Quoteszalkowski QuoteAlmostThere I'm actually surprised the number of rescues is that low.... God protects children, animals, and idiots. Most of the time!by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteeeek Joshua Tree National Park (CA) Follow-up On Illegal Digging In Park In April 2007, park rangers were told that a man was digging at a historical site within the park. Two rangers responded and contacted Scott Johnson of Foothill Ranch, California, as he was walking back to his car. Johnson had numerous digging implements and two old beer cans in his possession. Johnson was issued anby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotebill-e-g People freak out with BLACK bears for heavens sake. True - mostly, they go gaga and act reckless trying to get that perfect photo, but some act like the sky is falling if a bear comes within a mile of them.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteDearborn You know - tongue-in-cheek - I've been quietly insisting for years that the grizzly bear and wolf need to be re-introduced to Yosemite. It goes without saying that they would expand their range a mite afterward, but think of the photo opportunities. I've been gone too long to know the game counts in and around Yosemite, but the elk and moose numbers are said to be dwindling in tby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Giantess Geyser is erupting to-day. Probably all day long. Webcam and stream can be accessed here: Old Faithful webcam and stream links Giantess is the geyser on the hilltop right of and behind Old Faithful, whose steam may occasionally obscure Giantess' water and steam column. Only a couple times a year!by bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteVince DL Bliss That's what I thought - thanks!by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Here is a link: National Park Units in chronological order of authorization The first 66 or so appear to have been under the aegis of the NP system by 1932, which would suggest that those 66 +/- may have received the initial batch of Mather Plaques. On this list are at least a few places that were authorized on or before 1932 who have claimed to have no plaques. Note: On this list, aby bpnjensen - General Discussion
A new response with considerable good information: >>Mr. Jensen, I had a conversation with the park superintendent about this just the other day. There is no Mather plaque here at Joshua Tree and to my knowledge, there never has been. Following Mather's death in 1930, a private group organized an effort to memorialize Mather and they funded the creation of a series of plaques in hby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteeeek The beauty of winter has descended on Yellowstone in the form of early season snowstorms that have passed through the area. For the next few days, park visitors should be prepared for winter weather and driving conditions, including temporary road closures and delays. Roads are being plowed as conditions allow. Snow tires are advised and may be required at times. Please call 307-3by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteeeek http://yosemitephotos.net/main.php/v/yellowstone/sh-pa022278.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=0 Was just up at Yellowstone the last 6 days. Cold (zero degree mornings), ice, snow, frigid everywhere. Spent all daylight hours and a few darkness hours out in the world. It was an adventure, except for the critters, for whom it was the beginning of the terrible season of bare survival. Whby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteVince Been to Avenue of the Giants? Take a trip. Vince, you know as well as anyone that the Avenue is a TINY FRACTION of all of the redwoods that used to occupy the California coastal areas...and it's a paved road to boot. It's fine if you just want to preserve a living museum of trees to goggle at for auto tourists; but if you want to preserve a viable redwood ecosystem, it's a smidge ofby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteVince I am fair and balanced Vince, Is this the rock at one of the Tahoe state parks?by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Always carry bear spray in grizz country. A darned good idea, and very effective when used by a person who is not panicking. Of course, panic = all bets are off ;-)by bpnjensen - General Discussion
In my experience, bear spray is unnecessary when dealing with black bears. I would not bother. I don't think it is legal in Yosemite anyway.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
It's really not too bad a climb, if you are ready for the elevation. I could not start at sea level and go up in one day. I assume snow would make it tougher.by bpnjensen - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteWendyInLongBeach There is no reason for ANYONE to side with someone who has the time, makes the effort to go back to his vehicle, acquire an illegally kept loaded weapon, go back and execute a bear. And that is precisely what he did. As a Mammoth Lakes frequenter, and one who admires and respects what little wildlife we have, he should spend jail time along with those hefty fines. Selfby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteeeek (CNN) -- A 37-year-old Pennsylvania woman died Sunday after being mauled by her pet black bear, authorities said. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/10/05/bear.attack/ That sucks big time for both lady and bruin.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
From JoAnn Blalock at Craters of the Moon NM in Idaho, which was a NM starting early in the 20th Century: In response to query about the Mather Plaque... "Good question.... No, we do not have one of these plaques and I am not sure if we ever did. I have asked our Cultural Resource specialist to respond to you if she discovers any more information about these." Again, Likby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteVince Falling on your ass above treeline wakes you up in a hurry I find I'm usually a lot more likely to experience this on the way downhill, after my feet and ankles have become tired. No serious problems so far, thank goodness!by bpnjensen - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteeeek QuoteVinceMight by why, after hundreds of millions of years of evolution, birds have wings. I'm sure it's only one of many reasons. Yeah, I think most birds have wings because it has been favorable to them in quite a few different ways... In fact, the only places where birds **do not** have functional wings is where they don't really need them to avoid serious enemies or weatherby bpnjensen - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotewbmyosemite And your view ISN'T political, Eeek? Yeah, right. 30 years ago the same "so-called" experts were predicting the coming Ice Age. You can look that up. It was a major topic in the 70s in almost every publication of the decade. Now thirty years later with more books needing to be sold, these experts have flipped 180 degrees. In 50 years people will be laughing atby bpnjensen - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteeeek Quotebpnjensen I just called Muir Woods NM. They do not have a Mather Plaque at this time, either displayed or stored. That they know of... Kee-rect. I wonder how many of these things - and other wondrous items - are just stashed away in vaults somewhere, out of sight and mind.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteFrank Furter Here are a couple of additional sources of information, a book and the transcript of a radio broadcast: Steve Mather of the National parks - Page 287 by Robert Shankland - Nature - 1951 - 326 pages Mather dragged out his old files and reviewed all of his favorite projects with his old confederate. He still had a good deal left. At the recommendation of ... Snippet viby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteFrank Furter Bruce, You really got into this! Great work! I wonder if ANYONE knows where or how many plaques are around. Sounds like they are more widely distributed than just pre-1930 parks. I found this in archives of New York Times: MATHER IS HONORED BY PARK LEADERS; Mrs. Roosevelt Unveils Tablet at Bear Mountain to Park Service Founder. ICKES PAYS HIGH TRIBUTE ' His Love of Naby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I just called Muir Woods NM. They do not have a Mather Plaque at this time, either displayed or stored. Likewise, Pinnacles National Monument. Being carved from a National Forest, it may have started life in 1908 as a NM under the USFS instead of Interior, so that might explain that deficit. Drat! :-)by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotemrcondron From an article: Upon Mather's death, the Park Service erected bronze plaques in every park with the words: "There will never come an end to the good that he has done." A-yupp, those are the ones we're after! We have the impression that there were about 80 or so plaques that would have been distributed in that initial shot in 1932-33, maybe a few stragglers as the Dby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteFrank Furter Bruce, You really got into this! Great work! I wonder if ANYONE knows where or how many plaques are around. Sounds like they are more widely distributed than just pre-1930 parks. I found this in archives of New York Times: MATHER IS HONORED BY PARK LEADERS; Mrs. Roosevelt Unveils Tablet at Bear Mountain to Park Service Founder. ICKES PAYS HIGH TRIBUTE ' His Love of Naby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Here's a GOOD ONE! From 1991, the Diamond Jubilee Year for the NPS ~ Presumably, the parks listed below now have these plaques SOMEWHERE... From Diamond Jubilee 1991: SERVICEWIDE REDEDICATION OF AN IMPORTANT BRONZE PLAQUE In 1931, two years after the death of NFS first director, Stephen Tyng Mather, artist Bryant Baker completed a bas relief sculpture incorporated on a bronze tby bpnjensen - General Discussion
A note from Lava Beds NM regarding a possible Mather plaque: Mr. Jensen: Lava Beds was not declared an NPS monument until 1933 (it was a Forest Service monument for 8 years prior), so I don't believe we have such an item; at least there is not one on display anywhere. Perhaps our cultural resources specialist can reply to you if he knows of one in our collection. Cheers, Ranger Kaleby bpnjensen - General Discussion
So - looks like we have: Yosemite Yellowstone Glacier Cabrillo Crater Lake (presumed - was displayed at Rim Village through 1941) Zion Grand Canyon Sequoia Possibly (?) Kings Canyon in association with Grant Tree? Acadia Chamizal Petrified Forest Bent's Old Fort Rocky Mountain Grand Teton Guadalupe Mountains Petersburg National Battlefield Bryce Canyon ...a reference to theby bpnjensen - General Discussion