Captain Moses Harris led his band of troopers into Yellowstone National Park in 1886 when the park—and the national park idea itself—faced its greatest threat yet. In response to allegations of corruption, Congress had recently cut the meager funding it provided to the park. Poaching was rampant. Tourists carved off huge sections of the fragile travertine […]
[…] 2016, the National Park Service will celebrate its 100-year anniversary. The agency is responsible for managing some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, from the crown jewels of Yellowstone and Yosemite to lesser-known treasures such as Capitol Reef and Congaree. To me, national parks have special meaning. For several years, I worked as a backcountry ranger […]
In 2016, the National Park Service will celebrate its 100th anniversary. With “crown jewels” such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon in its asset portfolio, it’s no wonder this bureaucracy is a favorite of the American people. A recent survey of visitors to Yosemite National Park showed a 98 percent satisfaction rate with […]
[…] by Terry Anderson. Kenya banned hunting completely in 1977. The result of the ban is no better illustrated than on Galana Ranch, a property almost as large as Yellowstone Park. The Galana story is one that should be in every hunter’s arsenal for responding to anti-hunters because it illustrates what hunting can do for wildlife and what […]
[…] the sake of punishing. For example, Hank Fischer, working for Defenders of Wildlife, raised private funds to compensate ranchers who had livestock killed by wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has purchased permits from commercial fishermen in Morrow Bay, California, to reduce trawl fishing, which was decimating the […]
[…] Lazslo’s 13,000-acre ranch sits in the middle of the Madison Valley amidst a one million-acre corridor that runs from the small town of Ennis, Montana, south to Yellowstone National Park. The valley is channeled by the Madison River and framed by the Madison and Gravelly mountain ranges. Most of the valley is privately owned, […]
[…] national parks are becoming too expensive. But even with the fee hike, national parks would still be one of the best bargains around. Large parks such as Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier would raise entrance fees by only $5. That means a seven-day visit to Glacier or the Grand Tetons would cost $30 per […]
[…] crops and reduce chemical runoff in rivers and streams. Idaho and Wyoming: Hank Fisher found a way to raise money for predation fees and reintroduce wolves into the Yellowstone region. Now he’s brokering deals with area ranchers to create larger migratory corridors for Yellowstone’s wildlife. Georgia and Florida: Brett Howell is creating a market for coral […]
Approaching its 2016 centennial, the National Park Service faces many challenges. As a first step toward finding creative policy solutions, PERC hosted a national parks workshop where Yellowstone superintendent Dan Wenk suggested visitors should cover more of the park’s costs.
[…] many are praising the fund’s achievements, consider another upcoming anniversary: the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016. The National Park Service — responsible for managing “crown jewels” such as Yellowstone and Yosemite — is on track to celebrate its 100th year facing an $11.5 billion backlog in deferred maintenance projects. These include deteriorating facilities, leaky wastewater systems, and […]