According to the NPS press release, starting on May 19, 2012 (Armed Forces Day), all active duty service men and women (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and activated National Guard and Reserves) will be able to get a special military version of the current America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Annual Pass. The pass will be accepted at all National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps sites.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said in a special announcement at the Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown, Virginia, “Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our service men and women who make great sacrifices and put their lives on the lines to protect our country and preserve our freedom. In recognition of their contributions and service, we are putting out a welcome mat for these brave men and women and their families at America’s most beautiful and storied sites.”

Passes can be picked up at any national park or wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee, as well as other select sites. To obtain a pass, service members must show a current valid military ID card. Dependents of active duty service members can also use the pass. To see a list of participating sites, go here. The pass will cover sites with per-vehicle fees or per-person fees (owner + three over age 16). There are no fees for age 15 and under.

Full press release here.

Gordon Ash, the head of a Forest Service logging crew doing this work recently in the Pioneer Mountains described the process, “You’d calculate the proper amount of explosive, and then fix that on the tree with shrink wrap. You’d put it right where a face-cut would be, and sever it off right at the point where you put the explosive – almost like a directional fall. The idea is to link as many of those trees as possible to be efficient. In three and a half days, we did 500 trees.”

The use of explosives to clear damaged trees is garnering interest in other areas where the beetle has damaged a large percentage of the forest. Crews can quickly, efficiently, and safely remove the damaged trees. Ash’s crew was working along the Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway in the Wise River Ranger District, removing dead trees that were dangerously overhanging the road. If the project continues to be successful, the same method may be used along highways in Helena National Forest.

Besides being an efficient way to down the dead trees, it can (in some cases) be a safer method. While that may be contrary to popular belief (explosives being safe?), the nature of the dead trees makes traditional methods more dangerous. Often, the infested trees rot from the inside, making it difficult to predict the direction of the fall as they may snap during the sawing process. Plus, when you factor in the steep hillsides along the roadway, the whole process can be very dangerous. So far, the use of explosives has proven to be a more practical method for removing the trees.

Of course, Montana’s forests are not the only place where the bark beetles have left their damaging mark. Forest Service crews in Colorado are paying close attention to the methods used in Montana to see if it is a viable option in Colorado forests. Crews in British Columbia are already using this method extensively. Crews are still experimenting with methods to find the safest and most effective way to cut down the damaged trees. Charlie Showers, engineering program leader at the Missoula Technology and Development Center described a number of ways that the explosives can be used to fall trees. Individual trees can be felled by drilling a hole in the stump and placing the explosives inside. The method that Ash’s crews were using snaps a tree, much like a wind sheer. According to Showers, proper placement can bring down upwards of 50 trees in one blast–significantly faster than a crew lugging 30-pound chainsaws would be able to cut down the same amount.

While it may appear extreme, at the end of the day, explosives may be the most effective method of removal. “My gut feeling is telling me when you’re looking at massive amounts of trees on steep ground that you can’t get at with a 30-pound chainsaw, where you’ve got rot and limbs hanging them up in the canopy, I think this is really going to be a very viable tool for the ranger,” Showers said. “Where we can’t go in with logging equipment, explosives are the safest way, generally.”

Via the Rapid City Journal.

The funds of over $700,000 made it possible for the monument to update the facilities, including the focus of activities that are based out of the center. The venue will be an educational hub for both monument and outside groups. Tom Mulder, Mount St. Helens monument manager, says of the new visitor center programs, “Instead of a 20-minute talk or movie, we’ll offer a half-day or multi-day programs.”

Many of the necessary repairs were large undertakings, including the replacement of glass and metal frames along the glass wall. The glass roof was also replaced with a more energy efficient material, and investments were made to improve the heating and cooling system of the building. If you had the chance to visit the visitor center before it closed in 2008, you’ll notice something missing if you visit again: the static displays. The monument’s management team opted to remove the displays because they had not been updated since the 1980s and were severely outdated. They hope to install a more “modern” interactive display with touch screen monitors in the future.

The new Science and Learning Center at Coldwater will reopen on May 18th, the 32nd anniversary of the Mount St. Helens’ volcanic eruption.

Read more about the reopening in The Olympian.

Most of the proposals involve raising funds through special license tags and usage fees. This month, California residents saw a huge increase in price of the popular Vehicle Day Use Annual Pass–from $125 to $195, effective May 1, 2012. (The pass is good for 12 months). Other day use passes (such as the Golden Poppy and Boat Use Pass) saw big increases as well. The hope is that these increased fees will generate revenue to close the budget gap…but it won’t be an immediate fix. That’s why legislators are considering a proposal that will save at least 50 parks from closure this summer.

State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, has spoke out on the closure of the state parks, saying, “The notion of closing 70 state parks is penny-wise and pound-foolish. It doesn’t make sense to take what may prove to be irreversible actions if we go down this path.” Simitian is also chairman of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy and Transportation.

According to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, 35 of the 70 parks have deals in place (or in the works) to prevent their closure this summer. The department has been working diligently to partner with non-profit groups and organizations that are willing to operate the parks on the state’s behalf. They have also identified existing resources that can be utilized outside of the department budget to maintain roads and infrastructure.

Simitian has headed up a bill that proposes the appropriation of $10 million per year from the federal Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund. The long term loans would be used to repair water and septic systems in the 20 parks that are facing closure due to needed repairs. Additionally, $21 million in funding could come from local assistance program funding, a pool of state vehicle registration fees designated for off-road parks on federal land. These funds can be redirected to the state parks. Simitian says that the goal of the bill is to “get past the year-to-year crisis management of state parks and get together the beginning of a plan that will help us rebuild state parks.”

The bill faces its first vote this week in subcommittee.

Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.

These regional parks can be difficult to describe because of the mixed management (privately-owned or municipal land but partly funded by the NPS). Right now, there are 49 NHAs across 32 states. They tell stories that should not be forgotten, whether it is the steelmaking history in Pennsylvania (Rivers of Steel NHA), or the border war between Kansas and Missouri that was a spark that contributed to the start of the civil war (Freedom’s Frontier NHA). National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis recently described them as “places where small investments pay huge dividends.”

Though the NPS only contributes a small portion of the funding of these NHAs, in most cases, every federal dollar donated must be matched. In many cases, the NHAs are able to over-match their federal funding. A recent reported average was about $5.50 in matched funds per federal dollar. With a dozen of the NHAs facing “sunset clauses” this year, the importance of the federal funding, even in small amounts, is being made known. Without that funding, many NHAs will not be able to reach the same funding through matching contributions.

Currently, the National Heritage Area Act of 2012 is pending in congress. This bill would establish clear guidelines for the creation of, funding, management, and assessment of NHAs across the country. The bill is endorsed by the Alliance of National Heritage Areas.

More information on the issue can be found at the NPCA’s Park Advocate blog.

It has been a very slow recovery, but progress has been made over the years. The restoration program has reached a crucial milestone–the successful production of offspring from second generation bald eagles–without human intervention. For those involved in the program, like Peter Sharpe, a member of the IWS, this is the best indicator that the program is beginning to take hold. As he put it, “Nothing could be more gratifying.”

But the good news gets better. Every year, the program sets expectations for the nesting season, hoping that each season will be a little bit better/more successful than the previous season. This year, their expectations were exceeded–by a lot. There are currently about 15 active nests, twice as many as last year. Plus, of those nests, this year will have a record number of chicks. Fifteen chicks have already hatched, and there are still some pairs incubating.

It hasn’t been an easy road to get to this point. As Sharpe describes, “Just getting access to the areas where eagles nest can be tremendously challenging. Because of the islands’ rugged terrain, we often have to go on these death-defying hikes that take over half a day to check up on the eagles’ progress or to band new eaglets. We’re constantly scrambling over dicey footing and up and down steep mountains. This year’s no different — the eagles have kept us on our toes, as it were, as they continue to build their nests at the tops of giant trees that sway with gale-force winds, on the sides of crumbling cliffs, or in the middle of dramatic, inaccessible ravines.”

Sharpe and others involved in the program rely heavily on webcams that have been installed by the NPS to monitor the harder to reach locations. Without that technology, tracking the population closely would be much more difficult.

We can only hope that this great news is just the beginning of the successful restoration of the bald eagle population in the Channel Islands. With the continued efforts of conservation groups, the bald eagle population may be able to expand into the surrounding islands.

You can read more about the program on the Nature Conservancy’s blog.

The South Unit of Badlands NP is already entirely within the borders of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. While the tribe and the park service have worked together for over 40 years to manage the area’s 133,000 acres of land, if the tribal national park is established through Congressional legislation,the Oglala Sioux tribe would have more control of the management and operations their land. Additonally, the proposal also includes the building of a new Lakota Heritage and Education Center for the public.

“Our National Park System is one of America’s greatest story tellers,” Salazar said. “As we seek to tell a more inclusive story of America, a tribal national park would help celebrate and honor the history and culture of the Oglala Sioux people. Working closely with the Tribe, Congress, and the public, the Park Service will work to develop a legislative proposal to make the South Unit a tribal national park.”

The GMP/EIS has been a major project for both the NPS and the Oglala Sioux tribe since the plan was first developed in 2006. Working together, both parties hope to focus on some important issues:

• restoring the health of the prairie lands (resulting in an enhanced wildlife habitat)
• expand bison into the South Unit of Badlands NP
• building roads and trails to provide more access for visitors to experience the area

The road towards being established as the nation’s first tribal national park is a long one, and there is still a long way to go. Though a final decision on the GMP/EIS is expected this summer, the plan will need to be reviewed by congress and legislation is required before the NPS can implement the Preferred Management Option outlined in the plan. While that process may take some time, the park and tribe plan to identify and prioritize aspects that can be implemented without legislation.

Read more in the official release.

The placement of a simple cross on Sunrise Rock dates back to 1934, when a wooden cross was installed as a memorial for fallen World War I heroes. The wooden cross was later replaced with a more lasting metal version. In 2001, after almost 70 years without complaint, Frank Buono, a former National Park Service assistant superintendent at the preserve, filed the lawsuit with the assistance of the ACLU. He claimed that the cross offended him. The suit requested an injunction that prohibited the display of the cross (in other words, the removal of the cross from NPS land).

Over the next ten years, the case  was bounced between district and federal courts. In 2003, the Secretary of the Interior was directed by an Act of Congress to transfer the land parcel that included Sunrise Rock to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. That was the first attempt at resolution, but the district court prevented that from happening, and was backed by the Ninth Circuit. Two years ago, on April 28, 2010, the Supreme Court reversed the order, and the case was remanded back to the district court. At this point, the land exchange was reconsidered, and this week a final settlement was approved. The final agreement was that the Sunrise Rock parcel (including the memorial) will be conveyed to the Veterans Home of California–Barstow, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #385E, in exchange for a parcel of land of equal value and size.

After the transfer, which is expected to be completed later this year, the memorial will technically be on private property, but those who wish to visit the site may still do so. According to a recent release by the NPS, the NPS will be installing a fence around the area. There will be signs informing visitors that the memorial is on private property, but two entrance areas will remain unfenced to allow access to the memorial.

Of the settlement, Mojave National Preserve Superintendent Stephanie R. Dubois said, “We look forward to working with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in completing the land exchange. We are requesting that everyone be patient as we complete the land exchange, and we would like to remind folks that no cross can legally be displayed until the land exchange is complete.”

This week, she will finally have closure. Recently, a hiker hiking in the same area that Rebecca and her father were lost that tragic night, came across items of clothing, a walking stick, and some bone fragments. The remains were positively identified as Thomas Hamilton’s, and while Rebecca was never expecting something like this to happen, she is grateful for the closure it has provided. “It’s a big relief,” she said to press after the discovery.

The real tragedy is that the remains were found only 500 feet from the established search area. Sgt. Jim Eikenberg of the New York State Park Police said of the search, “It’s extremely difficult searching terrain. Some parts of the park are wide open and some are more dense and thick with undergrowth, leaf fall, brush and fallen trees.” He continued, “I’m glad we were able to close this chapter for the family.”

While one never hopes for this kind of tragedy to befall a fellow hiker, the closure that Rebecca has received has given her great comfort. About the discover, she said, “Whether someone is lost in a war or an abduction or an accident like my dad’s, everybody likes to recover the body, no matter what the condition.”

Read more about the story, and Rebecca’s experiences after the incident, in the Dayton Daily News.

While I have always had the tendency to stick to national forest lands on regular hikes and adventures, there are a few trips that have stood out in my memory, the most vivid one being a visit to Crater Lake National Park. I may have only been seven or eight years old at the time, but the intense blue of the lake was mesmerizing, especially when contrasted against the dry, hot surroundings. Of course, as a child I was fascinated that it was the water was just so deep and so far down from where I stood. (Of course, some of that may have felt more extreme due to the fact that I was just a kid–when everything seems larger than life!)

Though I haven’t had the chance to return as an adult, Branden had the opportunity to visit last year and was able to capture some great photos (like the one featured on this post). Even on a stormy day, that blue water was just as intense as I remembered it.

Crater Lake has not been the only National Park I have visited, but it still remains one of the most clear memories I have. Do you have a favorite memory of time you have spent in a National Park? Climbing the Half Dome cables? Exploring the desert in Big Bend? Reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier? Share your stories with us in the comments.