Heather Hansen's Blog, page 3

6 national parks celebrating Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, let’s look at somenational park units celebrating African Americans whohelped mold this nation with grit, intelligence and, often, wit.

Here are several ofmy favorites:

African Burial Ground National Monument,New York.An intense spot for contemplation amid the bustle of Lower Manhattan.

Boston African American National Historic Site,Massachusetts. In the heart of Boston, these sites celebrate freedom. They include the oldest African American church in the US,...

A preservation trio in the California desert

Today President Obama used the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate three new national monuments in the California desert: Mojave Trails National Monument, Sand to Snow National Monument and Castle Mountains National Monument.

The new protected areas will connect Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve and 15 congressionally-designatedwilderness areas. In combination,the tracts will create a 10 million-acre desert ecosystem that will provide critical corridors for...

These (tropical) lands are your lands

Love this post from the Department of the Interior celebrating six stunning (and way warmer than most of the continental U.S. is right now) sites that are also public lands. National Park of American Samoa, in particular, is one I’m salivating over.

I need to take issue, however, with one placethe DOI left out: San Juan National Historic Site in my favorite U.S. commonwealth,Puerto Rico. Protected there isthe oldest European constructionin the U.S. and one heck of a beautiful spot to spend a...

7 tips for celebrating an epic year in parks – Tip #3

With snow blanketing much of the nation, it’s tough to think ahead to the days of tank tops and flip flops. But this is a big year for parks, so think ahead we must.

Tip #3.Plan ahead.I don’t mean make sure you bring a tent if you’re planning to camp. I mean if you want to pitch that tent in, say, Rocky Mountain National Park next summer you should book a campsite nowat recreation.gov. The same goes for those famous national park lodges, many of which are already turning away guests for the b...

7 tips for celebrating an epic year in parks – Tip #2

Celebrations are already in full swing for the 100th birthday of the National Park Service. If you’re planning a park visitthis year–and I strongly encourage it!–I’ve pulled together some pointers for how to get the most out of your adventure(s). The next installment:

Tip #2. Go off-peak.

If you simply must see Yosemite this year (who could blame you?), aim for a month less-traveled.A large majority of visitorsto Yosemite–and Yellowstone and Arches for that matter–go in June, July and August....

7 tips for celebrating an epic year in parks – Tip #1

While its birthday is not technically until August, the National Park Service (NPS) is predicting this will beanother recording-breaking year for people in parks. There was a 4.2 percent bumpfrom 2014 to 2015, from 292.8 million to 305.2 million visitors and,like a geyser at Yellowstone, this yearis expected to blowlast year’s record sky-high.

With all those folks vying for a vantage point in front of Old Faithful, it can be challenging to feel like your having a special, once-in-a-lifetime e...

7 tips for celebrating an epic year in parks

While its birthday is not technically until August, the National Park Service (NPS) is predicting this will beanother recording-breaking year for people in parks. There was a 4.2 percent bumpfrom 2014 to 2015, from 292.8 million to 305.2 million visitors and,like a geyser at Yellowstone, this yearis expected to blowlast year’s record sky-high.

With all those folks vying for a vantage point in front of Old Faithful, it can be challenging to feel like your having a special, once-in-a-lifetime e...

Sledding in Paradise on Mount Rainier

For the first time since early 2014, the snowplay slope at Mount Rainier National Park is open! After a New Year’s snow dump, there are now over 120 inches of snow on the flanks of The Mountain (Washington’s highest) at Paradise.

Check @MountRainierNPS where the park tweets slope and road conditions and requirements.

If you can’t get there, live vicariously though the park’s webcams.

Photo of Paradise snowplay, courtesy NPS.

Buy the book! Prophets and Moguls, Rangers and Rogues, Bison and Bea...

A gorge-ous hiking challenge on the New River

Just the other day I was talking about what a stunningstate West Virginia is. So, when this came across my desk, I had topost about it:

To celebrate the National Park Service centennial in 2016, the New River Gorge is throwing down the gauntlet to those with feet itchin’ to hike. To complete its challenge, visitors must hoof-it on 100 miles of trails within the 70,000-acre park between January 1 and December 1.

The official kick-off is on January 2 when visitors can hike 3.2 miles with a rang...

Fisher comeback in the North Cascades

Once found in forests throughout Washington state, fishers haven’t been seen there in decades. Excessive trapping and habitat loss is believedto have caused the population drop of thisbrown, bushy-tailed member of the weasel family.

Wildlife managers, including some with the National Park Service, are now turning back the ecological clock. In these final weeks of the year 40 fishers from British Columbia are being released in and near Mount Rainier National Park. Later on, North Cascades Nati...