http://www.mail.com/subjects/53566-national-parks.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/53566-national-parks.html http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2099360-report-nps-hantavirus-response-policy.html YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Federal investigators probing the hantavirus outbreak blamed for three deaths at Yosemite National Park recommended on Monday that design changes to tent cabins and other privately run lodging first be reviewed by National Park Service officials. The report released by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector Gen... Tue, 21 May 2013 04:11:36 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2099360-report-nps-hantavirus-response-policy.html 2013-05-21T04:11:36Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2064398-scenic-struggling-s-illinois-braces-oil-rush.html VIENNA, Ill. (AP) — This is the Illinois that many people never see — the sparsely populated southern tip where flat farmland gives way to rolling hills, rocky outcrops, thick forests and cypress swamps. Blacktopped county roads wend through no-stoplight towns. Locals speak in soft drawls and talk of generations who've lived on the same land or in the sam... Mon, 06 May 2013 03:45:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2064398-scenic-struggling-s-illinois-braces-oil-rush.html 2013-05-06T03:45:01Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2060354-timber-forest-service-asks-to-return-cash.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service is in the business of preventing fires, not starting them. Yet the agency set off alarms in Congress and state capitols across the West by citing automatic spending cuts as the basis for demanding that dozens of states return $17.9 million in federal subsidies. And it's all come down to a bureaucratic squabble ove... Fri, 03 May 2013 16:48:34 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2060354-timber-forest-service-asks-to-return-cash.html 2013-05-03T16:48:34Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/2055402-sd-tribe-faces-ultimatum-sale-massacre-site.html SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A small patch of prairie sits largely unnoticed off a desolate road in southwestern South Dakota, tucked amid gently rolling hills and surrounded by dilapidated structures and hundreds of gravesites — many belonging to Native Americans massacred more than a century earlier. The assessed value of the property: less than $14,000. Th... Wed, 01 May 2013 23:11:13 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/2055402-sd-tribe-faces-ultimatum-sale-massacre-site.html 2013-05-01T23:11:13Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2023022-park-service-chief-defends-handling-budget-cuts.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing withering criticism from House Republicans, the director of the National Park Service Tuesday rejected suggestions the agency purposely hyped the negative impact of mandatory spending reductions for political gain. Automatic cuts to the agency, said Park Service chief Jon Jarvis, are "painful by definition. We have worked to try a... Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:01:21 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2023022-park-service-chief-defends-handling-budget-cuts.html 2013-04-16T20:01:21Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2019900-boat-filled-with-protected-species-hits-coral-reef.html MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Chinese boat that ran into a coral reef in the southwestern Philippines held evidence of even more environmental destruction inside: more than 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) of meat from a protected species, the pangolin or scaly anteater. The steel-hulled vessel hit an atoll on April 8 at the Tubbataha National Marine Park,... Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:17:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2019900-boat-filled-with-protected-species-hits-coral-reef.html 2013-04-16T00:17:31Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2016330-jewell-sworn-interior-secretary.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Sally Jewell has been sworn in as Interior secretary, replacing Ken Salazar, who stepped down after more than four years as head of the agency responsible for more than 500 million acres of national parks and other public lands. The 57-year-old Jewell, a former CEO of outdoor retailer Recreational Equipment Inc., won Senate confirmation ... Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:27:29 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2016330-jewell-sworn-interior-secretary.html 2013-04-12T18:27:29Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2011774-senate-endorses-sally-jewell-interior-chief.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Sally Jewell, CEO of outdoor retailer Recreational Equipment Inc., won easy Senate confirmation Wednesday to be the nation's next interior secretary. The Senate approved her nomination, 87-11, with all the no votes coming from Republicans. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was among those who opposed Jewell. At Interior, Jew... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:05:59 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2011774-senate-endorses-sally-jewell-interior-chief.html 2013-04-10T23:05:59Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1978946-apnewsbreak-pups-born-to-isle-royale-wolves.html TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The gray wolves in Isle Royale National Park in northern Michigan are increasingly threatened, scientists said Monday, with no pups spotted during the past year and concern growing that the animals may have stopped reproducing. The wolves have long been a symbol of the wilderness character of the island chain, one of the least-... Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:25:43 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1978946-apnewsbreak-pups-born-to-isle-royale-wolves.html 2013-03-25T22:25:43Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1971318-alcatraz-marks-50-years-closure-with-photos.html ALCATRAZ ISLAND, Calif. (AP) — The black-and-white photographs show a line of prisoners — some with heads bowed, others with eyes staring forlornly at the camera — as a guard leads them to a boat for their final trip off The Rock. The striking images were taken on March 21, 1963, the day the infamous prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was clos... Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:31:44 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1971318-alcatraz-marks-50-years-closure-with-photos.html 2013-03-21T22:31:44Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1969972-senate-panel-endorses-jewell-interior-chief.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Energy Committee on Thursday endorsed President Barack Obama's nomination of Sally Jewell to be Interior secretary, moving her nomination to the Senate floor for an expected vote next month. The committee's 19-3 vote in favor of Jewell came after current Interior Secretary Ken Salazar agreed to review a decision blocking const... Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:08:54 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1969972-senate-panel-endorses-jewell-interior-chief.html 2013-03-21T17:08:54Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1967580-senate-vote-85-billion-cuts-avert-shutdown.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved legislation Wednesday to lock in $85 billion in widely decried spending cuts aimed at restraining soaring federal deficits — and to avoid a government shutdown just a week away. President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats rejected a call to reopen White House tours scrapped because of the tightened spending. Federal mea... Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:38:13 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1967580-senate-vote-85-billion-cuts-avert-shutdown.html 2013-03-20T23:38:13Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1965658-statue-liberty-to-reopen-independence-day.html NEW YORK (AP) — The Statue of Liberty, closed since Superstorm Sandy damaged the island where it stands, will reopen to the public in time for Independence Day, officials said Tuesday. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the timeline for the reopening along with U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York. "Hurricane Sandy inflicted major damage on ... Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:49:22 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1965658-statue-liberty-to-reopen-independence-day.html 2013-03-19T20:49:22Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1948816-2-years-duekoue-militia-leader-free.html DUEKOUE, Ivory Coast (AP) — His fighters are accused of carrying out the worst massacre perpetrated during Ivory Coast's bloody, post-election conflict two years ago. Despite repeated vows from the government to force them out, they continue to illegally occupy a national park. And when their leader, Amade Oueremi, travels through this western town, he ha... Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:37:12 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1948816-2-years-duekoue-militia-leader-free.html 2013-03-12T14:37:12Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1940188-interior-pick-puts-outdoor-industry-spotlight.html SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — She doesn't wear a cowboy hat favored by traditional picks for interior secretary. Sally Jewell prefers fleece and Gore-Tex jackets and wears a safety helmet when she needs it for scaling cliffs, skiing or kayaking. Jewell, the 57-year-old chief of Recreational Equipment Inc., represents a new face for a cabinet post more often assoc... Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:46:02 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1940188-interior-pick-puts-outdoor-industry-spotlight.html 2013-03-08T21:46:02Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1939048-jewell-pledges-balanced-approach-energy.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's nominee for interior secretary pledged Thursday to take a balanced approach to energy that would expand and diversify production on public lands while protecting the environment. Sally Jewell, president of Recreational Equipment Inc., told a Senate committee that she supports Obama's "all-of-the-above" energy str... Thu, 07 Mar 2013 22:11:53 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1939048-jewell-pledges-balanced-approach-energy.html 2013-03-07T22:11:53Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1919904-budget-cuts-affect-you.html Automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect Friday are expected to touch a vast range of government services. Some examples: DEFENSE One of the Navy's premiere warships, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, sits pier-side in Norfolk, Va., its tour of duty delayed. The carrier and its 5,000-person crew were to leave for the Persian Gulf on Feb. 8... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 02:22:17 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1919904-budget-cuts-affect-you.html 2013-03-01T02:22:17Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1914850-salazar-thousands-interior-workers-imperiled.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says thousands of Interior Department workers would be furloughed, and thousands more seasonal workers would not be hired under automatic spending cuts set to take effect Friday. Visiting hours at all 398 national parks are likely to be cut and sensitive areas would be blocked off to the public under what S... Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:53:08 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1914850-salazar-thousands-interior-workers-imperiled.html 2013-02-26T00:53:08Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1909284-administration-warns-impact-broad-budget-cut.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Widespread flight delays and shuttered airports, off-limit seashores and unprotected parks. The Obama administration is painting a dire portrait of the many ways the public will feel the effects of automatic federal spending cuts due to begin March 1. The grim picture is emerging as the White House and lawmakers count down the days until... Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:58:12 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1909284-administration-warns-impact-broad-budget-cut.html 2013-02-23T12:58:12Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1908504-apnewsbreak-national-park-cuts-detailed-memo.html SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The towering giant sequoias at Yosemite National Park would go unprotected from visitors who might trample their shallow roots. At Cape Cod National Seashore, large sections of the Great Beach would close to keep eggs from being destroyed if natural resource managers are cut. Gettysburg would decrease by one-fifth the numbers of ... Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:38:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1908504-apnewsbreak-national-park-cuts-detailed-memo.html 2013-02-23T00:38:01Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1908740-obama-hill-right-decisions-cuts.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, intensifying pressure on congressional Republicans, said Friday that lawmakers still have "the opportunity to make the right decisions" and avert a series of mandatory budget cuts by March 1. Despite little sign of a deal emerging with Republicans, Obama said he does not believe it is inevitable that the $85 billi... Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:54:05 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1908740-obama-hill-right-decisions-cuts.html 2013-02-22T19:54:05Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1896122-budget-cut-warnings-prove-harsher-than-reality.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Get ready for two weeks of intensifying warnings about how crucial, popular government services are about to wither — including many threats that could eventually come true. President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans made no progress last week in heading off $85 billion in budget-wide cuts that automatically start taking effect... Sat, 16 Feb 2013 08:30:53 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1896122-budget-cut-warnings-prove-harsher-than-reality.html 2013-02-16T08:30:53Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1891964-democrats-to-unveil-bill-to-replace-budget-cuts.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in the Senate are unveiling legislation Thursday to avoid a looming set of sharp, across-the-board spending cuts set to strike the Pentagon and domestic agencies in just two weeks. The measure would impose a minimum tax rate on million-dollar incomes and replace the automatic cuts, known as a se... Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:44:41 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1891964-democrats-to-unveil-bill-to-replace-budget-cuts.html 2013-02-14T18:44:41Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1872072-obama-picks-outdoor-retail-exec-to-lead-interior.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's choice for interior secretary is a lifelong outdoors enthusiast who likes to bike, ski and climb mountains. As president and chief executive at Recreational Equipment Inc., Sally Jewell has applied her passion to her job, helping push REI to nearly $2 billion in annual revenues and a place on Fortune Magazine's l... Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1872072-obama-picks-outdoor-retail-exec-to-lead-interior.html 2013-02-06T23:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1872192-prized-bosnian-cultural-relic-wont-nyc.html SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Officials in charge of Bosnia's national monuments said Wednesday they rejected an offer by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to exhibit one of Bosnia's most prized relics, a 600-year-old Jewish manuscript that remains locked in a museum which closed because of a lack of money. Ljiljana Sevo of Bosnia's National Mon... Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1872192-prized-bosnian-cultural-relic-wont-nyc.html 2013-02-06T16:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1820296-hog-nosed-skunk-stir-grand-canyon.html FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Desert bighorn sheep, river otters and mountain lions, yes. But a hog-nosed skunk at the Grand Canyon? Hardly. The striped creatures are usually found in southeastern Arizona, Texas and Mexico. But one of them somehow made its way north of the Colorado River last year. A group of rafters camping along the river in August was headed... Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:05:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1820296-hog-nosed-skunk-stir-grand-canyon.html 2013-01-14T20:05:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1816094-fla-python-challenge-draws-800-hunters.html BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE, Fla. (AP) — An armed mob set out into the Florida Everglades on Saturday to flush out a scaly invader. It sounds like the second act of a sci-fi horror flick but, really, it's pretty much Florida's plan for dealing with an infestation of Burmese pythons that are eating their way through a fragile ecosystem. ... Sat, 12 Jan 2013 22:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1816094-fla-python-challenge-draws-800-hunters.html 2013-01-12T22:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1800522-half-dome-cables-will-remain-hikers-limited.html FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — The hike up the granite monolith Half Dome in Yosemite National Park is one of the most iconic in the nationwide system, but on Friday officials announced approval of a plan that permanently limits how many can do it. National Park Service authorities will issue permits to limit the number of hikers to 300 a day, the target number si... Fri, 04 Jan 2013 22:37:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1800522-half-dome-cables-will-remain-hikers-limited.html 2013-01-04T22:37:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1791170-vultures-pick-visitors-cars-fla-everglades.html HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Visitors to parts of Everglades National Park are getting tarps and bungee cords to make their vehicles less delectable to vultures. Migrating vultures have developed a habit of ripping off windshield wipers, sunroof seals, and other rubber and vinyl vehicle parts. Visitors to the park's Homestead and Flamingo entrances are loaned "... Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1791170-vultures-pick-visitors-cars-fla-everglades.html 2012-12-29T16:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1784294-ranchers-split-us-border-security-plan.html NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — When Dan Bell drives through his 35,000-acre cattle ranch, he speaks of the hurdles that the Border Patrol faces in his rolling green hills of oak and mesquite trees — the hours it takes to drive to some places, the wilderness areas that are generally off-limits to motorized vehicles, the environmental reviews required to extend a dirt road. ... Sun, 23 Dec 2012 20:57:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1784294-ranchers-split-us-border-security-plan.html 2012-12-23T20:57:00Z