Free Republic

Park ranger breaks down "sometimes you just want to punch these congressmen in the face."Park ranger "you know who was moving these barricades in the first place? The damn congressmen."

In an era of the federal government excoriating Christianity, how is it that it can at the same time promote Islam...my country is being destroyed by politicians who want cheap Mexican labor and want to pacify the Muslims here......get your head out of your @ss and think about how stupid this approach is for the future of our country.....

The head of the National Park Service said Tuesday the Occupy DC protesters will get one final warning before U.S. Park Police begin to enforce the ban on camping in McPherson Square. Jonathan Jarvis testified Tuesday at a hearing of a House oversight subcommittee. He says the camping ban will be enforced “very soon.”

The tennis court at former President Jimmy Carter‘s private home is swept twice a day, his pool is cleaned daily and his grass cut, his flower beds weeded and his windows washed on a regular basis - all at taxpayers’ expense. Under an arrangement with the National Park Service, taxpayers are responsible for the exterior of Mr. Carter‘s home in Plains, Ga. - to the tune of $67,841 last year alone. In exchange, the government obtains the right to add the home to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site when he and his wife pass away. Other presidents have had...

It would be unimaginable for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to pursue the removal of thousands of crosses in Arlington National Cemetery situated so near the seat of the federal government in the nation's capital, and where so many of America's veterans and honored heroes are laid to rest. Likewise, it would be seemingly unthinkable for the ACLU to try to sue to eliminate the Senate and House chaplains (both of whom are of the Christian faith) who, in accordance with longstanding tradition, open with a prayer the upper and lower chambers each day that Congress is in session....

National Park Service spokesman Bill Line has lashed out at conservative critics of the trashing of the National Mall by attendees of the leftist One Nation Working Together rally held at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.The Park Service is part of the Interior Department which is headed up by Obama appointee, former U.S. Senator Ken Salazar (Dem.-CO).Line spoke to the Daily Caller, in an unprecedented protest of coverage by the Caller and other conservative news sites and blogs that criticized the One Nation Rally for the large amounts of trash left at the Lincoln Memorial, the World...

PPL has sued the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area so it can trim trees. According to the electric utility, the recreation area suggested it would require special, time-consuming permits that would delay PPL's trimming of vegetation along a 1.5-mile stretch of transmission line near Bushkill. According to a company release, PPL said it has easement rights that allow it to trim vegetation in order to meet strict federal requirements. The company said it could face stiff financial penalties if proper clearance boundaries around the vegetation aren't met. "It's unfortunate that we have to take legal action, but this line...

Supporters of a Marin County oyster farmer claimed victory Tuesday after a panel of scientists concluded that National Park Service officials made errors, selectively presented information and misrepresented facts in a series of reports about his Drakes Bay shellfish operation. The findings mark the second time in a year that the Park Service has been put under a spotlight for essentially fudging data in its attempts to show that the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. harmed the environment.

National Park Service News Release For Immediate Release: March 10, 2009 Contact(s): David Barna, 202-208-6843 Bert Frost, 202-208-3884 National Park Service Gets the Lead Out! WASHINGTON – National Park Service visitors and wildlife have something to cheer about today with the agency’s stepped-up efforts to reduce lead in national park environments. “Our goal is to eliminate the use of lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle in parks by the end of 2010,” said Acting National Park Service Director Dan Wenk. “We want to take a leadership role in removing lead from the environment.” The new lead reduction efforts also include...

How do you feel about allowing loaded guns in our national parks? Do you feel the need to pack heat while wandering the wildflower meadows of Paradise on Mount Rainier? Are you determined to protect yourself against overly aggressive squirrels at Hurricane Ridge? As you may have heard, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has agreed to modify existing rules that prohibit people from carrying loaded weapons in the national parks. The new rules will be ready for public comment by the end of April [289K PDF]. The push comes from the U.S. Senate. Fifty senators added their signatures to...

Motorized over-snow access to Yellowstone Park via Sylvan Pass will continue under terms of a Park Service decision signed Tuesday. The decision reversed an earlier Park Service preferred alternative that would have totally closed Yellowstone's East Entrance in wintertime after the 2007-08 season. A Record of Decision (ROD) concerning Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks and the Rockefeller Parkway was signed by Mike Snyder of Denver, director of the Intermountain Region of the Park Service. The ROD calls for changes in winter use in the two parks beginning with the 2008-09 winter season. “Unless they still commit to wanting to have...

This was first reported at FreeRepublic on Sunday, September 9 at 6:55 PM Pacific Time (3:55 PM Eastern), with follow-up posts here, here, and here.The incident took place on or some time prior to Friday, September 7. The original Freeper report, with plentiful pictures, states that: ..... It looks like the person who did this walked along The Wall with some type of container, perhaps hidden at their side so that they could squirt the oily substance without being caught in the act...... It is unknown who did this to The Wall, and apparently the US Park Police did...

I slowly went from one end of The Wall to the other, videotaping all the way. I wanted those who have loved ones named on The Wall to know whether "their" panels were damaged. I also wanted the full extent of the damage to be documented. This is Part 1, showing the damage to the east side of The Wall. It will take me several more hours to get the second video up. Stay tuned... Vietnam Memorial Wall (DC) Defaced Sept 7-8, 2007: Part 1

WASHINGTON — The National Park Service sought out footage of "conservative - right-wing demonstrations" to revise the video shown to visitors at the Lincoln Memorial (search) after being pressured by conservatives who complained the display implied Abraham Lincoln supported abortion, homosexuality and liberal causes. Park Service documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (search) show officials purchased video of President Bush, pro-gun advocates and pro-Iraq war rallies and also considered removing images of Democratic former President Clinton at the memorial. Park Service officials said they wanted the video to be politically balanced but refused to provide a copy of...

The plight of whistleblowers – those employees who sound the alarm about anything from dangerous conditions in the workplace to missed or ignored intelligence regarding our nation’s security – is a story that seems to grow stronger and with more frequency every day. My guess is that those stories have always been there; I suspect I am just paying closer attention to them now. You see, I joined the “ranks” of whistleblowers more than one year ago when, on December 2, 2003, a major newspaper printed a story in which I confirmed for them what many of us already knew...

The plight of whistleblowers – those employees who sound the alarm about anything from dangerous conditions in the workplace to missed or ignored intelligence regarding our nation’s security – is a story that seems to grow stronger and with more frequency every day. My guess is that those stories have always been there; I suspect I am just paying closer attention to them now. You see, I joined the “ranks” of whistleblowers more than one year ago when, on December 2, 2003, a major newspaper printed a story in which I confirmed for them what many of us already knew...

RIO DEL MAR — A State Parks ranger shot an unleashed dog Tuesday evening in the Rio del Mar section of Seacliff State Beach when the dog attacked the ranger, State Parks officials said. The dog, a 9-month-old, 52-pound pit bull-Labrador mix named Diego, may have been hit by a bullet, but ran off and had not been found by Wednesday evening. Kirk Lingenfelter, area parks superintendent, said the officer, whose name is being withheld pending investigation, was on routine patrol. The ranger encountered a woman on the beach around 6 p.m. with two dogs, after it closed for the...

Park Service Favors Compromise in Feud By MARY PEMBERTON Associated Press Writer January 23, 2004, 10:07 PM EST ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The National Park Service has carved out middle ground in the feud with a family that used a bulldozer to reopen an old mining road inside America's largest national park. The Park Service favors granting the 17-member Pilgrim family a special-use permit to drive the bulldozer along the old mining road, but only in winter and only when the ground is snow-covered to reduce damage to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The proposal sounds good, said family patriarch Papa...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 — To halt the removal of a cross placed in the Mojave National Preserve almost 70 years ago to commemorate World War I veterans, a Republican lawmaker from California has proposed swapping the land it sits on with a private group. The National Park Service recently ordered the return of plaques bearing biblical verses that had hung in Grand Canyon National Park for more than 30 years before they were taken down last summer. The Park Service also approved selling a book at the Grand Canyon that suggests the canyon was created in six days several thousand...

TUCSON, Ariz. - Grand Canyon National Park is refusing to add more names to its 20-year waiting list for Colorado River rafting permits, angering some private rafters. The decision won't affect people seeking commercial rafting tours, and the Park Service says it makes sense to stop taking applications because the permit process is under review, with a new plan expected by the end of next year. In an effort to preserve the canyon, the park allocates 169,950 user-days, giving 68 percent to professional outfitters. Nearly all the other permits go to private boaters. There are now more than 8,000 people...