National Parks

Roosevelt Arch

11 States Launch Resistance to National Park Fee Changes

Eleven attorneys general have sent a letter, and a warning, to the Trump Administration: we'll battle new entrance fees in court if we have to.

November 23, 2017 - The Sacramento Bee

Nashville, Tennessee

13 Cultural Landscapes At Risk of Disappearing

Threats facing major U.S. cultural sites today include development, drilling, and the federal government.

October 26, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

National Park System

Interior Department Wants to Hike National Park Entrance Fees

Two years after increasing entrance fees at national parks, The U.S. Department of the Interior wants to raise daily vehicle entrance fees at the nation's most popular parks to $70.

October 25, 2017 - CNN

Minneapolis

Big Idea: A National Park in Downtown Minneapolis

Details of a proposal to create a national park at one of the Twin Cities' region most popular destinations: the lock and dam at the Upper St. Anthony Falls, on the Mississippi River where it flows through Minneapolis.

March 3, 2017 - MinnPost

Jamaica Bay

Jamaica Bay: Wilderness in the City

Created so people could "experience nature in the midst of crowds," New York's Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge embodies the characteristics of all modern national parks: abundant, welcoming, and threatened.

August 27, 2016 - Grist

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

President Obama Designates New National Monument in Maine

The announcement that 87,500 acres of land in Maine's North Woods would become a national monument came the day before the centennial of the National Park Service. The designation is also sure to be controversial.

August 25, 2016 - Portland Press Herald

Yellowstone National Park

Happy 100th Birthday National Park Service

"The fundamental idea behind the parks is that the country belongs to the people," says President Obama.

August 25, 2016 - National Park Foundation

Alcatraz

Vote: $2 Million for National Parks Preservation Funding

The 2016 Partners in Preservation contest is open until July 5. Now is your chance to #VoteYourPark.

June 16, 2016 - National Geographic

Zion National Park

Months Before Turning 100, National Parks Are More Popular Than Ever

Turning 100 the same year as New York's first Zoning Code? The National Park Service, of course. The momentous occasion is likely to find the parks more popular than ever.

May 26, 2016 - FiveThirtyEight

Hiking Trail

On the Meaning and Value of America's National Parks

An editorial from a surprising source argues for an honest discussion about the unintended consequences of uncritical exuberance.

April 24, 2016 - High Country News

The National Park Service Turns 99 Today

The big birthday means admission is free to national parks today as well.

August 25, 2015 - The Oregonian

Friday Eye Candy: Images of the 20 Most Popular National Parks in the U.S.

There are still a few days left to celebrate National Park Week, which runs from April 18-26.

April 24, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Downtown Honolulu as seen from the top of Diamond Head

Which Cities Will be Harmed the Most by the Government Shutdown?

With 800,000 employees on indefinite furlough, national parks closed, and federal benefits and programs eroding, it's safe to say the government shutdown will effect millions of Americans. But some urban areas will feel the pinch more than others.

October 1, 2013 - Trulia Trends Blog

Obama Uses 1906 Act to Declare Fort Monroe a Natl. Monument

In declaring Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia a National Monument, President Obama circumvents Congressional approval - which would be required to make it a National Park.

December 6, 2011 - City Parks Blog

Disney's Thwarted Alpine Village

Mineral King is a site adjoining Sequoia National Park that the Park Service wanted to lease as a resort. Walt Disney was gung ho to do it, and got pretty far in planning an alpine village resort before the project was killed.

February 20, 2011 - MiceChat

A Developer in the Park

Sitting in a controversial niche in the development market, Thomas Chapman develops plans for parcels within national parks, only to take buyouts from environmental groups or the government. He's got a bold new proposal on the way.

October 19, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

A New National Park for Kansas?

Kansas senatorial candidate Charles Schollenberger calls for the creation of a Great Plains National Park on low-production farmland in order to attract tourism to support suffering local economies.

July 21, 2010 - The Topeka Capital-Journal

New Natl. Parks Chief Takes Scientific Approach

Jonathan Jarvis, named the head of the National Park Service last month, says that he'll work with the National Academy of Sciences to fight global warming, which he says is "the greatest challenge ever to face national parks."

November 9, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Emphasizing the Urban Angle of National Parks

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has said he wants to bring park programs back into the lives of urban dwellers. This piece argues that a good place for him to start is one of the few urban national parks at St. Louis' Gateway Arch.

July 13, 2009 - STL Today

Fed Money Announced for CA's National Parks

Twenty-two national parks in California will get a portion of $97 million to repair historic buildings, install solar panels, and fix trails.

April 24, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

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