Cruise ship increase approved.

• Position: TOURISM

The number of cruise ship entries into Glacier Bay will increase by 10 percent beginning in 2007, according to a recent decision by the director of the National Park Service.

NPS Deputy Director Steve Martin signed the decision document, agreeing to a recommendation proposed by the superintendent of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The proposed increase was announced last fall, and public comment on the proposal was taken earlier this winter.

The level of seasonal cruise ship entries into Glacier Bay is controlled by special regulations found at 36 CFR and by a vessel plan completed in 2003. The superintendent is required to determine, with the director's approval, the number of cruise ship entries for the following season. The decision increases the...