Most Endangered Parks

[Trail Dog]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science...ger/index.html

I heard it on CNN this morning and noticed that two of the top three endangered are home to the trails, Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains.

'NPCA blames air pollution from vehicles and coal-burning power plants for harming the vistas at Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. ' CNN

So tread carefully this year and keep in mind that little thing called low impact camping. Its only a drop in the bucket but it is your bucket.

Happy Trails

[DRRouner]

With George Bush as president we can only expect it to get worse-much worse.

[EarlyRiser]

SNP has really experianced some bad times. the trees have been attacked by plague, fire, overuse, and air pollution, and are really showing the signs. its still a beautiful park, but if its treated as poorly as it is now, it wont stay that way. and i agree with bush and his environmental policies its in even more danger.

[Lone Wolf]

The parks would be so much better with that goofball Gore in office. hahaha. NOT! Bush rules.

[Waterbuffalo]

I'm on your side Lone Wolf, Like we would be better off with Gore( I forgot he invented the internet with out him we would not have this forum!). The parks are also in trouble due to over use! I saw the same report but I find it odd that near the Smokies there are no Coal burning powerplants it's all Hydro! Once again I think the Clinton News Network was talking out of it ass.

I really think we need to limit the amount of cars that go through GSMNP, or even make them pay to get in to reduce the amount of traffic/emissions. US 441 goes directly through the park and is a main hwy almost. Everyone from Georgia and Florida use this route to go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon forge. I don't thing the President has anything to do with it right now. I think the Head of the Forestry Service has everything to do with it !

[Blue Jay]

Both Bush and Gore and all of their friends are just lackeys for the Corporations. To them the parks are just wasted space. Jefferson warned that Democracy cannot survive immortal corporate dictatorship. We all are just as responsible. In the recent ATC Appalachian Trail Way News, they reported on this study, they also claimed to be interested in keeping the "trail experience" the same for future hikers. Meanwhile the amount of money they spent last year trying to influence legislation about air quality was zero. Since my thruhike in '98', just 4 years, the air quality in Maine has seriously deteriorated. I never got a single view that was remotely compared to '98'. When we all can't breathe, the corporations will sell us air at tremendous profit, but we'll keep voting for Democrats and Republicans.

[Waterbuffalo]

Blue Jay I deffinatly agree with you. There is alot we can do as Hikers such as support Car companiues that only produce Ultralow Emissions Such s as Hybrids and Carpool to trailheads. It's just not pack out what you and others pack in.

It's our Mother Take care of Her!

[Lone Wolf]

No way! I own a lot of stock in Exxon/Mobil.

[Grimace]

Waterbuffalo wrote - "I saw the same report but I find it odd that near the Smokies there are no Coal burning powerplants it's all Hydro!"

It has little to do with where the power plants are. The coal burning plants in the Midwest are at fault for air quality in the East. The jet stream just brings all the polltution this way. There are days in the Whites during the height of summer where you are lucky to see the next peak over it is so hazy.

[Waterbuffalo]

Wow I didn't even think about the midwest Coal burners. Thats a real good point too!

[Redbeard]

And if our Midwest coal plants aren't bad enough, their sending everyone pills to protect the thiroid gland in case one of our outdated Nuke facilities blows up. Remember, theres always third parties you voters! And don't tell me it's a wasted vote. Voteing bypartisan is the real waste.

[Trail Dog]

Its a catch 22. If everyone cared about the AT then the AT would be funded and taken care of, but in return it would be comercialized and every nice hill top would look like Washington Mt..

But like it is too few people care, sure it keeps it semi wild like and keeps a great amount of weekend family car rides out, but you wont see much government aid or public sympathy when the trail starts to fall apart.

the only time the AT makes the news now is when someone vanishes or dies, and even then you might not be told it was the AT it happened on.

unfortunatly its up to the limited AT comunity to care for the AT and there is only so much we can do.

[scummings]

TVA has lots of coal plants in east tenn. It is not all hydro here. Most of the hydro dams around here are old and don't have enough power to supply the area alone. TVA has gotten around epa regs that require updating emissions controls by saying some of the plants are near the end of their life expectancy. However they have turned around and modified these same plants for extended life spans and capacity without updating pollution controls. It really sucks in the summer when the news says pollution levels are dangerously high in the mountains. I usually ignore and go on about my buisness, but I'd hate to be someone like my mom who has respiratory problems.

[EarlyRiser]

At one time from on top of Hawksbill in SNP it was possible to see the washington monument. not anymore. even with restricted access to parks the emmisions that are still present will continue to affect the trees. its a very fagile ecosystem, even though its hard to imagine somthing like a tree being affected by small changes in air quality, it happens very easily. i see coal as a much greater evil than nuclear power. however if nuclear plants arnt run responcibly then of course they pose quite a serious threat as well. its clean now, but will it be latter? humans have trouble seeing the effects of actions, or else most of the problems we have today with the environment could have been avoided years ago.