Can RVers Save Our Parks and Campgrounds? Nat. Parks Survey, Nat. Park’s FREE week.

“While I’m on the subject of senior discounts, camp hosting, and volunteering (last Saturday’s blog, Do seniors deserve public lands campground discounts?), why not re-think the whole idea of volunteering.

No matter which side of the political spectrum’s talking heads you may choose to believe, the reality is that the economy and jobs are going to take a while to recover to where we remember. What that means is that much of the work of public agencies that is defined as “non-essential” will not get done because personnel will be too busy working on “essential” work–however that is defined.

However, we RVers will quickly notice that this “non-essential” stuff includes keeping parks open, maintaining campgrounds, clearing trails, picking up litter, assisting campers, and being available to answer questions.  The forest service, BLM,  Fish and Wildlife agencies, Corps of Engineers, and our National Parks are all understaffed and could use some help.”
More at:
http://blog.rv.net/2010/04/can-rvers-save-our-parks-and-campgrounds/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RvnetBlog+%28RV.net+Blog+Daily+Updates+Feed%29
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What do YOU have to say about the future of our national parks?
 
“Our national parks face deteriorating conditions after years of funding shortfalls, air and water pollution, ill-advised development, motorized misuse, and other serious threats.
Some people think national parks aren't a priority, so funding for parks will have to wait. But I want to know what YOU say. Please take the 2010 Membership Survey today. The survey will take only a few moments and responses from supporters like you help us sustain our foresighted strategy for ensuring the National Park System's centennial in 2016 is an event worthy of celebration. 
Thank you for all you do to support NPCA and protect the future of YOUR national parks!”

Thomas C. Kiernan
President
From: http://act.npca.org/npca/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=27374231
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YOU'RE INVITED
Washington, DC — The National Park Service (NPS) says it will swing open the gates of all national parks during the week of April 17th through the 25th. The open week celebrates National Park Week, and the NPS says many of its parks will have special activities during the week.

For RVers out in Kentucky who’d like to learn more about their feathered neighbors, on April 24 at Mammoth Cave National Park, become an early bird yourself. At 8:00 in the morning, a special bird hike presentation will teach visitors how to spot and identify birds by sight, sound, and birdish behavior.

Out West, at Olympic National Park, visitors can join in a special “Coastal Cleanup” day on the 17th.
More at: http://rvnewsservice.com/http:/rvnewsservice.com/national-parks-plan-week-of-free-admission.html
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Jay and I did a bit of spring cleaning inside and outside this morning.  We vacuumed the cobwebs out of the workshop, and gave the grooming room floor a good cleaning.  
I picked up all the pine cones so they wouldn’t get chopped up by the mower, so Jay mowed.  I don’t know how my old Sears mower keeps on trucking.   I bought it used from my son many years ago for $20.  It starts right up after every winter. It is a mulching mower, which is better for the grass.

One pine cone wasn’t a pine cone, it was a little hurt bird, I so quickly donned a glove and put it in a cage for safekeeping.   I have a bird’s nest in the rafters of my pergola, so Jay got a ladder and placed the bird next to the nest, with a gloved hand.  Another bird shoved it over into the nest, and so maybe it’s friend will take care of it.  It was missing some feathers on the top of it’s head, and had probably been attacked by a roaming cat.

Then we got out the blower and raked up two trash cans full of the little pine worms.


They are all over the place, but we didn’t blow them off the walkway into the back yard, as that would have been too close to the bird's nest. 


So the place looks a lot better today.