Top Stories of the National Parks for 2017

Twenty seventeen came to an end last week.  Many history making and world changing events from Donald Trump's taking of the oval office to the mass killings in Las Vegas took place. America's national parks were caught up in many of these history making events as well, here are the top national park stories from 2017.

National Park Service told to stop Tweeting
The day after Trump's inauguration, the National Park Service tweeter account put out a tweet seeming to contradict the President's claim that his inauguration enjoyed the largest crowds ever.  The National Park Service (NPS) twitter site sent a message that compared images of Obama's crowd vs. those for Trump's.  The obvious conclusion from the images was that the president was over exaggerating at best and lying at worst. The NPS site was shut down for several days.  As a result several alternative tweeter sites including one for the NPS, as well as the EPA, NASA, and Forest Service popped up to counter the new gag orders.

Trump proposes to raise Park entrance fees
The National Park Service proposes at nearly two dozen sites to more than double the entrance fees.  The agency claims the additional revenue will help with park improvements. Others fear, the higher costs will make traveling to national parks unaffordable for many.

Trump orders the reduction of several National Monuments
Following a review of less than a year, President Trump ordered the largest reduction of national monuments in American history. Specifically, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments were both cut by 1 million acres.  These cuts were made despite overwhelming public support for maintaining them as were.  The final decision will likely be rendered by the courts.

Park Visitation continues to Break Records
It wasn't all bad new in 2017.  The National Park Service reported early last year that 2016 saw record breaking numbers.  In fact, nearly 331 million people visited the national park system during its centennial year.  Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Blue Ridge Parkway, Smoky Mountains National Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and Gateway National Recreation Area rounding out the top five visited park sites.  Twenty seventeen saw similar visitation numbers and experts expect this past year to be a record breaker as well.

Solar Eclipse Casts Shadow Across Several National Parks
On August 21, a total solar eclipse passed across the entirety of the continental United States. This was the first total eclipse visible from the US in 38 years.  The 2017 eclipse passed over 21 national park units from Oregon to South Carolina.  Millions of people traveled to be in the path of totality.  Another total eclipse won't be visible again in the United States until April of 2024.

Huge Fires Scorched the West
Twenty Seventeen made history for other reasons besides astronomical phenomenon.  Huge wildfires ripped across the west this past year as well.  Infernos torched thousands of acres in Yosemite and Great Smokey's National Parks. Meanwhile, at Montana's Glacier National Park, wildfire destroyed the historic backcountry Sperry Chalet.

That's it.  Did we miss anything?  Let us know in the comments.

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, Glacier, and the North Cascades. He is a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

Biggest National Park Stories of 2015



Old Faithful Geyser and spectators,
Yellowstone National Park, Acroterion |

This past year was big for national parks and national park system including the establishment of new park units, record visitation, and huge wildfires.  Here in no particular order, are the top national park stories of 2015.

1. New National Parks: The creation of new national park units was a top priority for the President this past year. Along with Pullman Historic Neighborhood, Browns Canyon, and the Honouliuli Internment Camp site, the federal government also created Manhattan Project National Historic Park. These parks preserve some of our most threatened landscapes, protect former slave housing, tell of the story of the world's entering the atomic age, and help us never forget the internment of some of our fellow Americans.  National Parks preserve and protect not only what we hold dear, but also some of our are hardest lessons.

2. Record Visitation: The national park system saw a record number of people coming through the park entrances. As of the start of this month, the national park service had welcomed more than 272 million people and was on pace to see more than 300 million people for the first time in its history. These numbers are up nearly 4 percent from last year. The park service broke visitation numbers despite a shaky economic recovery, terrorism threats, and the belief that they are no longer relevant. The public seemed to vote with their feet this year, that not only are parks relevant, they are more loved than ever.

3. Huge Fires: Another number that was up this year was the cost of fighting wildfires. The federal government spent more than $1.7 billion fighting fires across the country this past year. This is up more than $100 million from 2014.  Fires raged throughout much of the country including large fires in Montana, Alaska, Washington, and California. Sadly, 2015 was a deadly fire season seeing seven firefighters killed battling the blazes. Congress is responding to the crisis by proposing additional federal resources  to fight these monster blazes.

4. Politics: Like any other aspect of our lives, the national parks are no refuge from political fights and squabbles. This year, the battles over the confederate flags spilled over into our national heritage. Debates over how to correctly portray civil war history including Confederate efforts were hotly debated. Confederate memorials and Statues were removed across the south. The effort reached a crescendo with the removal of the confederate battle flag from the South Carolina state house grounds. The park service also struggled with how best to convey Civil War history, without being seen as promoting or making light of the South's complicity in the promulgation of Slavery. In response, the Park Service ordered the removal of confederate flag merchandise from its gift stores. It's likely the debate over the South's role in the civil war will continue. The flag flap is a reminder that national parks are often on the front lines on how America represents, honors, and tells its story. The park service will likely be called repeatedly to provide leadership on many socially and politically controversial issues.

5. Centennial: The national park system will turn 100 years old next year. As such, the park service is rightly making plans to celebrate the milestone. As well as, 16 free days, the park service is planning countless events, specials, parties, and celebrations to mark the centennial.

Yellowstone is the worlds first national park, and Americans can be rightly proud of the national park system they have created since then.  Park thrillers is looking forward to the next hundred and can't wait to see what's in store for our national parks.

Okay, that's our list of the top National Park Stories for 2015. What did we get right? What did we miss? Tell us in the comment section. Also, please check out the national park thrillers Unleashing Colter's Hell and Lost Cause, two of Amazon's top selling political/terrorism thrillers.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers