Staff Report – SHENANDOAH, Va. – The federal government’s management of the National Park Service in Shenandoah National Park in Luray, Virginia has proposed to completely privatize all commercial operations in the park, including the campgrounds, without notifying the public or allowing public comments. The privatization plan is buried down in a press release about…
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — There was a time in American history when artists, writers and photographers were held in such high esteem that the best of the best were recruited by the federal government to showcase some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country to help convince…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration this week announced the allocation of $195 million in climate restoration and resilience projects over the next decade in America’s national parks. President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda calls for national parks across the United States to use this funding to prepare for the impacts of…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Park Service announced Saturday that there will be six holidays in 2024 when entry fees will be waved. On these dates, the public is invited to experience the wonder of national parks for free. “National parks are places that awaken senses, inspire curiosity, encourage reflection, and foster…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of the Interior held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to inform the press and the people about what they can expect to happen if and when Congress fails to compromise to keep the United States government open and running and forces a massive federal government shutdown…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — While the American public appears to be divided on political issues these days and sometimes disagree on the role of government, there is one federal program most people love no matter what political party they vote for at election time: National Parks. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns called this “America’s…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Anyone who works in national parks, volunteers with the National Park Service or visits the parks can attest to the fact that staff shortages and maintenance backlogs have plagued the parks for years, through the administrations of Republicans and Democrats. If there is any truth to documentary filmmaker Ken…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Park Service has added 16 new listings to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom across 11 states, joining 700 sites, facilities and programs already in the network. They all provide insight into the diverse experiences of freedom seekers who bravely escaped slavery and those who assisted…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — As many students of history know, after the Japanese attacked Peal Harbor on that day of infamy, Dec. 7, 1941, and the United States declared war and entered World War II, the federal government forcibly removed many Asian Americans from the West Coast to the Granada Relocation Center in…
“Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” – John Muir, 1869 The Yosemite (1912), page 256. Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. – In reporting annual visitation numbers to America’s national parks for 2021, the…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Park Service will offer five entrance fee-free days in 2022, free admission days designed to encourage discovery and visitation of the country’s variety of national parks. With at least one in every state, national parks are accessible places to visit to refresh the body, mind and spirit, according to…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON. D.C. — The National Park Service got its first Senate confirmed director in five years Thursday when Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland swore in Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The National Park Service languished under the presidency of Donald Trump, according to Roll…
By Glynn Wilson – SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, Va. — Warm, humid October weather that could be attributed to climate change due to global warming from humans burning fossil fuels for energy has slowed the arrival of peak Autumn color in the mountains of Virginia. But it was a beautiful day in the park anyway on…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Park Service recently announced 18 new additions to the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom in 11 states to further provide insight into the experiences of freedom seekers who escaped slavery, along with those who assisted them. “The stories of freedom seekers, who risked everything to claim their…
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – CATOCTIN MOUNTAINS, Md. — I must admit that it does get boring and even annoying at times to be right most of the time, and ahead of one’s time. Maybe I should strive to be more behind the times like most newspapers, universities and other Southern writers,…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration submitted the President’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2022 to Congress on Friday, and it calls for a new investment of $3.5 billion in the National Park Service to help modernize the parks and park infrastructure. It calls for new investments in conservation efforts, expanding visitor access…
Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, Va. — When Americans and people from all over the world think of visiting a national park, or camping in the great outdoors in the United States, they often think of the big, famous parks out West like Yosemite in California, the Grand Canyon in…
By Glynn Wilson – SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, Va. — How do you tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly? Don’t try this at home or in a national park. Sneak up on the bear and kick it in the rump, then run and climb a tree. If the bear climbs up the…
Staff Report – The U.S. Department of the Interior announced that National Park Week – an annual weeklong celebration of America’s national parks – will run from April 17 to April 25, a time when the federal government urges the public owners of the parks to explore the vast network of sacred sites, historical landmarks…
Staff Report – As the nation continues to commemorate Black History Month, the National Park Service has added 11 new places to its growing system of sites and programs that chronicle the African American Civil Rights Movement. In the continuing struggle for racial equality, as told through a collection of powerful historical resources that commemorate,…
