent rains and snow melt caused the ground to become very lubricated, sending huge boulders and tons of rock down onto the trail.
     There’s no estimate by the NPS about when the very popular trail will reopen.
     “We can’t even begin an assessment until the snow melts,” he said. “The area around the trail remains very unstable. We’re not sending anyone down the trail right now because it’s just too dangerous.”
     Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Walnut Canyon National Monuments are managed collectively as the Flagstaff Area National Monuments. Together, they protect more than 40,000 acres and 3,000 archeological sites, in a landscape of expansive high deserts, canyons, mountains, mesas, and volcanic features.

     Plague has been confirmed as the cause of death of Eric York, a 37-year-old National Park Service (NPS) wildlife biologist who was found dead Nov. 2 in his residence on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
     Tests were conducted by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
     Additional CDC tests also determined that the strain of plague that infected York was the same strain of plague that infected a mountain lion with whom York had had direct and recent contact. These tests support other evidence that the mountain lion was the source for York’s infection.

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District Court Judge Rules in Favor of Colorado River Management Plan

     Further restrictions on Colorado River rafting through Grand Canyon National Park were blocked when a U.S. District Court judge rejected a lawsuit brought by four wilderness advocacy groups.
     Judge David G. Campbell on Nov. 27 ruled in favor of the National Park Service’s Colorado River Management Plan for Grand Canyon National Park, in effect upholding the NPS’s framework for managing river rafting and visitor use for the next 10 years.
     A coalition of four wilderness advocacy groups had brought suit against the NPS in March 2006, under the Administrative Procedures Act, challenging the Park’s 2006 Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP). Among other things, the plan permits the continued use of motorized rafts and support equipment in Grand Canyon National Park.

     The Colorado River Management Plan specifies actions to conserve park resources and visitor experience while enhancing river running recreational opportunities on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park. It spells out key actions for the corridor that includes Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek and the Lower Gorge, and covers such items as the number of commercial trips, motor and non-motor rafts, launches per day and the number of days allowed for float trips.
     “We are pleased with the ruling and that Judge Campbell recognized the agency’s discretion and authority to make difficult and at times controversial decisions,” stated Steve Martin, Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent. “We look forward to working with all user groups, including wilderness advocates, as we continue to implement the Park’s Colorado River Management Plan.”
     In his ruling, Judge Campbell said the plaintiffs had failed to establish that the National Park Service acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it adopted the 2006 CRMP.
     The lawsuit was entitled River Runners for Wilderness, et al., vs Stephen P. Martin, et al. Along with the NPS, other defendants were the Grand Canyon River Outfitters Association and the Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association.
     A copy of the court order can be found on the park’s Web site at www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/newsreleases.htm and a copy of the CRMP and the final Environmental Impact Statement can be found at www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/crmp.htm.

     The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and three other federal land-management agencies are in the process of acquiring 19 parcels of land in seven Western states that offer what the BLM calls extraordinary values for the public.
     The properties are in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming. The agencies will use $18 million from a special land conservation fund to make the acquisitions.
     “The $18 million to be used for these land purchases will bring into public ownership 19 properties with extraordinary natural, scenic, recreational, or historical values,” said Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett. “These purchases promote conservation while helping ensure efficient and effective public lands management.”

     Of the 19 properties which comprise about 9,000 acres, the BLM would be acquiring 10 parcels covering 3,200 acres at a combined cost of about $10 million. The Forest Service, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service would be buying the other nine parcels, which comprise 5,800 acres, at a combined cost of about $8 million.
     The properties already bought, or are yet to be purchased by the BLM, include parcels located next to or within such areas as the North Platte River Special Recreation Management Area in Wyoming; the La Cienega Area of Critical Environmental Concern/El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail in New Mexico; the Idaho Snake River Area of Critical Environmental Concern; and the Coachella Valley Fringe-Toed Lizard Area of Critical Environmental Concern in California.
     The other parcels to be acquired are located within National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, National Forests, National Monuments, National Wild and Scenic River corridors, National Historic Trail corridors, and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.
     In addition to those specific areas noted above in California, New Mexico, and Wyoming, the remaining 15 properties are located in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon. All of the remaining parcels to be purchased are at various stages of negotiation with private landowners, and, because of privacy concerns, cannot be further identified until the acquisitions have been completed.
     The fund, established by Congress under a law passed in 2000, authorizes the purchase of private “inholdings” from willing sellers in the Western states whose acreage is surrounded by or located next to certain lands under the management of the BLM, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
     The already completed or pending land purchases, the first of their kind to occur under the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) of 2000, are funded from already completed Federal land sales. Under this law, the BLM is authorized to sell fragmented or isolated parcels of public land that are difficult to manage, as well as lands that may have residential or commercial value, and then use the proceeds to support land-conservation purposes.
     “The benefits of this sale-authority law are clear,” said Scarlett, who noted that FLTFA is set to expire in 2010. “I urge Congress to support this Administration’s proposal to extend the law from 2010 to 2018 so that more Americans may benefit from these type of land acquisitions.”

     New rules are being proposed by the National Park Service for allowing fewer snowmobiles and snowcoaches in both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks starting in the winter of 2008-2009, and mandating quieter and more energy efficient machines.
     Additionally, the proposed changes would require that all snowmobiles and snowcoaches would be 100 percent commercially guided. Mandatory guiding has addressed most of the concerns regarding the impacts of historic, unregulated winter use, the park service said.
     There are several other changes being proposed, including eliminating oversnow travel over Sylvan Pass, stopping the use of helicopters or a park howitzer to control avalanches, discontinuing grooming and oversnow travel on the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail between Moran Junction and Flagg Ranch in Grand Teton, and allowing only 40 unguided, snowmobiles a day on Jackson Lake for ice fishing.
     The superintendents of Yellowstone and Grand Teton will use the analysis and recommendations contained in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to make a final recommendation to the National Park Service Intermountain Regional Director regarding the direction of winter use in the Greater Yellowstone Area park units.
     The Regional Director makes the final decision, and can choose the revised preferred alternative or any combination of management approaches addressed in the Final EIS. The Regional Director is expected to issue the Record of Decision (ROD) sometime in November.
     For more information on winter use planning for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks go to www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/winteruse.htm or to see the final EIS go to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/documentsList.cfm?parkId=111&projectId=12047.
     Yellowstone and Grand Teton will open for the 2007-2008 winter season on Dec. 19 as scheduled.

     The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wants you to get out—outside, that is.

     The BLM initiative, called “Take It Outside: Connect With Your Public Lands,” is designed to bring together resources from throughout the agency to help connect children and families to the nation’s public lands.

     Recent studies have documented a trend in the U.S. toward less connection between people, especially children, and nature. The loss has been accompanied by an increase in both physical and mental health-related issues, in part caused by inactivity, and a disconnect with the natural environment.

     “The BLM has a unique opportunity to reconnect children and families to the outdoors,” according to Acting Bureau of Land Management Director Jim Hughes. “The BLM manages lands located throughout the U.S. that are backyards to many rapidly growing, urbanizing communities. These lands provide great opportunities for outdoor recreation and education.”

     The “Take It Outside: Connect With Your Public Lands” program will bring together, and, in some cases, expand many of the BLM’s already-successful programs that engage children and families in the outdoors.

     The agency manages 258 million acres of public lands, and annually reaches over three million children through education and recreation programs and opportunities. The project will combine the best of these programs, focusing on three key areas to involve schools, youth organizations, and families.

      For Families

     The “Take it Outside: Connect With Your Public Lands” Web site includes information on nearly 200 sites where the BLM has identified family recreational activities such as hiking, paddling, historical and archaeological interpretive programs, adventure sports, as well as geologic sightseeing and wildlife watching. These sites are on BLM lands, mostly in the western U.S.

     For Schools

     BLM offers outdoor education programs with school partners at a number of locations. The BLM is a strong supporter of “Hands on the Land,” a network of field classrooms sponsored by six Federal agencies across the nation. Currently more than 20 BLM sites are members of this network, sharing information on student and teacher activities through the HandsOnTheLand.org Web site. Overall, the BLM has more than 200 environmental and heritage education programs at field locations reaching children.

     For Youth Organizations

     The BLM sponsors programs with the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Boy Scouts of America, and other national youth organizations. The agency supports programs such as Kids Fishing Day and Wonderful Outdoor World (WOW), which introduce urban youth to fishing, camping, and other forms of outdoor recreation. The BLM is planning to strengthen partnerships with communities, partner groups and volunteers to offer expanded programs for youth.

     As part of the “Take It Outside: Connect With Your Public Lands” initiative, the BLM will be encouraging state and field offices to work closely with schools, youth groups, and parents to take advantage of outdoor opportunities in their communities. The BLM’s national website will include listings of opportunities and events and help promote local programs. And the BLM will be working in partnership with other federal and state agencies, tourism offices and non-profit organizations to develop family-oriented materials for local schools and families.

     One of the main goals of the initiative is to encourage stewardship of the public lands. “We need to create a sense of wonder about nature and the outdoors, and a sense of respect for cultural sites and the people who created them,” Hughes said. “The ‘Take It Outside: Connect With Your Public Lands’ program will give children a sense of ownership, respect, and stewardship that they will carry with them throughout their lives.”

     For more information on the “Take It Outside: Connect With Your Public Lands” initiative, visit the Web site at www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/children_and_nature.html