By Ben Romans

The recent discovery of vandalism within Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona has some officials concerned. They worry the incident is part of a thrill-seeking trend to deface national parks and monuments across the country. Rangers said the latest episode involves at least 45 spray-painted graffiti tags brandished on landmarks throughout the park—including 16 of the park’s famous 150-year old saguaro cacti.
 
A New York Times article says that in a similar incident late last year, officials had to clean graffiti from the remote Twin Owls formation in Rocky Mountain National Park, and more recently, the Rattlesnake Canyon in Joshua Tree National Park was closed to clean graffiti from the canyon walls. What remains unclear is the motive behind the acts.

By Ben Romans

A husband and wife enjoying a Beach Boys concert in Council Bluffs, Iowa certainly weren’t feeling any Good Vibrations after a spooked whitetail buck jumped the fence, collided with the woman, and rendered her unconscious.
 
Larry and Judy Leinen were sitting in the back row when the deer jumped over the four-foot fence and hit Judy when it landed. The impact was forceful enough to knock her out and bend her lawn chair in half. The deer simply jumped back over the fence and into the woods. Her husband says it’s just one of those weird things that took them by surprise.

By Ben Romans

President Obama signed the Freedom to Fish Act this week—legislation that places an immediate two-year moratorium on any attempt by the U.S. Corps of Engineers to block boating access above and below Cumberland River dams, while a permanent plan to keep access open works its way through the government channels.
 
In late 2012, the Corps’ Nashville District announced its intention to cut off boating access is specific zones above and below 10 dams on the 688-mile long Cumberland in Kentucky and Tennessee, citing safety concerns—a plan that immediately drew the ire of legislators, business owners and anglers. Despite the outcry, the agency went as far as installing buoys to mark the new boundaries last spring.

By Ben Romans

Imagine after years of applying for a coveted hunting tag, you open your email inbox one morning and find a message from the state fish and game office with the word “congratulations!” in the subject line. Then imagine the sinking feeling half an hour later when you receive a follow-up email from the same office saying, “Oops, our bad. Sorry, you’re not a winner. Better luck next year.”

There’s a good chance you know exactly what I’m talking about if you applied for one of South Dakota’s two bighorn sheep licenses. Last week a computer glitch inside the South Dakota’s Game, Fish & Parks’ system incorrectly notified approximately 2,000 bighorn sheep applicants they won one of the prized tags.