Latest news with #NationalParks
ABC News
6 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Rebuilding the lifesaving huts scattered throughout Australia's high country (Supplied: D. Johnson, Tom's Outdoors)
11 high country huts were damaged or destroyed during the Black Summer bushfires. Five years later, they've all been rebuilt. Supplied: NSW Parks and Wildlife Service / D. Johnson, Tom's Outdoors
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Targeting DOGE, labor group puts up billboards warning of heat deaths at national parks
LAS VEGAS — On West Bonanza Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard, not far from the glittering casino lights of the Strip, motorists pass a dire message for the upcoming summer tourism season. A billboard mimicking a postcard from one of the most extreme places on the continent reads: 'Greetings from Death Valley National Park,' before a more sinister warning: 'Heat deaths rise. Safety staff cut. Made possible by D.O.G.E.' It's one of around 300 billboards placed across Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida by More Perfect Union, a nonprofit labor advocacy organization seeking to bring attention to staffing cuts brought on by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent advocacy organization, estimates that around 2,500 employees — roughly 13% of the National Park Service's staff — took buyouts or accepted early retirements or deferred resignations as part of DOGE's efforts to significantly slash the size of the federal government. There are concerns that deep cuts across the National Park Service could jeopardize public safety. 'In far-flung places like Death Valley, park rangers are there to help maintain your safety,' said Faiz Shakir, More Perfect Union's founder and executive director. 'If you pass out from heat exhaustion, they're the ones making sure you're taken care of.' In Nevada alone, 19 billboards are on display in Las Vegas and Reno, highlighting the public safety risk of heat-related illness and death for park visitors this summer. Death Valley National Park extends from eastern California to Nevada and is about a 2.5-hour drive from Las Vegas. The area is often known as the hottest place in North America, with temperatures often reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the summer. An early-season heat wave has scorched much of the West with dangerously hot conditions, prompting an extreme heat warning that extended from Friday to late Saturday. Triple-digit highs were widespread across southern Nevada, and temperatures over 115 degrees were expected in Death Valley. Such extreme heat weeks before the official start of summer added urgency to More Perfect Union's message. The organization's billboard campaign is targeting broad impacts of DOGE's layoffs and cuts to the nation's most popular national parks. In the Southwest, that meant zeroing in on extreme heat, Shakir said. 'We had to tailor the message to get at where the rubber meets the road,' he said. The full consequences of National Park Service reductions remain to be seen, and peak summer tourism season is looming. Abigail Wines, acting deputy superintendent of Death Valley National Park, said park employees are working to keep the public safe and raise awareness about the dangers of extreme heat. She encouraged people to take necessary precautions before visiting Death Valley, such as checking for weather alerts or closures and packing adequate water, sunscreen and other essentials. 'As always, the National Park Service is working to provide visitors with amazing, safe and memorable experiences in Death Valley National Park, and throughout the country,' Wines told NBC News in a statement. More Perfect Union's bigger goal with its billboard campaign is to bring attention to DOGE's controversial work and the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to federal agencies. Shakir said the organization purposefully used the bipartisan support that national parks enjoy as a way to provoke debate. A 2024 poll from the Pew Research Center found that the National Park Service was the most popular federal agency, with 76% favorability among the more than 9,400 Americans surveyed. 'A lot of places we put the billboards in are in red areas, where it's assumed that a lot of people may have voted for Donald Trump, like Donald Trump and even like components of DOGE, quite frankly,' Shakir said. 'But with national parks, we thought this was a good example of where they've gone way too far.' This article was originally published on
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Return to The Rock
US President Donald Trump wants to convert Alcatraz back into a federal prison, decades after the California island fortress was converted into a tourist destination because it had become too costly to house America's worst criminals. The prison off the coast of San Francisco – nicknamed 'The Rock' – is where the government sent notorious gangsters like Al Capone and George 'Machine Gun' Kelly as well as lesser-known men who were considered too dangerous to lock up elsewhere. Circled by herons and gulls and often shrouded in fog, Alcatraz has been the setting for movies featuring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Clint Eastwood. Trump says Alcatraz, now part of the National Park Service, is needed to house America's 'most ruthless and violent' criminals. 'When we were a more serious nation, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That's the way it's supposed to be,' Trump said on his Truth Social site. California Democratic state senator Scott Wiener criticised Trump, saying he wants to create a 'domestic gulag right in the middle of San Francisco Bay'. Alcatraz is in the bay and visible from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. It is known for its years as a prison, from 1934-63, but its history is much longer. Tourists visiting Alcatraz Prison, a National Parks site located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay in San Francisco, California.— Reuters/AP President Millard Fillmore in 1850 declared the island for public purposes, according to the park service, and it soon became a military site. Confederates were housed there during the Civil War. By the 1930s, the government decided that it needed a place to hold the worst criminals, and Alcatraz became the choice. 'A remote site was sought, one that would prohibit constant communication with the outside world by those confined within its walls,' the park service said. 'Although land in Alaska was being considered, the availability of Alcatraz Island coincided with the government's perceived need for a high security prison.' The remoteness eventually made it impractical. Everything from food to fuel had to arrive by boat. 'The island had no source of fresh water,' according to the US Bureau of Prisons, 'so nearly one million gallons of water had to be barged to the island each week'. The cost to house someone there in 1959 was US$10.10 a day compared with US$3 at a federal prison in Atlanta. It was cheaper to build a new prison from scratch. Despite the location, many prisoners tried to get out: 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes into the bay, according to the FBI. Nearly all were caught or didn't survive the cold water and swift current. Escape from Alcatraz, a 1979 movie starring Clint Eastwood, told the story of John Anglin, his brother Clarence and Frank Morris, who all escaped in 1962, leaving behind handmade plaster heads with real hair in their beds to fool guards. The warden's house at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. — Reuters/AP 'For the 17 years we worked on the case, no credible evidence emerged to suggest the men were still alive, either in the US or overseas,' the FBI said. Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and was opened to the public in 1973, a decade after it was closed as a prison. The park service says the island gets more than a million visitors a year who arrive by ferry. A ticket for an adult costs US$47.95, and visitors can see the cells where prisoners were held. Rob Frank, 55, of Springfield, Missouri, said he toured Alcatraz about a decade ago. He said it's hard to imagine the millions of dollars that would be needed to reopen the prison. 'It didn't seem very humane to me,' Frank said. 'They had the cells stacked on top of each other. Small cells. Everything's concrete. It was kind of a dark place.' In 1969, a group of Native Americans, mostly college students, claimed to have a historical right to Alcatraz and began an occupation that lasted for 19 months until federal authorities intervened in 1971. '(Their) underlying goals ... on Alcatraz were to awaken the American public to the reality of the plight of the First Americans and to assert the need for (Native) self-determination,' late historian Troy Johnson wrote. — AP
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Shakira's Washington concert was cancelled for the third time this month, fans wonder what is happening!
Shakira has cancelled yet another tour, sending fans into a flurry of anger. This is the third concert that the singer has had to cancel in the recent months, concerning fans. Originally, she was set to perform at the Nationals Park in Washington D.C. on Saturday; however, according to a recent announcement by the venue holder, Shakira has stepped back yet again. Shakira cancels another concert in Washington The singer had already cancelled two shows without much notice last week in Boston. She was set to perform at Fenway Park in Boston last week; however, due to defective structural elements found during pre-checks of the show, both of the concerts were completely cancelled. As per TMZ, Shakira was supposed to take the stage to perform at the WorldPride event, which will also see Jennifer Lopez as the headlining artist; however, she will no longer be seen on stage. In a statement issued by National Parks announcing the cancellation, they shared that 'Due to complications with the previous show in Boston, Shakira's full tour production cannot be transported to Washington, D.C., in time for her scheduled performance at Nationals Park on Saturday, May 31. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo As a result, the D.C. show has been cancelled. Despite every effort to make it happen, it is not possible to move forward as planned.' Shakira also addresses concert cancellation Amid worries of whether the Boston shows will be rescheduled or not, this cancellation has come forth as another bombshell for fans. The artist herself issued a statement, according to the same report, saying, 'I have been counting the days, excited to be reunited with my fans in both Washington and Boston, and my team and I have made every effort to make it happen, but it doesn't depend on any one of us right now, and I am devastated that these shows were just not possible this time. I promise that I will do everything in my power to be with you as soon as I can.' Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Shocking camping price rise sparks new petition: '$679 a week'
An eye-opening example of the proposed new camping fees in NSW national parks shows how Aussie families will be expected to fork out almost $700 for a week-long camping trip during the school holidays. The shocking increase has experts fearing it will bring family traditions to an end, and rule out camping as the cheap holiday option that it once was. Adventurer and filmmaker Mike Atkinson, also known as Outback Mike, explained in a video to his followers that under the proposed changes, a campsite in high season would cost $679 per week. Comparatively, he found a three-bedroom house for rent just outside the national park that is listed at $600 a week. 'The main reason I was making that comparison is that someone is renting out this house and making a profit with all of the infrastructure and building that's gone into a house, and all National Parks has done is clear a patch of ground and put some dunnies and some facilities nearby,' Mike told Yahoo News. He also counted 89 campsites on the map, and concluded that a fully booked campsite would create more than $55,000 in revenue in just one week. Mike believes if the changes go through, there's no going back. 'It's never going to get cheaper after this,' he said. 'It'll block a whole bunch of people out that just will never be able to afford it. And it will also just discourage young people. Basically anyone who's not middle class with spare cash will really struggle to camp, so it'll just be a trend that less people camp, and it's for rich people or middle class. It'd be devastating, really, for a lot of people. 'It'll affect your kids your grandkids and everything. So it's really important.' The proposal will categorise all campsites into six tiers based on the facilities available, with each tier being more expensive. A simple clearing with no facilities will remain free, while campgrounds from tier 2 to tier 5 (which make up 85 per cent of sites) will range from $22 per night in high season for the most basic campground to $65 for sites that have water and access to a flushable toilet. The top campsites, tier 6, which have hot showers and BBQ facilities, will cost $89 per night. Campsite charges would also be linked to the consumer price index, meaning they'll increase annually. Seasonal pricing will also apply, with higher rates during peak periods and cheaper fees in the off-season. It would mark the first major fee update since 2017. Last week, the chance for residents to have their say about the controversial changes came to an end, with more than 23,000 submissions made. While it has caught the attention of politicians, Mike feels like it's still not enough and has now launched a new ePetition that residents of NSW can sign to keep momentum going. In the petition, Mike is pushing to keep camping affordable for all Australians and calls for three key changes: The NSW Government should fund national parks adequately instead of relying on camper fees Booking systems for campgrounds that did not have one prior to Covid should be removed An increase in the number of campsites commensurate with park visitation Once an ePetition has more than 20,000 signatures, it must be mentioned in Parliament. Mike is hoping for as many as possible, and said he would be thrilled to see 100,000 signatures. The motion is being backed by Nationals MP Scott Barrett, who said it is essential that national parks are 'accessible to as many people as possible'. 'They're everyone's assets, not just the top echelon,' he told Yahoo News. 'Everyone should be able to get into a national park, stay there the night, light a fire, roll out a swag and enjoy some of the best country that this state has to offer.' Mr Barrett recently spent six months with his family travelling around Australia with camper trailer where he stayed in national parks, and says this fight 'is personal'. 'We should be encouraging people to get out into these areas, not making it out of reach of a lot of people,' he said. If you're a NSW resident who is interested in signing the petition, you can find it here. It will remain open until August 21, 2025. Last week, NPWS assured Yahoo News "all feedback will be carefully considered" now the feedback window has closed, and "consistency and equity" for campers remains at the forefront of what authorities are trying to achieve. "No decisions have been made on the proposal," the NPWS spokesperson said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
