© The Sacramento Bee

Yosemite National Park has released the Communication Data Network (CDN) Environmental Assessment (EA) for public review. The project aims to upgrade Yosemite's internal communications system with more reliable, modern technology to support all the park communication needs.

A new data network would consolidate and upgrade the existing system, providing a more efficient platform for communication needs like computer LAN data, radio, security and safety video, NPS telephones, alarms, traffic data, and telemetry. A public meeting will be held on January 13, 2010 at 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mariposa County Government Chambers. Park staff will be on hand to answer questions, review exhibits, and provide copies of the plan.

View the project online and submit your comments via email or by mail to:  Yosemite National Park Superintendent, Attn: CDN EA, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, CA  95389. Deadline is January 29, 2010.

© NPS

A new exhibit, which opened to the public last week, is on display at Grand Canyon Railways' Williams' historic train depot and consists of photographs taken by Arizona youth. The exhibit consists of 19 photographs taken by ten middle-school youth.

The young photographers captured their images during Grand Canyon National Park's first Grand Canyon in Focus--a week-long camp to inspire a passion for the outdoors and national parks while building teamwork. Grand Canyon Railway will host this exhibit through January 9, 2010 and will be available from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. daily from now through January 3, and on January 8 and 9, 2010.

For more information on the Grand Canyon In Focus program,call Megan Kohli at 928-638-7683 or check online.

© Lauren Himiak

Looking for the best news clips that discuss national parks? Each week, I read news from all over the country and find the best articles that you need to read. The stories deal with national parks, adventurous trips, even personal memoirs, and are posted to Facebook's About.com National & State Parks page. Here is a highlight of this week's top stories:

• Lessons from Aldo Leopold's historic wolf hunt
• Letter: Grand Canyon in Winter
• 5 totally badass travel experiences
• How Travel Opens Your Heart
• Cycling Along the Underground Railroad
• Travel Industry Expects Only a Modest Recovery in 2010
• Winter Fly Fishing in Montana: Bundle up, Don't Bring Beer
• Whose Summit? Our Summit! Bella Center Erupts in Protest
• Stem Cell Treatment Saves Climber's Leg
• Who should have to pay to rescue stranded climbers?

Become a fan of my Facebook About.com National & State Parks page to read these stories and see what you are missing!

© thomas pix via Flickr

Olympic National Park is asking the public to provide input on an environmental assessment regarding a proposal to rehabilitate the Boulder Creek trail and former automobile campground.

The environmental assessment is available online and evaluates four alternatives to restore a 2.2-mile section of the old Boulder Creek Road to a trail by removing asphalt, improving stream crossings, and restoring and rehabilitating the Boulder Creek campground.

Comments may be submitted online or should be sent (no later than January 6, 2010) to: Superintendent - Boulder Creek EA, Olympic National Park, 600 East Park Avenue, Port Angeles, WA 98362. For more information, call 360-565-3004.

© thomas pix via Flickr

It's a great season for Yosemite National Park! Yosemite Outdoor Adventures is offering interactive and fun-based learning experiences for all ages.

A total of 12 field courses are bring offered by the non-profit organization, Yosemite Association (YA) during 2010. They have been designed to appeal to a range of ages, interests and abilities are will all be held within the park. Programs run from one to three days and address a diverse range of subjects including photography, geology, animal tracks, cultural history, outdoor skills, astronomy and botany.

Further information is available online or by calling 209-379-2321, ext. 17.

© JBColorado via Flickr

Looking for a more convenient way to visit Mount Desert Island or Acadia National Park? By the summer of 2011, visitors will be able to park their cars in Trenton and take a bus to get to the island.

Yesterday, state, local, and federal officials broke ground on a new $14,000,000 intermodal facility in Trenton called the Acadia Gateway Center. The center will allow visitors to park their cars at the gateway center, plan their trip around the island, and then take a propane-powered island explorer bus. The bus will also be free of charge.

The Acadia Gateway Center should be ready to open in the summer of 2011 and is costing more than $10.6 million in federal funds and 3.3 million in state funds.

© alh1 via Flickr

Snowshoes not required. Lassen Volcanic National Park will be offering ranger-led snowshoe walks beginning December 26. T

The walks will be free though a $1 donation is suggested for the snowshoe use and maintenance. Walks will be held every Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. through April 4. Visitors can enjoy one to two hour excursions with snowshoes provided. Anyone eight and older is welcome and will learn snowshoeing techniques, winter mountain travel safety, and outdoor survival tips from rangers.

For more information, call 530-595-4444.

© kalandrakas via Flickr

Near the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park, a long-loved ski area has been closed since 2004. But thanks to volunteers and a determined nonprofit group, it has opened yet again.

Sleeping Giant is located in the Shoshone National Forest and operates under a special-use permit from the Forest Service. It first opened in the late 1930s, but dry winters, a hefty maintenance backlog, and rising operating costs closed the ski hill upsetting generations of families.

A nonprofit group led by Cody oil and gas executive Jim Nielson has worked since 2007 to reopen the ski hill, making more than $3.4 million in repairs, upgrades and expansions. Updating ski runs, clearing trees, and installing a new bridge and triple-chair lift have been large undertakings for the group. But the work paid off. Yesterday, the run opened with a celebration that included music, food, a family relay race and an evening torch-light parade.

© Voyageurs National Park Association via Flickr

Voyageurs National Park is very popular during winter for ice fishers, cross-country skiers who glide through the park's forests, and pretty much all visitors entering the park on the 7-mile-long Rainy Lake Ice Road. But for right now, the park is reminding all prospective visitors that the ice is not thick enough.

In an advisory statement, park officials said, "At this time ice travel is not recommended on any lake surface due to inadequate ice thickness. However, conditions are rapidly improving with the colder temperatures. Park staff is evaluating ice conditions on a daily basis between the Rainy Lake Visitor Center and Crane Lake. If cold weather conditions continue, park staff expects to have the Green Trail staked and open sometime next week. Land based ski trails are being prepared, but are not yet open."

Also keep in mind that the park is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Day. If you plan to visit soon, be sure to check out the visitor center's winter exhibits. For more information about the park and ice conditions, call 218-286-5258.

© Rennett Stowe via Flickr

The North Dakota Draft Regional Haze Plan was released last week disappointing many conservation groups, including the National Park Conservation Association. The NPCA says the plan fails to require the pollution reductions from large coal-fired power plants needed to eliminate man-made haze in protected areas, including national parks.

"Without stronger measures, North Dakota's coal plants will continue to unnecessarily obscure views from Theodore Roosevelt and Badlands National Parks to Voyageurs and Isle Royale National Parks for decades to come," said Stephanie Kodish, clean air counsel for the NPCA.

The plan also fails to accommodate requests by the Department of Interior to toughen its air pollution control requirements for the state's coal-fired power plants. Advocacy groups are reviewing the plan and will submit formal comments by January 8, 2010. The North Dakota Division of Air Quality will also hold a hearing in Bismarck for public comment on on January 7, 2010. You can view a copy of the state plan as well as information about the hearing online.