National Academies Press http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18336 America’s national parks provide a wealth of experiences to millions of people every year. What visitors see—landscapes, wildlife, cultural activities—often lingers in memory for life. And what they hear adds a dimension that sight alone cannot provide. Natural sounds can dramatically enhance visitors’ experience of many aspects of park environments. In … Continue reading »
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National Parks and Hydraulic Fracturing: Balancing Energy Needs, Nature and America’s National Heritage
National Parks Conservation Association http://www.npca.org/about-us/center-for-park-research/fracking/ Federal land regulators should take special care to guard against potential harmful effects of hydraulic fracturing on lands surrounding US national parks, according to a report that the National Parks Conservation Association released Thursday. The report, “National Parks and Hydraulic Fracturing: Balancing Energy Needs, Nature and America’s National Heritage,” examines … Continue reading »
West Is Best: How Public Lands in the West Create a Competitive Economic Advantage
Headwaters Economics http://headwaterseconomics.org/land/west-is-best-value-of-public-lands/ General findings: Higher-wage services industries, such as high-tech and health care, are leading the West’s job growth and diversifying the economy. Entrepreneurs and talented workers are choosing to work where they can enjoy outdoor recreation and natural landscapes. Increasingly, chambers of commerce and economic development associations in every western state are using … Continue reading »
Revisiting Leopold: Resource Stewardship in the National Parks
National Park System Science Board Advisory Committee http://www.nps.gov/calltoaction/PDF/LeopoldReport_2012.pdf [National Parks Traveler] Climate change, biodiversity, and the current state and understanding of ecosystem management all were unknown to A. Starker Leopold 50 years ago when he oversaw a report that became the National Park Service’s guide to managing wildlife in the parks. That so-called Leopold Report, … Continue reading »
Greater Yellowstone in Peril: the Threats of Climate Disruption
The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization | Greater Yellowstone Coalition / by Stephen Saunders, Dan Findlay, Tom Easley and Scott Christensen http://bit.ly/ny4DuV [From the Idaho State Journal] Summers in Yellowstone National Park could average 9.7 degrees hotter in the next 60-90 years, making them as hot as the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City and precipitating … Continue reading »
Code Red in Our National Parks: Ozone Pollution Exceedences at Three Year High
National Parks Conservation Association http://www.npca.org/cleanair/pdf/Ozone_violations_in_national_parks_report.pdf [From Press Release] …Report findings indicate that so far this year there have been 234 exceedances of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) health-based ozone standard in 18 of the national parks with ozone monitors, resulting in a number of “Code Red” days when even healthy people are advised to protect … Continue reading »
Continued Warming Could Transform Greater Yellowstone Fire Regimes by Mid-21st Century
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (August 9, 2011 vol. 108 no. 32 13165-13170) / by Anthony L. Westerling,1, Monica G. Turner,1, Erica A. H. Smithwick, William H. Romme, and Michael G. Ryan http://www.pnas.org/content/108/32/13165.full.pdf+html [Abstract] Climate change is likely to alter wildfire regimes, but the magnitude and timing of potential climate-driven changes in regional … Continue reading »
Contributions of the US State Park System to Nature Recreation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (August 23, 2011 v108 n34 p14031-14036) / by Juha Siikamaki http://www.pnas.org/content/108/34/14031.short [Abstract] Nature recreation in the United States concentrates in publicly provided natural areas. They are costly to establish and maintain, but their societal contributions are difficult to measure. Here, a unique approach is developed to quantifying nature … Continue reading »
Great Lakes National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption
Natural Resources Defense Council | Rocky Mountain Climate Organization http://www.rockymountainclimate.org/images/GreatLakesParksInPeril.pdf [From an NRDC Switchboard posting by Theo Spencer] Our report, Great Lakes National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption, features new information on rising temperatures in the Parks. The Parks we focus on are the five largest on the Great Lakes: Indiana Dunes National … Continue reading »
The State of America’s National Parks
National Parks Conservation Association http://www.npca.org/cpr/sanp/ [Deseret News] A first of its kind assessment undertaken over the past 10 years shows the majority of the country’s national parks are in serious jeopardy, facing a multitude of problems posed by air and water quality issues, habitat fragmentation and inadequate funding… Recommendations include better coordination among federal regulatory … Continue reading »
