national parks
Public Lands Watch: National Park Fee Increases
Park Service proposes to more than double fees at popular parks for peak times
On October 24, the National Park Service published a proposal to hike entrance fees in 17 of the most popular parks—including Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon—during peak visitation seasons. The per-vehicle fee during peak season would rise to $70 from the current range of $25 to $30. The plan would also raise the per-person …
Continue reading “Public Lands Watch: National Park Fee Increases”
CONTINUE READING200 Days and Counting: Public Lands
The potential impact of a Trump Administration on our federal public lands.
The federal government owns almost one-third of the land in the United States, primarily concentrated in the Western states. In addition, the federal government is the primary manager of the oceans off the coast of the United States (with the exception of oceans within three miles of the coastline, which are primarily under state authority). …
Continue reading “200 Days and Counting: Public Lands”
CONTINUE READINGWatching over our public lands
Keeping track of what is happening with our federal public lands
There is a lot of discussion about possible changes in environmental law post-election. One area that has received some attention is public lands. The federal government owns a little less than one-third of the lands of the United States – many of those lands are ecologically valuable, and are components of our priceless national park …
Continue reading “Watching over our public lands”
CONTINUE READINGNational Park Service Celebrates Centennial Anniversary
It’s Time to Celebrate–and Re-Commit to–“America’s Best Idea”
This week the National Park Service celebrates its 100th birthday. On August 25, 1916, Congress enacted legislation proposed by President Woodrow Wilson to create the Park Service. To this date, creation of the Service remains one of the nation’s most important actions to protect America’s environment. (Documentarian Ken Burns–himself a national treasure–famously called the national …
Continue reading “National Park Service Celebrates Centennial Anniversary”
CONTINUE READINGThe National Park Service and Climate Change
Does the agency have the legal tools to respond to climate change?
This past weekend President Obama visited Yosemite, helping the National Park Service celebrate its 100th anniversary. As part of his remarks, the President noted that climate change is already causing major impacts on the resources in National Parks around the country—for instance, causing the disappearance of the glaciers in Yosemite and increasing fire risks in …
Continue reading “The National Park Service and Climate Change”
CONTINUE READINGThe Future of Conservation
Earlier this year I wrote critically about a New York Times op-ed that proposed making the restrictions on development in wilderness areas more flexible in order to allow for adaptation to climate change. This week the Times published what I think is a much more helpful op-ed on the topic of how we should address …
Continue reading “The Future of Conservation”
CONTINUE READINGIn Memoriam: Joseph L. Sax, Gentleman, Scholar, Giant of Environmental Law
Visionary environmental advocate will be sorely missed, long remembered.
[Posted on behalf of all Legal Planet authors at Berkeley Law.] It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Joseph L. Sax, James H. House and Hiram H. Hurd Professor of Environmental Regulation (Emeritus) at Berkeley Law. Joe was our hero, our teacher, our mentor, our colleague, our friend. …
Continue reading “In Memoriam: Joseph L. Sax, Gentleman, Scholar, Giant of Environmental Law”
CONTINUE READINGShould We Allow Development in National Parks?
If I were pressed to state my favorite place in the world, coming right at the top of the list would be the Wawona Hotel, in Yosemite National Park. Not only is it inside Yosemite, but it is a historic hotel, originally built in 1879, and possessing all kinds of retro features as well as …
Continue reading “Should We Allow Development in National Parks?”
CONTINUE READINGHappy Birthday, Yosemite
On June 30, 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed legislation that transferred “the ‘cleft’ or ‘gorge’ in the granite peak of the Sierra Nevada Mountains” known as “Yo-Semite valley” [sic] to the State of California for “public use, resort, and recreation.” Yosemite Park Act of 1864, ch. 184, § 1, 13 Stat. 325 (1864). The purpose of …
Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Yosemite”
CONTINUE READINGNational park futility in Kenya
Parks don’t guarantee conservation success, a new study by David Western and colleagues in PLoS ONE reminds us. Compiling census data from 270 studies over the last 25 years, they found that large mammal populations in Kenya are declining just as rapidly within national parks as in other parts of the country. Poaching, the authors …
Continue reading “National park futility in Kenya”
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
