This diary is potpourri from places where I'd much rather be, like here with these people:
Tomorrow is National Public Lands Day. You can celebrate by watching California condors be released, volunteer at Acadia National Park in Maine, or just visit your favorite national park -- for free. You'll know that we finally have a National Park Service director, and he's a good one, too. Then, kick back with the first episode of a TV series on America's (other) best idea. National park news can be found where the President is pointing -- below the fold.
Way back on September 3, President Obama declared National Wilderness Month: "I call upon all Americans to visit and enjoy our wilderness areas, learn more about our wilderness heritage, and explore what can be done to protect and preserve these precious national treasures."
Funny, I don't remember President Bush declaring any wilderness months weeks days minutes.
Tomorrow is National Public Lands Day, a volunteer-run event started in 1994. The National Park Service celebrates with free admission to all NPS units. Volunteer events include a picnic and coastal cleanup in Florida, volunteer service events at Abraham Lincoln's birthplace in Kentucky and George Washington Carver's home in Missouri, and coastal cleanup in Acadia National Park, Maine. A list of activities is here.
Awwww! Isn't that the cutest, cuddliest vulture you've ever seen! One of the coolest Public Lands Day events is at Pinnacles National Monument, an obscure national monument in the foothills east of Monterey, California. Pinnacles attracts fans of geology, rock climbing, bats, and highly endangered California condors. Tomorrow, the rangers will try to release up to two birds into the wild from the east side of the monument; details here. If you drive from the west side, it's about an 8 mile hike or a two-hour drive to the east side, and guess which means of transportation is better for your legs and your planet? I visited Pinnacles this summer to hike into geologically unusual talus caves formed by boulders falling down instead of the usual water-in-limestone caves. A sulky Ipod-deprived teen went into the caves, and a smiling "way cool!" boy emerged.
Fans of obscure legislation by progressive members of Congress also know Pinnacles because Representative Sam Farr (D-Monterey) has proposed HR 3444, to change Pinnacles from a national monument to a national park, for reasons generally considered to be tourism-related. Pinnacles is currently reviewing four alternative general management plans: do nothing, research and learning, backcountry experience (i.e., less development), and expanded visitor experience (more development). Pinnacles is primitive, but a formal national park designation would require facilities to be upgraded. Representative Farr would be better off respecting the park management's formulation of its plan rather than move forward with legislation now.
Fans of the National Park Service are also pleased to hear that it finally has a new director, Jon Jarvis. He was confirmed last night following an anonymous hold (and there's another story in that somewhere) for several months. He's known as being an outspoken advocate for the parks and against commercialization, which got him into trouble with the Bush administration but is one of many reasons why NPS employees and the New York Times both consider him an excellent choice.
Last, fans of fiddle and banjo music and beautifully photographed documentaries are going to be very happy, because Ken Burns' new series, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, premieres this weekend. Early reviews are glowing.
On a personal note, I've been writing Hike On! (formerly known as Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies) since early this year, usually publishing Tuesdays at 5 PM California time. I'd like to continue writing on national parks and outdoor adventures, but an annoying minor detail keeps interfering, so please forgive me if Hike On! appears sporadically.