Weekend Outdoor Reads is a compendium of interesting outdoor content that I came across, this week. There aren’t any rules for Weekend Outdoor Reads, other than the fact that I have to find it interesting and, hopefully, you will too! This week we have another admission-free weekend coming up, at 100 national parks. And, if that’s not enough, there is a great story on the recent bear attacks in Yellowstone, and ten (ten!) videos of sharks jumping.
Lassen Volcanic National Park entrance is free on August 14th and 15th
Entrance Fees Waived at Select National Parks
All year long, the National Park Service has been waiving the entrance fees, on various weekends, for select national parks around the country. This month, the free weekend will be the 14th and 15th, so makes some plans to take advantage of this opportunity! There are 100 parks across the country that will have free entrance – the complete list of parks is available from the National Park Service.
Bear Attacks Grab Headlines, but No Signs of Increased Encounters
Wildlife officials say human-bear encounters are not on the upswing (photo by Jeff Ratcliff)
There have been several high-profile incidents with bears, recently, that have filled the headlines and generally raised people’s awareness that, yes, there are wild animals in the woods. This New York Times article, by Eryn Gable, highlights the fact that human-bear encounters are not on the rise, citing several government experts.
In a related story, Billings station KTVQ reports that a wildlife photographer may have been baiting wildlife near the scene of the latest grizzly mauling, in Yellowstone.
Ron Aasheim, spokesman for Montana’s Fish Wildlife & Parks department, told Q2 that his agency is aware of the allegations, and FWP is investigating. He added that the agency looks into any allegations that may help explain the bear’s unusual behavior, particularly if it might involve illegal activity such as baiting or feeding wild animals.
Top 10 Shark Jumping Videos
Top 10 Shark Jumping Videos from The Discovery Channel
You can’t talk about bears without talking about sharks! The Discovery Channel has been running their Shark Week series and in support of that they have these ten great videos of jumping sharks. No one is safe.