National parks

June 17, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today testified before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on National Parks on the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park Wilderness Act, legislation she introduced to protect nearly 115,000 acres of pristine public land within the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park as wilderness. The bill is cosponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

Sequoias at Sequoia National Park, California: Photo by Phil (CC)    » read more »

05 March 2008 -- U.S. authorities started a man-made flood in the Grand Canyon Wednesday in an attempt to help the canyon's ecosystem.

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne pulled a lever releasing water from the Glen Canyon Dam, which regulates the flow of the Colorado River. He said the flooding is meant to help redistribute sediment deposits to rebuild beaches downstream.

Kempthorne said the water is being released at a rate that would fill the Empire State Building - New York City's tallest skyscraper - in 20 minutes.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 02/27/2008 - In less than 60 days, more than 80,000 people have submitted comments opposing a controversial proposal that would remove current protections for more than 4.4 million acres of Colorado's roadless national forests leaving them vulnerable to industrial development, including coal mining and new oil and gas development.    » read more »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Calling a proposal for oil and gas development in the Wyoming Range “monumental, far reaching and fraught with controversy,” Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal asked the U.S. Forest Service to consider withholding action on the proposal until the tools are in place to fully and effectively address the impact of development in the area.    » read more »

Washington , DC - 01/25/2008 - Robert Vandermark, manager of the Pew Environment Group's Heritage Forests Campaign, today issued the following statement in response to the release of the Bush administration's Land Management Plan for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

"In its final months, the Bush administration is attempting to give logging and mining industries the keys to the Tongass National Forest - the world's largest intact temperate rainforest.    » read more »

03 September 2007 -- National parks in the United States are revered for their natural beauty and wildlife. They are fragile ecosystems that are cared for and preserved for future generations. Because of their fragile nature, they are also places where scientists are beginning to see the effects of climate change or global warming. VOA's Jeff Swicord reports from Glacier National Park in the Western state of Montana.    » read more »

Mother and daughter relocated to new shelter

(Queen Creek) – As the saying goes, if you build it they will come. Or at least that’s what Joan Perry, Chairman of the Friends of San Tan, was hoping when the Friends group constructed the 30 by 35 ft. Desert Tortoise Habitat at San Tan Mountain Regional Park. Armed with den designs and the knowledge that desert tortoises enjoy a diet of native grasses and leafy plants, the Friends built a habitat that included an abundance of natural vegetation found in the Sonoran Desert.    » read more »