National Park News | National Parks Get Vandalized, NPS Sued For Not Accepting Cash, New National Monument?

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I'm Jason Epperson. This is the America's National Parks podcast, and it's time for this month's National Park News Roundup WORK_OF_ART. First up, a couple of vandalism incidents at National Parks. Law enforcement rangers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area are seeking information from the public to help identify suspects who were caught on video posted on X by user Las Vegas PERSON locally. In it, two adult males are seen toppling natural rock formations from the top of a cliff on the Redstone Dunes Trail FAC. In the footage from April 7th, a man in a long-sleeve red shirt and another man in a black t-shirt stand atop a rock formation.They dislodge and shove boulders over the edge while a frightened girl pleads with her father not to fall. Lake Mead officials shared images of the perpetrators defacing the rocks on social media and requested information about the pair. If you have information that could help identify the suspects, you can contact investigators and tips can be anonymous. The National Park Servicewide ORG tip line is 8886530009 or online. You can go to nps.gov slash submit a tip.At Yosemite National Park FAC, a visitor caught the aftermath of a gender reveal party in a photo and posted it to Reddit ORG. In the photo, the snow on the ground below Yosemite LOC's towering cliffs is covered in a pink substance. According to USA Today, three Americans are suing the National Park Service over some park locations no longer accepting cash payments for entry.The plaintiffs from California, New York, and Georgia filed the lawsuit in early March in federal court in Washington GPE, D.C. The lawsuit says the Park Service's policy violates a U.S. GPE law that says that coins and currency are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues. Thus, the National Park Service's refusal to accept U.S. GPE currency, tendered for entrance fees, constitutes a clear violation of federal law, says the lawsuit obtained by USA Today ORG. The lawsuit says that 29 National Park Service ORG sites throughout the country don't accept cash as payment to enter, including Sawaro National Park, the Roosevelt Vanderbilt National Historic Site FAC, and the Fort PolaskiNational Historic Site. In May of 2023, the National Park Service had announced that certain sites within the National Park System would no longer accept cash for entry. A representative for the National Park Service told USA Today that in recent years, the U.S. Treasury ORG created policies to reduce the amount of cash and checks handled across the federal government, and many banks stopped partnering with the Treasury in that process. So the number of banks with relationships with the Treasury Department,where National Parks FAC could then take cash to be deposited, has dwindled, especially in remote areas. Death Valley spends roughly $40,000 a year on processing and transporting cash. The lawsuit is asking that the Park Service ORG restore cash operations for visitors, saying that millions of Americans NORP do not have access to bank accounts, and the plaintiffs seek no monetary reward.More in a moment, but first, this episode is sponsored by RV Share ORG. With over 4 million nights booked and thousands of five-star reviews from happy campers, RV Share ORG is the largest RV rental website in the U.S. A wide-ranging inventory from affordable pop-up campers to luxury motorhomes means RV share has a rental that's perfect for you. Choose from thousands of options, including pet-friendly RVs PRODUCT and RVs that can be delivered right to your campsite. Each booking on RV Share also includes 24-7 roadside assistance for theultimate peace of mind on the open road. Get ready to use your outside voice. From camping at a local state park to checking a national park stay off your bucket list, the adventure begins as soon as you step inside your RV rental. Book your RV now for the busy spring and summer season on RVShare.com ORG. There's no better way to explore America GPE's national parks than with an RV trip. Find helpful tips for first-time renters, travel inspiration on the best RV-friendly places to visit and discover a budget-friendly way to have an epic adventure all on the RVShare ORG blog.Check out RVShare.com ORG to find out more and use promo code Parks 30 for $30 off of $500 or more booking. U.S. GPE representatives Raul Ruiz and Senator Alex Padilla PERSON have introduced bills to designate the Chukwala National Monument and expand Joshua Tree National Park. The land that would be protected includes part of the Chukwala Valley, all of the Chukwala Mountains, and the adjacent Mecca Hills, all in Southern California, east of Joshua Tree along I-10 FAC. The landscapes are rich in biological diversity and home to desert tortoises, kit foxes, golden eagles, and the Monument LOC's namesake, the Chuck Walla Lizard. The bills are supported by local tribes, numerous businesses, communities, and conservation groups.In 2023, Ruiz first unveiled legislation for the proposed 660,000-acre Chuck Walla National Monument and 17,000-acre addition to Joshua Tree GPE. Padilla introduced a companion bill in the Senate, and Ruiz PERSON reintroduced his bill again during the 2024 session. The legislators are also asking the Biden PERSON administration to use the Antiquities Act LAW to designate the monument and expand the park, which would be sort of a workaround for congressional approval. Separately, the New York Times is reporting that the Bidenadministration is planning to expand two other California national monuments designed to protect land of cultural significance to Native American NORP tribes, as well as biodiversity and wildlife corridors. The San Gabriel monument is about 346,000 acres, and according to the report, the White House intends to expand it by about 110,000 more acres. The Beriasa Snow Mountain National Monument is about 331,000 acres of protected land in seven counties, and it will be expanded by just under 14,000 acres.Legislation to expand both monuments has been stuck in Congress ORG, although there has been little to no opposition. Zion National Park is set to rehabilitate the park's historic South Campground FAC. The project will address deferred maintenance and repair needs related to the campground and deliver new and rehabilitated bathrooms, modern drinking water systems, improved sewer infrastructure, enlarged and reinforced stormwater drainage, improved campsites, and new food storage boxes.South Campground has hosted camper since it opened in the 1920s. Most of the infrastructure and the campground now dates from the 60s. This rehabilitation project is addressing needs that resulted from aging infrastructure and will simplify future maintenance and increase accessibility. The 2024 National Park Week begins Saturday. The nine-day celebration begins with an entrance fee-free day on April 20th and continues through April 28th. If you havean annual past national parks, we often suggest that you actually avoid the fee-free days if you don't want to be around all the crowds, but you might want to enjoy the crowds for this celebration. Of course, it's up to you. A trip planning guide is available on nps.gov and the official NPS ORG app at online calendar of activities provides information about National Park Week happenings. In addition, each day will feature a different aspect of national parks. Saturday, April 20th celebrates discovery of the 429 National Parks Service ORG sites.Sunday, April 21st, celebrates the 123,000 volunteers that provide their time and talent. Monday, April 22nd is Earth Day. Tuesday, April 23rd, celebrates innovation. Wednesday, April 24th, celebrates the Park Service ORG workforce. Thursday, April 25th, celebrates youth engagement. Friday, April 26th, celebrates community connections. Saturday, April 27th is Junior Ranger Day, and Sunday, April 28th, celebrates arts in the parks. For more information about National Park Week, visit nps.gov slash NP Week.If you can't make it to a park in person, Paramount Plus ORG and the National Park Foundation are teaming up to have some live stream events coming from Yosemite, Blue Ridge Parkway, Big Horn Canyon LOC, New River Gorge, Everglades, Death Valley, and Zion GPE being shown with sunrise to sunset live streams beginning on Earth Day, viewers will be able to live stream the National Parks on Paramount Plus and on YouTube ORG. That's it for this month's National Parks News Roundup WORK_OF_ART.Thanks so much for being here, everybody, and we'll see you next time.