These elk were in western Montana along a crystal clear and cool stream pouring down from the Mission Mountains wilderness. As the late afternoon progressed, more elk appeared out of the woodlands into the open areas in and along the stream. They were taken using a Canon 40D, Canon 300 F4 IS L with Canon 1.4x teleconverter and a monopod at ISO 800.
The National Park Service likes to consider itself at the head of the pack when it comes to conservation and protecting the finest lands in the United States. We hear a lot about climate change, the bad effect it is having across the country and how the NPS is educating the masses on the problems cropping up. We hear about that a lot. Really, quite a lot. But so far we haven’t seen the National Park Service really shake things up, to really let people know climate change is real.
How do you do that? Well, most people enter and leave the parks without ever thinking about climate change at all. That’s fine, most sane people want a nice, positive and enjoyable vacation. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn something from a quick visit.
Let’s look at Yellowstone as an example. The entrance fee for Yellowstone is $25 for one vehicle per 7 days. The question is, why is a Toyota Prius entering the park and paying the same entrance fee as a Hummer? What sort of example or leadership tone are we setting with that? A very poor one. To get people thinking about their national parks and a little bit of climate change(which the NPS claims is one of their goals), the entrance fee needs to reflect that reality as well. Most people don’t react to things until it affects how much something costs, whether a bargain or if they feel they paid too much.
In line with that, a new fee system that reflects climate change should be put in place. It may look something like this:
Hybrid passenger cars: Free entrance for 7 days
Passenger cars with 30MPG or more highway: $8 for 7 days
All other vehicles: $25 for 7 days
RV’s: $30 for 7 days
RV’s towing SUV’s or ATV’s: $45 for 7 days
This is an easily identifiable list. Sure, some aspects of this could be worked out and compromised, but at this point it seems to be a perfectly fair list.
So how about it, National Park Service? Not everyone is going to pay attention to the climate change lectures, but they will surely pay attention when they open their wallets at the entrances to our great national parks.
Why does this vehicle(pictured in Yellowstone’s Bridge Bay campground) pay the same entrance fee as a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic in the climate change era?
Good article from Science Daily on what’s happening to the beautiful state of Wisconsin. From my personal experience, the develop and road saturation over the last 30 years has been astonishing. Also, it’s just not development in general, but the kind of development. Beautiful lakeland areas like Minnocqua initiated zero zoning rules in terms of aesthetics and function, and in turn you had gas station after gas station flattening forest with giant slabs of concrete and high intensity lamps polluting the night sky. It really has changed in a very short time. Much of the northwoods became nothing but homes, endless roads and strip malls.
The southern part of the state gets it from farming and suburbia. I am still fond of the state, but that “spirit” which always made it great is hanging by a thread under the crush of development.
Once again, the Bush admin failed to look at the science involved. And once again they get slapped down by a judge.
Incredible story! This bear was on quite a journey. It ended up killing a sheep and was then trapped near Loma.
I’ve always felt that if states allow trapping and hound hunting of wolves, they will not be taken off the endangered list. We will see how this affects the rocky mountain wolf issue.
It could be the same one that was recently spotted on the Colorado/Wyoming border since it is in fact wearing a radio collar.
Bullet holes in traffic signs? Seems to be very common across the country and not the exception to the rule.
Big time news for the North Fork of the Flathead. The report will be due Feb 10, 2010 and will look at all of the mining projects as well as the possible effects in the Flathead Valley.
