[Blue Dome]

It's not about what's "permissible" from the ideological standpoint you're implying. It's simply about what's right to preserve the parks — no ideology needed.

[touron]

I don't have a problem with snowmobiles in Yellowstone. I suspect that's one of the major things driving this. If they want to tighten pollution standards, fine. If they want to keep the snowmobiles out, not fine.

[MtnGoat]

[Malachai Constant]

Yeah, it is called values.

[MtnGoat]

I see, those non ideological values. You guys have a great racket going!

[Blue Dome]

[Malachai Constant]

Thats right, not all points of view are equal (thats moral relativism). Right is better than wrong, truth is better than lies and conservation is better than waste.

[Tom]

[Damian]

Does any national park have a wilderness designation? I though NPs were their own entity, entirely different from wilderness areas.

[Tom]

I'm pretty sure most of the national parks in this state are designated wilderness per this map.

[Malachai Constant]

Tom is right.

[Damian]

NP's and Wilderness areas have vastly different rules, yet they seem to be lumped together in the wilderness discussions. Same with that site. NPs allow chain saws, but not hunting, or dogs. Visa versa for wilderness areas. Both are managed by completely different agencies. Is there a single official "Wilderness" desingnation that is, in fact, common to both? I've never heard of a NP referred to as a wilderness, except through casual usage of the term.

[oosik]

I think the way to look at it is after designating it as a park, they got around to also designating the rest as wilderness. For Washington National Parks anyway, they only did this in 1988. They may also have been a little creative on the boundaries, as I imagine places like Camp Muir and Camp Shurman were left out of it to provide some more management latitude (and helicopter access for the vault toilets). Other than that, I think they treat it the same as if it was a wilderness in a wilderness area, except whatever regulations they have for a park, they have that too.

[whistlingmarmot]

Any human impact in nature is waste IMO. Therefore all wilderness and parks should be off limits to humans. As such we will have maximum protection of the land. Now that's conservation! And, if you disagree with me, then you are not reasonable, and don't care one iota about parks. Therefore, I am right, since I conserve and care. This all seems very reasonable.

[Brian Curtis]

Damian, wilderness can be designated on NF, NPS, or BLM land. Most of the land area of the parks here in WA were designated wilderness in 1988. Here's a copy of the NCNP portion of the Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988 and the complete text of the act can be downloaded here.