Here at the Traveler we'd like to welcome the National Parks Conservation Association to our list of sponsors, and welcome back the folks at Yellowstone Vacations for another winter season in the world's first national park.

The NPCA has been fighting for the national parks for nearly a century, and those efforts have gone a long way to help preserve these incredible settings and rich cultural, historic, and natural resources. Whether they're pointing out air pollution woes over Great Smoky Mountains National Park, working to see the Everglades restored, or campaigning against garbage dumps near Joshua Tree National Park, the NPCA staff works to stay atop of all the myriad issues pressing on the National Park System.

To get a glimpse of what NPCA does on a daily basis, head over to their website and spend a few minutes browsing. It's illuminating, both in terms of all the issues that need to be addressed, and how NPCA's staff is addressing them.

More than a few of us no doubt envy the folks at Yellowstone Vacations. Who wouldn't want to live on the edge of the world's first national park and have all its wonders as your backyard? Getting into Yellowstone in winter can be a challenging prospect, what with the cold and the snow. But Randy and his crews can get you there in comfort for a day or longer with their snowcoach shuttles to Old Faithful or ski tours throughout the park. And they also offer guided snowmobile excursions.

Yellowstone Vacations also operates some lodgings in West Yellowstone, which can be a great basecamp for visiting the national park.

The support of these two organizations can't be minimized here at the Traveler, both because of their financial support to help us pay the bills of servers and techs and all the other behind-the-scenes costs that we shoulder, and because they share our mission of extending the reach of national park news, whether that involves scrutinizing management decisions in the National Park Service or following the latest search-and-rescue mission or creating checklists that help you enjoy the parks.

And don't forget, we seek the support of you, the reader, as well. If you've ever glanced at our archives, you know we've covered a lot of issues across the National Park System and built an incredible database you can tap when planning your visit to Yosemite or Acadia or Mesa Verde. And we've got a lot more to address in the months and years ahead.

So if you've ever come to the Traveler for information on a specific park, to learn about the latest search-and-rescue mission, to ponder Professor Bob's Mystery quizzes or get Ranger Jim's take to going's-on in the parks, consider making a donation to the cause.

You can contribute by going to this page and clicking on the Help Sponsor button and contributing through PayPal, sending a check to National Park Advocates, LLC, at P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah, 84098, or encouraging businesses and organizations that operate in the parks to enroll in our sponsorship program.

Unfortunately, the IRS doesn’t consider us a non-profit, and so you can’t claim a donation to the Traveler as a tax-deductible contribution. But we can promise that your contribution will help ensure that when you get up in the morning or turn the computer on after dinner that the Traveler will be there with your daily dose of national park news and features.