Recent Stories

Summertime is approaching. It is vacation season and people are ready to say goodbye to long days in the office and spend some time by the water. Vacationers will break out their swimsuits and tanning oil and look forward to a summer of boating, swimming and fishing on the lakesRead More…

Sea levels have increased steadily by one to two centimeters every year since 1900, but in the past decade this has increased to between three and four centimeters of rise a year, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “Earth’s climate is changing, with global temperature now rising atRead More…

While winter snow normally generates images of crystal white landscapes and holiday cheer, winters in the national parks of the Pacific Northwest have been anything but cheerful in the last couple years. Many of the nation’s parks in the region have had gifts of beautiful holiday weather replaced by floodedRead More…

Twenty years have passed since Yellowstone National Park experienced the largest wildfire in its 136-year history. The wildfires of 1988 burned more than 793,000 acres, equivalent to roughly 36 percent of the park’s 2,221,800 acres. Another 800,000 more acres burned in the Greater Yellowstone Area. The fires began in JuneRead More…

Federal law prohibits hunting and the possession of weapons within any of the national parks. However, that does not stop people from attempting to kill wildlife anyway. “We do have a poaching problem in the park,” said Karen Beck-Herzog, public affairs officer for Shenandoah National Park in Virginia “Mostly concerningRead More…

Air tours of our national parks is not a simple matter. You might think all it involves is going to a nearby airport and paying for the service. But no. It gets complicated. There is a long-running controversy over the rights of those who wish to fly above and thoseRead More…

While earning his master’s degree at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Tom Blount, 46, did not know what he would pursue with his degree. After teaching at Glenville State College, where he specialized in land resource management, Blount realized he wanted more. Little did he know his future would beRead More…

National parks are found all over the world. The United States alone has 391 national parks system units, 58 which are parks. Every year, these parks are visited by millions of people. Each park is located in one of seven regions across the nation and has its own personality consideringRead More…

Imagine relaxing sunsets, breathtaking night skies, remote islands and forests isolated from the bustling city hundreds of miles away. Now imagine that tranquility being disrupted by toxic car fumes, overcrowded campsites, and an overwhelmed volunteer staff. Out of the 391 national parks, monuments, memorials, historic sites, and preserves, locations likeRead More…

These days, wolves mean controversy in the west. Wildlife Service agents killed two wolves last month that had attacked livestock in Sun Valley, Idaho. This year, wolves have killed 21 cows, 170 sheep and four dogs. And in return, a total of 35 wolves have been killed by federal agents,Read More…

An avoidable tragic accident involving an animal in 1977 left 5-year-old Colin Robert Neu dead. He was feeding a buck potato chips when the deer spooked and caught the boy by the arm, nicking an artery. His accidental death was one of a number of unfortunate incidents that occur inRead More…

As the saying often goes, “Everything changed on Sept. 11.” But truly, much did change that day, most of it associated with security protocols across the country, and around the world. While the National Park Service has fought to keep up, one aspect of its crime fighting arm has foughtRead More…