** Visitor crowding threatens national park rangers
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Friday, March 27, 2020
Practice #SocialDistancing ([link removed]) ! CDC says to avoid groups larger than 10 and stay 6 feet apart. You can help slow the spread of COVID-19! We do not recommend hiking busy narrow trails (like Angels Landing). NPS Photo taken yesterday (3/21/20) on Angels Landing. | @ZionNPS ([link removed])
As cities across the country go on lockdown and Americans are told to stay home and practice social distancing, many national parks remain open with park entrance fees waived. Park rangers are growing worried ([link removed]) about their own health and the ability of gateway communities to handle the floods of visitors to the parks.
One park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona reported 600 close contacts with visitors on a popular trail in the park. The trail has since been shut down, but the park remains open despite a request from the park supervisor to close the park. Gateway communities near national parks are echoing the call ([link removed]) to close the gates for fear of crowding in local hospitals.
A national park ranger who quit his job over the work conditions told ([link removed]) The Washington Post, "This is a political game being played with people’s lives by leadership at the highest levels of the Department of Interior, and, I believe, the White House." And although many visitor centers have shut down, park rangers remain on duty to protect sites. About 100 of the 419 National Park Service units have been closed or partially shut to the public.
Quick hits
** Interior using coronavirus crisis to push controversial policy changes that benefit the oil and gas industries
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Outside ([link removed])
** The world is running out of places to store oil supplies while markets saturate
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New York Times ([link removed])
** Lawmakers halt plan to buy crude oil amid market downturn
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Bloomberg ([link removed])
** Trump effort to help uranium miners sidelined by COVID-19, producers say
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S&P Global ([link removed])
** Minnesota Supreme Court agrees to hear PolyMet mining permit appeal
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Associated Press ([link removed])
** Thousands are crowding into free national parks, park rangers are terrified of coronavirus infections
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Washington Post ([link removed])
** Environmental groups ask BLM to table public comment period for solar project amid pandemic
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Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])
** Forest Service begins to close campgrounds, picnic sites, trailheads across Western states
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Denver Post ([link removed]) | Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Parks inherently funnel people to see overlooks and waterfalls and rivers. People stop at various points to view the wonderful scenery. They’re more conducive to people gathering. Parks are built for visitation. Our concern is that Interior is practicing trial and error instead of being proactive where they know visitors are going to gather."
—Kristen Brengel, National Parks Conservation Association ([link removed])
Picture this
** Let’s start the day with a #VirtualVisit ([link removed]) to @LeadMeadNPS ([link removed]) , where warm sunlight glows on dramatic cliff walls #Nevada ([link removed]) | @Interior ([link removed])
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