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PORTERVILLE, Calif. — National forests and parks — long popular with Mexican marijuana-growing cartels — have become home to some of the most polluted pockets of wilderness in America because of the toxic chemicals needed to eke lucrative harvests from rocky mountainsides, federal officials said. The grow sites have taken hold from the West Coast's Cascade Mountains, as well as on federal lands in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

With solid bipartisan support, a Senate panel approved legislation on Thursday to allow loaded guns in national parks. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved, 18-5, a draft bill by Sen. Jim DeMint , R-S.C. It would allow people to bring loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges unless state laws bar them from doing so. Park Service regulations now allow guns only if they are unloaded and stowed. “The purpose of this bill is to protect innocent Americans from violent crime in national parks,” DeMint said. Park advocacy groups immediately decried the move and warned it could be...

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced that Mrs. Laura Bush and Mrs. Cindy McCain will participate in the National Park Service First Bloom Service Event on Monday, September 1st at Civic Fest in Minneapolis, MN. Monday, September 1, 2008 MINNESPOLIS, MINNESOTA WHO: Mrs. Laura Bush and Mrs. Cindy McCain WHAT: National Park Service First Bloom Service Event WHEN: Monday, September 1, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. CST WHERE: Minneapolis Convention Center 1301 2nd Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55403

SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST, California (CNN) -- Beyond the towering trees that have stood here for thousands of years, an intense drug war is being waged. Illegal immigrants connected to Mexico's drug cartels are growing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of marijuana in the heart of one of America's national treasures, authorities say. It's a booming business that, federal officials say, feeds Mexico's most violent drug traffickers. "These aren't Cheech and Chong plants," said John Walters, director of the National Drug Control Policy. "People who farm now are not doing this for laughs, despite the fact Hollywood still thinks that....

Should Guns be allowed in National Parks?

Lobbying Opportunity/Need The Department of the Interior has apparently extended the public comment period on their planned rulemaking related to the right to carry of law abiding citizens in our National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. The period was extended at the request of two very anti-2nd Amendment legislators, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona). They are hoping to flood the public comments with left-wing comments to keep you from protecting yourself in our parks. I would ask each of you that are concerned about protecting 2nd Amendment rights to click below and select the icon...

People are shunning the great outdoors. Blame conservationists, not video games ON JULY 4th, normally the busiest public holiday of the year, tourists were put off by high petrol prices and more than 300 wildfires raging across California. On Memorial Day, traditionally the beginning of the summer season, it was cold. In 1999 there was a grisly murder. In 1997 the Merced river flooded, inundating a hotel and wiping out hundreds of campsites. There are always excuses for the absence of people in Yosemite National Park. The number of visitors to California’s most spectacular valley has dropped for nine out...

One of the most basic rights we as lawful Americans enjoy is the right to defend our families and ourselves. The right to self-defense should not end simply because one crosses an invisible boundary line and enters a national park or wildlife refuge. This is the current, dangerous situation that will continue to exist, however, if you don’t take action right now. The U.S. Department of the Interior has issued a proposed rule to eliminate, once and for all, this prohibition on Right-to-Carry in national parks and wildlife refuges. NRA is leading the effort to change this policy and we...

In this Alert: 1. Court Shoots Down Bloomberg! 2. National Parks Ending Gun Ban? 3. The National Anthem Bloomberg A 3 judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has dismissed a lawsuit by the city of New York attempting to hold firearms manufacturers responsible for the costs of “gun crime” in the city. The court ruled that the suit should have been dismissed under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act passed by the congress in 2005. The 2-1 decision affirmed the constitutionality of that law and criticized Federal Judge Jack Weinstein for failing...

Pressured by the gun lobby and 51 US senators, the Interior Department proposes enhancing everyone's national park experience by letting people pack heat with a picnic. That's just what the nation's millions of park visitors don't need.

Time For Public Comment On New Rules For Guns In National Parks Friday, May 02, 2008 On April 30, the U.S. Department of Interior, through the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, issued a proposed rule to amend the current strict regulations on firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. NRA-ILA led the effort to amend the existing policy regarding the carrying and transportation of firearms on these federal lands. The public has until June 30 to comment on the proposal, and NRA-ILA strongly urges members to file comments in support. “Law-abiding citizens should not be prohibited...

Statement of Senator Dianne Feinstein on Interior Secretary’s Proposed Rule Change Allowing Loaded Firearms in America’s National Parks and Wildlife Refuges -Radical change to Reagan-era gun restrictions would put public at grave risk- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today strongly criticized a proposed rule change, announced by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, that would ease Reagan-era restrictions on carrying loaded firearms in America’s national parks and wildlife refuges. The following is Senator Feinstein’s statement: “I never thought I’d see the day when the Interior Department of the United States would allow weapons – including concealed weapons – to...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683 U.S. Department of Interior Proposes New Rule Regarding Right-to-Carry in National Parks Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Fairfax, Va. - The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), through the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, today issued a proposed rule to amend regulations prohibiting firearms in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. The National Rifle Association (NRA) led the effort to amend the existing policy regarding the carrying and transportation of firearms on these federal lands. “Law-abiding citizens should not be prohibited from protecting themselves and their families while enjoying America's National...

Should visitors to national parks be allowed to carry loaded guns? A group of more than four dozen senators thinks so - and they're pushing for change on a national level. For a quarter century, national parks have been essentially firearm-free, with only rangers allowed to carry loaded weapons.But now, 51 U.S. senators have asked the Dept. of the Interior to allow citizens who have a permit to carry a gun while enjoying the scenery."The Second Amendment guarantees the right for everyone in this country to bear an arm," said U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, "and when the Parks Department, through...

Dicks vows to block bid to lift ban on loaded weapons in national parks WASHINGTON – With a showdown looming, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks says he’s prepared to block any effort by the administration to lift the current ban on carrying loaded weapons in national parks. It’s not an idle threat. As chairman of the House Appropriations interior subcommittee, Dicks oversees the National Parks Service’s annual budget and is in a position to prevent the administration from dropping the Reagan-era ban. While the Washington Democrat is usually reluctant to add legislative provisions to his spending bill, he is ready to...

A proposal facing action by the U.S. Senate would force National Park and National Wildlife Refuge managers to allow more loaded, hidden handguns in national parks and wildlife refuges, endangering the public as well as wildlife. "This is more of the same from the gun pushers - any gun, anywhere, at any time," said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "Why are we putting hikers, campers and families at risk by introducing loaded, hidden handguns into our national parks and refuges? This proposal is a bad idea that the Senate should reject." Senator Tom Coburn...

World Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Park rangers warned that a move to drop a ban on carrying loaded guns into national parks -- backed by Oklahoma's two U.S. senators -- could degrade experiences for visitors, pose a safety risk and hurt efforts to crack down on illegal activity such as poaching. Although almost half of the U.S. Senate supports doing away with the current policy, critics are zeroing in on an expected amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. "There is simply no legitimate or substantive reason for a thoughtful sportsman or gun owner to carry a loaded gun in a...

Talk in political circles often centers on bipartisanship. If politicians want to portray a bill or program as something few would quibble with, they reach across the aisle and find at least a handful of supporters in the other party. Then they can say their proposal is bipartisan and the rest of us are supposed to go along. If bipartisanship effectively gets everyone on board, a proposal to change some rules in national parks shouldn’t have any trouble. Last week, 47 senators from both parties sent a letter to Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne asking him to change rules that restrict...

The President and the first lady are spending Christmas at Camp David and will travel to Crawford on the 26th December 2007. Today the President telephoned members of the military to wish them a Happy Christmas>Click here for details Today as there are no new photos apart from one of the President on the telephone I have dedicated the dose today to part 2 and the final part of the ornaments on the Christmas Tree in the Blue Room. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Today in the President's last radio message before Christmas he showed his love and compassion for the members of the military and their families in reminding us that many will find Christmas hard if they have family who have given their lives in the course of their service or have been seriously injured. He urged us all to remember them in our thoughts and prayers this Christmas including those families who will miss their loved ones this year as they are serving their country in various parts of the world. There are no new photos today so I am posting...

Pressure on the Department of the Interior (DOI) to change the rules in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges to allow law-abiding gun owners to carry guns for self-defense has just increased dramatically! **Forty-seven** Senators have co-signed a letter from Senator Mike Crapo to Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI) asking DOI to allow state law to determine if guns can be carried in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges in that state! The letter (and a link to the PDF version of the letter) is below. Virginia Senator Jim Webb signed the letter. Senator John...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryOctober 19, 2007 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio       In Focus: Environment THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, I will join millions of Americans in one of our favorite national pastimes: fishing. I'm going to be on the Chesapeake Bay. For those who love fishing, the most important thing is not the size of your catch but the enjoyment of the great outdoors. Every year, millions of Americans grab their tackle boxes and head out to their favorite fishing holes. No matter where they drop their lines, they build memories that last...

(CBS) When a big story like the terrorism hearings comes along, it consumes Washington. Other good stories get pushed aside and forgotten. Well, here is one of those lesser stories that should not be pushed aside because it is just so outrageous. The U.S. Park Service, the agency that guards our national monuments and takes care of our national parks, has come up with an idea to save money. The agency brass asked park superintendents to draft plans to close the parks on national holidays. Yes, you heard right close the parks on days when people are off work and...

rev_media writes to tell us that CNN has a few updates to the Real ID act currently facing legislators. The Real ID acts mandates all states to begin issuing federal IDs to all citizens by 2008. Costs could be as much at $14 billion, but only 40 million are currently allocated. Several states have passed legislation expressly forbidding participation in the program, while others seem to be all for it. The IDs will be required for access to all federal areas including flights, state parks and federal buildings. People in states refusing to comply will need to show passports even...

(Medford, Or) - Much of the day Friday, a helicopter brought out load after load of marijuana plants from hillsides in the Applegate... more than 10,000 plants, according to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters. Winters says marijuana retails for about 5-thousand dollars a pound, street value. He says last year his department confiscated 27.6 tons of marijuana. The grows are not just valuable. They're also dangerous. Law enforcement officers say the grow is most likely part of a Mexican drug cartel. Winters says members of the cartel will fight in a gun battle to protect their crop... and to try...

A University of Pittsburgh student last seen in April was found apparently living among homeless people in Montana, authorities said. When a ranger at Glacier National Park came across several people Thursday and asked for their identification, one of them was Pranesh Patel, said Pittsburgh police Lt. Daniel Herrmann. The ranger ran Patel's name through the National Crime Information Center and was alerted to a missing persons report filed May 2 by Patel's brother. The ranger alerted Pittsburgh police, who notified Patel's family. Patel was spotted again at the park Friday, according to his brother, Tarak Patel. Family members planned...

June 20, 2007 We in America have some of the most magnificent national parks in the world -- Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and many others. Sadly, however, our government has turned over to private monopolies the operation of many of the services and accommodations available to visitors in our national parks. For example, the same monopoly controls not only the lodgings but even tourist buses and taxi services on both the north rim and the south rim of the Grand Canyon. A different monopoly controls lodgings and other services at Yosemite. Monopoly is bad news, whether in the private marketplace...

SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. - Firefighters were trying to contain a wildfire that had burned about 2,400 acres of grass and brush in Sequoia National Forest and was spreading into wooded areas Monday. Officials asked residents in a recreation area called Horse Meadow to evacuate their cabins and trailers after the Goldledge Fire inched about a mile away from the private property, said Geri Adams, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman. "We're getting some really strong winds and the humidity is low, so the fire is really active," she said. The fire started across the street from the Goldledge Campgrounds on...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   Stop the Bureau of Land Management From Banning Recreational Shooting on Arizona Public Lands--Last Chance to Make Your Voice Heard!   Monday, April 09, 2007   The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released a management plan for Ironwood Forest National Monument that proposes to ban all recreational shooting in the 128,000-acre forest. Ironwood Forest National Monument is currently open to dispersed recreational shooting and is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. However, if BLM’s preferred management alternative (Alternative C) is adopted, then ALL recreational shooting will be banned. It...

Kickoff with Secretary Kempthorne & Director Bomar - Gatlinburg, TN . Description: You can help to shape the future of America's national parks! Please come to this listening session to share your ideas. Listening Sessions - Anchorage, AK - Boston - New York, NY - San Antonio, TX - Denver/Lakewood, CO - San Francisco - Richmond, VA - Seattle, WA - St. Louis

Welcome to Sanity Island Today, President And Mrs. Bush Visited Shenandoah National Park To Highlight The National Parks Centennial Initiative. Fact Sheet: The National Parks Centennial Initiative Rangers from the National Park Service wave to President George W. Bush and Laura Bush as the depart for Shenandoah National Park where the President discusses his National Park Centennial Initiative. The Initiative provides for the potential of up to a $3 billion infusion of new funds over the next ten years on top of appropriations for normal operations. "The funding starts with a billion-dollar request over the next 10 years that I'll...

The head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday his agency will start removing federal protection from gray wolves in Montana and Idaho by January, regardless of whether Wyoming has submitted an acceptable plan to manage its own wolves by then. Wyoming's plan is tied up in lawsuits, and Fish and Wildlife Director Dale Hall said his agency is moving ahead with Idaho and Montana, where management plans are already in place. ( Canadian ) Wolves were reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains a decade ago after being hunted to near-extinction, and now number more than 1,200 in...

A trip to Lake Powell could cost you a bit more if an Arizona city succeeds in annexing a portion of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. National Park Service officials worry the measure could affect hunting within the park and send ripples through the agency, setting a precedent for how other national parks are managed. In order to reap the revenue from a proposed 3 percent sales tax at the Wahweap and Antelope Point marinas and other concessionaires within the park, the city of Page, Ariz., wants to annex 21,000 acres of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Glen...

Let’s see how many reasons there are to carry a concealed weapon into a national park. Perhaps you might encounter a rattlesnake or some other potentially deadly critter that would pose a threat. Perhaps you were with an argumentative acquaintance who had pushed you to the limit in a discussion over, well, gun control. Perhaps a little paranoia had set in since you climbed out of bed that morning and you thought you needed a concealed weapon to ward off any attackers - real or imagined. Surely there are others, but none of them are particularly legitimate. Yet, outgoing U.S....

From high atop a horse named Cruiser, it’s easy to see what ails so much of America’s West. Above and below an equestrian path in the Gallatin National Forest, pine trees and Douglas firs crowd together like rush-hour subway commuters. Many are shorter and thinner than normal, due to intense competition for water, nutrients, and sunlight. Among these upright evergreens, dead trunks, limbs, and branches litter the arid ground. They are parched white, like the bones of a carcass bleached beneath the searing sunshine. “This hasn’t burned since the 1940s,” says Ryan Neel, a wrangler from the nearby Lone Mountain...

Washington has promised action against Mexican drug-traffickers who the US says are growing billions of dollars of marijuana in US national parks. Mexican cartels controlled 80% of the marijuana grown in forest and mountain areas, drugs tsar John Walters said. He blamed the cartels for much of the expansion of the crop, in particular in public lands such as national parks. Every American should be outraged that national parks were being turned into centres of drug production, he said. But growing marijuana in the US is not entirely a new phenomenon, despite it being illegal for more than 70 years....

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) - A federal judge has blocked a plan by the US government to allow commercial logging in California's Giant Sequoia National Monument, handing a victory to environmentalists who had sued to protect the ancient trees....(excerpt) California's Democratic attorney general, Bill Lockyer, who filed a lawsuit in 2005 aginst the Bush administration's plan, hailed the ruling as "a resounding victory for the Giant Sequoias, towering treasures that symbolize the magnificent beauty of California's Sierra Nevada range and inspire awe in all of us."

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK With its soaring granite walls and spouting waterfalls, Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Valley was described by conservationist John Muir as "a grand landscape garden, one of Nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples." Much of the glacially carved valley now lies under 300 feet of water. It was dammed and flooded more than 80 years ago to supply drinking water and hydropower to the San Francisco Bay area. For years, environmentalists have advocated draining the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and returning the valley to its original splendor, while opponents say that would cost a bundle at a time when...

Americans prefer video to national parks: study By Jon Hurdle Tue Jun 20, 11:36 PM ET Americans are less interested in spending time in natural surroundings like national parks because they are spending more time watching television, playing video games and surfing the Internet, according to a study released on Tuesday. The study, for The Nature Conservancy, found per-capita visits to national parks have been declining for years. National park visitation data starting in 1930 peaked in 1987 at 1.2 visits per person per year. But by 2003 it had declined by about 25 percent to 0.9 visits per person...

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - Once portals that lured gold-seeking pioneers, the black holes that dot the sun-baked mountainsides of this California desert haunt J.T. Reynolds. The Death Valley National Park superintendent fears tourists will tumble down the decrepit shafts or vanish into the rocky tunnels that abound in his park's famed Gold Rush-era mines and ghost towns. To make some 6,000 shafts and caves completely safe would take money that Reynolds does not have. "Most visitors do not realize that park resources have been under threat from deterioration, vandalism, neglect and rot for some time," Reynolds said. "We...

"ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT, Ariz. - Drug smugglers fleeing Mexican police crossed into this desert park and fatally shot a ranger four years ago, prompting That steel-and-concrete wall stops most cars from speeding in from Mexico. But drug and human traffickers have switched to rural entryways into Arizona. Thousands of people now cross on foot. They leave piles of trash, build fires, damage the park's famous cacti and create countless trails through the fragile desert vegetation." "Park workers spend most of their time backing up Border Patrol officers and dealing with border issues. " "But superintendents say the costs...

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, Mont. Jun 18, 2006 (AP) AP Enterprise: America's National Parks Face Pressures From Population Growth, Conveniences The ice-covered mountaintops are shrouded by fog. A stream gushes against the rocks on a headlong rush to the lake. High above the deserted visitors' parking lot, an elk stares at a lone hiker. Glacier National Park is an island, a sanctuary from the outside world. For how long? To the west, subdivisions, vacation homes and large chain stores march toward its borders. To the north, bulldozers pause for the winter before pushing deeper through the forests to a planned coal...

Today: June 18, 2006 at 9:1:6 PDT Yellowstone Tourist Dies in 500-Foot Fall ASSOCIATED PRESS YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - A woman lost her footing after stepping over a retaining wall to take a photograph and went over a cliff, falling 500 feet to her death in a canyon, park officials said. The 52-year-old woman was visiting the park with her husband and two children. Her husband flagged down a passing motorist, who called 911 after the Saturday morning accident at an overlook along the Yellowstone River, park officials said. A ranger rappelled down the canyon wall to reach...

A black bear chased, caught and mauled a bicycle rider on a mountain trail in Canada's oldest and most popular national park, and was shot and killed when it refused to leave the area, a warden said. The biker, Greg Flaaten, 41, a Web administrator for the town of Banff, was being treated for severe arm injuries at Foothills Hospital in Calgary following the attack, and reconstructive surgery in the biceps and triceps area was scheduled Monday. Authorities initially feared Flaaten might lose his arm, but that concern was eased when a key artery was found to be intact, maintaining...

Are future national park trips for America’s youth likely to be on-line virtual experiences rather than the real thing? A University of Illinois at Chicago ecologist says there may be cause for concern. Oliver Pergams, research assistant professor in biological sciences at UIC, reports in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Environmental Management that a rise in at-home entertainment activity, such as playing video games and surfing the Internet, corresponds with a decline, in per capita terms, in visits to U.S. national parks. Rising oil prices showed a strong association as well. The turnaround began in 1988 after a...

A 29-year-old Farisita man suffered bruises and possible nerve damage to his neck and shoulder this week when he tangled with a black bear on a private ranch near Stonewall about 25 miles west of Trinidad. Harold Cerda stopped to use an outhouse on the ranch. While he was away from his car, a bear climbed through an open window and started to eat Cerda's lunch that was on the front seat. As Cerda came out of the outhouse, the bear was walking in his direction and took a swing at Cerda, knocking him down. Michael Seraphin, spokesman for the...

The last time I visited Glacier National Park the hiking trails were so worn nothing grew on them. On the last trip to Yellowstone, fellow campers trying to photograph a feeding bull elk near the highway created a traffic jam. No wonder people problems exist: In 2003 some 1.9 million people went through Glacier and 2.9 million visited Yellowstone. Many of our 50-some national parks are overrun by the nearly 70 million people who come every year to camp, fish, hike and photograph wildlife. Along with Glacier and Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain (2.9 million), Yosemite (3.3 million), and Grand Canyon (4.1...

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Florida (Reuters) - The man leading efforts to eradicate giant Burmese python snakes from Everglades National Park sounds almost fearful, and certainly not optimistic, when he talks about the chances of wiping out an invasive species he calls "the enemy." That is partly because Skip Snow, a 54-year-old veteran wildlife biologist with the U.S. National Park Service, says he doesn't know how many of the slithery monsters are in the swampy Florida park. "It could be literally thousands," Snow told Reuters. "It could be a number I don't want to know. It could be scary." It's scary...

Controversy erupts over a plan to let corporate donors display their names and logos at attractions like Yosemite. Amid the scenic splendor of America's national parks, might visitors one day see a sprinkling of signs that read: "Yosemite, courtesy of Target"? Or perhaps, "Mount Rushmore, brought to you by Verizon"? It's not so far-fetched, say park watchdog groups. A Bush administration proposal to let corporate donors have more recognition for their financial contributions to national parks - in the form of naming rights, signage, and plaques bearing their logos - will "diminish the experience for visitors and degrade these national...

Last month I had a couple of blog posts about the contest sponsored by the North Dakota National Guard that is offering 540 free trips (10 from each state and US territory), to North Dakota. Yes, FREE trips. In mid-February, only about 30 entries for this contest were received. The deadline to enter was February 28, but that has been extended to April 2. Medora, which is adjacent to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, is one of the destinations for winners of the contest; the contest is open to students who will be high school juniors or seniors in the upcoming...