NEWS: Yosemite BASE Jumping Convictions, Arctic Wildlife Refuge Opened To Oil Leasing, More

Parkography

RV Miles Network

Science, Nature, Places & Travel, Society & Culture:places & Travel, Society & Culture, History

4.9 • 870 Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Highlights include the National Park Service prosecuting BASE jumping cases in Yosemite, the Trump administration reopening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas leasing, and closures in the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Mobile District campgrounds. We'll also cover the reopening of the Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground in the Grand Canyon, a new federal coal leasing plan, the loss of the National Park Service's only petroleum engineer, and a controversial owl culling plan. Find the Slinky Stove that's right for your next adventure at: https://www.slinkystove.com/?ref=PARKography Join the PARKography Facebook group to discuss this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parkography Check out our other channels focused on RV travel: @RVMiles @RVMilesPodcast 00:00 Introduction00:21 Yosemite Base Jumping Incidents03:10 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Oil and Gas Leasing03:57 Sponsored Message: Slinky Stove04:34 US Army Corps of Engineers Campground Closures05:29 Grand Canyon Reopenings and Waterline Project06:34 Coal Leasing Near National Parks07:13 National Park Service Loses Petroleum Engineer07:58 Controversial Barred Owl Culling Plan08:51 Utah State University's Beaver Relocation Program09:42 Managing Feral Hogs in National Parks10:25 Wyoming Corner Crossing Legislation11:17 Conclusion

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Jason Epperson. This is Parkography, and it's time for the latest in National Park in Public Lands News.
0:06.9	First up, the National Park Service, which typically puts out dozens upon dozens of press releases all over the country over the course of a month,
0:15.2	has been next to silent during the federal shutdown since communications staff are currently furloughed.
0:20.7	But they did take the time to notify the media that three base jumping cases, during the federal shutdown since communications staff are currently furloughed.
0:28.1	But they did take the time to notify the media that three base jumping cases have been prosecuted at Yosemite National Park,
0:36.1	and three more are under investigation, perhaps trying to curb some of the unruly behavior happening in the park while rangers are away. We haven't heard of a lot of problems
0:37.9	in most parks, but at Yosemite, there have been many social media reports of a surge in visitors
0:42.9	combined with a lot of illegal drone flying, people climbing the cables at half dome without a
0:48.5	permit, and base jumping. Base is an acronym for buildings, antenna, spans, and earth.
0:54.9	Essentially, base jumping is skydiving from a fixed location instead of out of an airplane,
0:59.8	and it's prohibited in all national parks.
1:02.3	Last week, the National Park Service announced three recent convictions for illegal base jumping in Yosemite.
1:07.9	Quote, we do not tolerate illegal activity in Yosemite National Park, said Yosemite National
1:12.4	Park Superintendent Raymond McPadden. Our law enforcement rangers remain efficient, effective, and vigilant
1:18.2	24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These convictions demonstrate the professionalism and dedication
1:24.2	of Yosemite's protection team in upholding federal regulations and ensuring
1:28.8	the safety of both visitors and first responders.
1:31.7	The cases were tried in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California,
1:35.9	and though they were tried this year, they're from incidents spanning the last five years.
1:40.6	Christopher Durrell pleaded guilty to base jumping from the porcelain wall and was sentenced to
1:45.3	18 months of unsupervised probation, $600 in fines and 40 hours of community service with an
1:51.4	organization supporting the National Park Service. His base canopy and wingsuit were forfeited.
	...

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